Serve and Protect

Chapter 1

Adora and Catra stood outside the west entrance of the public market and went over the rules one more time.

"You know the drill," Adora said, watching as the busy Saturday crowd milled around them like a school of fish. "We have half an hour to get from one side of the market to the other. Whoever has the most money when we finish wins."

"And whoever loses buys burgers," Catra added. She laced her fingers and pushed her palms forward, popping her knuckles with a satisfying crackle. "There's a good crowd today, plenty of bougie tourists."

Adora nodded. "Yup. Should make for a good haul."

Catra snorted a laugh and prodded one of her sharp, dark-painted fingernails into Adora's ribs. "Whatever. I'm still gonna kick your ass."

Swatting Catra's hand, Adora wriggled out of poking range. "We'll see. You ready?"

"Always."

They lifted their eyes in unison to the old iron clock that stood in the center of the market district's courtyard. The hands read 10:52.

"Perfect," Adora said. "We'll be finished just in time for you to buy me lunch."

Catra rolled her eyes. "Whatever. See you on the other side, princess."

Together, they pushed through the doors and immediately split up. Flashing Catra a parting grin, Adora took the left side of the wide, bustling building. Back when the city was young, the public market was a humble place for farmers, bakers, butchers, and fishers to sell their products — a grocery store long before grocery stores were a thing. These days, those stalls were still there—the best place to buy fresh fish and cheese and produce without having to travel outside of the city limits—but they were crammed alongside stands selling artisan goods at exorbitant prices. What was once a rough and gritty part of town had since been transformed into a trendy tourist destination. Visitors from around the world browsed the public market stalls alongside well-off locals who liked pretending to be "of the people" on weekends.

Adora and Catra belonged to neither of those social groups. In fact, having lived most of their lives on the streets, they didn't have much business being there at all. But the type of people who shopped at the public market did so with plenty of money in their pockets, and that made it the friends' favorite place to make some cash of their own.

As she moved through the crowded floor, Adora would occasionally catch sight of Catra prowling along her side of the building. A flash of her long, dark hair, the glint of her mismatched eyes — Catra's strength in this game was her speed. Adora on the other hand, preferred to be strategic when choosing her prey. When it came to pilfering wallets, she was after quality, not quantity.

Not that she could blame Catra for wanting to make quick work of the job at hand. Being white, Adora blended in, even with her dirty face and clothes. She could afford to take her time. Catra on the other hand, with her warm brown skin, was a magnet for police attention, especially in a place like this. This was just one more injustice in the long, unfair story of Catra's life. It was safer for her to get in and out as fast as possible.

But Adora had another reason for being slow and steady with her process. After all, with speed came mistakes, and she couldn't afford to make those anymore. She had turned eighteen earlier that year, which meant getting caught with her hand in a stranger's purse wouldn't just mean a trip to the police station and a firm reprimand from Captain Angella: it would mean criminal charges in adult court. Just thinking about it made Adora shudder.

So, she chose her marks thoughtfully. She sought out the distracted crowds of tourists crammed around high-end artisan jewelry stalls and well-dressed older couples shopping for truffle oil. She'd watch for people with too much money and not enough common sense to flash their overstuffed wallets, then follow them from one stall to another until the right opportunity presented itself. After years of picking pockets, her sleight of hand skills were unmatched. She would swoop in like a shadow, unburdening those same shoppers from their cash and disappear into the swarms of people before anyone even realized she'd been there.