"The number one rule of thieves is that nothing is too small to steal."

                                         -Jimmy Breslin                               

Anyone else would have laughed at Vela if she told them she had a plan to rob the nearest pawn shop.

Why? Well, first off, there was a big chance she would get caught because of how exposed the store was. It was literally surrounded by other little shops, where massive crowds of people would stop by. Vela wasn’t worried though. She would sneak inside during the evening, around the time when owners would start to close their facility. The pawn shop that Vela was planning to steal from was called ‘Serena’s Secondhand Pawnshop’. The one problem she had to figure out was her escape as the store only had one way to come in and exit. There was no back door, besides the one which led to the storage room. Well, it’s not like she was going to steal a trumpet or something heavy to carry. The truth was, she was bored. Curing her boredom by robbing a pawn shop sounded like a poor way to deal with it, but it was the truth. She just wanted to steal something small, but valuable. Maybe her younger sister, Aquila, would appreciate it, but Vela wasn’t sure she’d take it lightly if she told her she got it by stealing from a cheap shop where people dropped off their unwanted, personal belongings.

In reality, Vela was unprepared. She had thought about what she would do when she arrived at the pawn shop, but she really had no clue about the potential hurdles she’d face. She had never done something like this before, merely read news about it in the local newspapers where young delinquents were successfully picking locks and breaking into banks. This was a similar situation, except it wasn’t as complex as that because she really only had to walk in, act subtle, eye something she liked, take it, then walk back out. How bad could it be? Inexperienced, bored and excited - all the wrong things to be before robbing a flea market. Vela was standing by a hot dog stand right across the pawn shop, trying to not attract anybody or look anyone in the eye. There was no denying that she was nervous, because this really was her first time getting involved in a petty crime. She was taken aback, as her previous self would have never thought of doing such a thing! This was not something that most people would be proud of, but for Vela, she desperately wanted to prove to herself that if she ever had to join in something like this with the family, she would have some experience already. Little did she know, these things required careful planning- something that Vela hadn’t done.

She eyed the pawn shop in all its glory. The store sign read “OPEN FOR BUSINESS” in large, white, block letters against a wooden sign that was about to fall off. It hung loosely against the one-way glass door. Above that sign, ‘Serena’s Secondhand Pawnshop’ was in block letters again, but this time in a red colour. Vela looked through the window, and she could clearly see all sorts of knick-knacks such as old bass guitars, antique jars, vinyl record players, vintage film cameras and even diamond bracelets. It stood out from the rest of the shops in the area just because of the vibrant colours that decorated the store’s interior. It was just about hit 9:00 pm, which was the time when everyone had to start closing their shops and end the day. Vela suddenly felt guilty about doing all of this, but it was too late to stop now as she had been waiting in anticipation for her cue to walk in. The owner of the store walked out as Vela saw the key in her hand, which was then twisted into the door lock. Vela had moved from her position by the hot dog stand to the back alley next to the shop, and she took deep breaths, trying to calm her anxious but determined self.

As Vela waited for the lady to finish locking up, she suddenly wondered what her reaction would be when that owner would wake up the next morning only to find out that someone had stolen from her only source of income. Well, Vela assumed that it was her only business unless it was just a part-time thing. Vela was thinking that it wouldn’t actually be a bad idea to have a job like that, but then she’d just be tempted to steal everything and mess with people’s belongings that were supposed to be brought by other customers. She didn’t like to think she was that greedy, she was just… curious. That would be a better way to put it. So not only by doing this she was curing her boredom, but also killing her curiosity. The lady took one more glance at the inside of her shop, before leaving the vicinity, holding a brown paper bag in one hand and a white straw hat in the other. Vela’s mouth was set in a hard line, as she looked around for anyone passing by who could snitch on her. All of the other shops had closed for the day, and the cars that had been parked in front of the store were gone very quickly as they were probably rushing to get home.

Vela nibbled on her bottom lip as she walked carefully to the front of the store. No one could be seen around her and the street lights were the only thing that was on. It was completely dark, no souls could be found besides Vela’s own. Vela had seen the lady locked the door, but she had picked up a manual for picking locks earlier that day at the local library. She had read that the art of lock picking could be truly learnt, only if you start to believe that locks were just an ‘illusion of security’. All she had was a bobby pin and her strong will to succeed. Vela looked around her once more, then returned her focus to the task at hand, which had made her slightly sweat. She only had so much time, before a guard would come around and throw her in the slammer, where she would patiently wait for her sister to come fetch her - but that was too much effort. Just get this over and done with, then she could avoid all the consequences that would come if she failed. She reached into her jean pocket for the bobby pin, and then inserted it into the bottom of the keyhole. A nervous look of concentration dawned on her face as her breaths quickened. She applied a little more pressure followed by Vela scrubbing the pick back and forth, which she had trouble doing as she only skimmed over the instructions in the manual.

