Chapter One
"Stop! THIEF!"
A young girl cackled in delight as she sprinted down a narrow alley, her boots clicking against the cobblestones that were paved beneath her. She could hear the Carabinieri running behind her, their footsteps falling loudly—heavier than her lighter, quicker movements.
Rae Cascato, a young Venetian thief, grinned over her shoulder as the Carabinieri stumbled to a stop—the realization must've hit that she was simply impossible to catch. The proud youth slowed to a happy trot, shifting the sack of jewelry that was slung over her shoulder. She turned to her side and slipped into an alley so narrow that she had to turn her feet out like a ballerina in order to slink through.
The alley was longer than most, and the walls began to taper to a point where Rae couldn't fit through with her sack over her shoulder. She carefully threw the sack the little distance until the opening, then her violin. She cringed when the case hit the ground—the violin was her most prized and expensive possession.
She swept her bags and strutted down another alley (this one thankfully wide enough for her to fit comfortably in) then another, winding through the maze until she arrived in Piazza San Marco, where she snatched an apple from an unsuspecting vendor and chewed it contently, watching flocks of tourists waddle by, with their cameras and large hats and cheap shirts that say 'Don't bug me—I'm local.'
Hmm…like sitting ducks in a pond of alligators. With a large smile, Rae grabbed a nearby crate and pulled out her violin, handling the dark cherry wood and thin bow as if they were fragile as glass. Stepping onto the crate, she began playing, softly at first, a low mournful song. Some tourists stopped to listen and she subtly gestured with her head to the open violin case.
'Lux Aeterna' was probably her favorite song to play—it was slow and creepy, sending shivers up the spines of anyone within earshot. People dropped bills of lire into her case, and she smiled and nodded gratefully. "Grazie, brave persone. Thank you, good people."
When her song was finished, she bowed slightly as the tourists clapped, some calling out requests. Naturally, she was unable to understand most of what they were saying—her English wasn't very good, and the only things she could remember were petty sayings like, "Where's the restroom?" and things like that.
Dusk began to settle upon Venice as the crowd dispersed, and Rae folded up the lire she had earned and stuffed it into her black jacket's pocket. "Scusi?"
Rae turned around and smiled at a young boy, with fair hair and round cheeks. He coughed slightly and Rae's heart panged with sympathy as the little one's eyes watered. "Non posso travare mio fratello." He whimpered, tears beginning to stream down his cheeks. "I can't find my brother."
"I'll help you, va bene?" Rae smoothed the little boy's hair and bent down in front of him. "Where did you last see him?"
"In front of a café," the little boy cried, wiping his cheeks with the back of his sleeve. Rae smiled comfortingly and picked him up, resting him on her hip.
"Then that should be the first place we look, si?" the little boy nodded and sniffled, burying his face in her collar. "Are you a tourist? You're fair as an angel." To be truthful, she couldn't tell…he was blond and pale, yet his Italian was nearly perfect. She couldn't shake a feeling of familarity with him...something about him reminded her of someone...
"Sort of," the little boy said after a minute. He pointed to his left to keep her in the right direction. "My brother and I came here."
"Is that so? What about you're parents?"
"Their gone," the little boy explained, "But my mother told me and him about Venice, so we wanted to come here. Go left, favore."
Rae was surprised. How could two foreigners survive out here? Especially with winter coming, the cold settling over Venice like a thick, icy blanket. "How old is your brother, angelo?"
"He's fourteen," the blonde reported, wiggling out of her grasp. She set him down and he raced over to a metal table, sitting down in one of the cold iron chairs. "This is where we were…he got me cocoa."
Rae sat down across from the boy and patted his petite hands. "We'll wait for him together, okay?" the boy nodded and looked around anxiously, scraping his feet impatiently on the cobblestones.
"Jasper?" a voice called, and the little boy's ears perked. Rae looked up and saw two boys sprinting across the square, and the blonde boy—Jasper—was quickly swept into a wavy-haired boy's arms.
"Aaron!" the boy exclaimed happily, snuggling into the older boy's chest. "I thought you left me!"
"You know he wouldn't do that to you, Jas." The taller, dark-eyed one said, tapping Jasper's nose. "It'd be too quiet at home….and there'd be no one smiling as much."
Aaron, the wavy-haired one, turned his attention to Rae. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice accusingly cold as he set Jasper back down on his own feet. Rae shifted uncomfortably, bowing her eyes; once again the strange feeling knotted her stomach.
"Sorry…my name is Rae. He came to me for help."
