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Sam talked so frequently about his brother, that she felt like she already knew him. He talked with stars in his eyes, moving his hands around as he recalled past memories of his life as a young kid in the orphanage. Sam Drake was a storyteller, and Amanza Cortez bought into every word he said. But she never expected he would take her on the quest of a lifetime.
After being kicked out of her boyfriend's house, she made friends with the dirty blonde while bumming it on the streets. What began as a friendship birthed from survival quickly grew into a tightly knit bond built on years of trust, sharing blankets when the heater went out, and that one time she walked in on him changing. Needless to say, the two were thick as thieves. Because that's what they were; thieves.
Amanza's curse was her big heart. She may not have been easy to fool, but when she cared about something or somebody (which was incredibly rare) she did with her whole heart. She was close to Sam, but it wasn't like that. She imagined him as a long lost brother, maybe just one born into a different family by accident. Not that she even knew what family felt like; her parents separated when Amanza was starting fifth grade, her dad left in the middle of the night... taking her older sister with him. For some reason, a barely ten Amanza was to blame by her mother who claimed her life was worse just by Amanza's existence. Yeah, Amanza was used to being blamed for everything.
She had met Sam when he was young, shortly after he left the orphanage and his brother behind. Right place at the right time the both of them had been. First, it was snarky remarks back and forth while Amanza fed him leftovers when she worked at a Mexican restaurant and before they knew it — sharing deep childhood stories. While Sam had always spoken so highly of his brother, Amanza was nowhere near ready for the moment she was going to see him for the first time.
Nathan Drake, on the other hand, was a whole other story. She didn't know when she first laid eyes on him that he was Sam's brother, but later on, it made a whole lot of sense. A similar sense in their face: clear determination.
Amanza and Nathan met by accident, fate if you will. The two accidentally locked eyes while searching through a crowd on the dance floor. Potentials; anyone who seemed like they might have a couple of dollars worth of something hanging on their wrists or necks even. Not Nathan's scene, but after seeing the way Amanza's eyes seemed to challenge him — it was game on.
Seeing how he effortlessly reached into people's purses and grabbed wallets, keys, and pieces of jewellery... she immediately grew jealous. Hell, she had always envied how Sam could do that. But she had her own game to play.
Strutting along a bit clumsily, she bumped a man's shoulder with her own, pretending like she was tripping. "Oh!" she sighed, instantly relieved when the man broke her fake fall by grabbing onto her forearms and setting her in place. Her long hair was tied back in a ponytail, stray hairs framing her tanned face messily. She rubbed her glossed lips together, bringing her hands to cup his elbows. "I'm so sorry," she said as if hurried.
After a moment of looking back and forth between her eyes, he smiled. Who was he to get mad at such a beautiful woman? "It's okay," he said as best as he could over the music.
Smiling as she turned away, she clutched onto the wallet she had slipped from his back pocket along with his watch tightly. She dumped the wallet in a trashcan near the back after she took out all the cash, and slipped the watch into her bra. After doing this for so long, she got a little too big for her bridges and decided she would pick the fit brown-haired boy as her next target.
And she almost got away with it too, nearly so close had she made it away with all the jewellery he had stolen himself when he caught onto her close proximity — ensuing in a chase.
Amanza pushed open the heavy exit door with all her strength, arms at her sides as she booked it to the left and down the alleyway, away from the loud music and flashing lights. Nathan emerged from the building shortly after, looking both ways quickly before seeing her black hair as she turned the corner. He caught up to her shortly, only because the bad heels she had been wearing gave out on her. He placed his palms against the stone walls, trapping her. Then, he smiled at her. "You shouldn't steal, Princess."
Sticking her tongue in her cheek as she raised a hand from her pocket, dangling two necklaces and each finger decorated with rings, she countered, "This you?"
He scoffed but was impressed nonetheless. Matter of fact, he was almost smiling. "I'm going to need that back."
"How badly?" she asked, yanking her hand away as he went to reach for it.
He cocked his head to the side slightly. "Badly."
"Come get it," her brows furrowed together and before he knew it, her hand was empty. She grinned. "Made ya look."
He barely had time to think before she took off again, hitting his elbow harshly as a diversion. Hell, she even did everything to keep him away including chucking her heels at him. After that, she made it a habit to watch after him when she was in town. It was only a matter of time before they met again.
In a similar club, with a similar layout, the two were going at it again — surprise surprise. This time, he came for more than just her stolen goods. He waited outside, lifting his head as he heard the sound of heels coming toward him. His lips curled into a smile once he realized it was indeed her. He racked his brain for the right thing to say, thankfully, she got to it first. "Walk with me?" she asked. He nodded, and the two set down the sidewalk into the night.
It didn't last forever, and their relationship was messy, the two never want to admit their own flaws. And she wouldn't let it go on record, but she loved Nathan Drake more than she had ever allowed herself to for any one person.
Then Victor Sullivan came along and the world stopped spinning. It seemed like Victor was the missing piece of the puzzle, the key to the lock that kept away the fortune that would make Sam and Amanza rich, their answer to literally all of their problems. But Amanza knew no matter how close Sam and Sully became, that deep down they would never be able to trust him. She didn't quite buy into his tales as she did with Sam, but even still, she tried her best to go along with the plans. And the plans were for the quest of a lifetime.
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