Hanso's Journal

by Reese S. Quill

The thief needs a story too, right? So how did Hanso become the oh-so-charming one that saved Neopia? This when he's 7 to 18, when TFR starts. Written with the permission of amethyst3232.

45. September at Ages 10 and 11

Another important A/N:

Yes, I have a new username. I think I'll keep this one. It's based on a real nickname and another username I have. :P

Thanks (for the comments regarding the revisions). Between the lines of threatening to kill me if I change it, they were nice. :) The early chapters still bother me, though, but that could be because I'm such a perfectionist. So here's what I'll do: I'm changing the first chapter (It might have already changed, so go check them out), and in my profile I've set up a poll whether you like the old or new chapter more. If the old one gets more votes, I'll keep it.

Oh, and something else to look at in my profile: "Thieves' Guild 101," which is basically a guide for anything confusing about the Thieves' Guild along with the history, which I will update when there is new info about the Guild in HJ. PM or send me a review if you want something added.

Nom-Nom322- Good question, about the last name. Peter had known Summer a much shorter time than Hanso has known Brynn, but he's a lot more trusting. Summer is not on first name basis with Peter (at least, not so far with the flashbacks), so she simply calls him Laron. As for Hanso writing an entry during TFR, I'm not sure. I don't even really know how much time passed in Neopia while we were on plot-mode, although it only looked like a few days (still, there's a chance that it could've taken longer, due to the traveling). Most likely, Hanso will stop writing before TFR, and then I'll skip forward and write a last entry afterwards. I might make a separate story for that, though…

The Month of Gathering (September) Ages 10 and 11

Week 1

"So, have you finally turned against guards or am I missing something?" Kayley asked me. I glared at her. She's talking about me being anxious? She'd been pacing around ever since Sam had come today. She wasn't the only one. All of the Thieves' Guild were going crazy about the upcoming duel, and having a guard fight for them of all things. Most of them were actually doubtful it would happen—until Sam came to the headquarters with permission. After that, none of it had much of a choice but to accept him. "I can't believe the guy agreed to go with his mother just like that."

"Well, she did say that he would duel," I told her. I didn't say that I was actually the one who convinced him. No one but Masila and Sam knew. I guess you could say it might've gained favor—that I might've gotten credit for doing something adults couldn't do. But it just didn't seem right. What I said, about Masila killing Sam's dad, made me feel really guilty. Sure she's evil, but she did care about Sam.

But if she really cared, why was she fighting him in a duel to the death? That wasn't why I was feeling so crushed, though.

Kayley still looked troubled. "Yeah, but I never actually thought he would. He seemed so adamant. I hate it that he's actually in the Guild." She had a shrewd expression on her face. "Besides, this is stupid to begin with. We're being tricked."

"What? How?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. But there's something fishy going on."

"Like what?"

She bit her lip. "I just can't believe Masila would do anything as foolish as risk all her plans in one duel. Even if she does win, the Thieves' Guild will never follow Vlade. And besides, there's something weird about Morgana…."

"We already know she has prophecy powers."

"Wrong. Her stupid notebook has prophecy powers. She just has the gift of Sight," she said matter-of-factly.

"How do you even know that?" Juliet asked, coming next to us. Since our visit to the rich kid neighborhood, she's been tagging along a lot. Not that I minded. She had a calming effect on some people who got angry easily. And she provided extra protection—her brother always shadowed us, whether he showed himself or not.

Kayley shrugged.

Juliet and I glanced at each other. We both knew something was going on with Kayley, and whatever it was, it wasn't good. Not many people were noticing it yet; but Kayley had been my partner in crime more than anybody, and Juliet always trailed after her. We knew her best (although she still wouldn't admit we were friends). And what we were seeing was that she wasn't feeling well. She seemed more unfocused, more tired everyday, and she wouldn't spit out why. But even though she was getting weaker, how can she sense power sources? I've been sick before, and I knew that is not a symptom of stomach colds.

"Kayley," said Juliet slowly. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"Why are you asking me?" she snapped. "I was asking Hanso why he wasn't as annoying as usual."

Juliet looked away. "I'm guessing it's 'cause Hazel left, right?"

I choked. "How did you know that?"

"I went to Uptown again when I saw you were going there," she admitted. "I wanted to talk to you about-" She glanced at Kayley with worry. "About someone's condition. I heard you talking with your cousin, and I guessed you wanted to be alone. You're feeling guilty that you weren't there to see Hazel off, right?"

She never ceases to amaze me. I had to smile. "Yeah. Charlie was really surprised about it, though. Apparently, Hazel tried to put up a fight at first, but then her mother had a long talk with her. She went away willingly, and she said to Charlie that it'll be better for them both."

"It probably is," Kayley commented. "I mean, they don't burn down letters at the school, do they? They'll have more contact than they did when they were right next door to each other."

"Helps that my mom gave Hazel her law books," I agreed. "What's weird is that at one point my mom said it seemed that she wouldn't accept them. She was about to say something that started with an 'n,' and I thought she was actually going to say that she didn't need them. Then Mom said Honey shook her head, and she took them and said thank you to Mom."

"Honey also promised to let Charlie get Hazel's letters, right?" Juliet questioned. "Since the only people who can write to her are her family or people in the Guard."

"Yep," I replied. Then I realized what Kayley did. "Hey, you're trying to distract us!"

"Darn. It almost worked."

"Okay, Kayley, whatever's happening to you now, spill it," Juliet ordered.

"What's gonna make me?"

"I can," she warned.

"Oh, blackmail? Didn't know you had it in you, Capulet,' said Kayley coldly.

Juliet tensed up. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Of course you didn't," Kayley said. "It doesn't matter, okay? Let's just focus on what we have to worry about right now. The upcoming the duel, the current guard in our hideout, what's making Hanso so depressed…"

"I thought we already decided it was Hazel," she murmured.

"It probably is," she agreed. "But there's something else, too." She glanced at me shrewdly. "There's something you're not telling us, Hanso. Something you haven't been telling us for months, and it's bothering you."

"It's nothing," I said quickly.

"Hanso, you are a terrible liar."

"I have to agree on that one," said Juliet, smiling a bit. "Come on. Kayley refuses to speak a word. Maybe if you say something it'll be good enough to make a deal."

"I might be willing to compromise," the black Acara considered.

I was getting desperate. "Seriously, nothing is-" I saw the hurt expression on Juliet's face. She didn't like to be lied to twice.

"Spit it out already," said Kayley wearily. "I'm sure it isn't that big of a problem."

"Yeah? I guess my dad dying in Terror Mountain isn't too big of a deal," I said angrily.

There was complete silence.

The girls just stared at me. Juliet's eyes widened; and she covered her mouth with her hands. She looked at me with sympathy and shock, even though I didn't really want it. She was sweet and all, but tears weren't what I needed right now. Kayley, on the other hand, merely raised her eyebrows. She crossed her arms, as if she didn't believe it. "Are you quite sure of that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your dad's every bit as resourceful as you are. I doubt that he'd go down without a fight," said Kayley matter-of-factly. "I'm having doubts that he went down at all."

"I haven't received a letter in months. There was this huge massacre, and barely anyone was left alive." I shook my head. "It was in the middle of a frozen wasteland. How could anybody survive-"

"Like the Bori did? Like Kanrik did? You're underestimating your own father."

"Kanrik said so."

Kayley laughed icily. "Do you know how pathetic that sounds? Kanrik said so."

I wanted to slap her there and then, but Juliet intervened. "That's not a very nice thing to say. How would you know?" Kayley's eyes turned distant. For a few minutes, she didn't move. "Uh, Kayley?" Juliet waved her hand. "Hello?"

Then something very creepy happened. In fact, if Juliet had gasped out loud beside me, I wouldn't have been sure it happened at all. Kayley's eyes, usually the color of grey steel, sharpened dramatically, becoming orbs of silvery moonlight. Enchanting. Powerful. Dangerous. Then Kayley shrieked, as if waking from a bad dream, and her eyes faded to normal again. "Fyora," she groaned. "Too far, too soon. I promised I wouldn't do it again. I promised." Then she realized that we were still there. "Darn."

"What the heck was that?" I said, staring at her.

"I shouldn't have done it," she muttered. "Too little experience, and he could be tracking me." She looked at the shadows wearily, as if they would jump out at her. "No…not yet."

"Stop it," Juliet snapped.

"Stop what?"

"Acting weird!"

I could've laughed, but I kept my tone serious. "We know something's wrong. Why won't you tell us?"

"You'd feel guilty," Kayley answered. "This isn't something for you two to worry about."

"So we're just too little kids meddling with grown up business?" I challenged.

She frowned and looked away. "I didn't find out anything. Terror Mountain is too far. I suppose your father could be dead, but personally, I don't think so. He'd fight for you and your mom."

"Again with changing the subject!" I said, annoyed. She just rolled her eyes and walked away. "What is with her and all these secrets?"

Juliet chuckled lightly. "Maybe she's right. We're getting a bit too nosy; we should worry about the things that's happening now."

"But she's getting so sick," I said, concerned.

