CHAPTER 3 : The Clever Thief

Passing the empty Silent Road, I was greeted by the crowded place of Nabe Maven. Everything looked like 400, only that there were too many inhabitants walking around freely.

Lowering my head, I slipped past the gates and walked on the side, trying not to attract too much attention from anyone. I quietly walked my way.

Approaching the digital map on the boardwalk, I found where I was and where I could find the exit of the Nabe.

"This is where I am," I muttered, pointing at a red pin stating where I'm currently standing. "One mile away from the nearest train station."

Biting my lower lip, I sighed.

My stomach grumbled, and I felt dizzy already. I was starving, suddenly desperate for a bowl of fruits. But I couldn't buy anything; I couldn't risk it.

For sure, my face would be plastered on every board and moving tabloids. Anyone could recognize me.

Hastily taking the way, I had to take many turns; there were a lot of Levy mobiles taking rounds all over the Nabe.

It's getting dark soon; it would be easier for me to move around when night comes.

"Shit!" I exclaimed under my breath.

After barely twenty minutes on foot, I drew close to the entrance of the station. But what else should I expect, for it to be less guarded?

Levies were on a row, holding their taser guns.

What am I going to do now?

"Someone's eyeing the guards," a careless and teasing feminine voice snatched my attention. She was sitting by the bench beside a vending machine, looking at me under her baseball cap.

Her style was odd; her hair was short and pink, she looked thin and fragile, but she had this mischievous look on her face.

She had a pretty face; I had never seen one so simple but hypnotizing at the same time.

Choosing to ignore her, I acted like I was checking the vending machine. Everything unhealthy was stored in this stupid thing.

"Want to get on the train?" She asked, causing me to pause. "I can help you if you want." Her tone was playful, simply reflecting the way she treated herself, wearing two opposing colors at the same time.

"What makes you think I need to get on the train?" I questioned, arching my eyebrows at her.

She propped her right leg and leaned on it, tightly tying her old and dirty pink rubber shoes before stomping it on the ground.

Quirky, careless, and likes to put her nose in someone else's business. Just a few seconds of meeting her, she gave me a lot of ideas about who she is.

Most people in Nabe Maven aren't nosy, and as far as I know, they were born restrained and raised familiar with endless lessons about etiquette. Why is she different?

"I've been staring at you since you crossed the bridge over there. Out of all the people here in this place, you're the only one who keeps your head low. All people here are proud of themselves, so they keep their chin up," she stated what she observed. "You're making it too obvious that you're a criminal," she whispered, clamping her lower lip to stifle her grin.

"I'm not a criminal," I denied the fact.

"Oh, really?" Narrowing her eyes at me, she stood up and studied me from head to toe.

A warning sign flashed in my head. I couldn't let anybody have a good look at me. Anytime, anywhere, if I'm spotted, I'm dead.

A couple of Levies walked on my left side. As a reflex, I turned my back to them and acted like I was scratching my eyebrows. Clearing my throat, I cursed when I saw the lady's mocking jeer.

"Alright, let's say that you didn't break any law, why not just go ahead and walk over the train station's gates?" She challenged.

I let out a scoff, wanting to defend myself so bad, but words couldn't utter a thing. I was cornered, caught in a lie.

"Did you know that a great liar knows when someone's lying?" She asked, plopping her hands on both sides. "So, what do you suggest we do, get noticed by the Levies while I could get my way out, or you'll come with me?"

Frowning, I stared at her face, studying the pattern of her expression. Her mood was the same; her eyes showed me nothing but a pair of expressive bottomless unspoken thoughts.

"Tick-tock, tick-tock, mister." She turned on her heel and started making her way in a direction leading to an alley that had one dim light.

Hugh told me not to trust anyone; I'm taking that seriously. But why are my feet starting to follow her?

"What's your name, crook?" She asked when she saw me from behind, taking the same way she's taking.

