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Chapter one- Rebecca, Queen of Thieves

Rebecca hit the floor hard as her gruff foster father shoved her inside the orphanage door. She rolled a bit before slamming to the wall. The man began cussing at her until the orphanage owner, Jim, kicked him out. Jim offered to help her but she refused and stood.

She had been adopted eight months ago and had been able to finally make even that child-desperate mother hate her. Rebecca made herself as big of a problem as she possibly could until even that desperate mother hated her. Rebecca's foster father was a war man who abided by the law but drank beer often and often beat Rebecca. She started getting herself into trouble all the time, so much, even the orphans who were sick and unable to leave the orphanage knew about her troublesome exploits.

Rebecca limped as she went up the stairs to greet her dearly missed friends. Charlie and Kai were the ones she missed most of all. They had always been there for her, always.

Rebecca's auburn hair was now to her mid back and darker. Her eyes were darker as well, her once bright green eyes now dark. Her clear skin glistened as she passed the window at the first landing on the steps. Her long beautiful but scarred legs were hidden with baggy olive green pants with six pockets instead of just four. She had stolen her foster dad's coin-purse just before he shoved her in and now smiled when she heard the jingling coming from her pocket. Her lightly tanned and again beautiful but scarred arms were hidden with long sleeves. Her shirt was tight and black. It showed her belly and lower back. Her black boots shone with the spit shine she was made to give them the night before.

Rebecca went up the final step and through the door to the attic that held the older children. She stepped into the light and was blinded by the open window that was allowing a large ray of sunlight through. The second she was able to see by shifting her stance, she was hugged from all sides by people saying, "KAT!"

Rebecca laughed and gently pulled free of her friends. "I have missed you all." She said softly.

Charlie's voice was deeper than the last time she heard it as he said, "Nice to have you back, Kat." She examined him. His hair was light brown now. His eyes were a darker green. He was taller and had more muscle.

Rebecca hugged his neck and kissed his cheek. "I have missed you foster brother!" None of the kids, except for a select few were even technically related but Charlie, Rebecca and the gang acted as if they were.

He held her tight and said, "It's good that you arrive now."

Rebecca pulled away and grinned as Little Mike, a 12 year old boy, hugged her. His sandy blonde hair was wild and his clear skinned face made her smile. He had hazel eyes. He looked younger like a younger version of Mike who was 3 years older.

"Why is that?" She asked kindly as she hugged Kai. Kai was Rebecca's height but a year older at 19. Her hair was blonde. Little Mike was her brother in and out of the orphanage. She had bright violet eyes. She was beautiful and slim. She wasn't much on brawn as she was on brains.

"Because we have a new kid here. He claims that he's only here on a temporary basis but we don't believe him."

Charlie pointed to a handsome young man by the window, looking out. He had jet-black hair and was about Charlie's height. He had an aloof air about him. He was calm and his skin looked a bit more tanned than hers, which had a nice tan from being made to work outside a lot.

Without really listening to what Charlie was saying she pulled from Kai and walked over to him. She tapped his shoulder. He turned to her. His laser-blue eyes pierced hers and she let out a tiny gasp. His eyes startled her.

"My name is Rebecca. I just came back and I-"

"I know who you are. The others speak of you often. Rebecca, age 18, nicknamed Kat because of your stealth abilities, unnaturally smart, normally kind, not easily provoked, and recently adopted for the 67th time."

Rebecca stared at him in disbelief. Who is this guy? she thought. "How did you know all that?" She asked.

He grinned. "I told you. The others talk about you a lot. My name is Jingo, Jingo Yakima." Rebecca never knew her last name for her whore of a mother never told her her father's last name.

"It's nice to meet..." Jingo...Jingo Yakima...She stared at him unable to believe she was really talking to the one before her. "Yakima..." She said as if asking if he was sure.

"Aye." He said simply, looking at her nonchalantly.

She then said in a low whisper, "The son of Eric Yakima?"

"Yep." He said yawning.

"You're the Prince of Thieves!" She said almost excited about who stood before her.

He nodded. "Yep."

"Is that all you can say? Your father is the most wanted man in the kingdom!"

"Pretty much. It's not all I can say, but it's all I care to say on the matter. Big deal, he's a famous thief. What's it to you?" Rebecca was liking him less and less by the minute.

She glared and grabbed him gruffly by the collar of his shirt. He returned her glare with a calm one. "My father works for The King of Thieves!"

He shoved her hand away and said, "That's just TFB for you, ain't it?"

"What? TFB? What the hell is that?"

"Too ******** bad." He said getting in her face. She shoved him back into the window but he only budged back a step.

"Get out of my face!" She said angrily.

He straightened, bowed mockingly, and said, "As you wish your royal pain in my a**."

Rebecca simply said calmly, "Is that the best you can think of?"

"I could think of better but I'm being nice since you're a girl." That did it. She hated sexist men.

She punched him square in the face. "You sexist a**! How dare you! Just because I'm a girl does not mean I need special treatme—" He tackled her and the fight was on. She kicked him off. Charlie broke them up.

"Cut it out you two! Come on! We have to share this home so we should do it as kindly as possible." Rebecca laughed.

