47Disclaimer: I don't own White Collar
A/N: I should be working on my other stories, but I was inspired by White Collar to write this one. The first two chapters (maybe even three) will be set before the first episode of season 1. Don't worry, Neal will come in. Now, with no further ado, I present to you-
HONEST LIES
"What's your name?"
"Katherine."
"You have a last name, Katherine?"
"Yes." I tried not to grin when he sighed, obviously a little annoyed.
"What's your last name?"
"...Rider."
"Katherine Rider, that your real name?"
"Yes, yes it is." I rolled my eyes. "I get it, I shouldn't have stolen your wallet, that should make me a bad person, don't worry. I'm going to think deeply about my actions when I get back to the orphanage."
~!~
"I'll take 20 bucks for me, ten bucks for Kaden, and 5 for Suzie and then leave 20 for him." I muttered under my breath as I sat on the bench, checking the plain brown leather wallet I had in my hand. I tucked away the money in my pocket and glanced up.
The crowd of people around me didn't pay the slightest attention to me. I clutched my jacket closer around me, and let my body be moved by the crowds. I looked around for my target; he had been wearing a gray suit.
I didn't change my expression when I saw him; instead I got ready to drop the wallet back into his pocket.
It took skill to pickpocket someone. It took even more to un-pickpocket him, meaning giving back the wallet. I had no use for the credit cards, license, or gift cards in there; I only needed some of the cash.
I bumped into him, not saying a word. I kept walking, ignoring his small grumble. He ignored me, and I him.
Simple. As it should be.
And then it wasn't.
As soon as I turned the corner I felt a pull on my wrist. I froze completely, not remembering any of my tips for getting caught. I whirled around, ready to fight.
My mouth had dropped open, my eyes wide. The target, Mr. Gray Suit, had my wrist in his grip, and a slight smug smile. I opened my mouth to protest, or scream when he reached into his jacket and pulled out a badge.
It didn't take long for me to read the giant FBI on it. I didn't dare run, now that he knew my face. I lowered my head and sighed. Thursdays are just not my thing.
~!~
"You're grounded."
"As you can see, I've never left the earth."
"You think this is funny?!"
"Well, I mean, not really, a little bit, maybe-"
"You're more trouble than you're worth! What were you thinking?!"
I didn't answer her, not wanting to tell her my exact thoughts. I made eye contact with the social worker/orphanage lady who was in charge of the teens who lived there. Her neat little bun was falling apart, blonde strands in front of her face. Her eyes were angry, and her lips were colored a light red, too light for me.
I leaned back in my chair, and played a bit my jacket's strings. "Can we go?" I asked her quietly, interrupting her rant on my misbehavior.
She stopped, breathing heavy. "Can we go?" She repeated. "Yes, we can go, I can go. You, however, will be punished so severely that-"
"I will regret the day I was born." I looked at her, meeting her eyes. My expression was one of nonchalantness. I opened my arms a little, "I already do though, so what else do you have?"
I could tell I was just making it worse. I decided to keep my mouth closed. I glanced at my side; a few yards away I could see Mr. FBI, my lovely target, was watching us with an unreadable expression. I forced myself to look away, not wanting to see if there was any pity in them.
Though at the time I had doubted there ever was, I thought any law enforcement would hate kids like me. Runaways, dirty street kids.
I felt the worker, Mrs. Tate, grab my shoulder and force our way out of the building. She had already apologized over and over my actions to the FBI agent. I didn't bother paying attention to anything she said, or what he said after he managed to get the orphanage's number out of me.
It didn't matter, what was important is that I got caught.
And getting caught isn't an option.
Not for me. Not anymore.
~!~
"You just had to tell him your name."
"Shut up Kaden."
"I mean, I get not lying is a big thing, honesty policy and all, but damn girl, this is getting out of hand!"
"Like I said before, shut up Kaden." I moved over a little bit on the couch, and tried not to notice my growing stomach pains. Mrs. Hate-I mean, Tate, sent me upstairs with no dinner.
"We really would've have used the whole 50 bucks though, why'd you leave some for him?" Kaden, the only boy who lived at the orphanage longer than I had, leaned back on the couch next to me. His limbs were sprawled all over the place. He reminded me of Suzie's rag doll.
"We didn't need all of it." I said quietly, looking down at my hands.
"We really need to work on your spice, Rhino."
I punched his arm, hard. "I told you, stop that!" I snapped at him, getting up off the couch.
