Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A New Way of Life for Penelope

Penelope DeLuca and her little sister, Bianca had lived at the Merciful Sisters orphanage ever since their parents had died in a strange fire that destroyed half of their lives. Ever since then, Penelope looked out for her little sister. Now, at 16, Penelope wanted more. She loved being outside because it gave her the feeling of being free and one day, all her plans came to fruition. She was sitting on the windowsill, staring at the gondolas, motorboats in Grand Canal when she let out an audible sigh. Bianca heard it and put down her book. She had been reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in Latin for the past two weeks and still hadn't finished it. Penelope looked at her sister who was walking towards her and shook her head. Bianca moved up to her sister and said, "You want to run away and become a thief, don't you, Penny?"

Penelope looked at her sister with a shocked look and responded, "How did you know, Snow White?"

Bianca giggled and whispered, "Because you have that determination look in your eyes. It says that you want a huge adventure." Penelope sighed and tried to face the truth. She answered quietly, "I am planning to run away tonight after curfew when the sisters aren't watching every minute of the day." Bianca nodded as if she understood but Penelope could see that Bianca would never understand what she was just about to do. An uncomfortable silence passed between the sisters, and then Bianca broke the silence by saying, "But, what about me? Are you going to take me with you?"

Penelope looked at her sister's pleading face and she replied, "No, I am not going to take you with me. It's going be dangerous and I don't want to worry about your safety." As Bianca's face fell, Penelope added, "I will come back eventually."

Bianca asked, "Penny, who is going to help you out there?"

Penelope smirked, "Belladonna."

Curfew came pretty quickly after her chat with Bianca. At midnight, Penelope climbed onto the windowsill and opened the window. She was ready to go when a pale hand stopped her. She turned around and saw her sister. Bianca said, "Don't go, Penny!"

Penelope whispered, "Go back to bed. I will come back, eventually." And with those words, she slipped out of the window to let go of her past forever. Meanwhile, the figure cloaked in black was leading Prosper and Bo along dark and damp alley ways and then he said, "Gentlemen, my humble abode…The Stella- our star lair." He rang the doorbell and while they were waiting, Scipio decided to explain the rules to the newcomers, "Strictly no grown-ups allowed. Are you a grown-up? Only some of them are very small. You wouldn't be trying to trick me on my own turf, now, would you?"

Bo responded, "I am six and a quarter." Scipio removed his mask and said, "That makes you a V.I.P, then," just as the door opened. A short, spiky-haired kid with really bad teeth stood there and he said, "You give me the willies every time you're late. What are they doing here?"

Scipio said, "They need my help, just you once did, Riccio, dear boy." He pushed them into the long and dark hallway. Prosper looked at their guide and asked, "Are you thieves?" Before Scipio could answer, Riccio butted in, replying, "Not just any thieves. Scip's the Thief Lord, the greatest thief in Venice." They walked into a dark and empty cinema. Scipio turned on the lights and Prosper and Bo saw the cinema in all of its glory. A black-haired girl leaned over the rail and she said, "Two o'clock. Typical. Steal a watch next time. We were going to send a search party."

Scipio looked up at her and he said, "This little fellow got a nasty cough. Do you have anything for it in your medicine cupboard?"

The girl looked uncertain but she said, "I'll check."

Mosca sat up in his bed and he asked, "Who are they?"

Scipio looked up at the black boy sitting up in his hammock and he replied, "They're friends of mine. They need to crash here for the night. Enough?"

Riccio muttered, "Here comes Matron with her magic potion."

Hornet fixed Riccio with a steely gaze and said, "It's okay. I don't bite. I'm Hornet. You're burning up. Here, take this." She gave Bo the medicine while Mosca came out with a sack. He said, "This is the wardrobe. Help yourselves." Meanwhile that was happening at the Stella; Penelope had dragged herself to Belladonna's hotel, hoping to get some comfort. Belladonna Mancini was the hotel's owner, manger, and ….she lived there. She was the reception desk, answering phone calls, when she saw Penelope come in. She rushed to Penelope's side and walked the shivering girl up to her bedroom. "Well, I am certainly surprised to see you here, Penelope DeLuca."

