"I o-only showed you be-cause I th-thought you were my mo-st lo-loyal f-f-f-friend." Vita's friend stumbled upon his words as blood trickled from his head. "Loyalty? That's a joke right? I have no loyalty." Vita spat as she grabbed three garnet stones from the case, lodging them gently in her hair, she looked back at her mangled use-to-be-friend. Her face softened then quickly returned to a monotone look. "Thanks for letting me in.""Chief, we have another case for you. This one is a similar robbery like the last two but this time a homicide as well. The same marking was left though so it has to be related."
Theodore stated as he waltzed into my office. "This is the third one this week alone! How do we still not have any information on the suspect besides their apparent like for garnets! Ugh, excuse me, Theodore, I'm just frustrated." "I know chief. Let's just go through the files and hit the drawing board."
"Are you seeing this Theodore?" I said as I eyed the bored. "No what is it Chief?" "This attack on Nikolie's Mansion was more personal. He was moved from the floor to the bed, gently, if you follow the blood pattern. As if they wanted him to rest comfortably." "That's a good theory, but what if they had no motive for that?" Theodore responded. "Would you bother moving him?" I asked questioning him. Theodore shook his head no as his eyes grew in understanding. "What if they are all related somehow? Especially since the garnets all appear to be very similar...." I questioned allowed, staring hopelessly at the board. "Quick Theodore go ask Mark and Susan if they know each other somehow and if they know Nikolie."
Vita slipped through the back ally corridors, her last three garnets calling to her from inside a jewelry store. Their melody rang out to her though it was highly guarded, unlike the last three stops. Her excitement bubbled over, she was so close to getting what she wanted she could taste it. Finding the 'hidden' bathroom window Vita tugged on it, though it barely budged. "Just enough for me." She pulled out a metal coathanger she had anticipated to use from the beginning but didn't need it till now. Sliding it in she fiddled with the lock for what felt like hours. It clicked to the other side and she pulled the window up carefully. Three hours later and she was in. She looked around for cameras in the bathroom and to her surprise, there was a small one in the left corner, she quickly crushed it making sure it didn't catch too much of her face. Vita then dropped an emp, deactivating everything in the small shop. Opening the door slowly she was greeted by snarling from the other side. Throwing out two chunks of meat infused with sleeping powder they began to fight and yip over the meat. It quickly stopped the onslaught and it became silent again. Moving in Vita knew the garnets would be to the left of the bathroom in another side room that few knew about. The richer customers shopped here. She walked in and over to the glass container on the right. She gently created a series of hairline fractures that quickly broke away the glass. Slipping her hand in she picked up the garnets, one at a time, and gently assembled them into her hair. Then like a breath in the night she was gone.*Ring ring....ring ring....ring - click "Yes Theodore?" I said as I rolled over too look at the clock, it read 3 am. "Cheif...they struck again." I bolted upright. "When where? How?" The words feel out. "At Jeffery's Jewels. Three more priceless garnets were stolen. The silent alarm alerted the police at 2:30 am but they say no one has been here for a few hours. I found a homemade looking emp out back. I think the thief used this to cancel everything out for a short time it seems. But Cheif you are never going to believe it. They left a sheet of paper behind, though its torn it still has important information we need to go over."
"I'll meet you back at the office Theodore. Thank you."
Click
After rushing into the office and receiving a breakdown of the events and reading the piece of paper I shook my head, laughing. The thief's curse. The highly regarded legend that if you gather the 12 lone garnets and Aphrodites necklace you will become irresistible to all, and grow the most beautiful set of garnet-like antlers. To think that all these years, she was spitting the truth.
Vita....why.
"I know where she's going. We can beat her there and cut her off before its all over. Let's go and I'll fill you in on my plan Theodore." We arrived at the Kingston Museum at 9:53 PM. We removed the museum owner, Mrs. Kingston, an older lady whom I have known throughout my childhood I slowly realized as I also put together that I had known the other victims from passing-by and friends of friends. I scoffed at how stupidly blind I had been this entire time. It was her of course, it had to be her.
