Chapter 1: The Swindlers

 

          The smell of freshly baked cookies from Moonlight Bakery surrounded a bustling plaza in the city of Scarleton. Groups of people enter and exit shopping boutiques with paper bags on hand; kids run around amidst the crowd, almost bumping into every person they pass by; and couples catch up while drinking a cup of coffee outside the café.

          In the middle of the plaza stood a magnificent, white fountain where the statue of their patron goddess, Selene, is mounted. A lady holding a baby in one arm threw in a coin and prayed silently, asking the goddess for good health, especially for her daughter.

          It’s another busy day.

          “Why the hell did you ing sleep with my best friend?”

          People who were once minding their own business paused and turned their heads towards the place where the voice came from. Near the fountain stood a girl, most likely in her early 20’s, laughing maniacally. Her long, black hair was frizzy, and her eyes are red from crying. She jabbed her fingers towards the guy in front of her, as if she wanted to stab him in the heart. “Answer me!” she bellowed.

          The guy, who was looking at the floor to not meet her eyes, was covering his face with his long, dirty blond hair. He is taller than her by a foot, but her presence seems to make him look smaller. “Babe, it was an accident,” he said meekly.

          Crowds started to gather around them, wanting to hear all about the commotion that disrupted what was once a peaceful day in the plaza. “An accident that happened 3 times already?” she asked, a little too loud.

          A lot of the onlookers gasped and started to whisper to each other.

          “Poor girl.”

          “She deserves someone better!”

          “He should go to hell.”

          Among the crowd, a figure wearing a black hoodie and shorts smirked, and started walking around the oblivious people who were still watching the fight between the couple. From one bag to another, the figure swiftly picks up the treasures that the onlookers own.

          “Please babe! We can work this out,” the guy pleaded. He kneeled down in front of her and held her hands, asking for mercy. The girl looked down at him, her eyes already puffy and hair even more frizzy than earlier. She scoffed at sight of him and raised her palm up near his head, and water started to form around her hand. A hydro, the crowd realized. She faced her palm towards his head, and doused him with water she conjured.

          “ you,” she said, and walked out of the place. The crowd opened up a space for her to walk to as they smile widely at her, as if telling her she did a good job. Someone from the back even clapped and shouted in joy.

          The guy who was drenched in water sighed in defeat and got up. He looked at the direction where the girl went to and followed her.

          Now that the fight is over, the crowd dispersed and went about their ways, discussing to each other how they also know someone who cheated on their girlfriends.

 

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BLAISE

          This room is always dusty no matter how many times we clean it. Not that I’m complaining, since I usually just sit around and point out the parts of the room that are dusty. I placed a big black bag in the table and dust particles flew in the air.

          I stifled a sniff as my eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room. There’s nothing much to look at; the only thing unique about this room is the hole in the ceiling, probably a laundry chute that is no longer in maintenance.

          I walked towards the tinted egress window and saw loads of shuffling feet coming from left to right. Near the fountain, what was crowded earlier is no longer jam-packed. Ahhh, they are finally done.

          The locks from the cellar door started rattling, and I shifted towards it.

          “Blaise! We’re done! I feel amazing!” the long, black haired girl shouted as she walks down a few flights of stairs. “Great job MC,” I said as I help her remove her long coat. “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one soaking wet,” a voice followed.

          At the top of the stairs, the guy with the dirty blond hair grunted as he removed his wet jacket and shoes before coming down the basement. “Oh come on! Don’t be such a wuss, Seven. You can just dry yourself easily,” MC replied as she takes off her long, black wig, revealing a straight, brown hair. “Ahhh, finally,” she breathed out.

          She fixed her bangs with a comb until she was satisfied with her look. “Whatever, Maecy!” Seven countered, smirking in the process. MC immediately glared at him and threw her wig at his direction. “Hey! I told you to not call me by my real name.”

          Maecy, who goes by MC, was born into a rich family, and what do rich families do? Marry off their daughters into another rich family. She was against the idea, of course. I mean, who would want to marry someone you don’t love, right? But, her pleas were ignored.

          At the night before their wedding, she escaped their mansion, and has been living on her own ever since, until she met our boss and got this job.

          With her slender figure and model-like appearance, she serves as the face of our group. From deceiving rich men into spending time with her to acting like a crazy girlfriend like they did earlier, that’s what she does best.

          Seven swiftly dodge her wig and laughed tauntingly at her. Like MC, he also removed his wig, revealing a vermillion hair underneath. He raised his hand and started conjuring up wind within this tiny room to dry himself. He is an aero, a wind manipulation user. A great one at that, as it only took him 30 seconds to dry up.

          Although he may not look like it, he is actually a math teacher. He teaches orphaned children for free, which is something I admire from him. His vast knowledge in the world of mathematics helped him become a great hacker, which is why he usually works behind the scenes.

          “I don’t even know why I had to go out in public like that when I should have stayed here in the basement,” he complained as he wipe his glasses clean. “We needed a new gimmick,” I retorted as I walked towards the table, “Plus, I think we hit a jackpot with this one.”

          I opened the black bag on top of the table and scattered the loot I got from those onlookers. Golden watches, jewelries, and thick wallets piled up around the table. MC and Seven stepped towards the treasures, eyes round and mouth wide open.

          “Oh! My! Selene!” they said in unison.

