Carmen Sandiego 2019 One-Shot Book

Letter to a Former Family

________________

El Topo,

Hey, it's been a while, hasn't it? Well, not really since we saw each other quite recently in Hell Creek. On a caper. Together.

God, that sounds so weird to say.

Anyway, you're probably wondering why I'm writing to you. Quite frankly, I don't know why either. I just got a random feeling to, y'know?

Things have been hard. On all of us. And I'm not just talking about all the times I had to fight against my former family. The only family I ever knew.

I'm not just talking about what me and my new team had to go through. I'm talking about all the things you and the others had to live with too.

I saw what happened on camera. In Singapore. I saw Le Chèvre was almost assaulted by some creepy dude from a nearby bar I was at (yes, I was at a bar). He was obviously wasted.

I managed to knock him out temporarily and take Le Chèvre to another alleyway to recover. Without him knowing it was actually me, of course. But I felt like you had the right to know, since you are his partner. And also..his friend.

The topic about friendship gets me every time. I mean, I have Shadowsan, and Zack and Ivy. And I love and care about them deeply. But..after all this time, you guys always find yourselves coming into my head yet again. No matter how many times I keep telling myself what I did was a one time thing and would never happen again, it just keeps coming back to me.

It didn't make sense to me at first, really. I just thought I was going crazy and didn't get enough sleep that night. But the more I thought about it, those thoughts went away. Then, I finally realized- I still care about you guys.

   And I would also like to say-I'm sorry I left all of you behind. It wasn't my intention to hurt you.

   All my life, the Faculty has raised me to be a thief. I knew from the start since they started training me when I was around seven-years old. I was born and raised under their wing, and tricked by their familial facade. But, I was too young to know the truth.

   When I enrolled into VILE Academy, I honestly wasn't expecting anyone to be as nice as the other generations of forty thieves were. But when I met you, Jean-Paul, Gray, and Sheena, those expectations..decreased.

    I still recount those countless fun memories we all had together. From attacking book keepers with water balloons to pranking our own instructors. Heh, good times.

   The reason why I left wasn't because I wanted to prove myself to VILE like Gray thought. My reasons were completely different, actually.

   Once I knew what VILE's true colors were, I didn't want to be a part of their schemes anymore. Not after learning that they're willing to kill off innocent bystanders for just witnessing their crimes. That isn't what I wanted. It never was.

     I didn't choose that kind of life you're currently living. VILE was just manipulating me into becoming their perfect little weapon. And I wasn't going to let myself be controlled.

     I'm not their pet, or some other object they own. I'm a person. And so are you, Jean-Paul, and even Sheena!

    Don't tell anyone else this-but..I'm still here if you ever need to talk. Same sides or not, you're still the same kind-hearted and thoughtful person I met back at VILE. And I can't thank you enough for being who you are.

     Please, for the love of God, don't change your personality or style just because VILE tells you to. You're perfect just the way you are. And I'm sure that Jean-Paul would say the same if he was reading this letter with you. Not sure about Sheena, though.

     I really do hope that you and Jean-Paul enjoy yourselves. Whether it would be trying to attack me on a caper I'm trying to foil or not. In all honesty, you both deserve happiness and peace.

    Good luck out there!

    From,

  Your friend,

   Carmen Sandiego.

                      _____________

      El Topo stared at the paper he just read off of. Then, he softly smiled. Glad that Black Sh-Carmen was still the same person he knew her as. 
   
    He sighed, putting the letter down on the bed. Ready to finish unpacking. But before he did, he looked up at the starlit sky through the large glass panes in his and Le Chèvre's hotel room.

    The man sadly smiled up at the tiny lights that were surrounding Earth. "Thank you, Carmen Sandiego. Wherever you are."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

     Thank you to my wonderful friend Tae on the CSA for beta reading and giving suggestions for what to put in this letter! Your efforts are so greatly appreciated, my friend!

   I'll be taking a few days off from writing, so expect some more fics to be out by Saturday May 23rd!

    Please comment if you liked this fic and tell me your thoughts! I'm always open to any suggestions, requests and constructive criticism!

     Thank you and see y'all next time!

    - Bree