The Thief

Aurora panted heavily as she ran the last few yards into her house. She had been running for what seemed like forever, but was probably only a few minutes. Slamming the old front door behind her, she shoved the mass of messy brown curls away from her face and listened for footsteps as she tried to slow her breathing down. She hadn’t run like that for so long, but when an alarm suddenly started to shrill, she had taken off at a sprint and hadn’t looked back.

Confident that she wasn’t followed, she fished in the pocket of her long, green cloak and pulled out a glowing pendant. Aurora held it up to the light as it spun on the long, delicate gold chain that held it. She was so captivated by the way it glistened in the sunlight that streamed through the window, she didn’t hear the door close quietly behind her, nor did she notice the man behind her until a shadow fell across the pendant, dulling its magnificent sparkle.

Gasping, she turned and looked up into a pair of the greenest eyes she had ever seen, besides her own. The man leaned on the wall, crossing his muscular arms over his chest.

‘What have you got there, ‘Rora?’ he spoke gently, his calm tone a stark contrast to the hard look in his eyes.

‘Nothing!’ muttered Aurora, wrapping the pendant around her hand and stuffing it back into the deep pockets of her cloak

‘The Mage knows it was you Aurora!’ bellowed Rowan at his sister. ‘He’s got everyone looking for you and they’re on their way here now! What am I supposed to do?’

‘Well,’ she whispered, backing away from him ‘don’t tell anyone you saw me!’

And she ran.