"Aw. You're worried," she cooed.

I frowned. "I am not worried."

"Then you don't need to know what's happening to Kayley," she concluded.

She had cornered me. I just shrugged. "Fine. But once the whole Guild thing's sorted out, we're going to grab Kayley and force her to tell us what's going on."

"Maybe we can find a more peaceful way to convince her," she said, stifling a giggle.

"Easy for you to say," I grumbled. "You get along with everybody."

Her smile faded. "Not everybody, Hanso." Before I could interrogate her, she exclaimed, "Oh, there's Julius! I have to ask him about this fighting style. See you later." She jogged to her brother, a little too enthusiastically.

I have to wonder if Kayley's the only one keeping secrets.

Week 2

I'm getting really worried about Sam now. He's been living in the Guild since last week, but like Kayley, not everyone's okay with it. I guess it's like expecting guards to welcome a thief. Anyways, he went out for a little while, and I decided to follow him. I've heard a little bit from snatches of conversations I heard (of Sharon, of course) that Brynn and her group had sneaked after him several times and got caught. Still, stealth really isn't their thing. I bet that if it came to combat, the person would be sliced and diced. But going after someone? Nope. The same is true for thieves. That's why it's so rare to have somebody really good at fighting—we all usually only know the basic defense moves.

Leave it to Kayley and Julius to be the best warriors in the Guild.

Sam was good—better than what I expected a guard to be, in any case. But he didn't have three years of stealth training under his belt, and he could only detect so much. He eventually went by this tree and began practicing. That, he was more than good. Great. Better than Brynn, though I guess I can't really compare them since he's older than her (she'll probably be as good as him – better! – when she's that age).

"Good show, sweetheart," said a voice. "But you'll never beat me using those moves."

Sam stopped. "What do you want, Masila? I'm not changing my mind. My mom needs me."

"And you think I killed your dad," she added.

"Well, didn't you?"

"I'm not going to answer that," Masila said primly. "But I will say that he was a hot-headed fool, blinded by his own hatred. I'd hate to let that happen to you. You're not going to beat me, darling, and you know it."

"My dad was not a fool," he snapped. "He was brave, and he gave his life up-"

"Needlessly and recklessly," Masila finished.

"Shut up!" he shouted at her. "Just because I liked you once doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you."

She laughed. "Go easy on me? Sweetheart, I think someone's gotten a bit full of himself. You may be better than a few bullies, and hey, maybe even a few thieves, but that doesn't mean you'll be able to compete. I do know the guard techniques." She stepped close. "You know there's only one way to win."

"And that's if I use your own moves against you?" he said sarcastically.

"You already are. Sneaking around? Listening if your friends are following you?" She paused. "By the way, you really should work on that."

"Why? Somebody else is following me? Give it a break, I've been real careful when I was coming here." Okay, maybe he was getting a bit arrogant. Masila didn't reveal where I was, though I knew she realized I was there. She probably didn't mind if I listened or not. "Why do you keep trying to stop me, anyway? It's not as if you actually care."

There was a short silence. "Because we're family?" she said, in amused tone. She was lying, but it was easy to tell whether you were truth-speaker or not. "Because I see potential?" She grinned. "Because you were the cutest lil' nephew ever?" Despite himself, Sam cracked a smile.

"Maybe because you see yourself a better aunt than Morgana," he put in.

She closed her eyes. "Don't mention her. Please."

"You are intimidated by the fact that we're allied with her," he marveled. "I guess she was your evil aunt, huh?"

"I'd be hurt if you hate me as much as I hate her," she told him. Interesting to note. I wonder what Morgana did to make even the Mistress of Double-cross shudder at her name. Master Serpent certainly isn't telling. In fact, he's been irritated with Kanrik for weeks. "In any case, if it weren't for someone warning me she was coming, I probably would've seemed scared. So take that as a little consolation prize."

"You have another spy!" he accused. "Sasha?"

"Please. This person is definitely not a spy—he's completely loyal to…well, I'm not sure who he's loyal to, but it's not me. As for Sasha, the little minx cleared off ages ago, after telling me that someone….had a special talent. You know her as Violet's little sister."

"Oh, you know who my girls are now, do you?"

"Yes. They're much more determined than I thought." She sighed dramatically. "Sadly, the little girl's gone off to some boarding school. Someone or another must have warned her mother." I nearly gasped. So maybe there was a hidden motive in Honey's shipping her daughter away to that awful academy.

"Good thing for her," he said. "So what do you want?"

She glared at him. "Would it surprise you so much if I say that I do care?" He stared at her, but she continued, "Of course it will. Even if you do think I'm being honest, you'll be eager to fight and risk your life anyway-"

"I don't want to fight!" he tried to yell, but his voice cracked like he was going to cry. For a second, he looked away. "I don't want to fight," he repeated, but a lot softer. "But I promised. They're making me."

"No one's making you, darling."

"They might as well be. I can't let them down."

"I see." She had a sad, regretful smile on her face. She straightened. "Well, I suppose we'll just hope everything will work out for the best in the end, hmm? And we'll both accept that we did what we have to do. I apologize for any harm I might inflict on you during the end of this month."

"I'm sorry if I hurt you too, Auntie."

She eyed him for a second. "Why don't you want to fight, anyway?"

"Would it surprise you so much if I say that I do care?" he said.

She tousled his hair. "Things will work out, Sammy. I promise."

"You have a plan, don't you?"

"Naturally." She started in one direction, but then stopped and turned around. "A word of advice, sweetheart," she said, and I knew this was meant for me as well as Sam. "It's not that you win, it's what you win that counts."

(Line)

I walked around the Guild, trying to find Marie. Her house was locked and I wanted to peer in the crystal ball again. But of course, the Guild was flooded with people bustling around, jostling me, and calling rude things that I'd rather not write down. Brynn had it easy with Harry. He's just a kid, and the guard rules restrict him from doing any lasting damage. Here, even the adults are after me. I kept walking.

"Tyler," I heard an annoyed voice saying. "I swear, I didn't touch your stupid letter-notebook. Someone else must've ripped a page from it. Why do you need it, anyway? Was there something important in there?"

"No," he snapped. "But I want the full and complete contents inside."

"Why? You know you're never going to be able to send it to where your friend is." There was a pause. "I'm sorry. That was mean, wasn't it?"

"I know. But who else could it be? Jordan's off traveling, and even Kenny and Jerry wouldn't do this in one of their pranks."

At that moment, the crowd cleared and they bumped into me. Papers scattered everywhere. A Poogle with dirty-blond hair was trying wildly to get everything before it scattered, and Tyler and I were trying to help. "Oh, Fyora," she muttered. "Kanrik's gonna kill me. He wanted these about five minutes ago."

"Chillax, sis," Tyler instructed. "The Guild leader's not that mean."

"He's scary," she told him.

I nearly snorted. "It's okay. Just tell him Hanso did it and he'll let you off."

She looked up, surprised. "So you're the Hanso everyone's been talking about," she said, staring at me. She held up a hand to shake. "I'm Bridgette….Kanrik's personal assistant, I guess you can say." That made sense. With her hair in a bun and her glasses, she looked like a very organized person. I was guessing she had a pretty high rank, maybe an Infiltrator who got excused from her duties. "This is my brother, Tyler. He's about your age."

"We've met," he said, giving me a slight grin.

"Yeah, about that….I think I know what happened to your letter-thingy." I took it out from my pocket. I'd already written a copy in my journal, anyway. I gave it to him. He stared at me with shock. "It's a bit crumpled, though. Flynn—er, my teacher's bird—he gave it to me."

"You read it, didn't you?"

"Uh…."

"It's cool." He examined it and smiled. "In fact, I probably would've wanted you to read it."

"How about me?" Bridgette complained. She looked over his shoulder. "Oh, yes. You gotta remember that not all of us hate you, Hanso."

"Um, thanks," I said awkwardly. I hesitated for a moment. "Who were you sending it to?"

His smile faded. "Nobody. At least, nobody who can read it anymore." He wasn't lying.

Bridgette stood there uneasily. "Okay, I have to get these down to Kanrik. Um, you're looking for Marie, right? She left a few minutes ago. I think she was heading back to her house."

Right where I began. Great. "Thanks." I stopped. "Sorry about your dad."

"Yours, too," they both said. None of us were smiling now.

(Line)

"Marie?" I said, knocking on the door.

"In here," she called. "It's open. Sorry, it's just been busy busy busy so far." I entered, and I saw she was right. The place was a mess, as if a few thieves have stayed there.

"What happened?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle," she said with a smirk. "Those idiots think that they can ambush me? Please. They've forgotten that Masila herself had taught me when we were younger. I might not be quite as good as her, but I can defend myself." She looked at the clock. "Oh, I'm behind schedule."

"Seems like everyone today is," I muttered.

"You can use the crystal ball," she said. "But you're going to have to use it yourself."

"That's fine. I'm pretty good with it already."