He just laughed, and waved off my punch. "There's ol' Katty McKatterson!"
I glared at him, and retorted, "Whatever you say, Theodore."
Kaden, aka Theodore Rose Thompson, jolted up, and glared at me. I didn't take on his middle name, because if I did that, he would have really gotten angry.
"Where's Suzie?" He asked, changed the subject before we went too far. We've done that once before, the night I came here.
"Probably downstairs, you know, eating."
He laughed, "Eating? That's for the weenies that actually play by the rules."
I gave him half a smirk. We were notorious for not following the rules. Mrs. Tate had almost given up hope for us. I started walking out the room.
Kaden called out to me, making me stop right before the door. "Get ready; we got potential rents coming in this Saturday." He gave me a sterner look. "Don't blow it, alright? You got a good life ahead of you."
I grinned. "Goodnight, Kaden."
"I mean it Rider! Come Sunday I want your sorry ass gone from here!"
I waved him off, and returned to the room where the rest of the girls slept. I climbed into my creaky old bed, and fell into a dreamless sleep.
~!~
"Well you can always try to see the bright side, you know."
"Shut up, Rider."
I smirked and glanced sideways. "I mean, this is what we always wanted for each other, is it not?" I questioned, looking up at the cracked ceiling.
"It was supposed to be you, stupid."
"I've still got time."
Kaden glared at me, and punched me in the shoulder. "You're really infuriating, you realize that, right?"
I didn't say anything, and shrugged my shoulders instead. My friend groaned and leaned back on the bed.
"I didn't want this." He said, his voice muffled from the arm over his face.
"Don't lie." I whispered. "You should be happy."
"I am!" He said, jolting up. "I'm so happy I might puke, but then every time I look at you, I'm reminded that they chose me, and not you!"
A small smile lit my face. Kaden had gotten picked as a foster kid from the rents that came on Saturday. It was Sunday. He was leaving in a couple hours.
"They seem like nice people, Kaden. Don't mess this up."
"Don't mess it up, what about you?! I saw you sneaking away, you made sure that they wouldn't choose you. You didn't brush you hair-"
"My hair's only an inch longer than yours." I pointed out.
"You obviously didn't shower-"
"Hey!"
Kaden glared at me, "You didn't even show up until they were leaving!"
I tilted my head, "Let it go, Kaden. You're going to go home with them, give up pickpocketing and thieving-" He let out a groan, but I continued, "And live a very boring normal life, with a roof, two parents, and 3 meals a day, or, at least, you should."
He was silent, looking down at his feet. "I don't understand though. Why pick me?" Kaden was tall, gangly, with short brown hair and brown eyes. His nose was broken, and he wasn't the prettiest flower of the bunch. Neither was I, for the matter.
"Just let it go." I said, rubbing his shoulder. "And get the heck outta here, or I'll kick you out myself!"
"You're lying."
Smiling grimly, I told him, "You know I don't lie, Kaden."
"Alright." He said, letting out the longest sigh I've ever heard from him. He stood, getting ready to go pack. He didn't look me in the eye, but instead just shuffled from side to side. "I, um…" Squaring his shoulders, but still with his back turned to me, he finally said, "I'm going to miss you… Katherine."
I surprised him with a hug from behind. "I'm going to miss you too… Theodore."
He groaned, and shoved me away, "Alright, alright, enough with the lovey-dovey stuff, we can't have any more rumors, can we?" He looked at me, grinning. Giving my nose a tweak, he added, "Watch out for Suzie, got it? And the other little ones too."
I watched as he left the room, and as he was walking down the hall, I leaned out and called out, "Hey, at least you won't see my sorry ass anymore!"
He gave me a not-so-nice gesture in return. I laughed, and turned back into the room where all the girls slept. I wiped off the tears that started to roll down my cheeks, and slowly crawled back into the bed.
I'm gonna miss him.
A lot.
~!~
"You've got to stop."
It had been 3 weeks since Kaden left.
"Seriously, Kat, listen to me!"
I missed him a lot, he sent a letter, albeit a short one.
"Katherine Angel Rider you better listen to me now or so help me I will kick you in the mouth."
"My middle name's not Angel."
"Shut up, you imbecile."
I looked up from my spot on the couch. I was curled up in a blanket, trying to conserve energy for the day. Suzie, the smallest of the teens, was standing over me, her hands on her hips. She had golden sunshine hair, and big bright blue eyes. It's a wonder why she hasn't been picked for adoption, or fostering.