"Don't call me that, and I won't tell you my name," I replied, glancing behind me, checking if someone's got an eye on me.

"Snotty," she sneered. "Bet they offer a pretty high bounty for your head. You don't look like a typical criminal."

I halted my steps. Is she going to set me up on a trap? Surrender me to the Levies? Damn it! I shouldn't have gone with her.

"I told you, I'm not a criminal," I corrected her and only earned a scoff from her.

"Keep denying. Like what's wrong with being a criminal?" She jumped over a wrecked and rusty old cable vehicle to go over the fence, even held out her hand to me as if I couldn't lift myself up. "Need a hand, snotty crook?"

Glaring at her, I climbed the vehicle myself. My nose instantly wrinkled when I noticed the rust left a stain on my palm.

I heard her giggle, finding it funny watching me suffer. "You've entered the life of being 'on-the-run'; you should get used to things like this, or you won't be able to survive."

"Can you stop assuming things about me? You don't know me," I told her, wanting to shut her up. I don't even know why I'm here. Or is it that I'm used to defending myself with someone else?

"Uh-huh?" She mocked me, leaning her face closer to me, sniffing me like a dog. "You smell like royalty. Do you belong in the Palace? I bet you do."

"Where are you taking me?" Changing the topic, I leaned through the fence and saw a wide plain where tall grass stood above dirt.

"Why do you sound so snotty?" Firing back a question, she jumped over the fence with a groan and gestured her hand for me to follow. "Come on, you're not going to break that ankle."

I didn't like the way she's scarring my dignity. Does she think that a punk like her is better than me?

Thinking less, I copied the way she landed and almost faced the ground if she didn't catch my wrist and pull me up to stand straight.

"Clumsy dickhead," I heard her mumble. "I'm also taking a train to the gates of Junkyard; I've got some business to work on," she shared, leading the way through the middle of the tall grasses.

Dusting my hands, I groaned. All my life, I have never touched dirt, nor has the dirt stained my skin, not even my shoes, let alone my clothes.

This below 400 Nabe gives me chills.

"What kind of business?"

"Who's being nosy now?" She glanced at me.

"I'm just asking questions to a person I don't trust," I retorted. "Who knows you're going to rob me?"

She cackled and protruded her lips. "And why would I do that? I don't have a pair of naughty hands," she denied, showing me her hands where she's holding a familiar bracelet.

My hand searched my wrist and felt it empty. That's my bracelet!

"Hey, give it back to me!" I tried to snatch it, but she moved her hand a little too fast.

"I will give it back to you once you answer my questions. Deal?" Negotiating with me isn't the best idea.

"How about you ask me your one main question; I will give you my answer in full details, and you give it to me?" I watched how she wore my bracelet on her empty wrist, feeling my anxiety shoot through every vein. But wait... she doesn't have her own bracelet?

"Where's the fun in that?" She shrugged and continued to walk. "Let's start with your name."

Having no other choice, I let out a sigh and followed her with my heavy steps. "Nickel."

A mocking cackle was what I heard from her as she stopped by an upright ladder leading to a dangerous side of the train stop.

She faced me while holding a step, studying me like how I scrutinized her.

"That's a pretty fucked up name considering we're living in a world full of digital," she commented. "But uh-- I won't question how your parents named you because I know for sure, even if you're from the noble state, you're still with a peculiar girl like me doing illegal shit," she chuckled and asked me to follow her.

All my worries were on my bracelet. How did she even get it from me?

"Careful around here," she cautioned.

The side of the railway is very open; one wrong step, and I'm back on the ground without life. When I looked down, I felt the gravity pulling me. My grip on the metal railings tightened, feeling dizzy all of a sudden.

The disgust I had in this place was replaced with agitation.

"Oh, shit!" I exclaimed when my foot slipped.

She caught the collar of my shirt and pulled me up, my weight back to where we stood, and looked at me with that smug face. "That's a long way down."