She gave me a brief nod and went out of her house again, probably on the way to the Thieves' Guild. I approached the crystal ball warily, and then closed my eyes, beginning to imagine where I left off in my parent's story. Then I stopped. Did I really need to know that right now? I thought. No. There was one piece of information I wanted, and it'd be more helpful than finding out how Mom settled in the Guild. I concentrated. Show me the first time Masila visited Sam….

(Line)

It was a sunny day, to my surprise. Okay, don't laugh, but I was picturing more of a 'dark and story night' stuff, with Masila probably creeping inside like a shadow. I know it doesn't make sense, but hey, can you blame me? It was really peaceful. Kids were laughing everywhere, a lady was washing her clothes, humming, and a sweet breeze went all around them. Meanwhile, a lady in a cloak entered the kingdom of Brightvale.

She hesitated for a moment, and took off her hood. I've got to admit, she really was pretty, with her kaleidoscope eyes and ivy-colored locks. Really is pretty, too, though you can't tell much because of how long she keeps her hood on. Not your typical kind-and-compassionate pretty, like Marie or Mom or Juliet, nor your don't-mess-with-me-I-can-take-care-of-myself like Brynn or Kayley or Janice. She had a unique look all her own, dark and alluring.

"Now where can my little sister be?" she muttered, looking around. Suddenly, a kid's ball went flying and went near her. She picked it up, amused. I looked to see who the kid was: Sam, five or six years old.

He looked at her with his big eyes questioningly. "Uh, lady, can I have my ball back?" Then she did something unexpected. She smiled at him and twirled the ball with a finger, and then tossed it to him while it was still spinning. He caught it easily, his eyes widening even more in amazement. "Wow! Can you show me that?"

"Sorry, sweetheart, I'm in a bit of a hurry," she told him.

Her smile put him at ease…so much that he turned to his friends and threw the ball to them. "Meet ya guys later!" he said. There was a chorus of 'Aw' but he didn't pay any mind to them. "Come on, people," he told them, his voice getting a convincing tone. "I'm sure you can have some fun without me. Maybe you can play Mynci in the middle!" They all nodded, but some still begged him to come with them.

Instead, he ran after Masila. She seemed surprised to have a little tag-along, and a very persuasive one at that. "Where ya headed?" he chirped. "You look lost."

She laughed; not evil laughter, just a sweet, free sound that sounded like music. "Is it really that obvious?"

"Yep," he replied, having that brutally honest little kid streak.

"Okay, darling, maybe you can help. Do you know anyone here who's called Marie?"

"Oh, yeah!" he said happily. "My mama."

Her smile faded a bit. "What?"

"Marie Ritch," he said, oblivious to her shock. "She likes making cookies and stuff."

"I see. What's your name?"

"Samuel Ritch." He made a face. "It's a weird name, and it's so serious! So Daddy calls me Sam. You can call me that too, if you want."

"Sam. All right. Would you please take me to your mother?" He nodded and took her hand, cheerfully telling her stories about the kingdom and the sites she might want to visit. I followed after them. She grinned as he kept chattering away. "And then you can go to the creek, it's awesome to jump in-" He paused. "Except, well, girls don't like jumping in creeks. They like playing with dolls, right? Or sewing, since you're grown-up."

"Sam," she scolded playfully. "That's sexist! Girls can jump in creeks, too."

"Have you ever jumped in a creek?" he countered.

"No, but that's because I've lived in Terror Mountain."

"Oooooh," he said, fascinated. "Mama's from Terror Mountain. Kanrik's from Terror Mountain!"

This time, Masila's face changed to a scowl. "I know."

Innocently, he said, "Hey, that's okay! I'll teach you how to jump in the creek!"

"How generous of you," she said, smiling again.

"And maybe I can convince some of my friends to go." He looked at her doubtfully. "I still don't think the girls can-"

"Oh, Sam, one day I'm sure someone's going to sweep you off your feet and show you that girls can do as much as boys can," she said, shaking her head.

"Kay," he said. "If you say so. But even when I use my 'obeying' voice, I don't think they-"

"Wait, what? Your 'obeying' voice?"

"Yeah," he said. "When I use it, everybody does what I say. It's so cool! But mama says I mustn't ever use it. But it's so much fun."

"Then you really are my nephew," she muttered.

"Wanna see?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "Perhaps later. I have an 'obeying voice,' too, you know."

"Really? Awesome! Oh, there it is," he said, pointing at Marie's house. "Want me to go and introduce you first?"

"Please do," she replied. She followed as he dashed indoors, her eyebrows rising at the pictures that adorned the walls.

"Mama! Mama!" his voice rang from another room.

"Sam," Marie said. Masila closed her eyes briefly, as if irritated. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to go play with your friends."

"Yeah, I did," he told her. "But then I met this nice lady-"

"Samuel Ritch, what have I told you about talking to strangers?"

There was a pause. "Not to do it?" he said sulkily.

"That's right. You can't just go talking to strange ladies!"

"But she wasn't strange! She was nice. She showed me how to twirl a ball and stuff."

"That's still no reason to-"

"And she has an obeying voice, too!"

There was a long, long silence. Marie was probably taking it all in. I wondered briefly what was happening in there, but I decided to stay put. "An….obeying voice, you say? Um, Sam, where exactly is this lady now?"

"She's out there in the hall!" he said excitedly. "She said she was looking for someone called Marie, and I said that you were my mama and that your name was Marie, too, and-"

"Oh, Fyora." I heard a tumble of items crashing, a bit of cursing, and then Marie was there in the hallway. Masila was back was turned, still examining the pictures, and her hood was on, but she knew her sister was there. "Masila? Is that really you?"

"Is that the greeting I get after years of presumed death?" Masila said dryly. Before she could continue, though, she was enveloped in a tight hug. "Ow! Watch it, Marie!"

"Fyora, you're alive!" Marie squealed happily, not letting go of her sister.

"Not for much longer if you keep crushing me."

"Sorry," Marie apologized, backing off. But she couldn't stop grinning. "Wait till Master Serpent hears about this. He'll be thrilled! And Kanrik…" she trailed off. "Hm. What will Kanrik say?"

"Nothing," Masila snapped.

Marie looked confused. "What? Of course he's going to say something. He's your best-"

"Was," Masila corrected harshly.

Marie arched an eyebrow. "Well. You're not telling me that the rumors are true, then? About what happened on the Mountain?"

Masila shrugged. "More or less," she said.

"But they can't be. That means that you're a traitor."

"Which is exactly why you can't tell anyone I'm here," she finished.

Marie's eyes widened. "That's impossible. You aren't capable of doing those things."

"Marie," said Masila, "I think we can agree I can do anything I set my mind to."

"But why? You liked him!"

"Oh, enough of that," Masila groaned.

"Even if I do agree not to tell anyone, it's impossible to hide from the Thieves' Guild here," she said. "There are thieves all over the place."

"Aren't you one?"

"…well," Marie said hesitantly.

Masila stared at her. "You got kicked out too? Now that's impossible."

"Not exactly kicked out," she said defensively. "Just…let go."

"Why?"

"You don't know who my husband is, do you?"

"No. And frankly, little sister, I think you were a much too young when you got married, if I'm right about Sam's age. Not to mention your string of unsuccessful boyfriends you used to have, your temper tantrums, and the fact that you threw away your whole life to be with—who is this guy?"

Marie glared at her. "Sir John Ritch."

Masila's jaw dropped. "A guard? You married a guard?"

"Technically, he's a general," said Marie. "But yes. And I'll have you know, I'm still quite happy with him."

"Oh, really?" Masila said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Where's he now?"

"At work."

"Mmm. And what time does he get home?"

"Um, around nine? Sometimes he stays at the base overnight."

"And what time does he go to work?"

"Five a.m."

"How many days is he at the Guard?"

"Six days a week."

Whoa. My parents are always back at six, eight at the latest, and they spend all day together anyway. I guess some people aren't that lucky.

"You barely see him at all!" Masila exploded. She did have a point. "How can you tell that you're happy 'with' him?"

"I just can," said Marie stubbornly. The two sisters glowered at each other. Finally, Marie sighed. "Look. I'm glad that you're back, okay? But I don't need protecting anymore. I'm fine. And I don't want to argue with you. I'm married, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Masila shook her head. "I suppose not."

"We'll work out how you're going to stay," Marie assured her, brightening up a bit. "We-"

"I'm not staying, Marie," Masila interrupted. She paused. "Though I do thank you for your offer. It means a lot."

"You're leaving?" said a pitiful voice. Both of them turned around to see Sam, his lip quivering. "I don't want you to go! You were supposed to go the creek with me, and all around Brightvale, and then maybe you can show me more tricks with the ball, and then-" He latched himself on her leg, refusing to let go.

"He obviously likes you," Marie noted.

"As sweet as that is," Masila said, unfastening Sam from her leg and scooping him up, "I only came here for one reason."

"What's that?" said Marie suspiciously.

"Remember that necklace we used to steal back and forth from each other?"

Marie grinned. "Yes."

"Do you still have it? As I recall, you grabbed it from my neck by hanging upside down from a tree last time."

"Of course," Marie said, smiling. "I remember I had pine-needles stuck on my hair for a week."

