by Grace Fox

Created on: January 25, 2009

I couldn't take it anymore. I would see her sad, empty eyes and I had to take her away. I had been in denial for too long.

Nine years ago, Yanic and I were hired by this dark old man named Degare. I remember meeting him for the first time. We had just taken residence in the old cottage in the woods, hoping that if anyone had been sent from the orphanage, they would not be able to find us there. We had gone into the city, hoping to steal a few scraps of food, maybe, but what we found was Degare. He was in the marketplace, and we saw him speaking to some boys younger than us, only about twelve years old.

Yanic approached him and asked if he knew of a place where young men like us could get work. Degare grinned, with teeth missing and an oily beard surrounding his mouth. "Why, you could work for me!" he told us. Yanic was excited, but something didn't sit right. My stomach was uneasy, and not just from the hunger.

"What will we do?" Yanic asked eagerly.

"Bogart!" Degare called to one of the older men. He was probably in his mid-twenties, but he was older than Yanic and me. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail and he had a wide grin with crooked teeth. "Tomorrow," (this he said to us) "you will join Bogart. He will show you all you need to know." Degare turned his back on us, and Bogart stepped closer.

"It is very simple," he said. "You just follow my lead." He took us to the impoverished area of the town and showed us to his room at the tavern. There he gave us bread and told us his plan.

A wealthy merchant had recently moved into the chteau just outside of town. He not only had his own expensive things, but he had also brought merchandise from his business into the house. There were few servants, and it was far from the town, so no one would hear us and alert the magistrates. It would just be us and the merchant's family. He said he knew their valet, and he would let us into the house through the back. We would wait outside until the family fell asleep, and then we would take whatever we wanted.

I knew it was a bad plan to begin with, but Yanic wouldn't listen to my warnings.

We met Bogart at his room at dusk, and we walked from there to the chteau. It was a beautiful home, with many trees and flower gardens all around it. I took in a deep breath, trying to steady myself. Yanic fidgeted with something in his coat pocket. "What's that?" I asked.

"A pistol," he said with a shrug. "Bogart gave it to me."

I shook my head. No, this definitely wasn't right. But I didn't

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• Next Page >>