A Little Bird Called Magpie

CHAPTER TWO

  It's time to head home. I walk down to the parking lot and rush to my car. I'm about to burst into tears. I get in my old, dark blue car and rest my head on the wheel while I let it all out. This happens way more often than I'd like to admit. After five minutes, I get my shit together and leave. My apartment is basically four blocks away from work but it takes me twenty minutes to get there because of the traffic. I reach my building and get to the fifth floor, after two doors down to my left, I get to my humble studio apartment. The bathroom is to my right, the kitchen to my left, the living room is right in front of me. There's a small white stand where I have a thirty-two inch tv set up. At the other side of the room we have a small, light grey lawson sofa. Beyond that, behind the pastel red curtains is my queen-sized bed. The sheets are also pastel red with white pillows. Next to it is my nightstand. It has a black desk lamp on top. I thought the black stood out too much so I bought a painting and hung it on my wall with a black frame. It's a painting of Joan of Arc. She's kneeling down in the darkness, looking up with a sword in her hands. Most people think she's praying, seeking guidance from God. I believe she's simply asking herself, "was all of this worth it?" 

  Now, let's get to the important part. Under my bed I keep a small safe. I take it out and place it on top of my bed. I'm not telling you the combination. I open it, only to fall into a glorious trance. Because that vault is where I keep all my jewelry. I have two bags full of loose diamonds. Most of them weigh one tenth of a carat. They're so small, but when grouped together, they're something to behold. I also have seventeen diamond rings. They come in so many different shapes and sizes, and they're all so beautiful. Beside them are eleven necklaces, most of them are gold. But let's be honest, gold is not that appealing. No, what makes them so precious, are the gems they have. Aquamarine, iolite, one of them even has a ruby. How could I not bask in their radiant, shiny beauty? "Shiny, shiny…" I say as their reflecting glow nearly blinds me. 

  Can you keep a secret? All of these are stolen. I grab all the necklaces and rings, and I try to put as many of them on me as possible. At night, I go out and steal jewelry. If I'm not out stealing at night, it's because I'm planning, investigating. Or maybe because there's something good on tv for once. When I steal, I steal for myself. Though sometimes, when I need money, I sell the most expensive jewelry I can get to a man named Kurt. He's very familiar with the black market. Anything you steal, you go to him and he can make sure you get your money's worth. 

  I catch a glance at my silver wrist watch. It's 6:13pm. I'm supposed to steal a gem in two hours and forty-seven minutes. I put all my jewelry away and make myself dinner. After that, I shower and get ready. I put on a black, short dress. After a lot of waiting, I take a duffle bag I keep under my bed and leave my apartment. Once I park behind the jewelry store, I make sure no one's around in the street before I cover my red, wavy hair with a wig cap. It makes it easier for me to wear a ski mask. It also reduces the chances of any of my hair falling out during one of my burglaries. I take out a black jumpsuit, a ski mask, black gloves, and a portable laser. But it's not just any portable laser, it's a special prototype Kurt got for me. It was supposedly stolen from Van Cleer Industries. I tested it in my kitchen, it burnt a hole through my frying pan. 

  I change inside my car and make sure there's no one around before getting out and approaching the back door of the building. I take out my portable laser and point it at the lock before looking away as I turn it on. I can immediately feel the heat. It's tempting not to look, but if I do, I'll be permanently blinded. By my peripheral vision I can tell it emits a purple glow. I turn the laser off and look at the lock. It's disfigured, almost liquid. With a little bit of force I'm able to pull it off the door. I repeat the same process for the other lock that's built into the door. Once it's liquified, I push the door, and it swings open. I enter the building, it's completely dark. I forgot to pack a flashlight. Thanks to the glass wall at the front of the store, I can make out some things but it's difficult to spot the safe. I think I see a door. Thankfully, its silver handle isn't locked. I open the door and find myself in a darker room. I can tell it's an office by the desk. Behind it is the safe. I once again look away while using the portable laser. I turn it off. I use my nails to open the safe and I find quite a few things inside.