"Perfect. I need it."

"No."

"What? But Marie-" She started, using a persuasive voice.

"You're going to have to search for it first," Marie said, smirking. "It's been years since I saw you, Sila. Do you really think I'm going to let you go that easily? If you really want the necklace, it's in the house. You're staying with us until you find it. Besides, simply giving you the necklace is against the rules. And we must always follow the rules. Right, Sam?"

"Yeah!"

"But-"

Before Masila could say another word, Sam went and threw his arms around her. "Please don't go. Your mama's sister, right? That makes you my auntie. I've never had an auntie before." He cuddled her. That's what I call using your little kid cuteness to the max.

"You're using your obeying voice now, aren't you?" Masila said.

"Maybe."

"Little minx," Masila said, shaking her head. "How long has he been able to do this?"

"For years," Marie admitted. "But…I've discouraged him from using it."

"You shouldn't do that, Marie. He won't be able to control it. It'll slip out of his mouth whether he likes it or not."

"If you say so," said Marie, in a tone that showed that she wasn't convinced. "So, are you staying?"

"I suppose so," she said in a monotone voice. But when Sam grinned delightedly at her, it was obvious she was trying not to smile.

(Line)

The orb dropped me off near a creek. Sam jumped in eagerly, and then shouted at something to Masila. She shook her head, grinning. He shouted to her again. She shook her head. At last he came up, soaked, and held his arms out as if he wanted to be hugged. She began to shake her head again, but he came after her, arms outstretched. She shrieked and ran away, but let her nephew catch up and pull her into a hug. "See?" he said triumphantly. "You're all wet now! You have to jump in."

"Water's too easy to track."

"Are you hiding from someone, Auntie?"

"Yes...sort of."

"Ooh! I love hide and seek!" he said happily. Then without warning, he pushed her in the water.

"Eep! Oh, Sam!" Masila squealed. She was soaked, too, her long, hair getting undone. She sighed. "Well, as long as I'm here," she muttered, and then began to float.

"Cool! I wanna do that!" Sam said, trying to float but ended up spluttering with water.

"Sammy," she reprimanded. "Didn't your father teach you to spread your arms out?"

"No," he murmured. "Daddy doesn't teach me anything much anymore. He's too busy."

"Mmm. That's too bad. You're too sweet a kid to ignore." She swam to him. "Now, if you want to float, you have to spread out."

"But what if I drown? I can't kick or wave my arms?"

"No. Sam, you won't drown. I'm here. Trust me."

"Okay, Auntie," he said obediently. And just like that, he began floating. "Hey! Look at me! Woo-hoo!"

"Yes, spectacular," she said, swimming towards the banks of the creek. She went to land and dried herself off, squeezing the water from out of her hair. Her cloak lay on the grass, abandoned.

Sam paddled to her and went to land, too. "You're pretty, Auntie," he said admiringly.

"Not the first word someone would use to describe me," she told him.

He began examining her cloak. "Oooh, what's this?" he asked, holding out her dagger. Instead of freaking out, like most adults do, she answered him matter-of-factly. He appeared fascinated. "Do we get to use these at the Guard?" he asked.

She arched an eyebrow. "You want to be a guard, don't you?"

"Well, yeah," he said, swinging his legs. "I wanna be just like Dad when I grow up."

"How nice. No, sweetheart, you don't use those at the Guard. You use swords, and there are a lot heavier and in my opinion, more troublesome. A dagger can be easily concealed, so you never know when the attacker will strike."

"Aw, too bad. It looks like a cool weapon." He turned it over again and put it respectfully on the grass. "Daddy said he'd help me with a wooden sword, but he never has the time."

Masila paused for a moment. "Well, sweetie, I'm no good with swords, but I have fought against some, and I always win. Do you want to learn how to use the dagger in the meantime?"

"Oh, yeah! That would be awesome." He looked at her. "Am I supposed to have a wooden and plastic one first? Daddy says that's what I need to practice."

"Oh, no, Sammy," she said, ruffling his hair. "With daggers, you always get it at the first try or you fail. Simple is that. No 'training daggers' whatsoever. You can have that one, if you like."

"Really?"

"Yes." She took another one from her cloak. "I have a lot more."

(Line)

"I don't like her."

"John!"

"Well, I don't. Why did you invite her to stay with us, again? She comes and goes as she pleases! Do you have any idea how much trouble I can get if the Guard realizes I'm housing the Mistress of Double Cross herself?" He glared at Marie.

"Don't call her by that ridiculous nickname," she snapped. "She's my sister, and Sam adores her." She looked at him, a bit on amusement on her face. "Is that why you're so cranky? Because you're jealous?"

He shook his head in disgust. "I finally get some time off work, and my boy would rather play with that…that villain."

"John, please…."

"She's teaching him to use a dagger, for Fyora's sake! The weapons that are usually reserved for thieves." He eyed her. "You said when we got married that you completely cast off ties from the Thieves' Guild."

"I did. I quit, remember?"

"Then what's she doing here?"

"I told you, this has nothing to do with the Thieves' Guild. Quite the opposite, actually. Masila wants this necklace that I have. It's been a challenge since we were kids to steal it back from one another, and she has yet to find it. I invited her to stay until she does."

"Then give it to her!"

"That's not how it works," Marie said gently. "And Samuel will hardly be pleased with me. Look at him."

The couple was peering out the window, at Masila teaching Sam. Their voices and shrieks of laughter were heard through the window pane. "No, not like that, darling. Here. See? Go on, Sam, just like I showed you." Sam swiped and did this complex maneuver with the dagger, and then brought it down on the grass. "That's right! You're better than many other people I've seen, even the adults." I had to admit, whoever she was, and no matter how evil she may be, no aunt could resist cooing over her nephew.

"Thanks, Auntie."

Sir John growled at the name. "How can he even call her that, after what happened a few days ago?"

"It was an accident, John. She stated to us quite clearly that she was handling something dangerous and to keep back, but when you were calling Sam he felt he had to come forward. She was completely sorry for what had happened. You had no right to try and use that opportunity to turn Sam against her! She's his aunt."

"And I'm his father," he emphasized. "That rather outranks the title, doesn't it?"

"Ranks?" Marie spluttered. "Ranks? Is that what it's all about to you? This is a family, not a team or whatever you call your little guard groups. The point is that he loves her."

"Marie, I think you're deluding yourself that she was the same person she was years ago."

"No, I'm not. I know she isn't." There was a sad smile on Marie's lips. "But whatever happens, she's still my sister, and still Sam's 'auntie.' Nothing can ever change that."

"She was handling a dangerous dark artefact!"

"Back to that again? It was an accident, John!"

"She's evil. She'll kill us all the first chance she gets." Marie shook her head. "You're really that stubborn about this, are you? I thought you left it all behind when you left the Thieves' Guild." He stood up. "Right. I'm going to the Guard's base for an overnight shift. Think about whether you value your sister or your husband more."

"What? But, John…" She ran after him to the door, her face desperate.

He looked back at her one more time. "I'll see you tomorrow, Marie. Think about it."

(Line)

Something was wrong. I wasn't anywhere at all—at least, not that I knew off. I was in swirling mass of colors, going round and round and round. I felt like I was about to throw up, but I couldn't. It wasn't even possible. I think I knew what was happening. The orb was trying to show me a forbidden part of the past, one that was blocked by someone or another. "Skip it," I mumbled, trying not to vomit. "I'm sure it isn't that important."

If the orb was a person, I'm pretty sure it would've screamed at me that it was important. I'm not sure how I knew this, but the orb had some kind of consciousness, more so than an ordinary magical item. It could think. And it was desperately trying to show me something.

"Skip it," I repeated. "Please. Maybe I can fill in the holes when I see the other memories."

After one last try, the orb relented, sending me to the dark and stormy night I thought of at first.

(Line)

This was not the day after Sir John had told Marie to make her choice. This was weeks later, though what happened then I didn't know. All I could figure out was that Marie was crying, wailing really, in a heap on the floor. Sam was nowhere in sight, probably scared to see his mother at such a state. I know I would. Marie was screaming, completely hysterical. I never I saw the real her like this, nor did I ever want to.

Masila was there, trying to hold on to her. "Marie, please..."

"Let go of me!"

"Let go of him, first," she told her sister gently. "He's gone, and he's not going to come back. You have to accept it before you can heal."

"No!" she shrieked.

"For Sam's sake," Masila pleaded.

"No," Marie said, but there wasn't just sadness in her voice anymore. There was anger, too. "You killed him, didn't you?"

"What?" I don't know whether the shock was genuine or not. Like Kayley once said, it was too hard to tell with such few words.

"You killed John!" Thunder crackled overhead. "I know it. You went away the last few weeks, including the time he was killed. You never liked him, he was a guard, you told me yourself that you never believed I would marry him…"

"Because you were too young!" Masila snapped, all traces of gentleness forgotten. "And, well, I'll always be protective of you. You're my sister."

