Today is her first real job, a thousand thoughts where running though her mind, “Can I remember the instructions, will I mess up, when was I meant to move, oh wait there he goes now” panic on her face a moment as she watches from the shadows, her brother slowly moves amongst the early morning crowd, as she watches she remembers his harsh lesson before they left their rooms.
“Now remember, it is the morning everyone is busy, you know what nights are like, and in the mornings everyone has somewhere to go something to do” he looks at her and she nods slightly in response to his words.
“Bun, now this is easy, I will do the work, I will select the target you will watch, see who I select, the target has to be easy, and has to have money to spare, you will learn how to choose” again he looks at her a serious look on his face, again she nods her eyes slightly wider than before trying to look as if she is concentrating only on his words.
“Bun, once I move in you will need to start, if you do not and fail I will be in trouble you understand” this time his words turn stern and his face rigid while he awaited her response.
“I understand” she squeaked.
A slight frown on his face, but he knew this is what you had to do growing up in the poorer quarter, life was tough in the day, and to go out at night was the end of that life. The Garda where ever vigilant looking at the street kids especially, and making any excuse to grab them and get them back to their parents in trouble. But he knew if that happened with no parents or guardians to look after them they would be separated.
Ana looked down at her new clothes, at her washed hands and face, she did not look like the street kids of the poor quarter but like that of a nobles daughter. She looked again at her brother who was dressed similar, good clothes clean face, a pouch of coin hanging at his belt, seemingly full, and a general air of richness about him. A disguise, to hide where they were truly from.
The scuff of a boot on the pavement near her brought her back from her thoughts to the here and now, and just in time, her eyes widened as she saw Mitica already moving towards his mark, an outlander with his purse visible. A small dagger flashed in the sun, held closely to himself, she jumped a little her heart racing and moved around the market to the far side of her brother as he moved in.
He bumped into the target, the dagger flashed, the pouch disappeared, it was done in a second, as she passed by close but not too close and the pouch was quickly palmed to her by him then hidden amongst her blouse folds, and she was away.
Her heart was thumping so loud she was sure the traders and customers could hear her. After a brief moment of panic, she looked around and found the bakery stand “ A small loaf pleas…” before she could finish the sentence she heard the outlander shout out “ I have been robbed, YOU”, he pointed at her brother still standing beside the man.
The Garda where there in a flash, and the crowd moved thus blocking her view, as she had been taught she turned back to the seller feigning dis-interest, and bought the loaf of bread, and a sweetmeat using some coin from the pouch now in her possession. She slowly moved away from the market place and slipped into the shadows of the side street, then away back to the poor quarter to wait.
An hour later her brother comes into the room a serious look on his face, when she sees him and he her, the serious look fades and a warm smile appears. “Ana you have it?”
“Da” she holds up the still full purse holding the silver and copper coins and one golden fang, “did they not hurt you or, I was so worried they would”, he walked over to her and stopped her questions in a big hug.
“No Ana it worked perfectly, when there is no proof, the Garda can do nothing, he was convinced he had then lost it earlier in the morning and he apologized to me”, he smiles “We even had a breakfast before I came back here, those outlanders are strange people the loss of the money does not concern them that much, more their pride I think”.
She had stopped listening, knowing he was safe was enough and that she had remained calm and followed his orders was enough. She had worried that the person he had marked would suffer from the loss but hearing that he had not she felt happy, her first job had succeeded.
What would the future now hold?