Escaping Thieves

Author's Note: Hola dear Reeders! This is a really long story... so it may be a little boring and rushed. I'm really sorry, I'm just not used to writing really long stories but I'm working on it. Sorry for any discomfort! Please give me any open feedback! I always accept constructive criticism! Thank you!

Twilight trickled into the atmosphere, sweeping hazy blue into sight. I sighed with contentment as I opened the opaque cotton drapes that clung loosely, hindering the passage of the specks of light that would aimlessly dance into the room.

My inky timber-brown irises kindled as I spotted a luminous orb of a moon emerged into the scene. My pastel fingers enticed the curtains back into place and bolted the back window that had been left wide open, allowing the soft breeze to zip inside, making the still fans spin eerily and the post on my desk to flip over.

I bent out of my currently open tinted windows, fanning in the crisp air, tingling with the salty seawater, grasping it like as if it were an innovative fragrance. I breathed, recognising a faraway Australia over the horizon, the dense pine trees mounted overhead my window and bleakness overhauled the dreadfully silent remote island.

I cradled my knees to my chest, resting my head against the bed rest, shutting my heavy eyelids and relaxing my aching arm muscles at my sides. It would be seventeen whole years since I was born, tomorrow, but also 16 and a half years since I was brought to VILTE Island, a hidden island no one knows about, which I find strangely mysterious.

I looked at the rest of the room, my roommate slept curled up on her bed on the other side. Wait... not just my roommate, my best friend for 15 whole years. She's been brought here when she was 2 and a half years old. Maya twitched slightly until she stretched herself, her arms in an awkward position, then lifted herself off her mattress and looked in my direction.

"I thought you were asleep?", she asked, rocking herself back and forth.

"Nah... didn't feel like sleeping. Just excited you know?", I grinned, turning onto my sides to face her. She simply raised her eyebrows, her dark ebony eyes staring at me weirdly.

"You are talking about our first meeting and graduation tomorrow, right?", she asked, tucking strands of svelte raven black hair behind her ears that shone from the glistening moonlight that hit the small sparkling diamonds on her ears.

"Yeah! Just can't wait!", I exclaimed, pulling the duvet over myself.

"Sweet! I guess I'll go back to sleep...", Maya yawned, snapping her eyes back tightly.

TIME SKIP

"Welcome to the meeting dear students... you all have recently completed your training recently as a master stealth!", Coach Brent greeted the small audience that grunted a response. I stood at the

second row, clapping my hands wildly and looking at Brent in admiration. I clutched Maya’s shoulder, exploding with excitement while I could sense her visible nervousness as she looked down at her feet, playing with her new pink painted nails. I smiled and boasted myself out proudly at the thought of passing the stealth test last week.

I flicked the dark brunette hair out of my face, my eyes lighting up when Brent called my name, followed by Maya's, snapping me out of the trance I was in. I strode up to the stage, Maya tagging behind me, cursing how loud it was in here, slightly dragging her feet up the three stairs on the sides of the set-up stage. The dim lights that cascaded down from the large bulbs shone against my gleaming face as I took the certificate into my slightly scarred and bruised hands that ached from years of rope climbing and fighting.

A wide smile tugged at the corners of my lips, broadening as Brent hung a heavy gold medal around my neck. Turning on my heels, I followed Maya down the steps, who was slinking away, trying to avoid being observed for too long. She had NEVER been interested in being in the spotlight of attention.

TIME SKIP

I plopped on the edge of my bed, flopping myself back and let out a gushing sigh. I pulled out the certificate I didn’t have a small glance at. I flipped the card’s blank side over to reveal its green decorated edges with the centre decorated by a large green V. I skimmed over the contents of the certificate until my heart skipped a beat. The words on the certificate seemed to rush around my head, trying to find a way out of my mind but they couldn’t, they were stuck, trapped in there. It was too late, I had already seen it.

The bold arsenic green ink captioning the word VILTE stared back at me while the sub-title seemed to push me back like making me fall on my knees. ‘Villains International League of Thievery and Evil’, chanted loudly at me.

“Oh. No!”, I muttered furiously, I clenched my fists at the thought of me stealing precious objects for a bunch of evil goons and a lunatic Coach Brent.

I scrunched the hard paper into a small ball, with irregular edges that scratched against my hands, throwing it swiftly at the rubbish bin that had overflooded with empty chip bags. My anger bubble popped when Maya entered the room on her phone, grinning as she pulled another hot chilli potato chip out of the bags, grinding it and making a loud crunching noise.

“What’s up Linda!”, she nudged me, proceeding to grab another spicy chip to ram into her mouth. I grimaced at the spicy bag of chips that lay beside her. I was quite the opposite of Maya. Her Indian background and heritage seemed to have passed down quite a lot to her and her undying love for spices was the stark opposite to my own taste. I personally preferred salted crisps, really.

“Nothing”, I grumbled, scratching the back of my head.

“Nah, don’t lie, just tell me what is bothering you!”, she poked my arm. I sighed, then turned to face her, still not wanting to tell her. For the other VILTE kids, this isn’t a big deal since it’s blocked in their minds, but for me, it’s different.

“I’m thinking of escaping this place”, I let out. Maya looked at me, shell shocked and the chip in her hand was about to fall out!

“What! You are lying right?!”, she exclaimed, her eyes like big brown saucers, her thick black eyebrows twitching uncomfortably.

“No! Of course, I’m not! Just… want a change of life. I guess…”,

“Oh. Ok”, she says, calming down a little and placed her hand on my shoulder comfortingly.

“But I don’t know how! Like all we would be doing over here is stealing for VILTE and nothing else! Our life will be wasted here with no aim or direction. So, I was thinking of having you to come?”, I suggested, looking pleadingly at her.

“Sure! That’s going to be amazing! But we need a plan…”

TIME SKIP

The night was dead, dreary and dark and our first ‘mission’ was going to take place. The helicopter had landed silently like a dark panther on an airbase, illegally. We would be robbing Commonwealth bank tonight, but also making our silent escape.

The wind whistled furiously through the chilling leaves of the city’s lantern-lit trees. I want a normal life, like all the people walking right past me, leading a really ordinary life. The black trenchcoat hugged me tightly but was notoriously filled with weapons and devices. Maya and I were definitely not going to be doing the main work, just giving the keys and filling the helicopter with the goods. The pavement striking against my boots as I wired Maya a knowing look when she pulled the cable out of her blazer pocket.

Taking the cable into my gloved hands, I slipped down a dingy alley while Maya waited at the cube of the street to avoid any suspicions. Stepping over little plastic wrappers, I made my way over to a VILTE agent, thrusting the cable over to him as he clambered up the tall building of Commonwealth Bank and slipping through a now open window. The stopwatch on my wrist continued to buzz and he had to slip out of the building before 5 minutes are over.

In two minutes, I could see a few boxes being lowered down to the ground. Clutching them in my arms I slipped down the alley to Maya. She let out a heaving sigh as she took them into her arms, then rammed them into the boot of the black van. I looked down at the stopwatch, the agent should be out by now...

I signalled to Maya, catching her attention to get in the van. I hopped into the front seat and revved the engine and sped the car down the street on the highway.

"That was brilliant!!!", Maya chuckled, fist-bumping me, her eyes were lit with pure delight. The agent would have to go back empty-handed now!

"I can agree with that!", I grinned, looking back into the seats filled with gear and the boxes of gleaming wealth.

"I was thinking of donating all of that to the heart foundation? What do you think?", Maya raised an eyebrow, following my glance. I nodded, my heart happily bouncing in my chest.

Now for a fresh start...