"That didn't mean anything to you, now, did it?" Marie scrambled backwards. "I don't need your protection. All I need for you to do right now is to leave me ALONE!" She began pacing. "I should've listened to him. I should've known that you…that you…" She began sobbing again. "You killed your own brother-in-law in cold blood. And that's not all, isn't it? You were responsible for that incident with that Summer Vines, weren't you?" Masila stiffened. "I hate you!"

Masila pursed her lips. "All right, Marie. Believe what you will." She began going out the backdoor in the kitchen. Then she remembered something. She went to a jar supposedly filled with sugar and took the necklace out. "Stupid thing," she muttered. "I've known where it was since the first night I got here. Why didn't I just take it and leave?"

"You're leaving?" Sam's voice rang out again. But now he looked ten or eleven or so. At this point, I'd be six, I think.

She whirled around. Despite everything, she had a guilty expression on her face. "Sammy, I'm so sorry, but I have to-"

"Don't go!" Sam pleaded with her again. It was obvious that he wasn't a little kid anymore, but he still wasn't over begging. "Mum leaves sometimes. She goes to visit her friends in the Thieves' Guild. Dad was always at the guard, and now…" He bit his lip. "Everyone goes. But you never do. Please don't leave."

"Oh, Sammy, it'd be better for you and your mother if I left. Truly." She sighed. "One day you'll be glad of the fact, darling. You'll learn to hate me, as everyone does."

I think I knew what she meant by that. He'd definitely be trained to be a guard, which meant he'd be learning about the villains of Neopia that he might have to fight someday. I wondered how long it would take for him to realize that his own beloved aunt was one of them.

"Hate you? Never." Masila's face was conflictive at Sam's sincere plea. "Please, don't-"

"I'm busy, Sam!" she snapped harshly, tugging herself away. I don't think Sam noticed her voice crack. "You're mother has to take care of herself now, as she has made clear that that is what she wants. And you…" She sighed again. "You'll grow up to be just like your father, ashamed of me."

"But-"

"Good-bye, Sam. Hope that we don't meet again." She slammed the door before the very confused boy. He didn't try to open it again. For a moment, Masila hesitated by a tree in the garden. She couldn't just leave them there, I knew. No one would be that heartless. With Marie in such a state, who knows what Sam could do to himself before she came back to her senses?

Then a tall silhouette appeared in the darkness. Despite the heavy rain and the shadows, I still recognized him as Kanrik. It would've been a perfect opportunity for Masila to stab him in the back now. In fact, she was preparing to do it, her dagger poised. Then she stopped.

He was going in to comfort Marie. He'd help Sam. At much as it pained her, I think she knew that she was leaving her sister in good hands…if she let him live. She seemed to have some sort of mental battle with herself. She pressed a hand to her head, as if she was getting a huge head-ache. A tiny voice in the back of my mind said that she had done this before, but I didn't think about it much. Masila then sighed, and then sheathed her dagger.

But she wasn't as careful as she should have been. A twig snapped.

Kanrik started and took out his own weapon. Before he could go and see the intruder, Masila snapped, "If you want to live, I don't advise you to turn around." Kanrik stiffened. Slowly, as if it hurt her to say the words, she continued, "Go inside and take care of them. I'll leave you all alone until he's prepared to deal with what would happen if you were to die. You have until then to live. Congratulations."

She disappeared before he could look back. It was so quick, so sudden, that he might've thought it all a dream.

Who knows? He probably did.

(Line)

I zapped back to the present. Wow. That answered a lot of questions, including why Masila had waited such a long time to try and kill Kanrik. It also showed why they were both so reluctant to try and kill each other (besides, you know, the gross bits…). Maybe Sam didn't remember much about his time with his aunt, but he still clearly loved her. And Masila….

"I hate you!"

I wondered how hurt she was when Sam said those words. Maybe last week made up for it. Weird, but I was kind of hoping that was the case, even though it wouldn't help our chances of winning the duel at the end of the month like I thought it would. I doubt that anyone actually thought that Sam would like her back. Stupid, now that I think about it, and as Kayley has so blatantly pointed out many times.

"Oh, there you are, dear." Marie entered and gave me a small smile. "Find any useful info?"

"Uh, yeah," I said uncomfortably. "I'm just not sure how I'm going to use it yet."

Week 3

"Wow, that is a pickle," Hannah said, munching on an apple. She had kept her promise, coming back to Brightvale just about every month, but Kanrik and the rest of the Guild (including me, admittedly) pretty much ignored her. Now, though, she seemed the perfect choice to confide in. "But I think the question you should ask is, what does it mean for you? Do you think Sam's going to betray you or something? Will it be harder for Masila?"

"I don't know what's going to happen," I said. "But I know it's something bad."

I wasn't the only one who was thinking this way. Kayley had become more and more irritable as the day of the duel came closer. She kept muttering to herself, shaking her head and swearing this was never going to work. At one point, when Kanrik had come to say something to Jacques, she asked him if he was really going to go through with the battle.

"Yes," he said, unblinkingly.

"But why?" she said, exasperated. "It's never going to work!"

"It's the only way that can work, or at least have a slight chance."

"Masila said it to you. Why would you listen to her?"

"She didn't expect who we were going to send to fight her."

"But what if she did?" she questioned. "What if she guessed who you guys were going to send, and decided she didn't care? This could all be a trap!"

"We'll have to risk it."

"Right. We're giving the responsibility of the entire Guild to a guard boy. It doesn't seem fair."

"I'm sorry, but I thought you didn't like guards."

"I don't. But he's helped us before, and I never wanted him dead."

"Frankly, little girl…Kayley, is it? I think I might know a little more of this situation than you do."

"But does that justify sending an adolescent to his death?" she challenged. Everyone stared at her, even Master Jacques. I doubt anyone had ever used words those big, let alone a ten year old. Privately, I agreed with her, but like Master Kanrik, I didn't really see we had much of a choice.

"Look, I'm the leader of the Thieves' Guild-"

"Then act like it!" she snapped, and before anyone could stop her, she walked out of the room. Last time I left Kanrik, he was still mad, angrier than even I've ever made him. As for Kayley, well, no one knows where she is besides Juliet, and she already said that Kayley made it clear she wanted to be left alone. I did manage to have a confrontation with her earlier, though….

"Hello? Neopia to Hanso?" Hannah said, waving a hand in front of me. "Boy, you sure are distracted."

"I know," I said, frowning. "You can't help, can you?"

"Look, kid, Kanrik doesn't listen to me," Hannah said plainly. "We might be friends, but we're not that close. The next best thing is Marie, and he can't trust her judgment because it's her son we're sending out there, and your parents are more loyal to her than him. There's this Master Serpent guy, why don't you ask him?"

"Still mad at Kanrik because of Morgana, but he won't tell any of us why," I said unhappily. "Who would you trust if you were in his place?"

She snorted. "Are you kidding? I'd never do something like that! That's why Kanrik's the leader—he's the one who's going to make the tough choices, and people will blame him; like your little friend."

I thought about that for a few minutes before I continued. "Yeah, but if you were? Who would you talk to?"

"Garin and Jacques," she said unblinkingly. "They're my best friends."

"Really?" I said, surprised. "I never saw you talking to Master Jacques before."

She shrugged. "He's in a bad mood most of the time. He really is missing the seas. In my opinion, he never should have left. It's his home, no matter how annoying it is to me." She sighed. "The Golden Dubloon is my home, too, along with the caves. I think I'll have to go back soon, permanently. Without making too many return trips," she added for clarity.

"What? No!" I said desperately. "We can't do this alone!"

"I'm not much use here," she said, matter-of-factly. "This is thief business, and if there's something I was never good at, it's analyzing situations like these. Don't worry," she said when she saw my face. "I'll stay till next year. That'll give enough time for the whole thing to blow over, and to tie up any loose ends." She gave me a smile. "Don't worry so much. You're too young to be worrying about this anyway—relax a little."

"Kayley isn't," I grumbled.

"Little sourpuss." Hannah chuckled, shaking her head. "I have to admit, though, she gave Kanrik quite a talking-to only people would dream about. Come on, you have to admit, you wish you were the one who complained, if only to see his face!"

I grinned. Well, it was pretty funny. But it faded when I remembered something else Kayley told me.

I finally chased her down after Kanrik. "Are you mad?" I asked her once I caught up, panting. "Do you know what you could have done? Look, I know this is silly, but it is the only answer." She didn't look convinced. "Besides, even I don't think it's good to get Kanrik that mad. He is the leader of the Thieves' Guild."

"I have nothing to lose," she snapped.

"Nothing to lose?" I stared at her in disbelief. "Well, how about maybe, your life?" I know Kanrik would never take it that far, no matter how annoying someone would get, but some of his advisors have twisted thinking of proving themselves—even if it's against Guild rules. If they see Kayley as an enemy, and someone gets it in their head that Kanrik would be grateful for her being killed….

But she just laughed bitterly. "Not even that, Hanso. Not even that."

(Line)

Not knowing what else to do and feeling pretty useless, I went to visit Charlie. I felt a little guilty I haven't been doing that much, ever since this whole mess with our family has started. Mom had been looking after him, I know, making sure that he wasn't poorly treated again, but I knew he was pretty lonely without Hazel. We began going around the neighborhood, him pointing out the sites.

