Thievery

To say I hated the rain would not be correct, it just always seemed so aggressive. Why does water need to fall from the sky? Was it because of the ecosystem? I never understood the answers to these questions. As I stood outside while this rain fell without remorse it definitely pissed me off.

“I swear I am going to quit”

My mind ran through all the options available to me. All the things I can do for money except doing this. Sadly as deep as a raindrop was, I had a better chance of jumping over the moon than quitting this job.

I have watched so many people enjoy the smell of rain smashing into the ground, so primitive. I always asked why, hoping I would get different answers or maybe an invitation to join the adoration of this earth but yet it only made me loathe it even more.

Something so mundane as rain makes people happy. How can you be happy about being wet?

“Such an idiotic way to live life”

Yet they all found ways to find enjoyment with it. Why am I unable to do that? Why do I even care? I shrugged off those intrusive thoughts.

“I must stay true to who I am!… they will come back for me”

It has been 17 months now and her words still rang in my ear.

“Thomas do not forget you are a Wrathmore you have legendary blood running through your veins!!”

As I looked at my pale arms covered in patchy tattoos all I saw was water rushing away, I even repelled water. Being a Wrathmore meant being a thief and as much as I hated the name, I loved what it meant to be a thief. The thrill, the excitement and stature.

“Hey stupid!! I’m walking here! You holding that sign for what!! Get a real job loser!”

Oh how this planet of humans spoke surprised me but not more than my ability to contain my Velkurian.

“I could erase him with a simple whistle” I whispered to myself.

But I am a man of my words. I promised her I would keep a low profile and she promised me she would not die. As I stared at the swollen clouds in the sky above, my eyes stretched wide unnaturally fighting the urge to look away. I admired the rain’s persistence. The cloud did not care what anything underneath it wanted, did or did not do. The clouds were their own being traveling by the wind. So trivial yet so powerful.

“You said to lay low and you’d meet me, Theresa …where are you?”

My heart skips every time I think about her, her velvet eyes always give me heart attacks. Oftentimes it was hard to be upset with her. Her eyes would send you into a hypnotic realm that made you forget to breathe. It was far more difficult to look at her when I angered her. All I wanted to do was to drown in her gaze. She would typically braid her hair in three parts, one braid down the center and the other two created circular ponytails. The sight of her made my insides jolt. Her hair shimmered like gold kissing the sun. I have never seen anything more ravishing.

“Theresa Vangedian” even my lips remember her touch.

“Hey bro boss said if you don’t spin the sign he’s keeping your paycheck and firing you”

Ugh this forsaken planet.

“Tell him I said!….” My brain reminded me why I was here.

Brandon looked at me puzzled yet eager.

“Tell him what??” His eye nearly poked out of his head.

“Nevermind Brandon” I chuckled as I shook my head.

My eyes were not always droopy, and being depressed was not something I prepared for yet I was unable to hide its effects. Even my skin broke out in hives constantly.

Nonetheless my duty was to spin this overly large buy one get one free sign for something called a gyro. It is a weird looking bread thing with meat stuff inside, a real mess in my opinion. I shook my head as it turned my stomach. The more I paid attention to this world’s culture it really made my skin crawl, they do not even have volcanos in this barren city! Just buildings and skyscrapers. However they did have this huge Greenland called Central Park and also an underground transportation device that held close to 30-40 people per section.

The people even smelled like trash and sewage. It made me appreciate home and that I took all the scents of my world for granted. I have not been home since my induction at 14 years new. I could still see the look on my Father’s face when I graduated at the top of the academy.

“I wonder what Father would say to me now” words slipping through my teeth.

My Father, King of Dermienius never missed an opportunity; he always had so much wisdom to give, especially if you were listening.

“No one is hidden to struggling child, everyone gets their turn. Even you will struggle, it is just some get it first, most gets it last but some… conquer it”

I thought those words would bring me some comfort due to my situation, instead all it did was piss me off even more.

“fraak!”

Reality struck me again but this time it was accompanied by the vulgar and putrid stench of rain water that simmered in the road.

“FRAAK!..... I am soaking wet!!!”

I can turn that yellow stained metal bucket of a vehicle into powder. It will quench some of my forsaken anger.