Then it was at that moment, she heard someone’s footsteps, which made her jump out of her skin.

It was getting dark out. I finished my drink, tipped the bartender a twenty and headed home. As I was walking down 43rd avenue, I saw a fried, Vela, on one knee, if front of a pawn shop I visit from time to time, trying to pick the lock. I paused to watch her work. A smile spread across my face as I saw her fumble with the lock. She is good at most things, lock picking, not so much. My approaching footsteps made her react with surprising speed. "Need some help?" I asked. "My friend should be here by now to help, but I have no clue where they are. What am I doing wrong?" she pleaded. "You use a bobby pin the scrape the tumblers, but you need a tension bar on the lock to turn it, let me show you."

I used my lock pick set and showed her the proper method. The lock turned and clicked into place. "There you go. What are we going after?" I asked.

Jacquotte was watching things from a distance, she had her perfect spot in the alley adjacent to the pawn shop. She was far enough in, that the sun wasn't able to shine in to expose her and small enough in between the building that no one would even consider it a hiding place. It really was the perfect spot, she could see everything. Especially the young woman that was hanging out around the hot dog cart. There was something about her, she seemed nervous and why be nervous if you were just there to buy a hot dog?

She watched an ever close eye on this woman and the pawn shop. With all the years of thieving that Jacquotte had in her portfolio she knew this woman was up to something. Could she possibly be hitting the same shop as her? It was very possible, there were a lot of valuables in that pawn shop. It was actually the reason Jacquotte was there.

Just the other day she had stopped in that pawn shop, just doing a little bit of window shopping. See she was bored and rather then getting drunk and passing out she figured to hit up the town. The pawn shop was one of her stops. It reminded her of an English treasure ship she once hijacked. They made it look like a simple merchant ship but in fact it had more gems and gold on it then she had ever seen. She did have to split the winnings of that hijack with her crew and the one they call Greybeard. It still made her rich, after that for years she lived the good life on the islands.

The memories that flooded her head were good ones, she missed those days. Which is why she found herself eyeing up the pawn shop. There was on piece in there that had caught her eye. It was a pocket watch, one that reminded her of the one her mother used to carry on her. It was forged in silver and encrusted in gems. From diamonds to ruby's, emeralds to opals. The piece was magnificent and she knew she had to have. Paying for it was not an option, her motto was quite the simple one. Why buy it when you can steal it, free of charge. The thought of that made her smile.

Suddenly her attentions went back onto the pawn shop as the owner began to lock up. She kept a close eye on the her and the place, when the owner was just out of sight Jacquotte took a step out of the alley. Out of the corner of her eye the woman that was near the hot dog cart scurried to the pawn shop door. Stopping in her tracks Jacquotte kept an eye on her every move. The woman was having a bit of an issue with the door, that was until a man appeared out of now where. It seemed as if the two knew each other. After a very brief interaction the woman stood up and the man took over the lock picking. In seconds the door was opened.

Jacquotte knew she was outnumbered at this point but the thought of that pocket watch was enough for her to risk it. She checked her surroundings before hurrying up towards the pawn shop. She did it quick and silent, the pair didn't hear her until she was right up on them.

"Hey! What are you all doing?"

The pair immediately tensed up, they thought they were busted by the law as they stood there in silence still facing the pawn shop door.

"You know you guys will start drawing a lot of attention if you keep standing here huddled around the door."

Jacquotte pushed her way through the pair and opened the pawn shop door, walked in and turned around to see the shocked faces of the two. With a sigh and a head shake she grabbed both of them by their arms and pulled them into the shop. Then closed the door behind them.

"Not sure what your intentions are here but you can take whatever you like. Well there is one item that I call dibs on, a pocket watch. I'll know it when I see it, ok?"

Vela jumped at the sound of the man’s footsteps, who she soon realized was a friend, someone she worked alongside with in her crew. She turned to face him, and gave a nervous laugh. “Errr…. yeah, about that…” She scratched her head and let him finish it off. Vela was amazed and expressed her thanks to him as she pat him on the shoulder. Jonny suddenly turned to her and asked what she was planning to do after, which was followed by a cheeky grin that Vela expressed. She didn’t want to say too much as she just wanted to hurry up, and Vela was sure he just wanted her to get it over and done with as well. It was pretty late at night, and everyone would be asleep by now, she hoped. Although that thought had quickly disappeared as a lady had approached Vela and Jonny in surprise. Vela swiftly turned her head to her and her body immediately tensed. She tightened her jaw and forced a smile, in an attempt to make it seem like she wasn’t do anything wrong.

