Fly Cooper

Fly Cooper

The Legacy of Thieves Chapter 1 The Master Thief

Fifteen years ago my father lost his memory. Fourteen years ago my father married my mother. Thirteen years ago I was born. Present day I'm breaking and entering on a life or death mission and I need all of my concentration to make sure I don't get caught-

"Were HAVE YOU BEEN? You were supposed to be home four hours ago! It's two in the morning!" That lasted.

"Just out, it's not like anything happened." That's me, Fly Cooper. I know what you're thinking, don't start. I can't choose what my parents name me; guess they thought it would be cute to make my name rhyme with my dad's.

"I was worried sick! You could have been kidnapped, you could have died!" My mother. That's my mum, shouting at the top of her lungs, now going purple in the face, and probably waking the inhabitants of our street. Carmelita Cooper- still and inspector at Interpol after all these years.

"Carmelita, maybe you should calm down and we'll talk about this in the morning." Those clam, soothing words had been muttered by my dad, Sly Cooper. Constable and my mum's partner on the force and all without a memory from over fifteen years ago, two years before I had been born. "Fly maybe you should go to your room."

I nodded and left the room, but only putting enough distance between me and them so that they couldn't see me. I could still hear everything they said. My parents don't talk about my dad's accident much. I know they were out on the field and my dad threw himself in front of my mum to save her and lost his memory but that's all they ever tell me.

"Carm, we've talked about this." Sly began sympathetically. I rolled my eyes and scoffed.

"I know! I know." Carmelita started out angry but calmed herself down in just those few words. "I just get so worried about her."

"I do too, but shouting isn't the way to get through to her." I scoffed again, I hadn't heard this a million times before.

"She has no discipline, no respect, and she doesn't know how to protect herself if she needs it. Won't you please consider what we talked about earlier?" She asked him.

I was intrigued now; they must have talked about me while I was 'out'. There was no way I could walk away now.

"I don't think military school is right for her Carmelita. She's just trying to have a life. She was probably out with her friends."

"Fly doesn't have any friends!" It was difficult to imagine the exact looks on each of my parents' faces but I think I got the basic idea. Mum would be upset and angry; dad would be showing no emotion whatsoever. "She's never had friends, the other kids don't like her."

I left the conversation after that, I didn't need to hear the rest of the conversation to know how it ended this time. It's not like this conversation hasn't happened before, I knew how it would end.

Mum would say "It's not miliary school, its police school."

Dad would say "It doesn't matter; it wouldn't do her any good."

Mum would argue "It would make me feel better."

Dad would tell her "This isn't your life it's Fly's."

Mum would get angry and say "I brought her into this world and I should have a say in how she's brought up."

The conversation would usually end after that, usually with doors slamming and my parents not talking to each other the next morning. Life goes on.

If they knew what I got up to while I was out though, things might be a different story. I don't know how I ended up this way, with both my parents being cops, but I love the nightlife. Mainly I love the way the darkness hides me when I make my getaway. I am a thief, a very small time thief but a thief none the less. I guess it started out with all the stories my parents told me as a kid. All my dad's stories anyway. He always told me about 'The Master Thief' who never had a name. He got to travel all over the world, doing whatever he wanted whenever he wanted with his gang- again unnamed. One night, around a year ago after a particularly exciting story about the biggest heist The Master Thief had ever pulled off. Where he had to fight off this crazed guy called Doctor M who used to work with the thief's father I snuck out of my room late at night and broke into the local store.

It had been difficult but I had managed not to get caught, barely. It was addictive and every few nights after that I would sneak out and hit another place. All small but good for getting me off my feet. I learnt some valuable skills, all self-taught, along the way. Now, a year later, I can walk along tightropes, climb poles, land on pointed objects, crawl through most tight spaces and leap across roves. It all seemed so natural at the time, like I was meant to do this kind of stuff.

But the small jobs are becoming boring, too easy. So I'm planning something big. Something that can make or break me in only a few days. That's why I've been getting caught so much; I've been sneaking out every night rather than every third to get in as much practice as I could for the big job. In three days the museum of natural history will be getting in a shipment of priceless Egyptian treasures. I don't need them, but this will test my skills more than anything I've attempted before, and my mother always says I need to try and better myself.

That's why I don't have friends, I don't need them. A thief doesn't have friends. The Master Thief did, but he's just a story, a figment of my father's imagination. It's too risky for a real thief to have friends. Mind you a real thief doesn't get caught either, I may need to work on that.

There was a sudden knock on my door and my thoughts were interrupted. I don't know why parents even bother knocking on your door; they just let themselves in anyway. I wasn't the least bit surprised when my dad walked in.

"Hey kid, how's it going." I shrugged dismissively. "You gonna tell me what you were doing out at two in the morning?" I shook my head. "Right… you don't like making this easy for me do you?"

"Mum treats me like a baby, I'm thirteen and I can't even go out to parties or anything." I complained.

"That might make a more persuading argument if you actually were invited to parties."

"I might get invited to more parties if I were allowed out more."

My dad shook his head. "We're more alike than you realise you know?" He told me.

"Oh yeah? How?"

"Well…" he paused for a second, he does that a lot when we have these little talks. "I don't really like making friends either."

"Was The Master Thief good friends with his gang? Or did he just use them to get what he wanted?" I asked.

"No, The Master Thief was very good friends with his gang, they were like his family, because he didn't have any."

"Because they were killed when he was a child by a gang of ruthless killers right?" I continued excitedly.

"Right…" He said softly staring into space as if he were remembering something. "Get some sleep, you still have school tomorrow."

"Dad?" I asked as he was about to leave.

"Yes?"

"If The Master Thief and his gang had a name what would it be?"

He sighed. "Use your imagination."

"Fly." I said once he had left and I was about to go to sleep. "The Master Thief's name is Fly."

Okay, it's not the most exciting first chapter, but all the cool thief stuff is coming I promise. Now I don't like wasting my time so unless I get a few reviews I won't put anything new up. Sorry. R&R

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