Justifiable Pilfering (open)

R E M Y//H A R K N E S S

If Lisabeth hadn't spotted the small cat statue and run off to admire it, Remy would've never seen it. Lisabeth, who was only 5 and hadn't hit her 8-year-old growth spurt yet, was only about 3 foot 8 inches and was easily lost in the thick crowds of the market place, especially on a Friday. "Lisabeth!" Remy scolded, running after her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see James and Seb chatting with three or four children from the school. Friends, Remy assumed. Another glance to her right revealed Daniel and Mara carefully selecting some apples from the produce cart. With all her siblings (aside from Arthur, who was still at home) accounted for, she bent down and scooped up Lisabeth, who was laughing with delight at the assortment of wind-up statues.

The stand that Lisabeth had run to was right next to Mr. Webberlee's bread kiosk. It was a trick of the timing- Remy turned her head towards Mr. Webberlee's stand just as the girl with the long blonde hair expertly flipped a biscuit into her pants pocket. Remy never would have seen it normally, but the angle was just right. Remy's eyes flicked to Mr. Webberlee, who was notorious for having the sharpest eye in the marketplace when it came to catching shop lifters. But when the blonde girl raised her hand in a small wave and continued on towards the other side of the market, Mr. Webberlee just smiled and nodded. It was incredible, really. The girl was a master thief, even by District Eight standards. Remy had to know how she did it.

Still gripping Lisabeth in her arms, she wound through the crowd, never taking her eyes off the blonde girl, who was become harder and harder to track. Remy caught sight of her brother Daniel again, this time by the meat kiosk and, at the risk of loosing the blonde girl, turned to meet him. "Daniel!" she called. He turned and, seeing that she was holding Lisabeth, immediatly stretched out his own arms to take her. Daniel could always tell when she needed him to take care of the littler siblings.

"Be home by seven." he told her as he lifted Lisabeth out of her arms. "You have work at five tomorrow." Remy nodded and hurried in the direction she had seen the blonde girl last. She caught sight of her again a few seconds later. She had moved shockingly quick and was now almost at the exit of the marketplace. Remy's thin frame was an advantage now and she slipped through the throngs of people with relative ease.

By the time she broke free from the crowd, the blonde girl was already ways away down the road leading to the houses. Remy ran to catch up with her and when she was a few feet away, she chanced on encounter.

"Hey!" she cried, in an attempt to get the blonde girl's attention.