8Chapter I: I Hate Good-Byes
My heart ached with such pain that I had to steady myself against the door.
My daughter, Sornion, played innocently with her new toys. The little raccoon had a profound interest with stuffed animals and she was always carrying one in her little arms, even when she was at school. When she was five, I remembered how she bawled her eyes out when some bully in her class stole her black cat.
A heavy sigh passed my lips. That had been the first time I had taught Sornion to steal. I knew Carm did not like the idea of our children stealing. My life of crime was fun but it was over and to teach our child about it was like offering a forbidden fruit. I didn't want Sornion causing trouble but this was her birthright, and I was not surprised to see that she was fascinated by it. She is a Cooper, after all. She was going to have to learn of her heritage sometime, right, and at the time I thought, why not?
Did Carmelita approve of this? Well, let's just say that I haven't told her about it. When she does, and I'll probably have to confess or get caught, most likely the latter, I hope she'll understand.
I remember when she found out about my "amnesia", I was expecting her to blow up and throw me in jail but instead she had thrown her arms around me. I think she was burdened with how she had lied to me and the guilt must've been eating at her. She said that it was the most selfish thing she had done, and she felt that she was manipulating me. I couldn't have felt more the same so we apologized, forgave each other, and just put it behind us. And once we thought about starting a family I promised that I wouldn't teach our children how to steal. I didn't keep my word, and I feel terrible that I went back on my promise.
But for now, I was going to give Sornion her last "training" exercise and it didn't matter if Carmelita found out. I was glad that I prepared Sornion for whatever she was going to face. Even if I had done so inadvertently.
My daughter didn't notice my presence though all she had to do was turn her head or even look in the corner of her eye. But I waited for a few minutes. She played on the floor, humming the lullaby Carmelita always sang to her every night.
Carmelita really went all out on spoiling our kids with gifts. She went as far as to create a mini Sornion stuffy toy. It was a little odd but our daughter was jumping with joy when she received it and she couldn't stop showering Carm with hugs and kisses. And she bought whatever video games that Sornius wanted, even if it was past his age limit.
My two kids; they meant the world to me. I raised them for eight years and now I wasn't even going to watch them grow up. Our deadline was tomorrow. We used up all our time to spend it with them. It broke my heart even more as I acknowledged the fact that I was even cooperating.
That thought didn't make it easier. My own kids were going to be traumatized knowing that their parents weren't by their side to guide them. I didn't want them to be orphans like I how I was. I know I had Bentley and Murray and I'm grateful for them but my kids deserve to go through a normal childhood; something that I never experienced. They'd have to grow up so quickly that I could see why Carmelita had spent all her money on buying them toys. I just hope that they'll enjoy their life as much as I did.
I checked my watch and saw that it was a quarter to eleven.
"Sweetie?" I called out.
Upon hearing my voice, Sornion jumped and glanced up. She was the spitting image of, well, me with a black mask that surrounded her goldish-brown eyes and gray fur. However, her tail wasn't striped, and she had the same ears as her mother. A cute smile graced her features as she forgot the toys that she was playing with and rushed to my open arms.
"Daddy, can I stay up til midnight?" Sornion pleaded, her eyes sparkling. "I wanna play with my new toys. And it's my birthday. Please, Daddy? Please?"
I couldn't supress the smile that threatened to show but Sornion couldn't detect the sadness behind it.
"Of course, sweetheart. I just wanted to tell you something."
Her eyes widened in delight. "Ooh! What is it? Is it a secret?"
I chuckled, and ruffled her hair. "Not exactly."
What I did next completely confused her as I tenderly grabbed her slender shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. Sornion's lips curled into a firm line as she puffed out her chest and put her feet together.
"Sornion," I said, my voice quivering. "I just... I just want you to know that I love you. I always will."
"And I love you, too, Daddy!" Sornion responded cheerfully. Her sanguine smile returned, as she attempted to hug me again but I stopped her.
"Wait, just listen to me, okay sweetie?" I asked. My eyebrows pulled in and my heart thundered like a thousand beating drums. Sornion nodded before I continued. "No matter what happens, just know that your mother and I will always love you." My daughter was bewildered as she blinked with a blank expression. "No matter what, you understand?" I told her. "Don't forget that."
