LivingLiterature

The Parkview shopping mall was a mecca of consumerism that enraptured everyone far and wide. Whether you came from the crime-ridden ghettos or the affluent suburbs, one trip to this mall was sure to empty your wallets. That was unless your name was Rashida Jones. She always walked out of Parkview with bags of luxury items but hardly ever spent a dime. Rashida wasn't one for spending money. She was more of a five finger discount type of girl. Anything she wanted, she got it. Pricetags didn't matter because anything is free as long as you don't pay for it. Fine jewelry, perfume, lingerie,   married men, nothing was off limits to her. Rashida would often see people who were steady buying clothes out of their budget just to look important,  acting as if they didn't come from the same ghetto she did. It was so foolish how obsessed everyone was with impressing people who don't even care about you in the first place. That's where Rashida thought she was different. She only cared about keeping her head in the game and spoiling herself with fine luxuries. Many called her a lazy good for nothing career criminal, but that never deterred her. She knew they were just bitter over making chump change working 40 hours a week with nothing to show for it. With all the goods she was selling on the streets,  Rashida knew it wouldn't be long before she moved out of her dingy apartment and into a proper home. She laughed at the thought of all those snotty people who looked down on her because they lived the “honest” way. Truth be told, shoplifting was a hustle just like anything else. The world was cutthroat and anyone without the right money found themselves 6 feet under. All money was good money in Rashida’s eyes so people could miss her with all their moralizing bullcrap. She strode into the mall one fateful morning wearing only the finest of clothing. Rashida always made sure to be dressed to the nines when performing her heists. It was important to look like she was never lacking for money to avoid suspicion. In her mind, she could feel envious eyes of other women staring daggers into her while their husbands could just barely suppress their lust. She knew she was the shit, no secret about that.  She smugly grinned at everyone who passed by her on the way to her treasure. First was the perfume aisle. She couldn’t just look like money, she had to smell like it too.  With a swift hand, she swiped a bottle of “Rosé Fantasy” and stuffed it in her booster bag. She selected two more designer perfumes and made her way to the next aisle. Each time she performed a heist, a pair of dice rolled in her mind. She wouldn't know what the dice landed on until the heist was over. There were many times she pulled lucky sevens but just almost as many times where she pulled a four or a three. She had done well to avoid jail, throwing whomever  she had to under the bus to save her skin. Whenever she sensed that a heist would be particularly dangerous, she would bring a “friend” who she could pin the blame on. Next on Rashida’s agenda were a pair of high pump heels, as much jewelry she could carry,  and a cute satin dress. She felt so full of herself as she stuffed the bag full without even raising any suspension. She had a keen sense of self-awareness and didn't feel any eyes on her. Today was shaping up to be another lucky seven. Rashida visualized the pair of dice slowly rolling to reveal her favorite number. Two large men in black suits slowly began approaching her. Their expressions were stone cold and betrayed not a single shred of geniality. The dice spun once more. Rashida twisted her body 180 degrees and took off speed - walking to the outlet's entrance.  The men called out to her, but she wasn't hearing any of it. She cursed herself for letting her arrogance blind her.  Once Rashida heard the loud stomp of workbooks approaching her, she threw a clothes rack to the ground, tripping the guards in the process. Customers jerked their heads in the direction of all the commotion. All eyes were on her. She returned to her mad dash towards the exit but felt someone grab her wrist just as she almost got away. This time, it wasn't some security guard. It was a cop! What was one doing here already? Rashida's mind was left in a daze of fear and confusion as the cuffs were forced on her wrists. Luck had always been on her side until today. She thought she had what it took to make something for herself. The only thing she could see now was a single die, a misfortune one. As she was being hauled out of the store, Rashida caught a glance of a brown haired woman among the crowd of curious onlookers. It was a face she knew too well. It was Lucy, one of her former friends she set up to take the fall for a previous mission. Rashida thought she would still be rotting in jail now. What Rashida wasn't counting on was for her dear old friend to catch a plea bargain. All she had to do was help the police catch Rashida in the act. With Lucy's confession and all the charges Rashida racked up, Rashida’s career as a criminal would be taking a much needed hiatus. Lucy looked on with satisfaction from seeing the rotten snake she called a friend finally get her justice. More than that, she felt relieved at getting a second chance at life. She could hear the rhythm of dice rolling in her mind and whatever number they landed on would lead her to a brighter future.

Ooh, the blue of the morning sky, so smooth and sweet, so pure and true Cric-crac, croon the agreeable birds, Oo-oo-oo, ah! The sunshine light on the day, Oo-oo-oo, ah! The river is running clean and cool Oo-oo-oo, ah! The lake glistens in the morning light so smooth and silky, no crease, no wrinkle The leaves dance in a gentle sway in tune with the birds, to whom they sing Ripples on the cool water edges Oo-oo-oo, ah! The song of the river can be heard Oo-oo-oo, ah! The steps of my feet make the path rhythmically like a snare drum in a blues change My thoughts drift and spin 'round and 'round like a graceful spinning top The long leg strides step on the stone, pounding out a tune for me And by evening, I can feel the soft sun rays on my cheek, the cool water on my toe, the winds gently caressing my hair As the smell of jasmine pervades the air and stars begin to glimmer out of the night sky, I look up and smile, with my teeth glistening bright as the ending words of the day

Previous Chapter Index CHAPTER 4: THE RED-HAIRED HUMAN Clay felt like the whole entire world was spinning upside down. He had no idea what was what anymore. The only thing that he was sure about was that he'd never see 'scavengers' the same way again. Yesterday, if it even was actually yesterday, had been by and far the worst day of his and his friends' lives. No, it wasn't even a contest. Not even close. First, yet another bad 'training session' with Kestrel trying to 'bring that little monster out of [him]'. Then he found out that Glory was supposed to be killed for being 'unworthy', and Tsunami got chained up to a pillar by their so-called 'guardians' (who, aside with Kestrel, also consisted Dune and Webs, and apparently Morrowseer also, and were more of 'jailers' if anything) to prevent her from interfering. Then, to try and prevent this, Clay and his friends hatched a plan to open their cave's other entrance so that they could escape...only to then run into Scarlet