Thief

Chapter 1 | 14 Years Before

The orphanage was dead silent past sleeping time for no one dared upset Ms.Helgath. It wasn't that she was mean, it was that she was so nice and no one wanted to ruin that. 

Though tonight, I could hear her talking to one of the other caretakers outside of the sleeping dorms.

"It's Serra, she isn't in her bed. I think she may have ran away Ms.Helg-"

"Ah Serra, the sister of the twins," she paused before correcting herself, "twin, right? No, she wouldn't run away, not without taking her brother with her. Check around the house once more. I'm sure you will find her."

Just like that, without knowing, Ms.Helgath had driven a knife back into the wound in me. My brother, Killion, had been adopted a month ago. I had cried and cried, begging for him to stay , and not to leave me and Serra, our older sister. But they took him.

"It'll be alright, I promise... I'll always be right here with you, for if there is a single tear in your eye, I will make it better." Serra had said to me that night, trying to make me feel better. I knew that it wasn't her choice whether she got to stay or not but somehow, her saying that had made me feel better. Even if it was just a little bit.

Ms.Helgath was right. Serra hadn't ran away, she just liked to go up onto the roof tops and sit whenever she had felt down or lonely. One time she took me up there and I just listened to her talk for hours about how when she gets older she is going to be an adventurer, or a blade for hire. Going on long adventures and coming back with lots of gold, and then she would adopt every kid in the orphanage and have her own large family.

A family had always sounded nice. I have Ms.Helgath, but she is more like a... well... just a caretaker more than someone of family. I have Serra, but it's not the same as a family who sits around a table and eats together, talking about their day with one another, or sitting in front of a fireplace as Momma reads a story to help you get sleepy to go and lay in your bed.

As I layed in bed thinking, I slowly drifted into slumber, the last thing on my mind being a small prayer, asking the Gods for a family.

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The next morning came fast.

I lifted my head from the stone slab looking around the cell in which I was confined to.

The morning food was here on the small wooden platform like always, A small, stale, bread roll, a glass of (mostly) clean water, and a mystery... stew? Regardless of what it is, I only ate the bread roll.

Looking to the wall I see the old man looking through at me grinning. "So... You finally decided to get up today huh... I suppose you are allowed to sleep in you have tomorrow to do that too... but they day after..." He looks down at the same time that I do.

"Yah! 'Nd then it'l be time fer ya to hang at the Gallow's by yer scrawny neck" I hear as I look over to see the guard standing by my cell door, laughing at his statement. "Disgusting theif..." He mumbles as he goes to feed the dog and then heads back upstairs.

"Don't listen to him boy, he is a low life too. He only has the job he has because, 'His daddy is the King's 9th advisor', He isn't any better than you or I." The old man paused. "Say... What is your name?" He says curiously as he looks to me.

"I don't know... I was always called runt at the Orphanage because I was small, and when my parents left my siblings and I there, they hadn't named me yet. The caretaker called me Little one... and my sister always called me J." I pause for a moment and start to laugh.

"What's so funny? I don't get it" Replied the old man.

"Oh nothing, I was just thinking that recently I've been called Thief so much, it practically IS my name."

"Oh, ehehe. Well then. It is a pleasure to meet you Thief." He put his hand through the hole and gave me a handshake before he started to speak again. "My friends all call me Crazy Smitty, but you can call me Crazy Smitty."

I stare at him before I start laughing again. "I think I'll just call you Smitty." I sit on the 'bed' and lean against the wall looking at him through the small hole in the wall. His face showed kindness as he smiled. As to why this man could possibly be in jail was a mystery.

"Smitty? What are you in jail for?" I ask him as he grins widely.

"Who me? Oh I'm not in Jail." He responds as he stands up and walks out of view from the hole.

I quickly get up and look through it. "Hey what do you-" I stop as I look into his cell and see that is completely empty.

"Wuld y' just Shut UP!" The guard yells coming from upstairs. "Quit it, wit the talk'n' to y' self"

I stare at the wall silently, trying to figure out what had happened.