“Ughhh”

No, it will just make things worse for me. As I stood on that corner across from this Greenland I continued to spin the sign, I could not afford to lose this job.

A few minutes into spinning this sign I noticed it had this elegant nimbleness to it. It flew through the wind with this agile force. The bulky frame did not exist to me.

“This would have definitely been nice”

I always loved daggers but this somehow seemed better. Daggers have a very similar youthfulness to it. That time when Theresa, Yalmelck, Turid and I pulled off that job in the second sun galaxy, those velkurian imbued daggers sung a symphony that day and I loved it! Those daggers have a place in my heart but nothing like this awful but elegant sign did.

“If I had a weapon shaped like this sign that day on Despo my KT would have been doubled”.

We had stolen the heat core from the planet of Despo and no one knew what hit them. Pulling down the throne of the Lord of planet Despo made me smile. There has been a rivalry between King Vangedian of planet Despo and my Father light years before my birth. Yet I was more than an eager son to join in the battle. Me and Theresa both took advantage of it. We were born the same day on different planets and yet shared the same beating heart. Our love for the art of thievery kept us youthful.

Though many moons have passed since my induction, secretly I developed the ability to use Velkurian. Velkurian is a mystic art that is passed down from royalty to royalty and only those of noble bloodline are able to receive the knowledge of how to use velkurian. It is a rare ability that only Lords, Queens and Kings had the chance and right to receive and yet I have had it since I was 14.

Even my crew always wondered how we got off that planet of Despo with the whole of the army after us. I told them it was because I had bribed the King.

“Such idiots”

It even crushed my lungs with laughter still. Truth be told it was Velkurian I had blinded the enemy army by causing distortions to our existence for a few minutes. It was more than enough time to cause confusion and even make my story of paying off the King believable. Though we were not in it for the riches it took a special minded individual to believe someone can bribe a King.

I shook my head in utter disbelief. Still spinning this sign, I noticed it was 15 minutes past 4pm and my shift had been over 30 mins ago. This job was not the most rewarding but it guaranteed that I was unnoticeable even in plain sight.

“Hey Matthew, shifts done I am off this weekend I need my check”

It often made me question why it is called a check if I received multiple rectangle green papers. Why not checks or multi green checks. You would think that will make more sense, but nope these simple humans are so amusing sometimes.

He counted it in my hands as he always did “50,100,150,200,250, 250” something was off.

Typically in two weeks of work, I got 500 dollars.

“Hey Matthew, I worked both weeks! I need the rest.”

His eyes never met mine, it was as if I did not exist.

“Dulkon” I cursed under my breath.

“Hey Thomas I have noticed that you're always day dreaming, you actually cost me money so you know…. Look at it like due process.”

I glared through his soul “Due… process….?”

He waved his hand at my face as if I was an earthly insect.

“I’m sorry I forgot you’re slow… it’s called justice my son”

My muscles begged me, my bones warred with me and even the Velkurian inside of me jolted around like lightning. My eyes, my eyes changed and I knew it was over.

“I am not “ a disgust washed over my face “your Son!” words oozed like venom as I walked away.

To leave an injustice alone, truly was an injustice in itself. But who was I to judge, my family’s name was built from stealing and no matter how noble I make it sound it was injustice. Me and Matthew are the same person, same heart, living on the same planet at least for now!

I left everything in that office, my dignity, my royalty, my respect, my sanity, my family’s name. The disrespect of this human made me want to vomit. I was not even worth attempting to steal from.

“Ohhhhh this planet will pay!”

My eyes continued to betray me, my once dark brown eyes now lit as smoke from a burning flame. I could not hide it anymore. I was going to explode.

The door announced my exit as if me tossing the sign over the register was done so discreetly. The air from this city disrespected me even further, quite literally further into my being and into my lungs. I never got used to the stench of this world.

“Ughhhhh”

I told myself to breathe but the thought never reached my chest. My chest no longer obeyed me and I do not blame it. My whole being followed suit, I was now a passenger in a vehicle of my birth.

“How dare he!”

Now my mouth betrayed me. My thoughts have been kidnapped from my brain and tossed into a dungeon.

