Lying Lips

[1] Run, Benjamin, Run!

Faster.. Faster.. I gotta move faster.

The voices behind me bellowed loudly, telling-- no, ordering me to stop. "Stop! Hey, kid, stop right there!" I ignored them, determined to run faster. My hands were bleeding from the branches that I had to keep pushing away, but I couldn't afford to pay attention to the pain. They were right behind me, and as much as I was trying to run quietly so that I'd lose them quick, the leaves rustling underneath my feet were too loud for that.

"Thief! You're under arrest! Stop!"

To my own surprise, I chuckled. Surely, this man must be joking. I'm not going to allow myself get arrested. I am a thief. I was born to be a thief. This is what I am, it's what I have been taught to do ever since I was a young boy. And let me tell you-- I'm really, really good at what I do. Thing is, I can only run for so long, and my weak lungs were starting to get to me again. Oh, this is bad.

I looked back, trying to gauge the distance I'd managed to create between the lead officer and myself. Well, he was nowhere to be seen, but I'm guessing that's because of the trees. I could still hear him, but his voice was faint, which meant he was still somewhat nearby, but not near enough. This was it. It was now or never. I scanned my surroundings, though I really don't know for how long. The adrenaline (is that right?) in my body making everything feel like it was all stop-motion, which can kind of mess up my sense of time. 

 Come on, Benjamin. You can do this. Find a branch. You can do this.

Like always, I was right. I did find a branch that was low enough for me to reach, and wasting none of my precious time, I raised my arms, and hoisted myself up. The branch shook under my feet for a few seconds, which was something that's never really happened before. Huh. I must've gotten heavier, then, which was a little strange. I hardly ever get to eat.

I climbed up the tree, trying to get a better view of the forest. Once I was satisfied, I lay back against the trunk, giving myself permission to rest while it was still possible. I'd have to run again soon-- staying up in the tree was not an option I was going to have for long. It was only then that I realized how much shaggier my clothes looked now. I sighed, examining the newly torn cloth. My trousers seemed okay, nothing a dip in the river couldn't fix. But my new white shirt had been reduced to a complete mess. Of all the things I owned, my clothes were the only thing that I took pride in, and now even those revealed my social standing to all who could see.

 I am a poor boy. My family, composed of my father, uncle, his four children and I, live in this run down old room that we shared with about fifty other people. Uncle Ray and my father don't work at all. They were fired from their jobs on a rich man's farm for working too slowly. I guess age must've caught up to them, because they were too tired to look for another job. Soon, our family could barely afford enough bread for all of us. This was when my mother and her sister, Uncle Ray's wife, decided that they didn't need these two men. They worked in the factories, and didn't want their hard earned  money to go to the mouths of their lazy, unemployed husbands. I guess this was when they decided that they didn't need us kids, either. I was only five when my mother and aunt left us without a woman in the house. They probably think that we were all too young to really notice, but they were very wrong.

It took two weeks for us to finally admit that we were desperate for something to put into our tummies. My eldest cousin, seven at the time and older than me by only two years, approached me one day and asked if I could run fast. I answered yes, and from then on we were partners in crime. Literally. This was how we got by all these years. My cousin and I risked our own lives to provide for the people those two women left behind. This chase scene I was having right now, well-- Just the story of my life ever since that day.

My thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sound of footsteps getting louder and louder. Something in my chest did a backflip, and I had to try hard to keep still. The officer was right there, right under my tree. He only had to look up, and it was the end for me. But thankfully, the old fool just ran past, still yelling for me to stop running. 

Break time was over. I looked down, waiting for him to be a good distance away again before climbing down again. I knew that he was going to call for backup now. That was almost always the drill whenever a policeman would do something like this. They would call backup, and conduct a search of sorts. Unfortunately for them, they've never seen my face, and have never been able to get any Wanted posters up, and they've never actually caught me. My feet touched the ground, and I began to run again. I had to find somewhere to hide for the night. Going home wasn't an option yet-- That would mean going into the big city again, and that's where they'd be coming from. No, I had to find some place to stay the night.

As if someone up there heard me, I spotted a nearby cottage. It looked like it could be one of the vacation houses of the high and mighty first class, and in this time of year, it was probably empty. It was atop a hill, and it was a pretty steep climb, but I was determined to make it up.

I am a thief. I was born to be a thief.  This is what I am, it's what I have been taught to do ever since I was a young boy. And let me tell you-- I really, really don't want to get caught.

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Author's Note;

This chapter is dedicated to wattpad user MAIAGUJO for creating the lovely cover that I'm using for Lying Lips. More power to you and your premade cover shop, and thank you again!

Added; THANKS FOR ALL THE COMMENTS! The next chapter's gonna be in Anna's point of view, and I'm almost done editing >.< I hope it'll do this chapter justice.