The Criminal

Prologue & Ch. 1

~Please comment! Lots of feedback please! And take note of the flashbacks. Enjoy!!

"This is it", I said surely to myself. I can't wait any longer, it's now or never. There's no going back from this... It's been much too long since my last steal and I need to do this. It's the only way.

***

It's been two years since graduation night. I can still recall wearing my long silky yellow graduation gown and being so happy and yet anxious about leaving high school. Oddly enough, my class voted me 'most likely to succeed'. My mom probably still thinks I'm the same good little girl I have always pretended to be, attending college and volunteering my time. My father probably still couldn't care less about me or my future.

***

Regardless, here I am, standing on someone's back porch, about to break into their house. Lost in thought I think to myself, "who'd of ever thought this is the kind of person I'd turn out to be."

I reached for my black backpack and pulled out my face mask. It was all black like a ski mask however the material was far more silky and a deeper shade of black than any shade I've seen before. This mask was like the equivalent of having the cover of night on your side when it was worn. It provided a certain security which nothing else, besides my gun, could. This mask came with a lot of memories that seemed to come flooding back as I put it on.

Next I drew my new lock pick set from the bag. The case was made of black leather. Each tool possessing a silver gleam that reminded me of a silver heart shaped locket. My little brother had given me the necklace for my 16th birthday. It was probably a cheap piece worth no more than $10 but it was priceless to me. He probably spent his whole allowance on it, which wasn't much but it didn't make any difference. And even now I wear it to keep him with me always.

I got to work nudging each pin into place and waiting for the sweet... "CLICK". Once I heard the click noise of the lock I pushed open the back door and stepped inside.

I looked around and saw nothing special. This was an ordinary house which belonged to an ordinary family. It had white walls and wooden and tiled floors. I saw picture frames hanging on the walls of dear family and friends. The house was kind of messy but I didn't judge. It's not like the owners knew I was going to be dropping by.

There was a twisted staircase to my right which went up straight and then turned left. There was a living room to the left of the stairs. I decided to progress up the stairs to see what I could find out about this place and the people who lived here.

I didn't intend to steal anything today but rather I only wanted to see what this house could offer in the future. I had to be smart and not rush into this As it turns out there are many opportunities for this home, I mean target.

What many people do not realize is that regular suburban houses are incredibly resourceful. Of course many thieves are often only after money and valuables but not me. When I enter a home I look for money, yes, but also for things useful to me. For example, say somewhere down the road I get into a bit if trouble. Maybe the police are looking for a woman of my description. Well, from one of my old jobs I remember breaking into a house with a teenage girl. So, having already broken in once I know my way around and I find the girls bedroom and change my appearance. This way I avoid my possibly compromised safe house and lay low under someone else's identity.

Here's another example, maybe I know from casing a house that this older couple always leaves on vacation for two weeks every August and no one watches their house for them. Their house would be the perfect place to hide out for a couple weeks and no one would notice.

I'm not saying it's foolproof but information like this could come in handy. You just never know.

***

Back in my hometown high school I was always a very good student. All of my teachers expected great things from me. I earned several scholarships from many excellent universities and with a GPA of 98.1 I was set for a bright future. And yet something always seemed to be lacking in what people believed was my perfect life.

I participated on the soccer team up until senior year when I was selected for varsity captain and we had an amazing season! I was an avid volunteer at the local hospice house and enjoyed serving for the food pantry. I was proud to be chosen to be one of the only ten students in my grade for the National Honor Society.

I was the acolyte for my church and even taught Sunday school from time to time. No one ever suspected me for a life in the shadows. But here I am.

I loved being in clubs like SADD, student council, foreign language club, quiz-bowl and many others. I was what you might call a bit of a nerd in high school. I didn't care though. I was never bullied or shunned by my classmates. In fact I got along with just about everybody. I never looked down on my peers.

I respected everybody for their own unique talents. Mine was academic in nature, I was very book smart because I studied and worked hard for it. I accepted that my chosen path wasn't going to be right for everybody and so people liked me for who I was and I liked them for who they were. I fit in with all the cliques, the jocks, the geeks, the preps and the druggies because I didn't care much about stereotypes, I care about people for who they are as individuals.

***

I had taken a seat on the end of the queen-size bed while reminiscing when suddenly, I heard a key push into the lock of the front door. My heart rate increased as I heard it twist and the door creek open in the kitchen below. The Jenkins' were home and I should have been in and out a long time ago. Time to move. I wasn't on my game tonight but I needed to escape and fast...