"This has to end, now." She ordered, looking down at me. "You can't keep moping, it's been a month!-"
"3 weeks, Suz." I murmured, and curled up deeper.
"I know you miss him, I do too, but what would you think he would do if he saw you now?"
"Probably kick me."
Suzie sighed, "Get up."
"No thanks."
"GET UP YOU LAZY SACK OF BONES!"
I was jolted out of my comfortable spot on the couch, onto the floor. My ears were ringing, and I squinted. I remembered why she wasn't picked. "Jeez Suzie!" I said, getting up. "Was that necessary?"
Suzie, aka the Blonde Banshee, smiled innocently. "I said get up, didn't I?"
"Yeah, you did." I grumbled, rubbing my head.
She bit her lip, looking up at me. "Please, Kat, you need to go out, do something!"
"I'm grounded, remember?" Mrs. Tate was still pissed off that I pickpocketed an FBI agent.
"And whose fault is that?"
"Well if I had to answer-"
Suzie held up a hand, "You'll talk all day about rights and wrongs. Now go out and pickpocket some people. I'm hungry."
"Do it yourself." I said, stretching. I started to walk out. We got a meal a day, us older ones. Pickpocketing helped feed the hungry bellies. It was also a way to blow off steam. I liked to think of it as an alternative to getting high.
"Please, Kat! Just go outside, see the sunshine, smell the sweat, breath the smog-filled air."
"You just love to see me in pain, do you not?"
"You know the answer to that already, Honest Policy."
Honest Policy, another rather stupid nickname. I didn't bother answering her, and traveling down the stairs, and into the great hall. Coats, shoes, and other personal items littered the room. Slowly, so that I didn't alert anyone, I slipped past the open doors. I opened the front door, and slipped out, closing it softly behind me.
I looked up, and noticed that the sun was blocked by several huge rainy gray clouds. I rolled my eyes, "See the sunshine indeed." I muttered to myself. Never the less, I still walked out onto the street, not caring if Mrs. Tate saw me through the window.
Deciding that Suzie was right, I walked on despite the cold atmosphere. I clutched my arms, and let my mind drift.
~!~
"Oof!"
"Oh, sorry!"
I looked up, I had bumped into a woman carrying some groceries. She had knocked me down to the ground. I landed on my butt, and winced. I scraped my hands on the pavement.
"It's my fault actually, I should have been looking where I was going." I mumbled, standing up. There was a bag of fruit lying next to me, and picked it up. I handed it to the woman, stretching my neck. I heard it pop and crack. "No worries, I'll live."
She looked at me with kind eyes, and I realized that I was just as tall as her, if not taller. She had brown hair and a smile on her face. I looked down, "Uh, sorry about the fruit."
"Oh no, its fine, what I'm worried about is your hands. They looked like they're pretty scratched up." Without warning, she shifted her bags and took one of my hands in her own.
I almost yanked it away, but for some reason her presence… soothed me.
She studied my hand, then clucked her tongue. "Yup, you're going to need to get that disinfected.
I took my hand away, "Uh, thanks! But I think I need to get back…" Mrs. Hate-Tate, I mean Mrs. Tate, might have noticed I'm missing.
"Oh, where do you live?"
"I live…" I trailed off, looking around. I didn't recognize any of the buildings. "Um…" I must have wandered too far from the orphanage. I couldn't see any of the street names so I didn't know where I was.
"You know," The woman said, looking at me, "I live right by here, you can come over and I can disinfect your hands." She must have noticed my deer-in-the-headlights look because she added suddenly, "Just for a couple of minutes, of course."
I bit my lip. Giving her a confused look, I stated, "You don't even know me."
She smiled again, stretching out her hand, "Well how about I start? I'm Elizabeth."
I looked at her uncertainly, before grabbing her hand. "Katherine."
~!~
"Nice place." I said, looking around. I shuffled back and forth, wiping my feet on the welcome mat. It had started to sprinkle rain as we walked back to Elizabeth's house.
"Set the bags on the counter, and I'll get the first aid kit." Elizabeth stated, flashing me another kind smile.
I couldn't help but reply, "Yes ma'am." I heard her chuckled as I headed towards the kitchen. I set down the groceries I offered to carry for her. She only let me carry them, after assuring it wouldn't hurt my hands too much.
I walked carefully from the kitchen into the dining room/living room. It was quaint, nice. I clutched the edges of my jacket. It felt like… Almost, like… Home?
