Rebels

Ch. 20

As Jack sealed his flesh wound closed on his arm from the bullet from previous moments, he wondered where Lyla had gone. He recalled she had disappeared during the training earlier that day, but due to the gold coins Jack had found and the conversation with Luca about the jerk by the name of Tom, he had forgotten to ask about her. "Where did Lyla run off to?"

Luca only groaned as a response. Yet when Jack still looked to him for an answer, he sighed, spreading himself out on the couch. "She's probably holed up in the bedroom crying."

Jack walked to the bed in the corner of the room and sat down on the edge. His leg had gotten slightly better, but it was still hurting him. He had hoped it would be able to heal by the time of the festival, or else he would have an even more of a disadvantage of this plan. "Why would she be crying?"

Luca shrugged, propping his head up with his hands. "She's a girl. Girls are emotional, aren't they?"

Lyla appeared from the bedroom, an angered look on her face. "I was not crying, Luca. The festival's been bumped up."

Luca and Jack both stiffened, taken aback by this. "To when?" Luca asked, sitting up on the couch.

Lyla stepped forward, gazing at the dying petals of the flowers contained in a vase at the center of the kitchen table. "Next week. The king supposedly wanted to move it to a 'more appropriate time', whatever that may mean."

Luca sighed, putting his head in his hands.

Jack couldn't comprehend as to why Luca seemed more worried about this than Jack had, for Jack only shrugged his shoulders. "That is okay. I think we all knew that I wasn't going to exactly 'ace' this training, anyways."

Lyla shook her head. "You are getting better. I think you just have to start using the environment around you. You did good, today." Yet, Lyla wasn't sure of the progress Jack was making. She wanted to give him just a little bit of positivity, and she hoped that maybe, just maybe, that would give them a better chance of completing this plan.

Jack suddenly stood, walking steadily towards the door.

"Where are you going? It's the busiest time of the day." Lyla wondered, looking to her brother to see if he knew. Luca didn't, so he only shrugged. He grabbed a bottle of rum and held it to the light, tapping on the glass. He took a mouthful of the alcohol and set the glass back on the ground where it once lie.

Jack opened the door, being greeted by a cool wind. "I'm going for a walk."

Lyla tried to protest at this, but Jack stopped her from doing so. "I've been on the streets my whole life, Lyla. I think I can handle a simple walk." With that, Jack slammed the door behind him.

He didn't know to where he was going. He just wanted to get out of that stuffy house. He could feel the all-too familiar stares of the city folk as he walked down the sidewalk, pushing past multiple people whom were too focused upon getting to the marketplace. Jack figured there was no better time for him to roam around the streets, for with so many people around, he'd fit in.

He continued to walk until when he perked his head up, he did not recognize his surroundings. He could not remember as to which way he had come, so he continued to walk. He remembered doing the similar action back in his hometown. He remembered when he was young, and he would roam the streets, looking for something that would interest him. Usually, he would find much older people sleeping in an alley or a whole camp set up for multiple people in an alley. There, he would listen to people's stories. He recalled walking up to this one particular man in an alley when Jack was young. The man had been cradling his head in his hands, sitting in the back of the alley. When the man noticed Jack, he straightened up. "Oh, hello little boy." As the stranger examined Jack more, the man raised his eyebrows. "Say, have I seen you before?"

"A lot of people have." Jack responded. "I don't have a home."

The stranger sighed. "Oh. Well, I haven't got no food for you."

Jack shrugged, "Thats okay. Mind if I ask you how you got here?"

The man smiled. "The whole story?" As Jack nodded, the stranger took a deep breath. "I was a thief. Best one around, I reckon. I could have all the money I wanted. I recall I had a pretty impressive place, as well." The man leaned forward, and Jack could smell the man's breath. "Don't get cocky, boy." Then, the stranger leaned back, looking defeated. "I was ahead of myself, you see. I wanted to steal the best known diamond in the town. I almost did, too, but they caught me as I was taking the diamond out of its case. Sentenced to a life sentence, but you can't keep a thief contained." The man began to laugh. "I escaped pretty easily, and I've been free since. You see, it's all about the connections you have." The man whispered.

"Do you still steal from people?" Jack asked, curiosity taking over his mind.

The man took a long breath before speaking. "Every here and now, I'll find something that catches my eye. Unfortunately for me, I found just recently that I am being hunted."

"By whom?" Jack asked.

The man hesitated to speak. When he did so, he rested his head back in his hands. "By all those I stole from." The man reached in the pocket of his jacket and pulled out what appeared to be a folded up rag. He handed it to Jack without explanation. "Go on then, boy. It is getting late. Perhaps I shall see you around, eh?"

Now out of his thoughts Jack, now stopping where he was in the street, reached into his pocket. He pulled out an old rag that had been eaten at from termites and time. Cautiously, he unwrapped it, finding a moderate sized diamond. He sighed with satisfaction. He had never seen that man again, and to this day he wonders if perhaps the man had been caught, or if he simply had died of age. Nevertheless, Jack had made sure ever since that day to keep the diamond the man had given him, as a reminder of his own mental strength, and perseverance as a thief.