The air whooshed on the way, warning us with the impending arrival of the train.

From the end of the railway, I could see the lights coming from the head of it. Squinting my eyes, I couldn't bear the blinding brightness of it.

When I turned to the station's line, I could see a lot of Levies taking rounds there, checking all bracelets and faces. They must be really looking for me.

"Heads up, snotty crook. That's our ticket out of here," she said, tapping my elbow and nodded at the train on break.

"How are we supposed to get inside?"

The train stopped just inches away from us. Immediately, she jumped on the conjunction so expertly like she had done this more than once.

She looked back at me and gestured to the little space beside her.

"Your highness," she mocked.

Making a face, I jumped. Unfortunately, one of my feet failed to step on the platform, and she had to save me once again.

She wrapped her arm around me, taking my weight, which had us colliding by the door. "That would be the second time I saved your ass, nope third time, actually."

Patting my chest once, she squatted before the door and pulled some tools from her pocket, picking the lock.

"Can you keep your eyes on the time over there and tell me how long the train stays?" She asked.

There's a huge monitor at the station, stating a countdown. "Twenty seconds."

"Good thing I only needed five," she giggled and opened the door for me, revealing a suite inside the train. "Welcome aboard."

"What if someone uses this room?"

"No one gets to the very end of the train; people here in Maven usually travel light, and just around less than a hundred people travel by train. I think they prefer cable vehicles," she explained and dragged herself down on the sofa. "Most of them have their own ride. Why take the train when you can drive yourself, eh?"

Taking the chair in front of her, I suddenly felt my exhaustion when my body relaxed.

With my eyes closed, I could feel her staring at me, and I confirmed it when I looked at her and found her pondering how I looked.

"What?"

"Your clothes seem a lot more classy than Maven's duds, less the little dirt it has. Are you from 400?" She prodded.

I sighed, "No."

"Do you know how bad a liar you are?" She stated, crossing her legs as she relaxed her back.

She had a point. Back in those days, my parents would usually find out about my mistakes just by asking me questions. That was why I always asked for Hugh's helping hand.

"What are you doing here?"

No exits available, I closed my eyes and told her the story of how I got here, less detailed, just what she should know.

"Man, your life sucks," she commented with a shake of her head. "You people from the top always find trouble."

"I didn't, not even my parents," I defended my side. "My Dad never wanted himself dead. Neither did my mother."

She paused for a second, her mocking stare had a shade of sympathy and apology that I didn't need.

"Now I'm being chased for a fine that I could never commit," I added, clearing my throat as flashes of the crime started bugging me.

"Then why did you run? This will only prove you guilty."

"My godfather told me that he will help me," I said. "He gave me a direction. That's where I'm headed now."

"This godfather of yours, do you trust him?"

"He's been on my family's side since before I was born."

"And is that an enough reason why you should trust him?" She questioned. "You said your father told you not to trust anyone."

"I already did when I told you my name and my story, didn't I?"

"And do you think that I care about your story?" She scoffed. "I've met a lot of people with worse problems than yours; some of them ended up dead."

Am I going to end up with the same fate?

"And in your case, you're plain fucked up."

"Why did you even ask?"

"Because this is my first time meeting someone who came from 400." Shrugging her shoulders, she took something from her bag. "Catch."

I flinched when I saw a green apple thrown at me.

"You look hungry," she observed. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Since my father's funeral," I answered, taking wipes from the box and cleaned the apple. "Dolores prepared me breakfast this morning, but this 'thing' they built haunted me down."

"Who's Dolores?"

I stared at the apple; the light reflected on its skin. "One of the people who watched me grow up." Silence filled the space between us until I broke it with the words that came from my heart. "I didn't kill her."

She hummed; I don't know if it means she doesn't care or she understands me.

"I don't know who wanted my family down, but one thing I know, I will find whoever did this, and I will make them pay."

"Man, you're clumsy as heck, how are you going to do that?" She questioned, earning her a glare. "Sorry," she cleared her throat.

