SkyexJill: To Catch a Maiden

"Thief!" was what I heard shouted as I strolled away. There was some commotion inside the building as I left. I could hear someone angrily shouting, "How could he get past us?! Phantom Skye even left a note saying when he was coming!"

A smirk spread across my face. It had taken them this long to realize I was even there. Perfect, I thought, taking out the bread I had stolen. I could live another day. I wandered around the town and followed the path East. I had finished what stealing I would do for a while. Once I had entered the valley, there was a wide, open space, and lots of crops. The food was only slightly tempting. I kept walking. I could hear the voices from inside the houses as I passed them. They were happy voices, and occasional laughter filled the air. I continued along. I wasn't interested in their silly families. I had everything I needed. I stopped at the pond. The water was sparkling with the light of the moon and stars. It was beautiful. I loved being here. It was the perfect place to clear my head. At this time of day, nobody was around to spoil the view. The air was crisp and clean. There was also something magical about this place that just made me feel calm. It was all so refreshing. I sat down and bit into my bread. Everything at this moment in time seemed so perfect. So, why did it feel so much like I was missing something..?

***

The next day, I wandered around town. I was careful not to get spotted by the villagers. Most of them knew my face because I had stolen from them. Most of them wouldn't be too shy about turning me in, either. There were only a handful of people that had never turned me in. I might even go so far as to say that we were friends. Although, I wasn't really sure if any of the others saw it the same way.

I casually strolled into the blacksmith's house. "Hey, Gray," I said.

"What do you want, Skye?" Gray asked coldly.

"Is that any way to talk to your best friend?" I asked.

"You aren't my best friend," Gray stated.

"How rude," I remarked and said innocently, "Why not? You're mine..."

"You stole again," Gray said, "And I could still turn you in."

I grinned and changed the subject, "So, how are things going with you and Mary?"

"Wha-?" Gray whirled around, "She's just a friend! Why do you ask, anyway?"

I shrugged, "You seemed to be getting along. Since you and women don't usually mix, I thought there might be something there."

"We're not all smooth-talkers, like you..." Gray said bitterly, turning back to his work and bringing his hammer down on whatever it was he was working on.

"I could teach you," I replied, wandering over, "It's not hard to 'whoo' a lady. You just have to do something like this..."

"Ok, seriously-" Gray started, turning to face me.

I grabbed his chin and leaned in close to him. The expression on his face grew increasingly dark and foreboding as I did so. "And then you say something like," I continued, ignoring his face, "Hello beautiful... And then say something about the stars. Anything where you mention the stars sounds instantly romantic."

"Get away from me!" Gray shouted, turning red and pushing me away.

I laughed and stepped back, "And it works on guys, too. If you're into that kind of thi-"

"Go away before I turn you in!" Gray shouted.

I chuckled. We both knew that he wouldn't turn me in. He never had the courage to do it before, and he wouldn't do it now. I patted him on the shoulder. "Ok, I'll leave you to your work. Good luck with Mary," I said as I wandered away, "And remember: The stars!"

I wandered around town until I saw Cliff, "Hey!" I waved.

Cliff looked up just as I hugged him, "Long time, no see, Buddy. How's it going?"

"Should you really be out in the open in broad daylight?" he asked.

I shrugged, "Everyone has such strict routines... I could set my watch by you people. You're the only person that passes here at this time. I even know that you're headed to chur-"

"I'm actually going to the winery..."

"Huh?"

"I work there, now," Cliff said, somewhat timidly, "Maybe you can work there, too. We could really use-"

"Woa, Buddy," I held up my hands, "Me? Work? I'm the Phantom Thief. I don't work."

Cliff looked at me with obvious worry in his eyes, "Skye... Of all of us at the orphanage, you're the only one that hasn't gotten a real job. It's time you moved on... Duke's a really nice guy, I'm sure-"

"People don't hire thieves," I said through a fake smile, "You know that."

"I'm sure everyone would understand if you just-" Cliff started.

"Forget it," I said, waving his words away. This conversation was quickly boring me. I decided to leave my disheartened friend. It was still fairly early in the day. I probably had time to write someone a note. A smile crept across my face. I could probably get the rich people in the valley. They were rich, so they wouldn't miss anything I stole, right?

***

She saw me! The chick saw me! That was all I could think as I slipped away. They didn't normally notice until after I had left. It's ok, I thought to myself, As long as I leave right now, I can get away without getting caught...

Then, I saw someone I didn't recognize. She gazed up at the stars with an enchanted expression on her face. Who is that?