Penelope looked at Belladonna and she asked, "Bella, can I stay with you for a couple of days, please?" Belladonna had to ponder such a request for she had a brother who wasn't nice at all. Finally she replied, "Of course, you can stay here for as long as you like, but you have to promise not to come down for breakfast, for I am afraid that my brother Enrique will see you." Penelope nodded, looking as ecstatic as ever. Then her face got serious and she asked, "Bella, do you have a black silk cloak, and a black boots?"

Belladonna looked puzzled, not knowing where the adventurous 16 year old was leading the conversation, "Yes, I do but why do you need the items?" Then reading the expression on Penelope's face, Belladonna gasped, "You want to become a thief."

Penelope replied, "Well, not exactly a thief. A street-musician." Belladonna hesitated in giving her most prized possession to this snobby, little girl but then she decided for the better. She fetched the items from her closet and handed them to Penelope who slipped her petite feet into the knee-length black boots and put it on the silk black cloak. Belladonna stepped back to admire the effect, but then she muttered, "Needs something extra. Where did I put it?" Penelope was sitting on Belladonna's bed, watching the owner of this swanky hotel run about. She was looking for something important; Penelope could see that in the way her feet had moved. "Aha, found it!" Belladonna's voice was muffled in all of the clothes. She pulled herself and the guitar. Penelope's mouth fell open at the sight of the electric guitar. Belladonna looked pleased with herself, "Nice outfit, but what are you going to call yourself?"

"Call myself? What ever do you mean, Bella?" Penelope looked at Belladonna with surprise because her question had caught Penelope off guard.

Belladonna smacked her head and she replied, "Thieves nor street-musicians should use their real name while stealing or playing music. If I remember correctly, you used to worship gryphons. Maybe 'Griffin' should be your new name, my dear."

Penelope swung the guitar on her back and replied quietly, "Yes, it should be my new name. Bye, Bella." And with those words, she walked out of the hotel. Belladonna looked at the distant figure and sighed, "That girl is going to get into serious trouble one day." Meanwhile Scipio, Hornet, Mosca, Riccio, Bo and Prosper were speeding through the Grand Canal because the police were on their tails. Prosper yelled over the roar of the engine, "Shouldn't we stop?"

Scipio scoffed, "And what? Ruin the fun?" Then he said, "Watch this," as he pulled a rope. Suddenly a boat fell on the water with a thud on the water, forcing the police to stop. Griffin, who wasn't paying any attention to what was happening on the river, plopped down on the siding of a bridge, pulled out her guitar and began playing the most lovely tune. Prosper heard the melody first, "What or who is doing that?"

Scipio looked at Prosper with amusement and he said, "What do you mean? Neither one of us can play the guitar at all." Then a saintly, virtuous, flawless voice filled the air like a nightingale and this everyone heard it, even Scipio who was saying that he can't hear it, but he could. His eyes fell on a figure sitting on the bridge strumming the guitar. "Who is that?" He thought. They stopped the boat to see who it is and to introduce themselves. The person must have seen them coming for she stopped playing and swung the guitar on her back. Riccio run up to her and he said, "I am Riccio. Who are you?"

The figure said, "I am no one to be trifled with."

Scipio walked up to the figure and he said, "Who are you?"

The person was definitely getting irritated because she sneered, "Who are you to order me around?"

Scipio replied in the same tone, "I am the Thief Lord."

The figure laughed, "The name's Griffin. Don't wear it out."

Hornet asked, "Who are you?"

Griffin answered politely this time, "I am a street- musician, can't you see? I believed you already knew, because you had heard me sing."

Scipio said, "Come on, you guys. We have to go back to the Stella." At the mention of the theatre, Griffin looked Scipio right in the eye. Griffin waved, "Ciao!". As she turned around, to go back to the hotel, she felt someone's eyes on her back. She sighed and kept on walking.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE CHARCTERS FROM THIEF LORD BUT I DO OWN PENELOPE AND BELLADONNA AND BIANCA!