  There's quite a few pieces of jewelry in here. A few black, silk bags, and after a bit of looking, I find what I'm looking for. A round, 2.12 carat, 'Pigeon Blood' ruby. The red contrasts, the precise cuts. It's so beautifully made. The way it even shines in the darkness. Oh, it's so marvelous! But most importantly, it's mine. This overwhelming joy makes me want to cry. 

  You must be thinking, "she's some kind of kleptomaniac!" First of all, how dare you? I'm not insane, and I'm not a kleptomaniac. These things, they're so precious, and I went through so much shit just because I appreciate them. I think the world owes me, and if the world won't pay its dues, I'll gladly take it myself. I don't care who's in the way, who I'm hurting. This rightfully belongs to me, and I don't think it would be a stretch to say that I would kill for what's mine. You can call that evil. You can call that cold-hearted. But do not call me insane, I'm not insane. I'm not like my coworkers, I'm not like all those people that treated me like shit for no reason, I'm not an idiot. I know anyone would think that what I say and do is bad, but I do not care, and if that's evil, I'm okay with that.

  Wait. Is that smoke I smell? Shit, the smoke alarm just went off. The laser must've evaporated something. The cops will be here any minute. I throw most of what's in the safe into my bag and make a run for it. I exit the building quickly and stumble around the street until I get into my car. I shouldn't have worn heels for this. I change back into my black dress as quickly as possible. I start the engine of my car and drive away. I can hear police sirens in the distance. Shit, I still have my wig cap on. I take it off and let my hair breathe. I find myself far away from the jewelry store. I have to admit, that was exhilarating. I've wanted that ruby for so long, now that I have it I can only scream in excitement.

  I get back to my apartment, I close the door, turn on the lights and put my bag on my bed. I'm so excited to finally have that ruby in my possession. I open the bag and look through all the jewelry, so many diamonds and gold. There's even an opal here, not that I wanted one. 

  I just emptied the bag. Where is it? I look again, this time anxiously. I shift through everything in my bed. What the hell? I can't fucking find it. Don't tell me I lost it. I leave my apartment and search through the hallway, I don't see anything. I get into the elevator, I'm clinging to the little amount of hope I have left. I look through the lobby, I think the security guard is watching me but I don't care, I have to find it. 

  It's not here. Maybe I missed it upstairs. 

  I get back into the elevator. I walk down the hallway. I open the door to my apartment and take another look. I slowly take every individual piece of jewelry, look at it closely, and place it inside my safe until there is nothing left. I look under my bed, in the curtains, under and inside the sofa, behind the tv, in the kitchen, even in the bathroom.

  There's nothing. I don't fucking have it. I fall on my bed and tears start to fill my eyes. I can't control the hideous expressions my face makes as I cry, as my heart leaks out of me through my eyes. My shoulders shake and my hands grasp my face, I feel compelled to rip it off. I fall asleep in a pool of sorrow.

  The sound of my phone alarm wakes me up. I look around, I'm confused. I notice I'm still wearing that black dress. I start to remember what happened last night. Oh… I lost the ruby. Fuck. I get up and take everything off of me except my underwear so I can exercise for thirty minutes. For years I've done the same exercise routine in the morning. I start with sit-ups, then I practice crosses, jabs and a move I believe is called the spear hand. I do all of these with my hands open because I don't want all the fist clenching to ruin my nails. After that, I practice my hook kicks, roundhouse kicks and front kicks. I then finish with fifty push-ups and one hundred and fifty squats. I've done this every morning, I've been exercising since I was eight. Why would someone make their child exercise so much? No sane reason. But it's a matter I prefer not to talk about.

  After showering and eating breakfast, I pick out my clothes for the day. I wear a white oxford shirt with black pants and black boots. Lastly I put on a tan, formal trench coat. It has sandy brown highlights, which compliment my blonde hair. Lastly, I wear my rose gold hand watch. I take my keys, leave my apartment, and head straight to work.