AVA BURNS
I'm Ava Burns. Eighteen-year-old British expat. Resident of Amsterdam. And fake online influencer.
Right now my sixteen-year-old brother Jake and I are staring at the sleek new technological wonder that is going to dramatically change our lives for the better.
"What the hell is this?" Jake says.
"It's a new laptop, for your art." What I really mean by that is, my art.
He picks up the touch screen from where it's resting on its stand and holds it in front of his face as though he's measuring the exact width with his eyes. It's as thin as a knife, flexible and completely transparent, other than two strips of metal at the top and bottom. It's as big as an A3 piece of drawing paper.
Jake is a genius with pens and water colours. I can't imagine what he'll create with this.
"It's insane." He turns and gives me a wry smile. "Did you nick this?"
"No!" I'm slightly offended. I've stolen things before but nothing this expensive.
"How did you afford it?" Jake is still looking at me with this dubious expression. I know he wouldn't care if he knew the truth. He's not really rooted in reality, my brother.
Still, I'm embarrassed, and I'm his older sister.
"I put it on lay-by," I say. "I've got a long time to pay it off. It can be your birthday and Christmas presents for the next three years."
"So what's the catch?"
"There's no catch." Sheez he's getting skeptical lately. "Just send me your art to look at. And to show my friends."
He nods, but there's a hint of wariness in his eyes, and suddenly I'm thinking that this scam has a shelf-life after all.
I wonder for the millionth time how he'd react if he knew the truth. That for two years now his anime-inspired art has had a massive following on DeviantArt and Instagram, all under a fake profile that I personally create and manage. It's money from prints of his own art that's paid for the trainers I'm wearing and his computer and his X-Box.
I watch him pick up the stylus pen and examine it like it's a piece of evidence from a crime scene.
"This is going to be amazing," I say.
"For you, or for me?" He says. And for no reason whatsoever, I feel the hairs on the back of neck stand up.
YOU ARE READING
That Time I Dated a Thief
Romance"You want me to be myself? You've no idea who I really am. You don't even know my name." 18-year-old Ava Burns can't believe how well she's pulled off life as a fake social media influencer. Until she meets Shillin.