It was weird, thinking that if things were different I would've lived there.

I already knew were the playground was, but we headed there anyway, for old time's sake. But others were already there.

There was a girl – more of a lady, really, around eighteen or so – with long, flaxen hair and bright green eyes. Tears stained her face, as though she had been crying. A younger girl, probably around Ebony's age (around fifteen or sixteen) was there too. The two seemed to slightly resemble each other. Charlie seemed surprised to see them there. "Sapphire? Emerald? What are you guys doing here?"

The older girl looked at him. "I've reached the marrying age. I'm going to be betrothed."

"What?" Charlie looked dismayed. "Oh, Saph, I'm so sorry."

She sniffled. "Not your fault, Charlie. And at least I'm not going to go to a bad family."

"Who are you going to get betrothed to?"

"Arthur," she said softly. "I guess my parents chose him because he's one of my best friends."

"Doesn't he get to say no three times?" I pointed out.

"Used them all already," she said miserably. "He keeps apologizing to me. He doesn't want to get married either….to me, at least."

Charlie gave her a knowing smile. "Ruby?"

"Always," she said, nodding. "They like each other. And you know I like his brother, Lancelot." She gave a bitter laugh. "My new name is even supposed to be Guinevere. How's that for irony?"

"At least you'll get some nice alternative names," said Emerald, trying to cheer her up. "I can call you Gwen or something similar, right?"

"It's not fair," I said, and they all turned to stare at me. "It's not, right? Can't you run away or something?"

"We're not as prepared of running away as Aunt Liz," Charlie said. "We lack the skills, and her determination. Besides," he added lightly. "From what I learned from Auntie, the Thieves' Guild has more than enough mouths to feed."

"Oh, so you're Hanso," Sapphire said, smiling slightly. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too," I said politely.

She stood up and straightened. "I suppose there's nothing for it. I'll have to marry him." She hesitated. "My betrothal ceremony is at the Month of Sleeping. Do you think you guys can come? It'd make me feel a lot better."

"Of course!" Charlie answered quickly.

She smiled. "Thank you. I guess I should be grateful—there are a lot of people worse than Arthur, and he is pretty sweet. I just…Lancelot…." She shook her head, walking away.

Emerald sighed. "My, do I hate growing up." I looked her over. She had amazing, emerald-green eyes (that's probably why they named her that) and dark curly hair and fell around her shoulders, and even when she seemed so young, I had a feeling she had as much grace as any full-grown lady. But she still had a cheeky smile that suggested she was a humble, obedient servant.

"That your sister?" I asked.

"Cousin," she corrected. "I'm here on an…extended visit, you might say." She gave a rueful smile. "We are having problems about accessing our money, as my father seems to have lost the key for the bank. Our extended family has gladly taken us in." I was a little taken aback by how eloquent her speech sounded.

Charlie, though, had a small smirk on his face. "Strange, isn't it?"

Emerald raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean, Charlie?"

"That the time when you needed to be here for your cousin, but it would most definitely not be allowed, your father's key suddenly goes missing and suddenly you get an excuse to go here," he replied.

"I would call that more of a convenience," she said primly, but her small grin slowly spreading on her face was beginning to betray her.

"Give it up, Em," Charlie said exasperatedly, and she laughed and took her key out of her pocket. "Honestly, you're more of a thief than my cousin."

"Is that such a bad thing?" she asked. "Or is that a compliment. After all, he's a very handsome thief." She chuckled at our discomfort. "How's Lady Hazel?" she asked changing the subject.

"In the academy," Charlie said sadly.

"Oh. What a pity." She didn't seem that regretful about it, I noticed. "I do have some information you might want to take into account, though. Sasha has come back to the neighborhood."

"What?" Charlie shrieked.

She clucked, shaking her head. "You haven't been keeping up a very good watch. She's residing with a few friends of hers—the family named after famous musicians."

"I thought she was just a maid or something," I told her. "Why do they let her come?"

"I doubt they barely notice she's there," she replied. "She's very discreet, in my opinion, and that family is just a pile of old drunkards. Fyora help Lady Hazel if her cousin, Ivy, and Sasha come calling at the same time." I decided I wasn't going to ask about Ivy yet. It was a bad enough day, and Hazel was safe at the Academy at least.

"So, when you are going to give back the key?" Charlie questioned.

"Oh, I don't know," Emerald said wonderingly. "Perhaps the Month of Awakening, maybe a little longer if it's possible. After all," she said, giving Charlie a charming smile, "Sapphire is not the only reason why I've wanted to visit. It's been far too long since you've been to Meridell, and you haven't even sent a single letter."

Charlie looked shame-faced. "Sorry. I was too preoccupied about Hazel at the time."

"You're always preoccupied with Hazel. Perhaps it's good for you both to spend some time away from each other," she said in clipped tones. She shrugged. "Still, she is lucky. Not many would have been so concerned for her. I do hope that you can come visiting more often, though…and vice versa."

"Of course," he said. "In fact, do you want to come for tea now?"

"If I'm not intruding," she said, looking at me. It was scary, how those emerald eyes seemed to intimidate me—not in a bad way, I guess, more like she was staring down at my soul and contemplating it. Yeah, scary.

"Uh, no, not intruding," I said quickly.

She smiled graciously, and we went to Charlie's house, both of them chattering about things that were happening. I didn't know what I thought about Emerald yet. She seemed interesting, I guess, and at least nice at some degree, with her wanting to be here for Sapphire. The fact that she actually stole her father's bank key made her worth a second look.

But I'm not sure I entirely trust her yet.

Charlie seemed to, though. I guessed that they were old friends—she wasn't from Meridell exactly, but she lived in a small, nearby kingdom called Richmond and came there often. Despite myself, I felt a little relieved. I wouldn't have to worry so much about being here all the time. "So, Em," Charlie began. "Why didn't your other family in Richmond didn't take you in?"

"You mean my uncle, don't you?" she said, smirking. "You know how he is. While he still has hope, he doesn't mind my family and especially me and my brother being treated as poorly as possible."

"Hope for what?" I said, confused.

"For getting an heir." She left it at that.

Mrs. Daley raised her eyebrows when she came in. "Why, Emerald, what a pleasant surprise!"

"Mrs. Daley," she greeted, giving her a curtsy. But I could tell her smile became a little more uneasy.

"Impeccable manners, as always," the lady approved. "You'd do well to take her example, Charlie."

"Oh, I'm sorry, would you like me to curtsy too?" he teased.

"None of that cheek, young man." She ruffled his hair and then set off for the kitchen.

Emerald stared after her, frowning. "Is something wrong, Em?" Charlie asked.

"Oh, no, just…never mind," she said. "Probably nothing…you can do." He looked confused, but didn't comment on it. Emerald seated herself on the sofa. "So, Hanso, you're a thief, correct?"

"Yeah," I said cautiously.

"No worries," she laughed lightly. "I'm not about to turn you over to the guards. But I have heard that you're in some kind of conflict now."

"Yes," I confirmed. I glared at Charlie, but he held his hands up, as if to say I didn't tell her anything!

"Charlie didn't say anything," Emerald confirmed. "I'm just curious as to matters such as these, I suppose. They're always fascinating, especially if they include certain people." She had a sparkle of mischief in her eyes. I decided that I liked her.

"What made thieves catch your pretty green eyes?" I asked, getting in step to her compliments.

She smirked. "I used to know a thief, myself. Still do, in fact, although that one doesn't know I'm here." I blinked. "Yes, Charlie is not the only one associate with the lower class...um, no offense," she said, turning red when she realized that she had just called me lower class.

"None taken," I said. A lot of people had called me 'lower class' in Uptown. She was the only one ever to have apologized for it. "Do you want me to find your friend for you?"

"Oh, no," she said, a small smile playing on her lips. "You'd deem it a most unpleasant task. Anyway, that person would not want me here."

"Why not?" Charlie asked.

"Well, you know what people think about rich kids," she replied. "Fragile and need taking care of."

"True," he said, shooting me a look. "But you never said that's your friend's opinion."

She laughed. "You know me too well. All right, she doesn't want me here because she doesn't want me interfering, or watching what she's doing."

"She?" I asked, puzzled.

Charlie also began getting suspicious. "Em, I know you and Saph are particularly close, and I know that you wanted to visit me, but is this really the only reason you're here?"

"No," she admitted.

"Then what is?"

"I can't tell you that, I'm afraid. What I will tell you is that she didn't ask me to come, she probably doesn't want me to come, and most of the reason why I did come is for Sapphire and you…and I suppose a little curiosity in what she's up to," she said slyly. "She's very circumspect. The only reason why I do know she's here is because….someone told me." She smiled. "I know I can trust this person. Said to give you a heads-up."

