Of Lies and Thieves

You didn't think your life could change in just one night did you? You didn't think they could tear down the invisible walls that your parents put up around you and protected you from the outside world. You thought you were so observant with your cat like vision and your analytical mind; yet you were so ignorant about the world you lived in. You dismissed all the hints that were thrown your way and Angus thought you were silly for not seeing but you said it was him who was silly. And yet you still didn't see it coming, did you?

-0-

"And he swung down and snatched his arrow and the leather pouch and ran off into the woods with little John." You are six-and-a-half and it's the night after your 5th successful theft, and you had just too much adrenaline to sleep. So your mother tucked you into bed and you begged her to read you a story.  
Tonight it's Robin Hood and it makes you think of the nagging question that's been on your mind since your 3rd con, the one to the Lourve.
"Mum, doesn't thieving hurt people?" Your mum looks shocked. She never expected you to question it this early; she didn't think you'd understand, so she puts it in terms she thinks you'd understand.
"Honey, we don't hurt anyone. What we do is thieving. We're like Robin Hood; we take the money and go. Nothing more."
"But doesn't someone feel hurt when we steal from them?"
"Remember? Just like Robin Hood. We take from the rich and greedy and give to the poor."
"But we're not poor, are we mummy?" You reply confused. She brushes a strand of hair out of your eyes.
"Sweetie you'll understand when you're older. What we do is making everyone even."
You never can quite tell when the thefts are making the world fair and even, but they must all be, otherwise your parents wouldn't steal from them. So you hold on to that thought as you grow up, trying to reassure yourself thieving doesn't hurt.

-0-

You're sitting in the loft of your top floor flat at 8 years old. You're currently in Boston for the month and although you hardly live here, it's one of the few places your parents haven't abandoned over the years. You sit on the window sill, and you read through the well-thumbed and stolen Robin Hood book that your mum gave you.
You hear the slam of the front door, and you know something's wrong. No self-respecting thief would slam a door.
You wonder whether or not to investigate but you can hear your dad having a hushed discussion with your mother. His voice is frustrated, anxious, and worried and a whole lot more; and this makes you freeze. Your mum's voice is calmer and slower but you can still hear the anxiousness in her voice too. You're about to go check on them when a strange figure rounds the corner and you yelp.
You haven't yelped since you nearly tripped over that red laser last year. You take a second look at the figure and quickly realize it's a boy. He's about your age, maybe a little older and he's got broad shoulders and a quite a stocky stature. Warily you extend your arm to shake his hand. "I'm Anna and you are?"
"Angus," he grunts and shakes your hand reluctantly, "your dad wanted to take me in after I nearly pick pocketed him. Nearly got away with it too." You gain some respect for him then and there and that's when you notice the cuts and bruises.
You look at them questioningly and he doesn't look like he wants to talk about them but you ask him anyways.
"Wha-?"
"They're –um – from careless thefts. You know running away from screaming victims and all." He mutters looking away. You don't believe him. It's central Boston after all, so what's he got to run into; a building? He's also good enough to nearly pick pocket her father. But you give a chance and don't ask him again. Because everyone deserves a second chance don't they? And maybe if and when he warms up to you, he'll tell you. Someday.

-0-

Now 9 and you've snuck into a movie theatre with Angus. Your parents gave you some money to go and watch it and get yourself a proper seat. But what's the fun in that? Quite honestly you've gotten used to the tight spaces and the excitement of not being caught.
The air vent of theatre 3 is wide enough to fit the both of you quite comfortably even though he's got those broad shoulders. Your shoulders are a bit pressed up against each other but so what? He's your best friend.
The female protagonist backs up against a tall brick wall dead end of the alley she inconveniently picked while running away from the bad guys. The three bad guys all in black walk slowly but menacingly up to the protagonist, but she stares them down. As she yells out "You'll never get the microchip!" The lead bad guy whips out a gun. And as if on cue (which it is) her faithful sidekick jumps out of nowhere.
The faithful side kick then proceeds to kick the butt out of the bad guys.
Angus snorts and looks disgusted at the movie, and you have no idea why.
"How can you watch this stuff? It's so unbelievable." He says, and you can't help but ask him why.
He looks at you with contempt and shocks you, "The bad guys. They can fall of a moving train and still hunt her down. They never die, no cuts no bruises, they're just supposedly hurt. And now they're just standing there. They don't shoot and kill her, they just fight her. And when they captured her they didn't hurt her."
You're still confused and your face shows it too. He's about to explain but suddenly he shakes his head as if realizing you're – well you're you. And then he's silent for the rest of the movie, but you can't seem to focus on it because you know he can't either. Besides, why would they hurt the protagonist when they captured her? She really didn't have the microchip.

