Lorien Legacies Shots

Story 2

Story 2:

MARIA

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

MARIA WATCHED THE BEGGAR MOVING SLOWLY THROUGH THE CROWD OF TOURISTS, with a worn-down hat in hand and a beaten-up drawstring bag on his back. The boy couldn't have been more than thirteen, quite tall, with a head full of long, black hair. He, unlike many other beggars Maria had seen, moved methodically through the crowds, picking only rich groups made of drunk adults. He then approached these groups and waved the tattered hat in there faces begging in Spanish for money. Some groups would give him a dollar or two, while others would shoo him away with a wave of their hand.

It was after midnight and Mexico City still pulsed with life. Drunk tourists staggered through the streets. Neon lights advertised bars and clubs and music filled the streets and streamed out of the nearby clubs.

Maria anxiously fingered the hem of her skirt, peering at the stylish limousine parked in the parking lot just outside the club. She had seen the white man leave the car, and by the way he dressed and acted, she knew he wouldn't miss his wallet, which was conveniently left in the side compartment of the car-right near the window.

She needed that wallet.

Creeping towards the limousine, she watched her reflection on the car grow larger and larger. Maria, with her long black hair wound up in tight braids and a small tan face that complimented her dark eyes, looked like a kid. She always loathed the look she had and tried, although always failing, to come off as the mature fifteen-year-old girl she was.

Maria tentatively grabbed the passenger handle of the car with her hand and with the other she grabbed a pin from her hair. Doing just as her brother taught her, she took the pin and inserted it into the small slit where the handle met the exterior of the car. The pin slid in easily and she used it to find the wire - a black one, relatively thick, that controlled the alarm and locking system of the car. After a few moments of anxiously waiting, Maria pulls the pin to find the black wire split in two, sparks coming out of the frayed ends. Her heart pounding in her chest Maria pulled the handle and the car door opened. She smiled now, the rest of the plan was easy - grab the wallet and run.

Except that didn't happen.

A red tipped dart hit the side of her neck before she could utter a scream.