Streetwise

Chapter 1

The Street Rats

Third Person POV

The day was bleak in Chicago. People wore coats and carried umbrellas in their bags and breif cases in case of rain. Everything appeared ordinary. Except for one tiny thing.

No one thought twice about the big building on the corner of 42nd and 5th street. A large, boarded up warehouse that had been shut down five years ago. No one bothered to look up at the window on the third floor that revealed a small flicker of light. The big building on 42nd and 5th street wasn't as abandoned as everyone thought it to be. It was home to three lonely, hungry, homeless orphans.

If a passerby took the time to look, and no one ever did, they would've noticed that the boards on the side door in the ally had been ripped off thoughrouly five years ago. The door's lock had been broken and punched out. It provided an easy entrance and exit for the three young orphans on the third floor.

Up in their room, away from the luckier people of Chicago who actually had homes and families, were the three orphans.

They had met each other in the ally next to the building and had been inseperable ever since.

There was Rosalie, the oldest. Her nickname was Violet because of her deep blue eyes that could pierce through the lies and find your soul and the truth. She had been blessed with a beautiful body and a firey personality. Her tounge could be sharper than any sword and she was the picture of an Amazon in the flesh. Her blond waves, dirty and tangled from her life on the streets, had been grown out to her hips and her skin was smooth and glowed porcaline in any light. She was tall and statuesque.

There was Bella, the second oldest. Her nickname was Doe, for her huge chocolate eyes that showed her every emotion and thought. A picture of innocence, until she revealed the siren within. Her complextion was as pure and pale as Rosalie's with mahogany curls that had also been grown to her hips. She used that feinged innocence to get what she needed. She was shorter than Rosalie and was less intimidating but she was a deadly force of nature.

Finally, little Alice. Also known as Pixie. She was so tiny she could've been mistaken for a tall child. Her energy and happiness were contagious and she kept the little group tightly bonded. Alice had the wits of a mad scientist and she was a vixen underneath the angel facade. Her hair was blacker than ebony and had been cropped extreamly short and styled into a dark halo of spikes around her enchanting elfin face. Her eyes were two large aquamarines that often knew too much. Her skin was the palest of pales and was as silky smooth as her sisters'. She used her odd knack for guessing things right to locate her next target and used her wits and charm to what it was she desired.

Three girls. Three street rats striving to survive in the cold streets of Chicago. They'd all lost their families at some point and all were the same age: seventeen. No more than teenagers.

They were expert pick-pockets and used their little talents to get wallets and purses.

Today was not a good day for them.

Their food supply had run out and Bella was getting worried; they hadn't eaten in two days and they were considerably weak. Being weak meant they wouldn't be able to get any more money. That mean certain death by starvation. And the three sisters were unwilling to die in some building.

"I say we go a little way East and find a dollar store or something." Alice suggested from her improvised bed on the left side.

"All the way to that side of town?! Are you crazy Alice? We'll mugged and raped in two minutes flat." Bella protested as she paced and pulled a hand through her messy curls.

"Bella's right. I mean, not even the police like going into that part of town. What would three street rats be doing there?" Rose agreed as she plopped down on her sofa bed.

"I don't know, can't we pretend we're there to pay someone off or something?" Alice tried again. She recieved glares from both the girls. She shrunk back but knew to shut up.

"Just a thought." she mumbled as she blushed slightly.

"So what do we do?" Bella asked for the second time. They were just going in circles. And then Rosalie heaved a sigh.

"We're just gonna have to snatch a few wallets." she decided with a ring of finality. She was the unofficial leader and Alice and Bella let her have the final say on most of their choices.

Alice and Bella shared a look. They agreed with Rosalie.

Alice jumped up.

"Well, what're we waiting for?"

"Freakin' crazy Pixie." Bella muttered fondly and led the way to the door.