I stared at her. What would Masila be doing with a rich kid? I believe Emerald when she said that Masila probably wouldn't have wanted her to come, but then who talked to Emerald? Masila's spy? Was that person actually trying to betray the Mistress of Double-cross? Something about Emerald's tilt of the chin, though, made me think that she wouldn't tell me who it was or why the person was doing it. Did I have some mysterious ally looking after me?

"She once said," she continued, "That I had a gift of seeing what other people couldn't."

"Like what?" I asked. I wasn't going to go back on my deciding to like her but I still didn't trust her much, especially now.

"Never mind that, for now," she said, sweetly. "Oh, look! Tea."

"You kids been playing nice?" said Mrs. Daley. "My. Such hostile looks. What have you been doing to them, Emerald?"

"Nothing," she said innocently. "So, Charlie," she said once Mrs. Daley was out of earshot. "How long has Mrs. Daley been working for your family?"

"Since I was small, I guess," he said. "She and her husband have been here ever since I could remember. Perhaps even before that."

"She worked when my mom was here, too," I realized.

"Don't you think it strange?" Emerald said softly. "How she worked here for such a long time?"

Charlie was about to answer, when a strange daze took hold of him. "No," he said dreamily. "Not strange at all."

I stared at him. "What?" I looked at Emerald to see if she was doing anything, but she shrugged. "Charlie, are you feeling okay?"

"What? Oh, yes, quite all right," he said. "But I don't think we should talk about this anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because…." He had a dreamy expression on his face again. "Because…."

"Charlie, may I see some of your albums?" Emerald enquired.

"Hm? Oh, yes, they're up on that shelf over there."

Emerald made her way to the indicated shelf and went to the oldest section where Charlie once said had the photos of our oldest known ancestors. She brushed some of the dust away and sat down next to me. Charlie didn't notice. He was in a world of his own. "What's wrong with him?" I asked urgently, but she shook her head.

"It's just a spell. It will pass," she promised. "I think this is what would happen if you ask your grandmother, your mother, or any other part of the maternal side of your family. I suppose your truth-speaking protects you from this."

"How did you know-?"

"Your frankness of speech. Your carefulness, acquired from years from blurting out too much. Yes, this is what I meant with seeing what other people couldn't," she said, nodding. "Now, look at this." She turned to the first page of the album, where the whole family was lined up. Slightly to the right were a few servants. She pointed to one lady. "Who does this remind you of?"

A chill crawled up my spine. "Mrs. Daley. But wait, that can't be her! That's like a hundred years old. This is probably her great grandmother or something. Right?"

She smiled at me, almost pityingly. Then she stood and cleaned herself. "I have to go. In the meantime, Hanso," her eyes were startlingly grave when she told me this, "Consider this your heads-up."

Week 4

Happy birthday to me.

I think it was an even worst birthday than last year, when people thought I was a spy. Everyone was getting ready for the duel to even notice I was turning eleven, though all my friends gave me a greeting. Even Kayley managed a grudging one as I passed her down the hall. You would've thought the effort would kill her—not only 'cause she didn't like greeting people, but because she's starting to look really, really sick. Even Jacques started noticing, but she assured him – in a very loud voice, so that we could all hear – that she was fine.

Liar.

I was still a little freaked out by what she said next week, but I didn't dare ask. I didn't think I wanted to hear the answer. Cowardly, I know, but I had enough on my plate. I swear, whenever I'm alone I feel like a pair of emerald eyes are watching me. I still don't know what to think about that girl, though I do kinda admire her for having enough wits to manipulate her parents' moves. In a way, she's the exact opposite of Hazel—independent, self-reliant, and mysterious. I wonder how she's going to react if she gets home while Emerald is still here.

My class and I weren't supposed to watch the battle, which was going to be held in a small clearing in the forest. But after a few threats from the twins, Kanrik deemed that we'd probably sneak out anyway, and gave Jacques permission to let us go but with security measures, provided our parents know we were there. Mom was pretty horrified, but I convinced her that I had to go, if only to support Sam. She relented, but she kept muttering, "Oh, if your father was here…"

When we were at the stands, though, I guessed some of us were having second thoughts. Juliet kept eyeing the exit of the clearing. When she wasn't, her twin did. Razor, surprisingly, was the most steely of all of us. I guess that's because he wasn't squeamish at the sight of wounds of blood. Still, even he turned a little green at the thought of someone dying. Me, I just told myself to suck it up. Something was about to happen, I knew—but I didn't think it mean a death. I needed to see.

As for Kayley, she was the worst. She had turned so pale, she looked grey, and her eyes were darting around crazily. "Kayley?" Juliet said tentatively. "Are you okay?"

"No!" she snapped. "This is wrong, just plain wrong. I can't watch a teenaged guard killing a person, as well as I can't watch her killing a teenager!" With that, she stood up. "Sorry, guys, I just can't stand it. I'm leaving." She ran away.

"Wait!" I called, dismayed, running after her. "Kayley!"

Before she reached the entrance, however, she crashed into someone. "Whoa, there," Tyler said. She would've tumbled to the ground if he hadn't steadied her, gripping her shoulders. I noticed that she paled even more when she saw him. "Hey-!" She dashed away again.

"What's with her?" Bridgette asked. "You okay, Tyler?" She smirked at me. "I can guess how getting bumped into feels like."

"Yeah, fine," he said distractedly, still staring after her.

"What was with her, anyway?" Bridgette questioned.

I shrugged. "She didn't want to watch the fight after all."

"Can't say I blame her," she replied, shuddering. "I've watched bloody battles myself, but never as a kid. In fact, I wouldn't even be here if Kanrik didn't require me to. As for my brother, well…he decided that he had to come. Had one of his 'feelings' that something important was going to happen, just because-"

"Bridge," Tyler murmured. "Do you see what I see?"

"What?" She turned to him, frowning.

"Use soft sight," he instructed.

She nodded and looked into the direction of where Kayley went. Her breathing slowed slightly. Her eyes became unfocused. Then, just as suddenly, she snapped out of it. She blinked. "Sweet Fyora, her aura…."

"What's going on?" I asked.

"We're originally from Shenkuu," Bridgette explained. She twirled a bit of her blonde hair. "Though some of us might not look like it. Anyway, my father had the Sight, and taught it to us. Every person of that mission had a special talent – I know your father could keep a group together with humor, as well as experienced in traveling – but ours had this." She bit her lip. "I'm not very good at it. I'm not even good at explaining it. The best one of my siblings is Jordan, my eldest brother. Tyler's a natural, too, but he doesn't have enough training."

"And Jordan won't teach me," he grumbled.

"Well, with soft sight and a lot of effort, I can see Chi – life forces of living things and bodies – and aura, a kind of electric radiation of the Chi, like the power of presence, though also of nonliving objects. And what I can see is that her aura is more powerful than average."

"Not super-powerful, though, like-" Tyler paused and shook his head.

"What's odd is that what I can also see is that her Chi is tied to something else…and that something else is in your coat." She looked apologetically at me.

"My…coat?" I said in disbelief.

"In that pocket," she added, pointing. I grabbed the items that were in there and pulled it out. It was the Obsidian rocks. They gasped. "Sweet Fyora…"

"It's broken," said Tyler, horrified. "The Chi is flowing out…her life force is fading."

"Hanso," said Bridgette urgently. "You have to get that thing fixed fast."

"What? Why?"

"Because if you don't, she'll be dead within the year!" Bridgette shrieked. "This is supposed to be impossible. No ordinary kid, unless she got someone to do it for her or it had been done automatically, can tie her life force to an object, much less an intertwined one. The price is death if that object is broken."

I paled. "Will I die?"

"No," she said quickly. "You can't tie yourself with it just because you've been holding it. But you have to fix it before your friend does."

I glared at them. "Is this some sort of joke? 'Cause it's not funny."

"Hanso, it's no joke," Tyler said honestly. He peered at the direction she ran in again. "She still looks okay. I'd give her two more months, three if she's strong. I'll help-"

"No," Bridgette said harshly.

"Bridge, how am I supposed to stand by and watch this happen?"

"Mom said so," she snapped at him. "She doesn't want us interfering at things that aren't our own business. Look what happened to Dad!"

"He redeemed himself," he said stubbornly.

She shook her head disgustedly. "I forbid it."

"You can't tell me what to do!"

"But Jordan can," she snarled.

"He doesn't even care!"

"But he can make you behave. I'm sorry, Hanso," she said, apologizing to me, "But we can't help you with this much."

"She said it was unfixable," I said. "Unless I get powerful magic or something."

"She's probably right. An item this strong would need someone powerful, or maybe a sacrifice," she said. "I guess you'll just have to say good-bye to her."

"How can you say that?" Tyler said, glowering at her.

"It's the truth! There's no use lying to him."

I wasn't paying attention to them. I kept remembering something she had said: If I had to choose to save the necklace or you, you'd be my priority. Even though I knew the necklace was priceless to her, I accepted that. I mean, a piece of jewelry couldn't be worth more than a life, right? Now I find out that her life was tied to the necklace, and I realize what she was truly saying. If I had to save myself or you, I'd choose you.

And she did.

"You know what? I don't think I want to watch the fight after all," said Tyler finally.

