I really wonder how you feel on these nights so alone

“if only you could see”

[hold a light to paradise]

Nov 4, 2021 || 9:45 AM || comment?

"It's getting late."

Violet looked at her watch for what felt like the tenth time. Of course, time hadn't progressed much since the nine other times she looked, but the later they stayed meant the more likely they'd be caught.

"Don't worry so much, Vi-" That was Mal's nickname for her (Mal, of course, was a nickname too.)

"...just keep an eye out for any approaching vehicles. I promise we'll be out of here in a blink." Mallory was kneeling down in front of the door of a pawnshop located in a dubious part of town. Dark brown hair occasionally obscured her view as she was working diligently on picking the lock. It was nearing 11:30pm but this shop was an ideal target, and robberies were usually best accomplished under the cloak of night.

Vi swallowed her anxiety down. She knew (hoped) that Mal was right (she usually was). Plus, they were running on low food (and cash) and this pawnshop didn't really need the money as much as they did.

Violet and Mallory had been living mostly off the grid for quite some time now. With just a vehicle between them and little more than the clothes on their backs, Vi and Mal lived their lives free of the obligations most people in the city were slaves to. This also meant that sometimes they had to resort to....creative ways to get by on the day to day. Showers at truck stops. Meals in hotel lobbies advertising free continental breakfast. Dumpsters behind supermarkets were particularly ripe for picking. If there was a way to get for free what most usually paid for, Mal was in support of it.

And if they couldn't acquire it for free? They'd find a way to take it. Mallory had an uncanny skill for picking locks, picking pockets, and picking out ideal targets for theft. Violet was charged with keeping watch, and creating diversions or distractions when the need arose.

Vi and Mal travelled. A lot.

Partly borne out of curiosity, partly because staying too long in one place meant you were more likely to get caught. Getting caught was the absolute last thing Vi wanted to happen. There would be consequences, fines. But worst of all, getting caught would mean being separated from Mal. Violet shuddered. She absolutely hated the thought. She shook her head to pull herself out of that train of thought.

Click.

Vi turned her attention back to Mal.

"We're in!" Mal grinned. The two girls stepped inside the pawnshop. They were both wearing dark clothes, hooded jackets. Mallory also wore a small backpack, which stored her lockpicking tools, and would be used to store whatever she would find that was worth taking.

They quickly made their way to the front counter. Mal scanned their surroundings.

"No cameras-- lucky us." She whispered. She deftly hopped the counter and began rummaging around. Violet kept near Mal from the other side of the counter, while occasionally glancing back outside. Although it was late at night in a mostly dead part of town, keeping watch was her responsibility.

"Bingo!" Mal exclaimed in a hushed tone.

There was a safe below the counter. Taped to the front of the safe was a small sheet of paper:

"Combination: 483276. DO NOT MISPLACE OR LEAVE IN PLAIN SIGHT."

Mal tsked. This was sloppy on the shop owner's part-- but extremely fortunate on theirs.

Mal quickly tapped out the code with the back end of a pencil she found earlier. The safe beeped and she heard the familiar click of a lock disengaging. The door to the safe popped open. Using the pencil, she pulled the door fully open to avoid getting her fingerprints anywhere. Immediately, she spotted the tray of rolled coins and a bank bag inside. She quickly pulled the money out and dumped it into her backpack. Beneath the coin tray was another tray, holding other small valuables. An antique hand mirror cast in silver, a nondescript cylinder canister, and three small jewelry boxes.

She replaced the coin tray and empty bank bag and as she went to close the safe door, she paused. She stole a glance at Vi, who was turned away from her at the moment. Mal could just barely discern Vi's features in the dark pawnshop with the moonlight coming in the window, illuminating her frame. Vi was shorter than Mal by a few inches, but her shadow was casting long on the shop floor. Vi's hood must have slipped off, because a faint red aura emanated above her shoulders, a result of her red hair catching the moonlight.

