A Little Bird Called Magpie

CHAPTER FOUR

  A day passes, I don't hear anything from anyone regarding my design. Another day passes. Jeremy gives Agatha a sketch of my design. He rambles on about it with her, but he never mentions me. He never looks at me. I just stay silent. Jeremy leaves, Agatha tells me she likes the design. I don't understand what's going on. Days continue to pass, I've sat across from Jeremy, he hasn't said anything to me or about me to anyone else. Weeks pass. Nothing. I'm in a meeting with all of the designers, Agatha is sitting next to me. I'm sitting across from Jeremy and Lydia. The room is mostly silent, we're waiting for Olive to come in. Suddenly, Lydia opens her mouth. "Are you guys going to our fashion show next week? We're all free that day." 

  "I don't think it's really my thing." Agatha says.

  "I think I'll go." I say.

  "You should really go, Agatha." Jeremy tells her.

  "Come on, it'll be fun!" I tell her.

  "Okay, okay. I'll go!" Agatha says while nervously laughing. I've never seen her nervously laugh before. It's cute.

  "Good, don't be a square!" Lydia tells Agatha. Don't be a square? Jesus Christ, Lydia. This isn't a period piece.

  It's the day of the fashion show. I'm wearing a red pea coat, black gloves, pants and high-heeled ankle boots. I'm also wearing oversized sunglasses. They make you look powerful. Me and Agatha are sitting at the side of the catwalk. She's wearing a light grey long sleeved dress. I love its pattern. Lydia and Jeremy are on the other side of the catwalk. I can't tell what they're wearing but it's probably something lame. The show starts and I get nervous. What if my boot is nowhere to be seen? What if it isn't good enough? What if people don't even notice it? What if people hate it? Fuck. Why do I feel so horrible? Models walk by me, I'm too nervous to pay attention to what they're wearing. Suddenly, something grabs my attention. One of the models is wearing a blouse made out of tiny golden metal squares. It would be brilliant if it would actually fit her. But it's so sparkly, so pretty. I must have it. I can't take my eyes off it. I feel like bashing the model's head in and taking that thing off of her, running away with it. I feel the urge in my hands. She passes by. It's out of sight now. The feeling fades away. Thank God. 

  I try to relax by staring at my hands. I pay attention to the detail of the gloves. They're all I think about suddenly, I feel someone touch my arm. I look to my right. Agatha is looking at me. Her eyes are wide open. She looks back at one of the models at the runway. I look at the same model. Oh my God. There they are. My boots. Being worn by a model with a slim, black top coat with a fur lapel that matches my boots. The model has a buzz cut and is wearing a black turtleneck as well. I can't believe it. It's perfect. I look around, a lot of people are looking at it. Everyone keeps a straight face at these events. I wish I knew what they thought of it, but I couldn't be happier right now. If I could, I'd scream out of excitement. As the model retreats behind the curtains, I catch a final, glorious glimpse at my creation. As the show continues, I can't focus on it since I keep thinking about my design. Occasionally, a shiny dress or piece of clothing attracts my attention. 

  The show ends. I can't remember much of what I saw. I was so focused on my design. But it's okay, it was all that mattered. Agatha and I go out to eat. She congratulates me. She says she's happy for me. I smile and laugh back at most of what she says. I'm not really paying attention to her at all. How can I? I just went through the happiest moment of my life, and not only that. It might lead to even greater things. Agatha and I go our own ways. I get back to my apartment. I'm so happy that I almost forget my plans to steal jewelry in five hours.

  It's almost time. I have my duffle bag ready and I'm wearing a short, red dress. I take it with me as I leave my apartment. This time, I'm going to steal from a museum. I park next to a nearby building so I can change. I wear a jumpsuit, a ski mask, and black gloves. The streets are completely empty. The lights inside are turned off. But I expect at least a security guard or two inside. I can easily take care of them. I walk up the stairs and encounter the giant closed doors at the entrance to the museum. I walk to my right, all the way to the right side of the building. There's a window here I can climb into. I take out my portable laser and pray that what I'm about to do doesn't trigger an alarm. I aim the laser at the edge of the window. I close my eyes and turn on the laser for a second. I open my eyes again and I see that that part of the window is melting. I repeat the process along all of the windows sides until the edges are weak enough. I punch the window and it comes right off. It falls inside the museum, it was strong enough not to break. So far, so good. I climb inside the museum. There's a few paintings on the walls surrounding me. I take out my flashlight as I walk away from the windows and the place becomes darker. I turn it on, I see a bronze sculpture ahead of me. It's a sculpture of some fancy man. I walk past it, I continue through an arched doorway to find myself in the main hall of the museum. I'll be honest, I'm not sure where the ruby I'm looking for is. I keep seeing glass displays of sculptures and antique crafts from foreign countries. I keep going until I find a white stand with a glass box display. I look closer inside.