Chapter 2-Life as a Thief

In a lawless community even a safe house is not safe. Please be aware this chapter contains themes that Some Will consider Mature.

Please be aware this chapter contains themes that Some Will consider Mature. Continue at own discretion.

 

Chapter 2

Life as a Thief

Amelia allowed the Cold water to pour over her body without the slightest sign of being uncomfortable. In fact the only sign she felt the water at all was her shivering but Amelia was used to cold showers. And it relaxed her like a warm shower or bath would relax everyone else.

“AMELIA!” her head snapped to the right, the direction of the yell. “AMELIA!” the yell came again. Immediately she began pulling her clothes back on. She didn’t want to think about or experience again what had happened the last time Cameron and his thugs had been searching for her and found her naked in the shower. She just managed to finished getting dressed when one of Cameron's thugs found her. Without a word he stepped forward and grabbed her hair and started dragging her through the old abandoned house. At one point he turned to go down the stairs and Amelia lost her footing the man didn’t stop he just dragged her down the stairs by her hair and Amelia didn’t gain her footing again until a couple of minutes later outside a room that had been a private bar she was dragged inside and then slung across the room all by the hair. The thug left and Amelia became aware of the other person in the room. Cameron. He was obviously drunk. Amelia tried to scramble to her feet but Cameron grabbed her by the arm and flung her into the corner of the Room.

“You” he roared at her and stormed closer as Amelia cowered in the corner trapped and trembling like a frightened animal “You w***e!” Cameron yelled and then he began to rain blow after blow down on Amelia kicking and punching any part of her he could reach insulting her all the while. Amelia could do nothing except cover her head and face with her arms as Cameron continued to hit her. “You miserable little f*****g S**T!” Cameron growled an insult he had already used this time however he punctuated every word with a particularly savage blow to Amelia’s head. ‘He’s not very creative’ Amelia thought dimly then mentally shook herself ‘he’s almost beating you to death and you’re thinking about how creative his Insults are?’ Suddenly Amelia’s mind cleared but she was immediately blinded by a bright flash which disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. Amelia seemed to have lost control of her body because without thinking or wanting to her arms suddenly lunged out of their own will pushing Cameron with such force he flew back several meters his feet lifting of the floor slightly he only came to a stop because he hit the old bar. Amelia didn’t stop to wonder about what had happened or her new found strength but jumped to her feet an action she immediately regrated as pain hit her side. Cameron had obviously broken something maybe a rib. Probably a rib and more. However even as she had that thought she felt the pain dim and something move inside her like bones moving back into place. ‘Adrenaline’ Amelia thought. Then raced for the door. Cameron was unconscious but his thugs were outside the door and she wasn’t free to leave without his say so. And they had heard the crash and before Amelia reached the door it was flung open by a thug who was going to investigate he took one look at Amelia racing for the door and spread his legs and arms in the door way to block it Amelia dropped to the ground like she had seen boys do playing a game of kick ball, a game in which you could only use your feet to kick a ball into some goals the called the move a slide tackle and Amelia used it now to slide right underneath the thugs spread legs before she stopped sliding she turned the slide into a summersault and rolled up stopping in a crouch. She spun in the crouch sticking one leg out tripping the second thug then dashed away before the other thugs could follow.

***

Amelia sat silently in her secret place (a small overhang of a roof that was impossible to reach unless you knew the exact route to take… and only people Amelia trusted knew it) fingering the pendant around her neck. The bright flash seemed to have emitted from it but Amelia was convinced that had just been the adrenalin kicking in. Amelia had gone to see a healer friendly to the street kids like Amelia. He had told her that nothing was broken and if it was she would really know about and not just be annoyed at his poking and prodding. He was a kind old man and had helped Amelia on so many occasions that he was more like a father to her than anything else. He was also the one that had first suggested that she ware boy’s clothes so as not to attract the attention of middle or higher class man who would have no problem taking advantage of a Female thief. After all she was a thief and therefore an orphan a no one cared about the orphans. Unfortunately that was how they thought, what was even more unfortunate was that they were mostly right she was an orphan and the city guard would not arrest a man if they raped her they wouldn’t even listen. They were wrong however about orphans being the only thieves. They always conveniently forgot about the thieving that they conducted or knew about in their life. Amelia’s thoughts drifted, as she fingered her pendant, to the way it had come into her possession. She remembered a woman lying on the street as blood pooled around her and a 3 year old girl kneeling in the blood of the woman

“Take this and give it to them” the woman had said pressing a square object on a chain into the little girl’s hand.

“Give it to who?” the girl had asked confused

“It belongs to them” the woman had replied “you will know them when you see them”

“But Mother…” the girl had tried to argue

“No Amelia. No but’s you will know them and you must give it to them” a tear slid down Amelia’s cheek as she remembered the last words her mother had whispered to her as she lay on the street after she had been stabbed by a man trying to steal her coin pouch. It was ironic Amelia thought that the thing she hates the most, a thief, The reason she is motherless, is exactly what she was forced to become when she died. Amelia couldn’t go to her father no one knew who he was except his mother but he had run of with another woman and no one that Amelia knew, knew where he had gone. Amelia looked at the strange symbol on the pendant a black circle and then what looked like two red bent nails on the left and right side pointing outwards the head of each “nail” was the same width of the circle and lined up with it perfectly. She didn’t know what it meant or what it was and neither did anyone else she knew.

“I thought I might find you here” a voice said. Amelia turned to look at the boy sitting down next to her. His name was Lewis and he was the only person Amelia counted as an actual friend around her age. The younger girls looked up to Amelia and the older girls were friendly but only trying to learn her secrets to success the boys were rather protective of her knowing that she was the reason for a lot of their success although most didn’t mind trying to take advantage of her while they were drunk (no one thinking straight would try and take advantage of her. Many of the boys had become eunuchs for trying) and a Cameron and his thugs just didn’t care and kept mostly to beating her though if tempted by catching Amelia unaware in a situation like her having a shower they usually ignored their better judgment. So they were no friend Lewis however was different he was exactly the same age as Amelia and treated her like a sister.

“How?” Amelia asked. He smiled brushing his black hair out of his eyes.

“Rough day” he said simply “or so I heard” Amelia stayed silent. But knew that to Lewis that was as good as saying he was right. They sat there together looking up at the stars enjoying a companionable silence. Then after watching the first rays of the next day the quietly slipped back into the safe house each one searching for a safe place to sleep until the night called to them again.

 

Author's Note

Perhaps you may see a connection between this story and my novals Realm?