"How about the important thing you swore was going to happen?" Bridgette asked.

"I think," said Tyler slowly, glancing in Kayley's direction, "It already happened."

(Line)

"Hanso, you sure you don't want to skip this too?" Juliet asked me, concerned. She can't know, I told myself. No matter what Bridgette and Kayley herself said, I can't just watch her die. It'd all be my fault, for pulling out that stupid rock. I guess you can argue that it was the only way to save my life, but still….I don't know if Masila knew what would happen. Weirdly, she was always the most civil to Kayley when they confront each other. But then, how did she know how the rock worked?

And why, in the name of Fyora, did Kayley have her life connected to that rock in the first place? It made no sense.

She can't die.

She can't!

I didn't notice Razor raising a hand to my head. "No, no fever. No sign of physical ailment, either. Emotional, I can't tell."

Juliet gave me a sad smile. "Is something the matter with Brynn?"

"What?" I said, snapping out of it. "Oh, no. It's just…Kayley…" I shut up.

"She's tough," she assured me. "Tougher than you think. You don't need to worry about her not watching the match—there's just some things she'd rather avoid, I guess." Tough enough to survive this? I didn't think so. "And besides," she continued, "We agreed we'd worry about her after the Guild problems were over."

Yeah, if she was still alive after the Guild problems.

Julius was watching me carefully. "Scoot over, sis." He said, sitting to my right now instead of Juliet. She pouted, slightly miffed, and then turned her attention to the match. "Listen," he said quietly to me, "We all know Kayley's hiding something, and probably this is something is killing her inside out. I'm guessing that this has something to do with that little stone she used to wear around her neck, but was mysteriously broken."

"Wha—How…?"

"You can find out a lot by just lurking about," he said matter-of-factly. "Kayley's more vigilant than most, I grant her that, but even she doesn't know I sneak around that much."

I gave him a grin. "And just why are you stalking her?"

He glared at me. "Because my sister is worried about her! Heck, I'm worried about her, and really I don't mind that much about anyone besides Juliet. She's not the only one who has common sense, y'know." He frowned. "Know something else? That stone, it isn't obsidian, although I once heard you saying it was."

"How do you know that?"

"I take a special interest and metals for weapons," he said dismissively. "Kayley's dagger—yeah, that's obsidian, if you look closely. I don't know where she got it, and how she got it to stay so sharp all these years since they're supposed to wear out pretty quickly, though I'm definitely not going to ask, she's scary enough without me asking about a weapon." Briefly, I wondered if it was funny that he was scared of a girl. It wasn't. She was plenty scary, I admit it myself. His eyes turned a little dreamy. "You know that no matter how sleek and sharp a steel blade is, it's actually jagged when you look at it from a microscope? Now obsidian blades are always smooth and even, no matter how you look at it, and they're really sharp, even if they're only three nanometers thick, the slightest touch would hurt you so it's lucky that Kayley never-"

"Uh, Julius? I thought we were talking about Kayley, not metals."

"Right. Sorry. Like I said before, Kayley's stone isn't obsidian."

"She told me once, 'It's an obsidian stone tinted by magic.' I don't think she was lying."

"Maybe she meant something different by obsidian," he mused. "They're very special, and thus symbolic in a lot of ways. There's a scientific way on how it's formed, but in the myths and legends I've read of it, it's always 'fire and ice.' Two very different elements, maybe more, being bound together. Either that's what's happened to the stone, or it's part of two or three elements that are being bound."

My eyes widened. The stone that she gave me and it were intertwined. I wondered if that was connected to the intertwined elements…

"Okay, wait. Does this even matter? This is about Kayley's health, not some stone."

"It could be, if you're trying to find a way to fix it. Just speculating," he added when he saw my shocked expression. "Like I said, Juliet isn't the only one who can figure things out. From the moment I glanced at her pulling it out from beneath her coat by chance when we were seven, I knew that thing was special. Then, for some inexplicable reason, she stopped wearing it—and you did too, with yours. The only thing I could think of is that it broke, and you need to fix it." He frowned. "You're right, though. I still don't see how this connects to Kayley's health."

"Maybe it's better not to know," I said. "It's kinda complicated by what I heard."

"You planning to tell about it to my sister?"

"…Yeah."

"And leave me out of it again?"

"Oh, come on. I just- You just…"

"I get it. People trust her better. She's nicer, and most people find me intimidating." He grinned. "Just the way I like it. But you can trust me to, ya know."

Figuring I had nothing to lose, I broke the news about the Chi.

His eyebrows shot straight up. "Whoa. I heard of Chi—you know, Tai Chi and stuff—but her life force flowing out? Doesn't that mean she'll…die?"

"Yes."

He swore. Juliet frowned at him from his other side. "What's happening?"

"Nothing, sis," he murmured distractedly. "We really need to get that rock fixed." He frowned. "I suppose we can fuse it together, with a blacksmith's help, but who knows what'll that do to Kayley? Her life force would get all screwed up. She'll die more slowly and painfully."

"Guys," Juliet hissed. "It's starting!"

"We'll discuss this later," he told me in an undertone. "I'll inform my sister."

"And Razor," I added impulsively. After all, he is a doctor. Plus, I didn't think it would be fair if he was the only one in our class to get left out. He nodded, and we both turned to watch the fight.

Masila was already there, leaning against a tree, relaxed. "Last chance to back out, sweetheart." She was directing her words to Sam, but she was glaring at Kanrik and Morgana. Marie was biting her lip. "No way out after this."

"Then let's get this over with," Ssm retorted, his sword drawn. His eyes were repeating the apology he made a few weeks ago, and I knew that he was hoping against hope that his auntie would find him a way out of this.

She gave him a half-smile. "I suppose we should."

He was the one who attacked first, surprisingly.

She blocked him with her dagger with ease, although her weapon was much smaller.

He swiped at her, but she simply turned away, and dodged his hit when he lunged at her.

Throw.

Miss.

Plunge.

Shield.

It seemed to go on and on, with her simply going on defence mode. The whole Thieves' Guild was astonished, though Masila's assassins all watched grimly. Juliet began peeking through her fingers when she didn't hear howls of pain. Razor looked on with raised eyebrows. I knew Julius was mentally ticking off the battle strategies they were using. Kanrik frowned. As for Sam, he looked simply confused, but hopeful.

He wasn't stupid.

They knew it couldn't go on this way, that either one of them would surrender or get killed. I seriously doubted that it was going to be Masila who was going to die. Sam might be a good fighter, but nothing could top that she had years of experience on him with perhaps thousands of foes. He would never win this battle, unless he had some secret technique or that he let her win.

"What are you waiting for? Just go on and kill him!" Morgana yelled.

My blood froze. Kill him?

Was she urging Masila to kill her nephew?

Judging by the outraged looks the Thieves' Guild had, I heard right. They might not like Sam much (after all, he is a guard) but they needed him for now, and they probably didn't want anyone to urge him to die any time soon. Just about everyone turned to glower at Morgana, but my eyes were glued to the battling opponents.

I was the only one watching them.

I was probably the only one who saw this.

The yelling was the opportunity that Masila had been waiting for, though I seriously doubted that Morgana intended it to be that way. Morgana might be sadistic, but she wanted blood to be spilt, the battle to be over with a triumphant conclusion. This was something else.

In that moment, she looked at her nephew and mouthed, Trust me?

Okay, Auntie. The same thing that they used when she first taught him how to float and he was scared. She hadn't let him down then. He was hoping she wouldn't let him down now.

With that, she stabbed him.

I don't think he saw it coming. I didn't see it coming. He was so stunned he didn't even try to deflect it. It was a mortal wound, one that ensured a slow, painful death if she didn't finish him off quickly. Kanrik's face was one of complete disbelief—I don't think that he truly meant for things to get this far, despite knowing the risk. Marie's expression was horrified. "No!" Two nearby thieves had to pull her back from interfering.

Masila didn't seem to be in a hurry. She seemed intent for a lingering death instead of a fast one. She circled around her nephew with her arms crossed. Sam looked utterly betrayed.

Guess that's what you can expect from the Mistress of Double-cross.

"What are you waiting for?" he snapped.

"Something," she said softly, and her eyes turned to Marie, who was still struggling. "You can still save him, sister."

What was she talking about? Of course she can't save him!

The duel won't be finished until one of them lost.

Unless….

"You know what I want, Marie," she continued. Marie's eyes widened. "That little piece of jewellery you've been hiding; the one that's rightfully mine. All I ask is you give it back, and I'll return your precious little son." She looked around. "Though I suppose it wouldn't do to hand it over in this environment, now, would it? You have until the New Year. You know where I'll be."

My jaw dropped as I suddenly realized what she wanted.

Masila grabbed a fistful of strange-looking powder from her pocket. She threw it to the ground.

A huge, loud explosion erupted, and suddenly there was a raging sandstorm. In Brightvale. I covered my eyes, but they were already stinging.

When I could finally open them, Masila, Sam, and the Assassins were gone.

Happy birthday to me.

What do you think of the new characters so far (Tyler, Bridgette, and Emerald)?