Chapter One

A Chapter by Ellary™

Stolen Trust

Lissie was born of a thief. Her childhood was rough; her father didn’t treat her well. To him, it was all about being fair. Lissie soon found out that ‘being fair’ in her fathers mind was set very far off to what ‘being fair’ in any other persons mind was.

“Lissie, kill this man for me, he never paid me back.” He would say.

“I’m twelve; I can’t do something like that!” Lissie would always at least try to budge his decision.

“I’ve killed many more men then you, it’s perfectly fair. If you want to live in this household, you’ll do as I say.”

Truth be told, Lissie didn’t want to live in the same house as her father, but being as young as she was, she wouldn’t make it on her own. She spent most of her time locked up in her room. She came down to the kitchen only once a day, to receive her bread and milk for dinner. After words, she would return to her room.

During the long nights in the summer, Lissie would sleep on the roof and gaze up at the stars, praying to Eeris, god of hope, that tomorrow would bring more happiness.

Lissie soon discovered that Eeris hates girls whom are born to thieves. Lissie knew it wouldn’t be so bad if her mother hadn’t died at her birth. The other thieves say when she was born, her father cracked. He blames her for his lovers’ death. Lissie knows that her father never wants to see her, so she makes it so. When she is assigned a task of him, she looks at her feet, shielding her face from him. When she goes downstairs to eat, she brushes her mahogany hair over her milky eyes; all to please her dad.

Lissie knows he hates her. She hates him too, actually. She still knows not why she covers her face. She knows her father hates looking at her-- so why wouldn’t she not stare at him, just to irk him? Lissie always blamed her kindness, but she learned later in the town square, when confronted by a human boy, that she was not so kind.

Lissie walked quickly and quietly around the back of the small general store. This wasn’t her first time robbing him; she did it almost every week, actually. He just didn’t know who it was, so he couldn’t force any charges to her. Lissie used one of her feet to project herself onto the small crate, and her other foot to land on the gutter from there. She crawled like a spider once she reached the roof, making sure her legs and arms didn’t trip on another.

The trickiest part of the whole mission was coming up, now. She stood up slowly on the roof, and peeked cautiously down the brick chimney. She saw no lights or peoples, so she lifted her self onto the chimney with her arms, and dangled her legs down it. She took a deep breath, and forced her arms to let go. She went down the chimney swiftly and quietly. She landed in the urn like a cat; all bunched up and cautious. Her ears were alert, and her eyes shot around the room before she had a chance to take another breath.

Lissie lifted her foot around the pile of wood and onto the wooden floor. Lissie hated wooden floor, it was so decisive. One moment it would be perfect to sneak around on, the next it would let out a loud groan, letting everyone know of her presence.

By this time she knew where to step, and where not to step. She stayed low, and avoided certain floor boards, and dodged the front counter. She knew that just upstairs was the shop owner; sleeping, waiting, listening.

She was behind the counter now, and she crouched even lower, centering her chest with the cabinet. She put one hand around the latch which the door opened on, and one on the handle. She knew the latch would pinch her when she opened it, but she couldn’t risk it squeaking. She started to open it, then. It made no sound, and she sighed with relief.

“Stop!” She heard a woman’s voice. She froze, her eyes the size of baseballs. She knew the woman couldn’t see nor hear her, so she said nothing and moved not even an inch. Lissie heard the woman’s light footsteps moving around the room, towards the counter. Lissie bit her lip, hard. So hard it burst open and bled.

When the woman reached the side of the counter, she saw nothing. Lissie held her breath from within the cabinet. She prayed and prayed the woman would be too frightened to open it, she prayed until the woman took two steps back and turned around. Lissie sat in the cabinet for at least another hour till finding herself brave enough to leave. She did get what she came for, and she did go unnoticed. Even with this done, she knew her father would complain.

Lissie exited the store with coin in her hand, and her heart rate raging. She sprinted home this time, not glancing back even once. When she reached home, she turned around and locked the door silently. When she turned around her father was there, with his hand stretched out.

“It’d better be good, it took you long enough.” His heavy eyebrows were pushed down to his eyes, and the corners of his firm mouth pressed down.

“Oh, yes.” She let the six sovereigns fall from her sweaty palm into his.

“Six? Is that it?” Lissie put her head down. She did not want to tell her father she was almost exposed.

“Yes, that’s it.”

“Be gone to your room, I don’t want to look at you.” He swiped his arm towards the stairs, and Lissie obeyed. What else could she do?

Once she was in her room, she laid down in her bed. She slipped out of her cotton shirt she had managed to get drenched in sweat due to her nerve. She wouldn’t sleep under the stars on the roof tonight. She didn’t want anyone to see her tonight. She was too afraid of being noticed.

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