"She was nice, Aaron!" Jasper insisted, poking his brother in the shoulder. "She waited with me ''til you and Rollo found me!"
The dark-eyed boy nodded to her. "Grazie, Signorita. We appreciate your help."
"No problem at all." Rae grinned, ruffling Jasper's hair. Aaron moved backwards a bit, his hand protectively on Jasper's shoulder. Rollo glanced at him and gave him a frown.
Rae suddenly felt dizzy. "Once again, thank you. I hope you can find what you're searching for." The voices melted together in one soft drone, and Rae's vision blurred as black dots began to dance in front of her eyes. The last thing she saw was a birdlike black mask, then everything faded to nothing.
"Madonna…Scipio, where did you find her? She looks so sick."
"She was face-down in an alley, not too far from here." The voice wavered slightly, as if the owner was trying to catch their breath. "I thought she was dead at first…do we have any medicine? I think she has a fever." A wondrously cool hand pressed itself to her forehand, brushing back shocks of hair that stuck to her sweaty brow.
"I'll get some!" a higher, younger voice chirped. She faintly heard a scudding noise of sneakers against wood, glass bottles twinkling merrily. "Prop, I can't read this one."
A soft sigh echoed in her ear and she felt the old floor creak and shift. "Bo, that's a laxative." There was laughter, cheerful laughter…Rae tried to join the voices, but her chuckle came out as a moan.
"I think she's up!" a new voice said excitedly; it was slightly accented, and it reminded her of a beach, for some reason. Her eyelashes fluttered open like butterfly wings, her clouded vision clearing itself the way a fog evaporates beneath the sun's warm rays. Her hand instinctively went to her hip, and she breathed in relief to feel the smooth leather of her whip still there.
"Buongiorno!" A young boy greeted happily, tugging on her hand. "Sonno bene? Sleep well?" Rae opened her mouth to reply, but the blood suddenly rushed to her head and she scrunched her eyes back closed with pain.
"Maybe she doesn't speak Italian." A wavy-haired boy suggested, putting his hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "Are you a tourist?" he asked slowly in English, trying to stop the blonde boy's bouncing.
Rae managed to shake her head before another wave of pain caused her to whimper. The long-haired boy quickly opened the cap of a little bottle and held it to her lips. "Since you can understand, my name is Thief Lord. This is Riccio, Bo, Prosper, and Mosca. I found you in an alley by St. Marks Square. Did you lose your family?"
"No," Rae coughed weakly, sitting herself up. "I'm an orphan. W-where is my violin?"
"I'll get it!" Mosca, the one with the voice like the beach, offered. He scrambled to his feet and sprinted away.
Rae rubbed the bridge of her nose. "My name is—whoa! Wait a minute! You're the Thief Lord?!"
The Thief Lord bowed and raised his chin haughtily. "At your service, cara."
Rae looked around and studied their faces intently. She had read the book and seen the movie; while these boys may not have been Rollo Weeks and Aaron Johnson, somehow she knew in her heart that they weren't lying. But her head begged to differ, and she narrowed her eyes unintentionally.
"No you're not," she insisted, crossing her arms. "He's just a character in a book and a movie."
The Thief Lord looked surprised. "Book?" he questioned, his brow furrowing. "There's no book about me—I don't publicize my business, cara."
"Don't call me cara; my name is Rae."
"Would you like to stay with us, Rae?" Bo offered, a wide smile spreading across his face. Prosper glanced at the Thief Lord hesitantly before he nodded in agreement.
Rae looked around. This is crazy… "Only, of course, if the Thief Lord approves." All five children looked at the Thief Lord expectantly, who bristled beneath the attention.
"Fine," he said finally. "But I want you to rest before anything—I can't have you getting my gang sick." He looked her over once and Rae suddenly felt self-conscious beneath his gaze. "Can you steal or haggle?"
"Both," Rae said quietly, shrugging slightly. "It's how I made money."
"Then you have my approval," he said with a nod. "Prop, take her with you tomorrow to sell the loot—and you make sure you get at least $1,000 for that. I know it's worth more than a few medallions and some silver spoons."
Prosper nodded. "When will you be back, Scipio?"
Scipio pulled the bird mask back over his eyes. "At least tomorrow night—don't worry if I can't make it, though." His eyes wandered back over to Rae. "She looks like she could soften the red beards stony heart a little." In a flash of his black jacket, Scipio disappeared out the door.
Okay!!! That was Chapter one, everybody!! Just to let you know, I only used the actors names-- the actual people are not in the story. I wanted to symbolize alternate reality and stuff...it'll be explained later, I suppose. Please review!!!