-0-

So as you sit here wondering what happened to your version of a fairy tale life behind a dumpster next to Angus, with his still oh so broad shoulders. You can't help but hold back a scream as your dad is beaten up and he's getting bloody in the head. Your mum's kicking and screaming like hell, trying to get thug number two off her so she can help her husband. She's screaming for them to stop, for someone to help. You're wishing that the trade-off wasn't in the giant abandoned lot in Boston, but that's why they chose it didn't they? So no one could hear their screams.
You know your dad tried. Yeah he tried to take a swing at thug number one when the guy realized the briefcase was empty. Oh he did get a few lucky shots in there, and the way he fought, it scared you didn't it? But now he's on the floor and there's a gash on his head and he's got a bloody nose and a black eye. Not to mention he's doubled over in pain.
By luck your mum's managed to squirm around so much she's managed to break free and she's lunged at thug number one. She's got him by surprise and she's taking hard punches at him. This scares you too.
A crack rings out and you nearly scream before Angus can clamp a hand over your mouth. You squirm like crazy to get out of the hold he's got you in. It's a gun shot and even though your angle's obscured you can tell. You want nothing more than to run to their aid and check on mum and then dad, and hurt those thugs so bad that you start seeing red. Two more cracks ring out and you know your dad and mum couldn't have possibly escaped their wrath. You turn around and bury your head into Angus' shoulder as you silently sob.
You had wanted to help them, but you couldn't and now it's too late. If those gunshots didn't kill your parent's immediately, but then again you could tell the thugs wouldn't let it happen. They're dead beyond hope and you can see a trickle of crimson blood coming towards you.
You don't know how long you sit there sobbing and trying to keep the convulsions to a minimum so they don't find you. After what seems like an eternity, you hear footsteps and rapid fire Russian, and then the sound of tires screeching away.
You shouldn't have fully believed your mum when you were six and a half. But then again you didn't think she'd lie to you. And then again she didn't think you'd ask, or that you would have truly understood the honest answer at such a young age. Or maybe she thought you'd think of her as a monster for bringing you into this kind of world and raising you up to be a thief if she told you the truth. Either way it's your fault for never asking again.
And when you were eight, you should have realized something was up. Sure the pieces of the puzzle didn't make sense then, but you should have suspected something. You should have pushed Angus to answer you that day. But you kept saying someday and you never did, because the day Angus told you never came.
You feel anger surge up within you once more as you realize Angus should have told you. About the lives you lived, the deals your parents made, how the world really works. He said you were best friends, yet best friends didn't keep secrets from one another and he should have at least tried to tell you. Then you realize you're wrong. He did try.
Because when you were nine in that movie theatre with him, he did say something. He told you all the stuff in the movies was fake, unrealistic, a silly scenario. Because a real life bad guy isn't going to wait around for you to get tired and just hand over what he wants. He will hunt you down and take it from you without hesitation. He tried but you didn't listen.
And you're only 11 hiding behind a dumpster realizing that thieves do hurt. Look at the Russians; they stole your parents' lives didn't they? You feel a horribly guilty twist of your guts as you stand up from behind the dumpster and look at your bloody parents. And you do feel silly for not realizing all this earlier. The guilt washed over you as you think about how you should have been there to help your parents, like they were there for you. But suddenly you turn cold as you realize you can't be normal anymore, you've got try to just survive. Your parent's aren't alive anymore and that means they aren't going to be protecting you from now on. So you close your parents' eyes and then run off into the night with Angus holding your hand.
And into the world of cut throat thieves.