In the center-most level of the underground city, a bright light escaped from around a corner, and the sound of jeering, bargaining and the clatter of coins intensified. I pulled a few bills from my pocket, and quickly put them into my pant pocket, away from the other thieves there, much like myself.
On the black market, honour amongst thieves didn't exist.
I stepped into the torchlight, a large cavern spreading as far as the eye could see. My hood made its way back up my head, and I silently slipped into the crowd, mixing with the general 'bad crowd'
Slipping between other shadowy figures, extravagantly dressed rich folks, and even a few inner-city police.
Not that bad cops were news.
Here, no one cared who you were, provided you had money.
Something on the other side of the market caught my eye, and I pushed past the steady stream of people to get to the mysterious object. It was some sort of pendant, a black cross on a thin chain.
The seller saw me staring at the cross, and he took it off its hook, waving it in front of my face. "This here, little boy, was for something called a Roman Catholic. It costs 15 gold, little boy."
An annoyed tick jumped on my temple. Being called 'little boy' was getting annoying.
I flipped back my hood, off my head, my stark white hair making an appearance, I turned toward him, my face in view.
He froze, his mouth in a circle, he threw his arms in front of his face, bowing down on his knees, trembling on the ground.
"I'm so sorry, please forgive me!" I stood over him, the shining black cross glistening in my hand. All around us, the air was still and quiet, almost suffocating. Every face was turned our way, and I slinked away, my body disappearing from view. The sight of my famous white hair and cross of freckles on my face set an entire market into silence.
I turned into a shadow, brushing past masked men, smiling women and lost children. Just as always.
Only now, a black cross hung from my neck, and it caught in the light as I turned, my eyes widening, following a head of black familiarly styled hair.
Was it him?
Could it be?
I placed my hand on one of the boy' shoulders, expecting a pair of sharp grey eyes to turn, and a pair of sharp words to tell me to not touch him.
Instead of that, I met a pair of light brown wide eyes, and a thin smile.
Quickly apologizing I turned on my heel, a sour expression on my face.
Of course not.
I was expecting Levi. His mean attitude and his love of cleanliness.
Of course it wasn't him.
My mind flashed back to two years ago, the day they took him away.
I was up on the roof, a block away from where levi was sitting with two of our friends. I felt tension in the air, and had just ducked down fast enough to avoid being seen.
"Where's the other one?" A tall blonde man with thick eyebrows asked.
"Who?" Levi asked defiantly.
"The holy thief, the stealing saint, silver prince? Sound familiar?"
Levi's face twitched slightly, but he quickly masked his surprise with a scowl. He was dragged away by two other survey corps, but he quickly pushed the two of them off, straightened his black jacket, and walked along purposefully.
A frown and a betrayed scowl fought onto my face. I scurried down the tiles, and hopped onto the paved ground.
I took a small thin alley to the other side of where levi was taken, the head of the pack scowling.
Rage crossed my face. Extreme hatred reached out from behind me.
I ran forward to see Levi. From the alley, I quickly smirked at him, letting him know what I was about to do.
I gave him our sign, and left before he could give an answer.
Then, I doubled back to where the blonde man was. He had a smirk on his face, saying something to his subordinates. "We have Levi, he has the better physical abilities than the other one. We don't need him."
As his subordinates turned around, I silently swiped all of the belongings from his pockets, staying small and out of sight. Then, as my personal signature, I left a paper x, or cross, in his back pocket.
Hmm. Who was the better one?
Didn't think so.
Securing his belongings, I heard some commotion behind me, and my breath shuddered out of my lungs as I enjoyed the pure adrenaline coursing through my veins.
I grabbed Levi's hand, and we ran.
We ran.
I smirked back at him, and he sighed.
"Good job, brat."
"Same to you, bastard."
Then, we were almost safe.
We were laughing, happy.
When all hell rained down on the both of us. Blades zipped in the air around us, green fabric in the air, at least four survey corps rushing in from each direction, their eyes on levi.
Levi pushed me into a drain hole, and ran in the other direction.
I cried that night, as I saw his hands chained together, on the back of a wagon, two guards on each side of him.
No escape.
Levi was calm on his exterior, but as I saw him on that wagon, I saw shielded fear in his eyes.
He was 15 years old, they couldn't have killed him, could they?
I shook my head. Dwelling on where Levi was is pointless.
If he was alive, he was 18 by now.
Almost Two years older than me.
He was probably dead, anyways.
I headed through the dark corridors again,this time, not bothering to muffle my footfalls, navigating the cold labyrinth of stones with my eyes closed.
I ran.
I thought I saw Levi.
The black cross hit against my chest as I moved. Since levi left, I sharpened my physical skill.
He would be proud.
Little did I know that on some training grounds inside wall Maria, Levi sneezed.
Little did I know that he was alive.
And little did I know that I would be seeing him soon.