I then proceeded to hug her but she was too shocked and astonished to return the favor. My large body wrapped Sornion's petite form as I breathed in her sweet peach scent. I wonder how long it would be until I'd get to smell it again.
The light that snaked its way inside the room through the windows, beamed heavenly on my face. The moonlight mocked me, almost as if it was telling me that my time was up. We stayed like that for a few minutes but it felt like forever had ticked by.
Sornion broke the silence and asked, "Daddy, are you and Mommy going on another long trip for work?"
I choked and pulled back to look at her. I swallowed the huge lump in my throat and fought back the tears that threatened to spill. I took a deep breath, my heart growing heavier as I stared at her. "Something like that. But do you remember what I told you before? I'll always be with you," I raised my right paw and pointed to her chest, where her heart was, "Right here."
After that, I feigned a smile and acted like the conversation never happened.
"Hey, how's about I give you another lesson?"
Sornion immediately brightened up. I wasn't sure if her smile could grow any larger but it did.
"We better be quick, though," I said. "Before your mother catches us."
"Okay!"
Sornion was already at the window, eagerly opening it. She bounced up and down, waiting for me to lead. I ruffled her hair as I joined her. "Let's go, you little devil." She giggled and followed me out the window.
When midnight came around, I carried an already sleeping Sornion on my back and headed home. I crawled in through her second story window and tucked her in bed. I kissed her forehead before placing the letter on her night stand as I said my final good-byes.
Expectation is the root of all heartache.
This little fact that I've been facing with my whole life will became the pain and misery I had to face for the past ten years. Now that I just turned eighteen, I'm just about ready to face anything.
Ten years ago, on our birthday, me and my twin brother, Sornius, (or as he is calling himself now, Ethan, since that's his middle name) woke up to find our parents gone. We checked all over the house and came up with nothing. Not even a note on the fridge saying they had to leave because of some case that required their immediate attention. They had simply vanished. Mom's car was gone and I was convinced that they were going to return; my brother didn't agree and it wasn't until we were being cartered off to an orphanage that I realized he was right.
Having to spend ten years knowing that your parents went mysteriously missing while taking care of a stubborn and ill-tempered twin brother was excruciating. We've fought countless times; about trivial things, sometimes about big, life changing things, but we mostly fought about our parents. He keeps saying how they abandoned us and I can't stand to hear him talk that way about them but we still managed to stay together. How many times have he or I refused to get adopted because we didn't want to be separated? Too many times, and I didn't want my only family to leave me and I know he felt the same. It wasn't all bad, I tried to look on the bright side and stay strong for him. It definitely wasn't the jolliest childhood, but we made the best of it.
I can't deny that part of me still longs for Mom and Dad. Everything he told me that night is still fresh in my mind. Sornius says that I'm just stuck in the past and that I should forget it but how can I?
Being a master thief, my dad secretly taught me the secrets of our lineage. I don't know everything but I'll be damned if I live the rest of my life without knowing.
Not only that but he also left us a large "allowance" before he left. He mentioned it in the letter he had left at my night stand. Of course, we were too young to even take money out of a bank and I certainly wasn't planning to start such a bold heist when I was only eight.
One of the only things I managed to keep as a memento was my dad's belt and my mom's earring. The Cooper cane and the Thievius Raccoonus was also missing. I guess Dad must've taken them and if so I think it'd be better in his hands than mine. However, it still bothered me. Both great heirlooms lost and I'm left with my parents accessories.
If they are alive, I'm not sure if I would be overjoyed or furious. The child in me had died the day that they left but it always comes back whenever I think about them. I know what Dad said is true; about how he and Mom will always love us but... why? Why did they choose to leave us? I had never felt so empty or scared or alone since they left. I just miss them so much...
You have no idea how much I've wanted to post this. In actuality, this was my first fanfiction but I've never posted it. Mostly because I needed to perfect it.
Anywho, I've decided that in the end of every chapter I'm gonna leave one question and you guys will need to guess. It's not hard and it may or may not involve Sly Cooper. But don't worry, you have internet. The prize is that you and your story gets a shoutout. Of course, you need to guess it right and did I mention that you have to be the first one, as well?
Now, there is a William Shakespeare quote. Can you find it?
Drop a review and tell me what you think!