That obviously didn’t work, as the lady in front of Jonny and Vela announced to them that they could easily be seen by anyone, which was true anyways. They were just standing in front of the door, not doing anything. Vela must have been in complete shock, because it was only a few seconds after that she realized that the lady pushed in between them and headed inside the disreputable pawn shop. Vela had zoned out and she felt completely dumbfounded, but she snapped back to reality when she suddenly felt a hard grip on her elbow, before looking up to see that it was the lady. She was urging them to get inside, and Vela came back to life. The lady that Vela and Jonny had just met seemed to take control over the situation, and was more prepared than Vela was so she hung her head in shame. Maybe Vela wasn’t fit for this life. Well that didn’t matter now, she was already in it for the win.

Upon hearing what the lady was going to steal, which was a handy dandy pocket watch, decorated with priceless gems, Vela thought about what her heart’s desires would lead her to. “I’ll look around.” She muttered instead, and left the pair alone as she walked away to inspect the different gadgets displayed in the store. She came here to cure her boredom, and it seemed as though her boredom deepened when Vela couldn’t find anything she really liked. A vinyl record player sat on the side of the front counter, definitely looking second hand as she saw a dent in the side of it. She raised an eyebrow and snickered. What would someone have done to cause a dent in their record player? She puzzled. It wasn’t until more walking around that she found the perfect thing to take home. Vela had thought about her younger sister, Aquila, and how she would always talk about going out into the world, travelling to satisfy her state of mind. With that, Aquila would also often exclaim to Vela about the day she would be able to see snow.

A snow globe is a pretty nice catch!

Jacquotte walked around the tiny pawn shop, making sure to look into each case. The last place she saw the pocket watch was in the prime case, it was the case that stood out the most in the center of the store. It acted as if it was the centerpiece of the place, where the shop kept all its most prized valuables. Though there was one issue, the pocket watch wasn't there.

She searched each and every glass case but still it was no where to be found. She slammed her fist onto the glass counter which caused the glass to crack. She turned around to see the pair glaring at her in a shocked manner.

"What? That pocket watch is no where to be seen. It was here the other day and there's no way anyone bought it. The lady was asking a crazy price for it. So it has to be somewhere."

Jacki punched the glass on the counter once more, this time shattering the case. She reached in picked up a couple rings and placed one around her finger. It was a simple gold band with an emerald stone set into it. The other rings she tucked into her pocket for later. She made her way around the counter and that's when she saw it.

"Ah! Look what we have here. A safe! I bet you there's some good stuff in here."

She tried to pull the safe out from it's location but it was way too heavy and after all the years of stealing there was one thing Jacki wasn't the best at. That was safe cracking, there was just something about it that she couldn't grasp. Though she tried and she tried some more until standing up and giving it a kick. Which wasn't the smartest of ideas as the pain of the steal against her toe radiated up her body.

She stood up and gave her foot a shake while whistling over to the pair.

"Hey! Either of you know how to crack a safe?"

Vela picked the snow globe up and inspected it carefully, while a smile crept on her face. She hummed to herself as she imagined what her younger sister's reaction would be to this. Vela shook the snow globe once more and let the fake snow particles inside fall over the statue. She then starts to hear ruckus coming from the back where the register was. Vela turned her body to the direction of the sound and spotted the lady who had joined in on the scam, kicking about. "What exactly are you doing?" Vela snickered, but was only intended for her ears. She had no place to judge, as she had made a fool of herself earlier when she was trying to pick the lock. She tried to find Jonny before walking up to her. "Yoohoo, Jonny where are ya?" She announced as her voice echoed throughout the pawn shop. He had to be somewhere. If he left, well, that would be a shame. It hadn't even been an hour yet and he already dipped? Vela shook her head and proceeded to make her way towards the lady. Vela's eyebrows lifted in a playful manner as she now clearly sees her trying to crack a safe- but undeniably, failing miserably at it. Vela suddenly jumped when she heard footsteps and she gasped as a result. Once she turned around, she was relieved to find out that it was only Jonny who got back from whatever he was doing. "You freaking almost gave me a heart attack!" Vela exclaimed, putting the palm of her hand to her chest as she tried to steady her breathing. 

Vela then turned her head quickly when she hears a whistle that comes out of the girls lips. "Hey! Either of you know how to crack a safe?" Vela pondered on the thought and shook her head almost instantly. Vela could do a lot of things, cracking safes was not one of them as she never really had a chance to do such things before. Of course, this being her first time, maybe she could learn a thing or two from Jonny, who seemed to be far more experienced than her. Vela looked to Jonny and raised an eyebrow. "Whadya think? Can you do it or no?" She asked with a puzzled look. Vela bent down and positioned herself next to the girl, so she could clearly see what the task at hand was. The steel, secured safe was propped underneath the counter, which was a pretty crap place to have it as anyone could come in and just open the safe if enough force was used. But hey, who was Vela to judge? She was just at beginner level with these kinds of things. 