          I, Blaise, am the arms of the group. While MC deals with the people and Seven deals with the computer stuffs, I work in the shadows. Throughout the years, and with the help of our boss, I mastered the art of working swiftly without making any sound.

          The three of us complement each other with our own skills. Not once did we ever fail on a scheme like this, and it’s all thanks to our boss.

          “Good job guys,” a deep voice suddenly echoed behind our backs. The three of us jumped from our place; I even heard Seven whimper quietly. I turned around and faced our boss standing over us, arms behind his back. “Boss!” I smiled at him.

          He is a tall and muscular man with a thick beard and mustache. With his piercing eyes, you wouldn’t want to get close to him. He is the mastermind in all of our operations and strategizes all of our moves. With his vast connections in this economy, he is able to exchange all the jewelries and golds we managed to steal for loads of money.

          “Yah boss! You scared us!” MC exclaimed, placing a hand on her chest. “You almost made Seven cry,” she snickered.

          “Hey! I did not!”

          “You totally did, crybaby!”

          “That was some good acting out there Saeyoung,” our boss said softly, patting Seven’s head in the process. Seven grumbled quietly upon hearing his real name and crossed his arms. “You too, Maecy,” he continued.

          Whenever the four of us are alone, our boss likes to call us by our real names. He said it makes him feel closer to us more.

          “When did you even get here boss? We did not even hear you come in,” MC inquired as she caress a silver necklace with a moon pendant lightly. “I just got here while you three are busy staring at the loot,” he shrugged.

          That is one of the skills boss taught me during my training with him. The art of stealing 101; never let your enemies know when you enter their territory.

          Even with his heavy boots, he is able to walk near us without us hearing him.

          “I see you’re improving a lot Subin,” he claimed, staring at the table. He grabbed a gold ring with diamonds around it and examined it. Unlike MC and Seven, I was the only one who doesn’t get annoyed anymore when he calls me by my real name, probably because I was with him the longest.

           He took me under his wing after I tried to steal from him, which I failed of course. I almost got his wallet from his back pocket when he suddenly turned around and caught my hand. I can still remember how scared I was, with his piercing eyes staring right back at me.

          “Lesson number 1, always be observant,” he said back then, rough voice and all.

          He said that I have potential, because I was close to succeed in stealing from him without him even realizing it.

          That was 5 years ago, and I’m 21 years old now. I have learned a lot from our boss, and even from Seven and MC. They are the only ones I can rely on in times of trouble, and I love them for that.

          I happily check the table again and picked up a gold watch. To my horror, it’s already 3:40 pm. ! I’m late. I immediately removed the black hoodie I was wearing, revealing a white shirt underneath, and pulled my cream denim jacket from the rack.

          “I’ll just get my share tomorrow boss. I need to go now,” I said as I rushed towards the stairs, not looking back at them. Before I closed the door, I heard MC laugh and say, “Say hi to Sunmi for me!”

 

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          The park near the elementary school is already deserted. Everyone must have went home already. My heart sank at the thought that Sunmi was waiting for me for over an hour. I ran even faster and by the time I arrived at our meeting place, I was already panting.

           I saw Sunmi’s bag on top of the bench near the small pond, but she was nowhere to be found. I started to panic at first, but our boss’ voice filled my head, “Be calm in any situation in order to accomplish your mission.”

          I took in a deep breath and called out Sunmi’s name. I carried her bag on one shoulder and walked around the pond. “Sunmi baby? It’s Subin!” I shouted.

          “Subin!”

          I abruptly turned around and saw Sunmi running towards me, holding a half-eaten ice cream cone on one hand. There are traces of chocolate ice cream around , making me laugh loudly. I went down on my knees and caught her in my arms.

          “Why are you so late?” She asked, then pouted cutely. “I’m sorry baby! I lost track of time today,” I answered as I fixed her hair. “Please forgive me,” I pleaded, pouting in the process as well.

          She pondered for a while before smiling brightly at me and gave a big hug, “You are forgiven!”

          I chuckled and patted her head. “Hey! Where did you get that ice cream anyway?” I asked as I wiped her dirty face with a cloth from my pocket. “From him,” she replied as she pointed at her back. I looked around to see no one else besides us.

          “Who?”

          She turned around and gasped to see no one behind her. “But he was just there a minute ago,” she murmured.

          “What are you talking about?”

          “While I was waiting for you, a guy sat next to me. He asked me what I am doing here all by myself, so I told him I was waiting for you,” she answered. I clicked my tongue and held her shoulders on both sides, “I told you not to talk to strangers while I’m not with you!”

          “He looks trustworthy. Plus, he’s probably your age. He offered to buy me ice cream when he saw the ice cream man back there, so I went with him,” she stared at me innocently. “He was with me when I heard you calling me. But now I don’t know where he went.”

          As I stood up, I dusted the dirt off my knees, then held her hand. “He might be a creep! Next time, when a stranger talks to you, tell them that your siste-“

          I stopped. A scream. It’s very far away from us, but it is loud enough for me to hear. Sunmi halted then stared at me, bewildered. “What’s wrong Subin?”

          A crash. An explosion. The sound of the screams getting louder and louder.

          I immediately carried Sunmi on my back, making her drop the half-eaten ice cream on the ground, and started running. It can’t be…

          Then I heard it. The loud siren that could only mean one thing.

          We are being attacked.