Mal smiled, then looked back down into the safe and pulled the empty coin tray out again. She stared for a moment at the items in the second tray, then picked up the hand mirror. The silver had tarnished on the back and handle, but cleaning it was an easy solution. She turned the mirror over, and two dark brown eyes were staring back at her. Mal's eyes were a stark contrast to Violet's green eyes. She slipped the mirror in her bag, then pulled out the cylinder canister. It was lightweight, most likely hollow. Mal gently shook the cylinder and heard something shifting inside. She looked at either end, and realized the ends were caps that set flush in the canister. Mal pried one end open and turned the canister over, and a rolled up paper fell out. She unrolled it out on the ground and knelt close. At first glance, it looked like a map or plans of some sort. The paper was old and browning around the edges. Mal didn't have enough light (or time) to make a better assessment. She rolled the paper back up and slid it into the cylinder. She replaced the cap and put it in the backpack as well. Mal pulled the three jewelry boxes from the safe. Pawnshop jewelry was almost always old or gaudy. Or both. The first two boxes she opened proved no different. Mal replaced the first two boxes, then grabbed the last box. It was smaller than the first two and she was certain it contained a ring.

"Probably some divorcee's wedding ring. Or maybe a burnout's championship ring."

But she was wrong on both counts. Mal opened the box, and inside was a pair of earrings. A modest cluster of gems. Mal squinted, tilting the box back and forth, trying to catch any light. A flash of purple caught her eye. Amethyst, perhaps? She stole a glance up once more-- but this time Vi was staring back at her. Mal discerned a look of panic on Vi's face. The red of her hair now a more vibrant and angry glow, her silhouette less ethereal and more ominous in the unusually bright light. Mal snapped the jewelry box shut and quickly tossed it into her bag. She stood up and kicked the safe shut, swinging the backpack over her shoulder, then hopped back over the counter. Headlights from a vehicle outside were shining directly into the pawnshop. Mal whipped her head around, trying to come up with a plan. Vi's left arm flew up, pointing in a direction behind Mal. Following her finger's trajectory revealed a door on the side of the counter with a sign reading "EMPLOYEES ONLY".

"Vi-- come on!" Mal exclaimed as she ran to the door. Vi rushed to follow her, red hair blazing behind her. The door led them to a back office. A computer occupied a desk, and there was a wraparound doorway that led back up front to behind the counter (probably for people who don't make a habit of hopping them...), and one more door marked as an emergency exit. The two girls quickly took the exit which opened up to an alleyway outside where they were met with a rush of cold air and the not-too-distant sound of whoever was outside the front of the building.

"Dispatch, this is Officer Grady responding to the 16 called in at 5851 Mill St. Officer Jones is with me." A man's voice said.

"10-4 Jones. Call if you need backup," came a reply, spoken over radio.

"Check the shop-- I'll check the alley."

Mal and Vi shared a look and began running down the alley in the opposite direction they heard the voices. Their path was soon cut short by a fence blocking the way.

"We'll have to go around a few blocks if we want to get back to the van...!" Vi started.

"I don't think we can go back to the van tonight, Vi. We'll have to find somewhere to hide out. But for now, we need to get over this fence!"

Violet nodded silently and Mal crouched down to help her up the fence. Once Vi was halfway over, Mal jumped up herself, and quickly hopped down on the other side. She turned back around to help Vi down-- she never did get the hang of fence climbing. As Mal set Vi down, they heard the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching and a beam of light bobbing in cadence.

"We have to get going!" Mal urged. She took Vi's hand and together they ran without looking back, despite now hearing shouting in the distance behind them. They ran a few blocks, weaving in and out of different alleys until Mal felt they were sufficiently safe. The girls stopped to catch their breath, leaning against a cold brick wall in another alley.

"I hope...that was worth it..." Vi said between labored breaths. Mal nodded with a smirk, although not saying anything as she was catching her own breath. She set her backpack on the ground and opened it, beckoning Violet to look inside.

"Maybe a couple hundred in the bank bag. Enough quarters to not have to worry about finding change to put air in the van's tires or the next time we need to hit up a laundromat," Mal explained. Violet nodded, accepting what Mal offered.

"If we can't risk going back to the van tonight... where will we stay for the night?" Vi asked. Now that the adrenaline was starting to wear off, a chill began to settle in, and she felt exhausted. Together they look around, taking in their surroundings. There was nothing noteworthy in their immediate view. Mal swung the backpack on to her shoulders and held her hand out for Vi to take. They started walking out from their current hiding place, and heading towards the main road (based on the sounds of cars occasionally driving past). They peered cautiously around the corner. Neither direction offered much insight into which might be the better route to take.

"We could at least....make a wide loop eventually back around to the van?" Vi suggested. They were already parked a few blocks away from the pawnshop, so she was hopeful they could return without being spotted.