- 20 Years ago -
"Look Little! Look what I found!!!" "Shush Vita, you are so loud you'll wake up the...is that what I think it is?" She glowed with a bright smile as she nodded her head up and down as quickly as she could. We had been searching for this last piece of information on the thief's curse for five years. The last item needed to complete what we so desired. Though we hoped to find a way to split the power between us in the future once all of the materials were collected. We had already become close with all of the garnets owners. We were only missing the last 'love garnet' as the paper called it repeatedly. It gave directions on how to find another paper, one with the name and last location of the garnet. That's the piece Vita was holding with a spark in her eye as we were one step closer to completion.
- One year later -
"I'm done, Vita." "What?" She said with disgust, the look of a cold-blooded killer gleaming in her eyes. We came across the wrong holder of three garnets. Even though they had information as to where they were now I was sick and petrified that Vita could pull this off. "I said I'm done. I want no part in this anymore....not if...that's....going to be a part of it. I want to live a normal, not one of thievery. I want to go to school I want to get out in the world and explore, I don't want any more stains on my hands. I'm done with this and you should be too." I said, turning to walk out. "No Little. I'm not done. You can leave and never talk to me again. I have been wanting this my whole life, more than anything in my life. This will force others to like me, no they will love me! Adore me! Cherish me!!! I will be a god among mortals! I don't need you! I don't need anyone so LEAVE!" She roared with a ferocious tone to her voice. I rushed out into the open night, as I could hear the sirens in the distance I ran and never looked back. I stared at Aphrodites Necklace. A longing to grab it and wear it struck my heart with whispers from long ago. I walked back into the shadows of the dark corners, keeping myself hidden as I waited. It was 1:30 AM when I heard the door creak open. She walked in with confidence that seemed to have multiplied from when I previously knew her. Her hair seemed to glow until I realized it was all of the garnets she had stolen. As she quickly closed the gap in between her and the necklace I jumped in front of it. She didn't even budge in surprise as she stood still, staring at me blankly. "Did you think I didn't know about you Little?" My eyes widened in surprise as her voice echoed throughout the room, I noticed her lips didn't move as she spoke. I moved forward, quickly swiping at her. My hand floated through and the image cut off.
"Flabbergasted now aren't we Little?" Her voice boomed around me. "You are caught Vita! Give up now and return the gems and you may get a shorter sentence!" I said with a spark of hatred. "It's over Vita." "You are wrong Little. It has just begun." She said as I felt my face falling towards the ground. Paralyzed, how? I thought as I felt my body be shifted into a seated position. "No one else will bother us either since they are all frozen on the ground. It was so cute Little, FREEZE! They shouted at me, right? And then boom! They all dropped to the ground. Then, then guess what I said? I said no, you should freeze! Ha....hahahahahahha! How funny right?? Oh, come on laugh a little. Oh wait, you can't! That's too bad, I'm sure you think it's funny. Now tell me Little, how did this happen? We made these contingencies years ago for this exact removal and you still messed up? What a sad life you have made for yourself. I, on the other hand, have been living la vida loca, but such a wonderful one! I have made it. Made it to my grand finale. Oh Little, what once was your dream to will be brought to life tonight."
I felt my body slowly return to small movements as Vita moved towards the necklace. She gently picked it up. "S-t-o-p V-i-t-a." I slowly got out of my mouth as she drew the necklace closer to her neck. "Little, this was over before it ever begun." I watched helplessly. A single frustrated tear escaped as I tried to force my arm to reach out. She closed the clasps to the necklace and let it hang naturally on her neck. Shortly after the room was washed in a deep red light, a bright red beam hit each garnet separately and slowly formed two antlers to her head. Each of multiple colors a garnet could come in. Her eyes shot beams of light from them. The power encapsulating her very being. The horns were completed in the course of minutes and I sat, watching without any further hope. The deep red light collapsed in on itself and she walked toward me with the biggest grin on her face. I softened at her sight, her beauty, her grace. She was an angel sent from above to bless me with her stunning face. She opened her mouth to speak to me and fear rose to her face. Nothing came out as she struggled to speak. She then turned on the necklace, trying to force it from her body and rip out the garnets in her hair. Nothing worked. Her face swelled with tears as she looked me over one last time,
and ran.
