THE LAST HUNTER - PROSPERITY

Thievery - Chapter 2

The rest of the day went as usual: Sit, sleep, wake up, next class, repeat.

By the end of the day, she was well-rested, and full of energy, naturally. She glanced at her phone, seeing the date.

"Caleb has archery practice, so I guess that means it's time to go to work." She said, pulling a pair of bronze-rimmed glasses from her backpack, and throwing them over her eyes. She removed the leather jacket, and instead opted for a thin black hoodie, which still kept her somewhat warm.

She grabbed her bike from the rack, and hopped on, staring down the street. "Let's hit zone two today." She said, pedaling out of the school parking lot, and down the road.

As she approached the more bustling city area, she found an alleyway, and locked her bike behind a dumpster, latching her backpack with it. She pulled out a small map of the general city, which had several colored squares drawn on it in marker, as well as writing on it. She had separated the city into what she called zones. She had all the information needed about each one: What type of people were there, when was the busiest time, what police presence was at each one, and where she could run if something went south. In her spare time, Sapphire was nothing other than a petty thief. Even still, she had her own rules to stay out of trouble:

Never hit the same zone twice, always wear a different outfit, never steal from the same person, never steal from someone who was exiting a store, never use credit cards, and so on. She was not only surprisingly careful, she was fairly good at what she did too. She had taught herself how to pick locks, how to pickpocket people, and how to efficiently dispose of evidence if need be. She tied her hair up into two ponytails, and gave a sigh of fulfillment. "Let's get to work."

She sat in the alleyway, using the reflection of a nearby shop to see people coming around the corner, studying each one very carefully: What were they wearing, where had they been, were they distracted by something, did they have kids or other people with them, all sorts of information that could be useful to her. Finally, a perfect target came in. She filled her lungs with air, put on a brave face, and stepped out of the alley with gusto. Immediately she bumped into a man going the opposite direction. She pretended to be holding her phone, slamming into him purposefully with a decent amount of force, sending him stumbling backwards.

"Holy shit, are you okay?" She asked, putting the phone in her pocket and holding her hands up in surrender. "My bad, I wasn't expecting anyone to pass by!" She said, feigning worry in her voice. Her plan had worked perfectly, as the coffee in his hands had spilled on his hands, causing him to wince in pain, as he set it down. She quickly produced a napkin, grabbing his hand. "Oh my god! Are you alright?" She stammered, drying his hand. The anger that had began to bubble dissipated as she fell for her act.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You okay?" He said, although his frustration still seeped from his words. She nodded a bit, grabbing his coffee from the ground and cleaning it up. "I hope you didn't spill too much!" She said, handing it to him as soon as she was done. He popped the lid off, glancing inside. "Nothing too bad. Just watch where your walkin', alright?" He mumbled, as she nodded vigorously. He shook his head a bit, continuing his walk, checking his clothes as he walked away. As he did, her fearful look immediately melted, and a grin took its place. "Sucker." She said, pulling her phone from her pocket, as well as another phone behind it. She glanced at it as she entered the alleyway, her eyes widening. "Holy shit, this is a brand new phone! This is worth some serious change. Score!" She giggled, reaching into her hoodie sleeve, she slid out a thin wallet, sliding to sit behind the dumpster. "ID, health insurance card, ooh punch card." She mumbled, looking at the punch card. "Not even halfway full? Why the hell would you get a punch card if you don't go that often?" She groaned, putting it back inside, and continuing her search. "Credit card, debit card, old gift card, pictures of his kids." She said, turning it so she could see it at its correct orientation. "Huh, cute." She said, putting it back in its slot. She peered in the cash slot, and immediately groaned. "TWO BUCKS? Are you joking?" She shouted, letting her head fall back. "Nothing useful. Screw this 'card-age'" She mumbled, pocketing the two dollars and the stamp card, and pulling the ID from his wallet. She reached into her backpack and grabbed a stack of letters, with stamps preattached. She quickly scrawled his home address onto the letter and sealed it with her tongue.