"I think that could be alright," Mal conceded. The two girls began walking in silence. There wasn't much foot traffic in this area, and it was a little after midnight according to Vi's watch. It was always after a "successful outing" that this heavy silence would hang between the two girls. Vi didn't dare ask Mal what it was she was contemplating. Vi on the other hand...

She was always wondering when this would come to an end. How long could they carry on like this-- barely scraping by, or stealing when they had nothing left? She tried talking about this with Mal in the past, but she was always met with the same answer. "Just one score away from hitting it big!"

They hadn't hit it big yet. They could never settle in one place for this very reason. Vi learned quickly to not grow attached to one place in particular-- by the time she got comfortable, it was always time to leave. But being with Mal made her so happy-- regardless of where they were staying. And so Vi would continue to say nothing. She would just smile and keep going.

Except--

Vi just realized she wasn't holding Mal's hand anymore. She turned around, and saw Mal standing a couple feet back. And smiling.

"Why'd you stop?" Vi asked. Mal tilted her head towards the building she was standing next to.

"Jerry's Dive" spelled out on a dimly lit neon sign. Vi didn't even know neon signs could be that dim. A smaller sign hung in the window reading 'OPEN'.

"We don't have anything better to do, I suppose..." She joined Mal and together the two girls walked into the bar. Inside was almost dull as the outside. Most of the tables were unoccupied. The sound of pool balls cracking filled the otherwise quiet bar. Most of the patrons were sitting at the bar, keeping to themselves. Vi motioned to the corner booth and Mal nodded as she headed to the bar. She came back with two cold beers.

"Scoot over," Mal said with a smile as she sat down beside Vi. It was warm enough inside the bar that the cold beer was actually refreshing to Vi. She took a long sip and tried to let her worries melt away as she swallowed.

"I suppose I should have known there might have been a silent alarm," Mal started. She had a tendency to dissect things when there were close calls.

"As soon as I saw the lights outside I turned to tell you, but you looked up at the same time. I didn't have a chance to say anything," Vi offered. Mal never actually blamed Vi for any close calls-- she knew getting caught was always a possibility. The most she could do was try to account for and try to stay ahead of any one scenario that began to play out.

"We got out-- that's what's important. And we didn't do too bad. I didn't count everything yet, but I'd say we're good enough to move on to somewhere a little livelier."

Jerry's Dive was as lively as any other place they'd seen this entire town. Vi nodded and took another long sip.

Livelier cities meant more temptations-- and more chances to be caught. But if what Mal was saying had any truth, maybe they would have some time to rest for a few days. No plotting. Just being with one another. Maybe in a couple of days she could talk to Mal again. About what's in store for the future. Their future. Vi wanted badly for there to be a future, but she was hesitant to get too carried away in those thoughts. She--

Mal set a small box down on the table and gently pushed it towards Vi.

"What's this?" Vi asked, her attention snapping back from the rabbit hole she was going down.

"It's just a little something...for you. I know it's not much but...when I saw them, I thought of you instantly." Mal locked her eyes with Vi as she spoke. Her face was quite somber and Vi felt her cheeks growing flush with Mal's gaze trained upon her.

Vi took the small box in her hand and slowly opened it. The spring hinge of the box made the box pop open, and inside, a pair of earrings. A cluster of three amethysts, arranged like flowers, twinkling purple beneath the light hanging over their booth. Vi gasped.

"Mal..."

"Will you try them on? For me?"

Vi nodded, and made deft work of putting on the earrings. Her ears had been pierced since she was a little girl and as of late hadn't owned any jewelry.

"Let's see..." Mal said, tucking a few strands of red hair behind Vi's left ear, and gently tilting her chin up and towards her. The purple gems caught the light favorably. Vi was blushing--even more so than before.

"I love you, Vi." Mal began, "Our life hasn't been ideal as of late-- I wish I could give you everything your heart desired." Mal then took both of Vi's hands in hers.

"I hope you can continue to be patient with me-- everything I do is for us, and my only concern is making sure you're happy and well taken care of."

Vi began tearing up as Mal continued speaking, her hands trembling in Mal's.

"Y-you don't have to say anything else," Vi's voice quivered. "I am happy. I love you."

Maybe everything will be alright, Vi thought as she kissed Mal, sitting in a corner booth at Jerry's Dive.

Labels: fiction junction