Although, yes, I admit, she had a point. How am I going to bring justice if I'm walking this journey of my life with one leg?

"So uh-- your godfather will help you fix things, right?"

"I hope so."

"Is he also part of the Palace?"

"A major in Nabe Levy, he was offered a chair in the Palace before, but he chose to stay humble."

She took a bite of her apple that she didn't even bother cleaning. "What's his name?"

"Hugh."

"Me?" She asked with a deep frown on her face.

I know she got what I meant, so I bore a hole in her face, and she gave up messing with me by bursting into laughter.

"Oh, come on, snotty crook, cheer up. You're alive, you're surviving from whatever that thing you were talking about, and you're with me. That's a plus," she incited, pulling her forefinger up in the air.

The grumbling of my stomach woke me up from losing my mood; I bit the apple and got surprised by how food tasted. I thought I forgot how to eat.

"So, what's your plan now?"

"I've got one; it's in my head." I shared nothing, making her pouty. "I won't tell you unless you give me my bracelet back." Tiredness was visible in my tone, and she could hear it, I know.

"That's clever of you," she scoffed and took it off her wrist carelessly. "Here you go."

She extended her hand in the air, handing me what's mine. But as I reached for it, she pulled it back with her squinting eyes on me.

"In one condition. You will take me wherever you're going," she stated, which had me frozen for a second.

"I don't need a baggage to do what I have to do."

"You are so mean; I can be a good help. I mean, I stole your bracelet without you noticing it, I know places people don't, I picked a lock, and that only means I can do better than just those. I can be your map."

Sighing, I snatched the bracelet from her hand. "Just do whatever you want and don't bother me anymore. I need to rest," I dismissed.

She wore a wide grin on her face, causing her freckled cheeks to lift. "I have a feeling that this journey will be absolutely marvelous! Two strangers on a case, running for their lives, and seeking justice." She raised her fist in the air with that determination on her face. "What do you think? We'll make a great team."

"I'm not a criminal," I corrected her once again.

"Yeah, you are, little criminal." She peeped outside the window while halfway finishing her fruit. "We have been together for about an hour now, and this train will take about four hours before we arrive at Zenith, Maven. Don't you have a plan asking anything about me?"

"Not interested."

"You're so cold," she uttered in disgust before pointing at herself. "I'm a girl," she stated the obvious.

Throwing what's left of the apple in a bin, I felt the softness of the couch on my back, visualizing myself back in my room when everything was normal.

It was just like a blink of my eyes that I was talking to my father, arguing with him; now he's gone, really gone.

"Did you hear me?" Waking me up from losing my mood, I found her gawking at me. "Want to know more about me?"

"No," I replied to make her shut up, but I guess she never will get tired of asking a lot of questions and talking endlessly.

"I'm wanted for thievery, but I can't get into prison. Do you know why? Because no one will get me out and pay for the fine and my bail."

I hummed, closing my eyes and trying to close my ears.

"You know why?" She asked again, obviously trying to annoy me. "Because I was raised in the streets, no parents at all, no friends, I've got no one."

The empathy I have for anyone suddenly poked my shoulder. I never heard of anyone having no parents aside from me, being taken away from my life.

When I peeped through my closed eyes, I saw how lost she is in life. Is that why she's like this?

"But that's never mind, I've got a partner now." Suddenly changing her mood from being sullen to cheerful, she nudged my knee with the back of her hand. "What's up with that?"

"Not good," I answered and covered my face with a pillow.

"Are you seriously going to sleep on me? Who am I going to talk to now?"

"Yourself."

"I'm good at robbing people, I could rob you."

Groaning, I pushed the pillow off my face and found her beaming at me. "I never met someone so annoying like you."

"Then be honored, you don't get to meet a lot of people like me," she said proudly. "So, tell me what's our plan?"

Am I gonna have to deal with this? Don't I have enough headaches already?