“How dare they!!”

This is not good, how do I stop myself? At this very moment I wish I never set foot on this planet. The road water splashed on me again or at least attempted to. My eyes bursting with Velkurian, time stopped and it was just me, this awful city on this planet called earth and my choice.

“I can vaporize this entire city with a single word!! A SINGLE WORD!!”

Stomping around like a child felt different than it looked, my muscles needed it so I allowed it.

“I AM THOMAS WRATHMORE Prince of Dermienius!!!”

No I can not be him right now, not here, not …. yet! So although my outburst felt justified I remembered my Father's words.

“No one is hidden to struggling child, everyone gets their turn. Even you will struggle, it is just some get it first, most gets it last but some… conquer it”

The rain suspended in the air, the world halted and I saw again how powerful my choices are, even in my fury my decision was already made, my thoughts did make it through! My body still obeyed me. I need to make another choice now. And it is to get off this planet before I destroy it.

So I stood under the wave of the declining road water, I released my grip on time and allowed the world to continue. Maybe Matthew was right, this was my due process. Regardless if I want to admit it or not the reality of this situation is I am short on rent money again and now I am jobless.

I learned to sneak back into my home apartment, this box made of bricks was where I have laid my head down for the past 6 months. It is better than the long wooden seats in that Greenland place.

“I really hope Mrs. Buchanan is sleep”

I refuse to deal with that old lady, her voice always reminds me of the jugmeen creatures on my home planet, they live in caves and are very dangerous. Her breath was much worse though “uhhgh” I shook my head at the thought of that smell. She wore these bulky shards on her face. The first time I met her she terrified me, I nearly struck her. Her resemblance to a jugmeen is uncanny. She believes she is charming and maybe flirtatious and she always attempts to grab at me. It made my skin crawl.

The floor screamed as if it were in pain as I snuck across the hallway “I should have gotten the place on the first floor…. This incessant noise will be my demise”

I finally made it to my door and though my brain and I often fought over past events, this one we agreed on instantly.

“Why is the door unlocked?”

“whoever is in here please leave!!” I softly shouted as I closed the door behind me.

I noticed the gusting of wind, it carried such a cold breeze that it kissed my skin. Goosebumps infected my whole being and a scent of freshly baked cookies suffocated me, eyes wide I turned quickly expecting to see those velvet eyes.

Yet I saw nothing, I only saw an opened window blowing in the scent of the bakery across the street. I do not know why I expected to see her.

“I am truly bewitched, that damn girl cursed my heart and now I am going insane”

I would have left the window open but the decadent smell of the bakery pulled on my emotions.

“You missed me that much huh Prince?”

My heart froze and sank to the bottom of my stomach. I never saw a room spin so fast yet I could not have moved fast enough. That voice is a magnet to my soul and she pulled it with a smug smile.

“Theresa, you finally made it !!” I squeezed her so tightly I might have broken a rib or two.

We embraced each other and as our skin met I felt a coldness cover her. I pulled her eyes to meet mine.

“What is wrong?” She said nothing.

I looked around “no Theresa where are they?” She said nothing.

“No no no…. No no no no”

My heart brought me to my knees.

“Thomas, we have to leave now!… I can explain everything later but my Father found us on earth and we must continue to run”

I was sure I was going deaf her voice was drowning.

“The ship is ready and we found the relic— but we have to leave now Thomas”

My ear shunned her voice away from me and I fell even deeper.

“This world is taking everything away from me” I muttered under my breath.

“Thomas…Thomas…..” her words swung through the air during the storm of my mind, never reaching their destination.

“WRATHMORE!!!”

My eyes lit up as electricity shot through my bones. This apartment did not look this hideous just a second ago. How deep was I integrated into the mold this world put me in? How pitiful.

“Never again shall I Prince Thomas Wrathmore” I spat on the floor as I stood chest puffed.

“Be anything but royalty… it is time this universe learned that!”

I looked at Theresa, her face that of a proud partner.

“Where is the ship?” I asked her.

She looked at me and pointed out of the window “The only Greenland in the whole of this city…I believe it is called Central Park”

Oh how I laughed I know I cracked a lung.