The next couple of years passed by in a flurry of pain, growth and a lot of stealing. I discovered quickly after what my father's 'work' was, and let's just say it isn't exactly what you would call legal.
I sat on the floor with my father standing over me, his looming presence giving me shivers, but his friendly smile seriously confused me. I struggled to try to figure him out at that moment.
I couldn't help but think 'Does he just want my magic?'.
"Come on, we have much work to do, I need to bring you up to speed," He says. He firmly grabs my arm and forces me off the ground.
He drags me across the room and into the main living area where he forcibly seats me down and pushes his secret journal in front of my face for me to read. He held down the two-page corners so as to prevent me from flipping through and seeing whatever else he had written in there.
The next few months pass in a blur. It felt like I was jolted out of the wooden chair and into a dark alley in the middle of the night. I had just had my twelfth birthday and I felt really mature, even though I had only aged six months.
My father, two of his men and I crept quietly through a back alley, our feet making soft squishing sounds as we stepped lightly on the damp cobblestone. We tiptoed down the street, careful not to draw the attention of any passer-by, and definitely not the guard patrol. We reached the end and my father stuck his head out to make sure the coast was clear.
I live in Velglow, the capital city of Eshos, my home province. Velglow isn't a huge city by any stretch of the imagination, but it wasn't small either. It is very densely populated which is prime real estate for people in my father's line of work; Thievery.
The last few months, he's been training me to become a 'vital part of his team' as he calls it. I've been learning how to use my water magic to help me pick locks. It felt good to be of use to my father for once, and for the first time, he was treating me like a child.
"Halt!" My father whispered. "I see a torchlight, everyone hide behind something!"
All of us jumped behind crates and or door frames to avoid whoever was patrolling the road. We all waited with bated breaths, and the metallic clinking of metal plate armour got louder with each step. The guard stopped right in front of our alley, presumably looking for someone or something. I don't know for sure because I obviously can't see what he's doing.
"Is anyone there?"
The voice is deep and full of authority, but I can't deduce if it was a man or woman. Whoever the guard was, they meant business.
"If there is anyone there, I strongly urge you to step forward and reveal yourself now"
The four of us sat in total and complete silence. It was so quiet, I could hear the fire popping on the torch they carried along with the whooshing sound of a breeze. My heart was racing, and I could feel it beating like a drum in my chest. It was beating so hard, I was sure that my father, who was crouched next to me, could hear it too.
"Must be hearing things…" Said the voice, and we waited with bated breaths, for the steps to gradually fade out of earshot.
My father got up and moved to the end of the alley, cautiously peeking his head out and looking both ways. He stood in silence for a few seconds, before raising his hand and beckoning us forward.
I hesitated to get up, wanting to stay put and chill-out where I was. I managed to find a comfortable crouching position which is pretty rare, and I wanted to take some time to memorize my position, but a large and hairy fist seized my collar and hoisted me up. I looked up to my father staring me dead in the face, daggers shooting out of his eyes.
"Sorian, do I need to smack you back into the present?". His voice was harsh, but quiet, not to bring much attention to us. "I brought you on this mission because I thought I could trust you to stay focused, was I mistaken?"
"No sir, sorry sir" I babbled. I wanted to be of use to him, I couldn't let my mind travel.
"Then keep your mind here and now, you can't be wandering"
"Yes sir"
He pulled me off the ground and put me on my feet. He let go of me, but his malevolent gaze didn't let up, he was stoic in his expression. We creeped out of the alley and into the street, watching every direction, looking for signs of movement.
We crept through one more alley before we reached our destination, a large house with dark green ivy growing down the side. Large flower-like mushrooms bloomed in the ivy, contrasting the blue and pink flowers dotting the ivy. Whoever lived in this house was definitely well off financially, and that is exactly why we are here.
A strong hand gripped my shoulder and guided me to the front door. My father took a small silver flask out of his jacket and handed it to me, making sure to swish it in my face so I knew it was full of water.
"You have one job, do not fuck it up" He gripped his knife as he spoke. His voice was quiet but very forceful.
"Yes sir," I said.
I tried to be confident, not letting any anxiety slip out so to not give him a reason to doubt me. I crouched in front of the door so my eyes were level with the keyhole in the door. I took a deep breath, calming myself before I twisted off the cap to the flask.
I placed my hand just above the cap and pulled up slowly. My hand was trembling, and the tongue of water that came out was shaking slightly.
"This is not the time for you to get nervous, pull your shit together and hurry up, the longer you take to open the door, the higher the chance of us getting caught" My father hissed..
I nodded and took another deep breath. I focused the water into a snake-like shape and fed the water into the keyhole. I plunged the tip of my finger into the cool water and I got a strange sensation. Even though my finger wasn't inside the lock, I could feel every mechanism within the lock because the water was touching it. That's what I have spent the last couple of months honing, all so I could pick locks. I pushed on the pins lightly, trying to get a grasp of the unlocked position of each pin. I pushed on each pin until I could hear and feel a small click within the mechanism itself.
I concentrated on the water itself, making sure to keep the water in the same shape and with a slight twitch in my finger, the water froze into the shape of the key. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, turning the key slowly until I heard a latch release. I stood up and pressed the handle, and the door swung open slowly.
"Nicely done" was all my father said to me.
I was hoping for a bit more praise after my first real attempt at picking a lock, but beggars can't be choosers I guess.
One of his men grabbed my shoulder and walked me over to a hedge on the side of the house. "The boss says stay here and be quiet, if we get caught because of you, the bottom of a six-foot deep hole will become your new home"
I gulped nervously and crouched down, if they got caught, it wasn't going to be because of me. Thirty minutes passed by very slowly, it felt like I was waiting for a whole day, but at last, I heard footsteps coming from the house and the man who hid me pulled me out of the hedge.
We walked even slower than before, making sure that whatever they took from the house didn't make any noise. This part went by quickly and before I knew it, I was back home, wrapped up in my blankets and falling quickly into slumber.