"It would be NICE if you would let me slap him!"

Kai grabbed Rebecca and said kindly, "Please, both of you, for the children's sake, behave. If they see you fight, they'll get the idea that that's how to solve their problems. Now apologize."

After a long silence Jingo said grudgingly, "I'm sorry."

Rebecca then said softly, "I'm sorry you're so intolerable." They started struggling to fight but Charlie and Kai held them both apart. Charlie seemed to have more trouble holding Jingo back. Rebecca noticed a bulge in the man's sleeves when he really strained to move his arms. This was no ordinary teenager. When she really looked at him, he had a bit more stubble than Charlie. How old was this kid?

Rebecca had gone suddenly calm as she asked, "How old are you?"

"19."

"Liar. Tell the truth." She said as calmly as she could.

He seemed angry but answered, "21, why?" Rebecca pulled from Kai and said,

"You're not an orphan. You're too old. If Jim finds out, he'll throw you out on your a**." Jingo easily pulled from Charlie and pulled them all aside.

"I'm asking you...as...a man in need of help, keep this under your tongue and behind your teeth. I needed a-"

"Place to stay that you could snoop around but still not be noticed." Charlie finished for him.

Jingo nodded and looked at the three, the soul three who knew, considering the others were downstairs. His gaze lingered on Rebecca as he asked,
"Can I count on you not to tell?" Charlie and Kai instantly nodded.

Rebecca pulled from his grip and said, heading for the backdoor that lead to the roof. "I'll have to think about it."

Jingo then said, "Ratting me out could get my whole squad killed. Please, keep this to yourself." Rebecca paused before shutting the door to the roof behind her.


It was three hours later that Jingo came up. Rebecca stared out at the setting sun. Jingo stood two feet to her right and said sincerely, "I'm sorry."

"Did Charlie send you to say that?"

Jingo walked to her and took her hand, getting her attention. He looked her in the eye...how she was growing to love and hate those laser-blue eyes. The way they captured her angered her and yet she loved that as well as she loved the color...the sense of security they brought to her.

"Rebecca, I know we got off on the wrong foot but I'm begging you, please, tell no one of what you know about me. It puzzles me, though. You only know my name and father. How did you guess I wasn't as old as you?"

She grinned. "Logic. You have more stubble than even Charlie and he's one of the oldest orphans here. You're even a bit taller than he is when I really look. Your eyes...they tell more stories."

"What? What do you mean my eyes tell more stories?"

She cocked her head to the side slightly, "Well, by looking in your eyes I can tell that you have seen death. I can tell because your eyes...they have a hardened look in them. I can tell that you've been hurt before by a woman. I can tell because in the very center of your eyes...I can see it...sorrow still lingers." She smiled and said softly, "You can tell a lot about a person if you study their eyes."

He looked in hers and said, "You'll have to teach me that trick because I've never told anyone about Jen and yet...you just figured..." He turned his head. Rebecca touched his cheek lightly, making him face her.

She looked in his eyes and said softly, "I wouldn't think less of you if you tear up. Just to let you know. Crying is not weakness. Refusing to cry is."

He gently took her hand away from his face so he now held both of her hands and turned his head again. He tipped his head so he could see her but was not entirely facing her as he said, "You don't care what happened do you?" He asked as more stating than asking.

Rebecca pulled her right hand free and said kindly, "If you want to tell me, go ahead. I'm listening."

Jingo released her hands and said, "I was about your age, 18, when it happened. Jen and I...I thought we had something. I asked her to marry me and she did...only to stab me in the back."

Rebecca could see he wanted to cry, wanted to, but wouldn't. "Go on." She said gently.

"After eight months of marriage, she went and slept with my former best friend. I divorced her and she married him. He divorced her last year. Now only men looking for a night of entertainment will pay her mind. It's gotten around that she's a whore." His voice was unsteady.

Rebecca felt like hugging him to make him feel better but didn't really think it a good idea. She didn't that is, until he looked at her with those laser-blue eyes filled with years of sorrow and heartache. She hugged his neck and felt tears of her own building. The sorrow is his eyes made her feel horrible. He hugged her half-heartedly. She hugged him tight as he started shaking slightly. She knew he was trying not to sob. She stroked his head and held him as she said, "It's alright. It's not your fault."

"But it was..." He said softly, slowly losing control of his tears.

Rebecca held him at arms-length and looked him hard in the eye. He wiped his tears probably hoping she wouldn't see them but she already had. She then said softly, "Look, we may have gotten off on the wrong foot but even I can tell you're good man. She doesn't know what she gave up. She'll regret it someday." The dinner bell rang. She kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear, "I promise, one day, she will."

She started to walk away when he asked, "How do you know?"

She turned back to him and smiled. "Because Jingo. Any woman dumb enough to give up a guy like you has to be stupid and when she's got ten kids and a lousy husband she'll know it." He smiled at her.

"Hey Rebecca?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

She smiled. "Don't mention it. By the way, I won't tell on you. I wasn't planning to earlier but…I was mad so I wanted to torture you with the thought that I might for awhile."

He laughed. "Thank you, again." She shrugged and headed to dinner.[/