I almost let out a laugh. Home? How could I know what that felt like?
Going back to the kitchen, I realized that my stomach was getting especially loud. I managed to console it as we walked here, but I now realized the inevitable.
I was hungry.
I licked my lips, and looked at the apple in the bags of groceries. It had been in the bag of fruit that had dropped to the sidewalk. It was bruised but… I bit my lip and started to reach for it. Pausing, I remembered Elizabeth's kind face and sighed. I let my hand drop and I leaned against the counter.
"Alright, I've got disinfectant, paper towels, antibiotic cream and band aids." Elizabeth suddenly entered the kitchen. I looked around at her, and then she patted the counter. "Hop up, and I'll patch you up."
"I can do it myself, Mrs. Elizabeth." I tried to take the first aid kit from her, "Please, it's not necessary for you to do this."
She nodded her head and kept a firm grip on the supplies. "Please, what kind of person would I be if I didn't help you?"
I lowered my eyes. "I can do it myself."
She looked at me straight in the eyes. "I'm not saying you can't, Katherine. But what's wrong with a bit of help?" She smiled softly.
I didn't look up but hopped up on the counter by her. I could tell it made her happy. I waited patiently, only letting out a 'ouch' every now and then. Soon I was all bandaged up. She had wrapped clean white bandages around my hands to keep the scratches from getting infected.
I let out a little inward sigh. I wouldn't be able to do much pickpocketing with these on. It was like another way of being put into handcuffs. I jumped off the counter and told her, "Thank you so much, Mrs. Elizabeth, but I should head back now."
"Oh honey, are you sure? It's getting worse out there." It was thundering, and every couple of minutes, there had been lightning. The sprinkling had turned into a storm. I glanced at Elizabeth, could tell she wanted me to stay.
With a little pang I shook my head, "Thank you for all you've done but-" I stopped suddenly. My cheeks grew pink.
Elizabeth smiled, "Are you hungry? You should have said something." Of course my stomach had to growl now.
"Uh-" I couldn't say I wasn't. I'd be lying.
"It's raining really hard now, at least stay until it lets up." Elizabeth was the one who wasn't going to let up.
"Yes ma'am." I said, letting my head hang low. She laughed and I chuckled as well.
"While we wait, how about I make you a sandwich or something?"
She didn't know it, but she was just making it worse. I didn't need her help. I mean, it would be nice, but I could survive without it.
"That's not necessary-" I tried to say again, but she stopped me.
"Now, what would your mother think of me if I let you go home hungry?" She asked, getting out ingredients from the fridge. "Speaking of which, do you need to call your mom?"
I let out a little laugh, "No."
She gave me an odd look, "Really? You sure, because you can use the phone."
I shook my head. "Thanks, but I'd actually need a mom to call." Oops.
"Oh I'm sorry, what about your dad then?" Elizabeth asked. I didn't meet her eyes. I didn't want the pity. I didn't need a mom. I didn't answer her, and just shrugged my shoulders.
She didn't press, and I let out a sigh of relief. I watched as she made the sandwich, adding ham and turkey. I think I could've drooled.
I heard the footsteps before the click of the key. I immediately got off of the stool, ready to flee. Elizabeth looked at me, about to ask what was wrong, when we heard the front door open.
"I should go." I blurted out. But I was blocked out by a man calling out, "Elizabeth? I'm home."
I knew that voice.
"Right here, honey." Elizabeth flashed me a smile. "We've got company."
I froze, knowing she meant me. What should I do? What should I do?
He walked in, carrying a briefcase. He kissed Elizabeth on the forehead before noticing I was there.
I could see my own shock and surprise reflected in his eyes. I couldn't speak, my tongue wouldn't work.
He was confused, I could tell. Elizabeth didn't notice. She introduced him to me, "This is-"
"Katherine?" He said, asking to see if he got it right.
I nodded my head in greeting. "Katherine Rider." I swallowed nervously and glanced to the side. "'Sup?"
HONEST LIES
Katherine is one of my favorite characters. Honestly, I really do have a lot planned for this story. I don't think it'll be much of a plot story. I might just to drabbles, but you can definitely expect story-arcs, and character development!
Thank you for reading. Now, please review and tell me if it was any good? Do you like Kaden, Suzie and Katherine? Would you like to see more of the orphanage kids?
With that out of the way, it's time to say-
-GP2 OUT!