Aurelia the Rebellious

2: A Simple Heist

Knock! Knock! I signaled my two cousins to hide behind a broken counter as I walked up the door.

I tried to calm my nerves, but the knocks kept coming in loud bangs. It was too early for it to be Chance, and we didn't know anyone else. I tried to take a deep breath, then I jerked the door wide open, but not as wide as my eyes widened with shock. I was so confused, that I dropped the piece of bread I held. The bread hitting the hardwood floor.

"Aurelia, you are accused of stealing and theft multiple times," said one of the two royal guards standing in the doorway.

"We leave you with a choice, we'll arrest your whole family for a long time or you come quickly and quietly with us to Padlock Prison. We know where your cousin works and now we know where you live. Think carefully."

The guards had a bright colored uniform that was between a sunset red and orange, they carried gold spears and wore gold breastplates. They also had a gold veil with carefully cut holes that hid their identity but still helped them to see.

I began to feel faint. My whole world was spinning. I closed my eyes. No, I needed to take care of my cousins even if it meant getting arrested, I shouldn't be selfish at a time like this.

I lifted my chin and tried to stand as tall as I could, "Take me to Padlock Prison," I said, trying to sound confident. I tried not to look away from meeting the guards gaze, I couldn't look at my cousins. It would be a dead giveaway.

Typically someone else would probably say, "I'm not going down without a fight," or "Who do you think you are?!" And believe me, I yearned to get angry and scream my lungs out like other commoners who had nothing to lose would, but the hope of a future for my cousins was at stake. We never turned our back on each other, we all promised this silently from the moment I was able to understand what a promise was.

They escorted me out of the cottage with my hands tied with thick rope. I didn't even struggle as I walked behind them. It felt too pointless. Besides, even if I ran away from them, they would just find my cousins and hold them hostage. I sighed. All of this because I took a loaf of bread to feed my starving cousins.

I kept thinking and worrying about my cousins. Was Chance gonna come back soon? Were Amy and Bella alright? They must have been scared to death. My hands tightened its grip on the rope behind my back. I worried and worried until my eyes began to get blurry from the tears that were streaming down my face. I couldn't believe my cousins thought I was tough. It was all a mask. My thoughts were interrupted when the guards stopped and I nearly bumped into him.

"I think this is good enough, Oscar," said one of the guards to the other. "Fine, we may stop here," the other guard responded. That was weird, they didn't sound like grownups at all.

They clapped their hands together and said in unison, "reveal, reveal, show what's real". I was in shock, the guards knew how to use and even had magic. No- they weren't guards, that was obvious now.

They were just two boys almost my age, playing around with magic.The two of them didn't look a day older than 13 or 14. My eyes widened in fury as I got ready to shout and accuse them of kidnapping me for unnecessary reasons.

"Before you get all beasty, please listen" one of the boys calmly said.. He had dark black hair like me and maroon red eyes, and he had a small scar that cut through his left eyebrow. The other guard, I mean boy, had called him Oscar. Oscar wore a brown leather jacket and boots that went up to his knees.

Then the other boy spoke. He had black hair and green eyes. He wore dark green pants, a loose long sleeve, and a green cloak. "Hey there, Aurelia. Am I right? My name's Grayson," he calmly said. "We are sorry to bother you and make you go through all this trouble. We just have an offer for you."