Criminal

Chapter 4: Jace

I squinted more when sunlight caught my eyes from the open windows. I tried to shield it away but the sun's rays beckoned for me to get up. I felt something soft under me. Not as much as soft but . . . plush? Not like the concrete cement I remembered falling asleep on. I sat up and saw I was sleeping on an air mattress.

"What the . . ." I trailed off stepping off the bed and see my sister lying peacefully on it. Her chestnut hair sprawled out across her pillow. "Terra." I whispered. She didn't move at all. Only the rising and falling of her body indicated she was still living. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "She stole it." I said to myself. "She stole it!" I wanted to wake her and tell her how wrong this was. But restrained myself to do so since she would win the argument and it wouldn't matter anyway.

I stumbled to the open doorway and look both left and right making sure there was nothing there then walking towards the stairwell. I hop up two at a time and make it to the training room ewe were working on. I sigh and look around seeing still a lot to do. I grab one of the metal bars and then grab a box and step on it getting me up to the top of the door frame.

I put one end of the metal bar on the side then try and push the other in the frame. I push harder, and harder using all my strength to get that bar to stay in place. I sigh when I finally can't push anymore. I try to pull the bar out but it stays stuck. Good, it's sturdy. I put the box aside and stand in the door way rubbing my hands together looking up at the first obstacle I've made. I take one deep breath before leaping up trying to grab the bar.

I miss. I miss terribly. I sigh and try again. I leap up and try again and this time I get closer but still miss by a couple inches. I started to become frustrated. I took one more leap and my hands grabbed onto the bar. I hung there trying to get my grip more comfortable.

Once I finally had a good position I used all my strength and pulled up making sure my chin came over the bar. I then slowly lowered myself letting out all my breath. I sighed and pulled up again realizing how weak I was. My hands were slippery and they would soon slip. I tried once more and finding it hard to pull myself back up. I dropped to the floor catching myself on my feet. Three that was it. Three pulls ups and I was already tired. I was so weak. So firkin weak.

"That's not so bad." I turned and saw my sister standing in the doorway. "Comparing how you never could do one."

"Shut up!" I said frustrated. I wasn't in the mood for Terra to be making fun of me. I knew I was weak. I was never the strongest one in my class. Everyone used to talk about how strong they were. But not me. I never seemed to do anything.

"Let's see how many you can do." I said, crossing my arms. She grinned and pushed me aside. She jumped up grabbing the bar with her hands and pulled herself up. One . . . two . . . three . . . four . . . five . . . I counted to eleven before she finally stopped and dropped to the ground again."

"You know, since your older, you shouldn't be making your younger brother feel bad about himself." I said.

"You'll get it one day." She said putting a hand on my shoulder. "Just need some more practice, that's all."

"That's all, a little more practice?" I said back to her angrily. "I need a miracle."

She looked down and sighed. Then her eyes found mine again and smiled, "You have one. I guess you could call it a miracle since this is where you'll be living for now."

"It's not so bad." I admitted looking around. "It's better than that stupid shack we used to live in. And it's ours." I said.

She didn't look as enthusiastic as I was. But I read books, and watched movies, for some reason this interested me.

"Hungry?" She asked.

"Starved." I said following her back to our original place. She took out two small boxes of cereal and handed me one. I started eating while she watched me intent fully.

"What?" I asked.

"Just, I didn't mean for our lives to become like this." She said opening her box and started eating. "But since it is, we're going to need allies if we are going to become street kids."

"What kind of allies?" I asked.

"People who know how to do things for one." She said sticking some more cereal into her mouth. "I need people who are tougher than us and know the streets better."

"They could live here!" I squeal with delight, maybe I'll get new friends since I'm never going back to school again.

"Maybe." Terra said getting up and walking over to the broken window. "Or just allies. I don't think when you're out here you make friends."

"Well, it's better to have people you trust than people you trust just to get what you want."

"Jace, sometimes life can't be about making friends." She turned and took two knives and slipped them into her belt. "Stay here. I'll be back."

I watched her go still sitting eating the remains of my cereal. I had no idea where she was going. But I was young. So I stayed in the tower eating the little food I had.

After I was done I went back up to the training room, wanting to try and get stronger. I lied on the floor then pushed myself up and back down in a push up stance. I did this till I reached twenty then let myself fall to the floor.

I moaned in agony and didn't feel like standing up, but I made myself do it. I was weak. . I never thought someone could be ask weak as me. So while Terra was out I did more things to strengthen myself, but I could not become strong in just one day. This will take time, and a lot of days of training.

I get bored and go to the top of the building. The rain stopped from last night, but the clouds haven't moved. It casts an eerie darkness over New York.

"Crazy isn't it?" Terra asked walking behind me. I didn't turn back around to face her. I didn't want to.

"What is?" I asked.

"Jace, until I can get enough money to send you to school this is our life now." She said turning to me. But I still couldn't meet her gaze.

"And how do you suppose you get that money, Terra." I said sternly. But I know she wouldn't answer. "If you think of stealing it then you're on your own."

"I told you, we need allies." She said. "That's where you come in."

"Me?"

"You're the better negotiator and the easier one to talk to, you can ask people to join our cause."

"You expect me to talk to random people on the streets and somehow, someway get them to trust us enough to help us steal money and become criminals?"  I turned my gaze to her now as she started walking back into the building. 

She turned.  "Yes."  She said plainly.  "But we can't just have anyone.  We need people with smarts.  people who have a skills that will be useful.  Hopefully some people who have lived on the streets for a period of time and they can teach us somethings about surviving on the streets."

"Without killing?"  I almost say a little scared my sister would lash out at me.  But she only stiffens for a second and then relaxed.  

"Yes, without killing."  She agreed.