Vela suddenly felt opposed to the idea of cracking a safe, but she didn’t say anything as she didn’t want to discourage or offend her. She didn’t know what to do with it, so she let Jonny lead the way. Vela watched as Jonny used his various techniques to crack the safe. She stood beside the pair and watched in awe, not common to the methods that he practiced. Vela saw that they were busy, so she wandered off again to look for another thing to steal. In the corner of the tiny pawn shop, there was a collection of books, perfect for individuals who were adventurous, curious and easily amused. One of the books that caught her attention was named 'Gone with the Wind', written by Margaret Mitchell. Vela's mind was open to many things, though she had never delved into the activity of reading novels before, so this would be exciting for her. She opened the pages of the book and read a section to herself, meanwhile more ruckus could be heard at the back. Vela wanted to keep reading, but she figured she would just take it home with her and continue it in the comfort of her own home. The evening had quickly turned into midnight, which made Vela worry as there would usually be a guard roaming around the streets, peeking through windows and checking for... well, robbers. Truth was, Vela was only supposed to make this quick, but deep down she was happy that she got to stay a little longer as she even got to meet new people on the way. It was a peculiar encounter, she thought to herself. Vela made friends during a breaking and entering of a pawn shop, but she guessed that it was just her luck. 

The ruckus from the back died. Vela went to check up on the two and she hissed quietly. "What the hell did you find?!" She looked down at the object in her hands and felt her heart rate increase. Oh boy, this was going to be a long night...

To make matters worse, in the corners of Vela's eye, a guard's footsteps could be heard at the door. "FUCK!" Vela added as she quickly bent down with the other two and zipped her mouth shut, as she tried hard to not let a breath escape her lips. She looked to the new lady she had just met and she frowned, feeling stupid that she should have warned them sooner about the guard coming.

"That front door is the only way for us to escape..." Vela said frighteningly. 

The lady shocked me when she approached, I was too caught up in the random moment with Vela and forgot my surroundings. Pay attention dumbass, I thought to myself. She pushed past Vela and I and entered the shop, then turned, grabbed us by the arms, and pulled us in. This night keeps getting better and better. I leaned against the door so I could watch the sidewalk, but still be able to watch the two search the shop. I glanced at a few nearby items, but didn't take anything yet.

Vela walked around looking at different things. Her attention was drawn to a snow globe. The other lady went straight to a display case, looked at it then checked the others as well. The watch was not there. She hit the case twice breaking the glass. I quickly looked out the window to see if anybody heard. "Yoohoo, Jonny where are ya?" Vela all buy yelled. I shook my head. I heard lady stranger say that she found a safe. Now we're talking, most people don't lock up cheap shit. I gave one more quick look out and headed for the back. I scared Vela with my approach, she told me so, I smiled. I was gonna say something when the lady asked, "Hey! Either of you know how to crack a safe?" Vela look at me and shrugged one shoulder, so I went to go look at this safe.

"It's a Yale safe. There tricky, but I have a knack for them." I said as I got down on one knee to look at the dial. I didn't have my tools with me, but I needed something to help me hear the tumblers. I spotted a drinking glass on the back counter, "Perfect." I put the glass on the door of the safe just above the dial and started turning it. Left, right and left again listing for the clicks. I missed it the first time through, but on the second try I got it. I opened the safe and peered inside. On the top shelf was a box of jewelry boxes and ... pocket watches. I handed the box to the lady, "What your looking for might be in here." She took it from me and started searching it. I looked back in the safe, invoices and a ledger, a small stack of cash, a quick count put it at roughly two grand, I'll split this when we are safe I thought as I put the cash in my pocket. I heard Vela ask the lady, "What the hell did you find?!" A quick glance, but could not see I did one more quick check of the safe and pulled out a item wrapped in burlap, the shape and weight told me it was a handgun. I unwrapped to find a Enfield No. 2 six-shot revolver, "Yeah, I will keep this." I said as I put the revolver in my coat pocket.

I was going to get up to see what the lady found when Vela cussed and quickly knelt down behind the counter. I stayed down and looked towards the front of the shop. I could see the shadow of the cop as he paused to check the door. "Did you lock the door when you closed it?" I whispered to the lady. She gave me a flat look, like from a parent when you ask dumb questions, "Yes." she hissed, "This is not my first robbery." Feeling like an ass I looked back at the door, the cop was still there. I heard him check the doorknob, twisting and shaking it a few times. He look in the window with a quick glance, and while whistling, walked away. "Beat cops are lazy by nature." I said to the two wide-eyed gals. We waited another minute then slowly stood. I ask, "What did you find?" .......