Dead Men Don't Tell Secrets

[THEBIRD]

Whoa. Suspenseful. And as to the part at the beginning, I wouldn't mind. Also, is this Solon talking? Or someone we don't know?

Suspense is what I was going for. As for who is talking, you'll have to wait to find out. The narrator's voice follows throughout the fic, so you will probably notice who it is by Chapter 1  :D.

An epic second part of the prologue... good job, explaining the emotions and the senses there! ;D Oh, and I'm sure no one would mind their character being put in... I wouldn't, at least. XD

The prologue foreshadows an ongoing theme for the story, so hopefully you still like it when it keeps coming back :P. I have most of the fic planned out, and I probably will be taking a lot more of the epic RPG ideas then I thought. But, if I want to add any of your characters in, I'll PM you guys for permission first, of course.

Chapter 1 should come soon. It's written up, but I want to re-read and adjust. And I also want to keep you guys waiting, so... XP.

[THEBIRD]

Chapter One: The Crest

?My earliest full memory... That thieving group I used to lead. They would have followed me to the ends of the Earth as long as I promised them gold and riches. I didn?t feel that close to them, not like the crew I grew to love later on in my life. No, I was young when I started that gang, sixteen at the least. My blonde hair was unkept and messy, and I never took of my sunglasses, then again, I still don?t. They really do compliment my face. I guess I still wear jeans, a white T-shirt with that black coat still, too. Some things never change.

?I remember clearly why I started that gang, as well. My uncle had run out on me, left me without any food, money, or with the skills I would need to survive. Then again, I did seem to get on just fine. I learned how to steal, I can?t remember if that is a trait he taught me or not. Either way, I used that quality to my fullest. People started asking for lessons, other orphans like I. It became a nightly ritual, we?d all go out and steal something. I became known as the leader. That is how my tight-knit gang came to be. Even to this day, I remember the funny little name we called ourselves. It made us feel stronger to have a name for our gang. The Crestians.

?I thought I was close to that crew of mine, but I know now what closeness truly is. I was not willing to die for any of them. But then again, I was young and foolish. Of course... There was one that I did like. Amy. That blonde hair the color of the sun, amber eyes that showed her fiery passion. What I wouldn?t give just to see her one last time... At least I can remember her how she was, remember the good times we shared. The vision seems to get sharper with each thought about it. Yes, it was a cool autumn night, we had just gotten back from a raid, as they had come to be called. The full moon, it was so beautiful...?

Piercing blue eyes cut through the night sky, unseen under his sunglasses. His stare fell on a girl, crouching in front of a building by him curiously. The figure took a hand and ruffled his blonde hair, still watching the girl. A mischievous grin appeared on his face as he slung a bulging brown bag over his shoulder and stood up.

?Are you just going to stand there, or can we go already?? he asked, adjusting his shades.

?Hold on! My socks are uncomfortable in these shoes,? Amy complained. Solon sighed and kicked some of the dirt from the ground at her.

?You do realize we could get caught? All because you had to fix your shoes?? he reminded her impatiently. She huffed and stood up, blowing some hair out of her eyes.

?Alright, let?s go!? she exclaimed, grabbing onto his hand and dragging him away from the crime scene.  ?I doubt anyone?s going to follow us. They won?t know the place?s been broken into for quite a while.?

?Better safe then sorry.?

?Oh come on, Solon! If we lived by that motto then we wouldn?t be doing this at all,? Amy replied. ?Quite the crap.?

?Not true,? Solon disagreed. ?This is safe for me. Sorry would be starved in my abandoned home or stuck in an orphanage.?

?I?m sorry,? Amy apologized, giving his arm a comforting rub. ?Do you want to talk about what happened??

?No,? he replied gruffly. ?The past is past.?

Amy decided it?d be best to change the subject, ?The guys are going to be so excited when they see what we?ve gotten!? There was a sudden skip in her step. ?Come on, if we hurry they?ll still be up waiting for us!? Solon shook his head, smiling.

?Are you crazy? The moon will be setting soon! They?re long gone.?

?Alright... Then, what do you want to do??

?Watch the sunrise with me.? It wasn?t meant as a demand, though he didn?t say it as a question. Amy smiled and nodded. He took her hand in his and brought out his grappling hook. Gently, he pulled them both up the building nearest to them for a better view. Amy was shivering slightly, so Solon took off his black overcoat and wrapped it around her. Together they sat down, leaning against the side of the building, and watched the moon as it slowly became the sun.

?I spent many more sunrises with Amy on little missions I made up to hang out with her alone. I didn?t get serious with her until the next summer. Before, we had just called it ?Friendly Tension?, but I knew it was more by that next year. I was seventeen, half-way to eighteen by then. I had never been seriously in love before, the whole thing was a new experience to me.

?But I was experienced in much more. I had become a highly skilled thief, known across the world as The Crest. It is ironic how my name and the Crescent Gem name are so close. Maybe it is because we are both from Crescent Island, so we inherited names that sound like our own hometown. You don?t know of the Crescent Gem? I?m not ready to speak of it. Not just yet...?

[Dr.Hobo2]

Cool, you're going to start this now, eh? I remember reading the first part of the prologue and then...you just didn't post anymore...until now that is. ;)

[THEBIRD]

Yeah, I tried making a 1st chapter, but I couldn't get it the way I wanted. Then I forgot, but I was re-inspired by the end of the RP. So, it's back.

Chapter Two: My Dead Nobody

?Ah, my memories catch up to me so fast... As I aged, I began looking into my parent?s death. Before I had been to caught up in surviving that I didn?t even spare them a second glance. Maybe I didn?t think about them because I was afraid to cry, and I did not want to look weak. How easy it is to admit to now... As death draws nearer. I was eighteen when I started looking for them. It was on my birthday, January 21st. Winter had frozen most of the water to get to the crescent-shaped cove a mile out from the island. I called it Crescent Cove, and often went there with Amy to fool around after a job.

It was midnight, the morning of my birthday. The waning moon glistened in the sky. Amy and I had just settled down together after skating over the ice glazed section of the cove. I was never a good skater, but she danced across the ice as if she had wings of an angel. We had just settled down, leaning against a tree in the cove. The light of the moon always hit Amy so beautifully at night. It was like every night spent with her was magic...?

?Happy birthday, Solon.?

?Thanks, Amy. I?m lucky to be sharing it with you.? He kissed her gently, thinking of how true that statement was. Amy blushed and giggled. ?Amy... I?ve been thinking... About my parents a lot lately. And what you told me.?

?Solon... You don?t have to do any of that. It?s no big deal, and if you don?t want to??

?I do, though,? Solon cut in. ?I think it?d be good if I finally faced it all and found out what happened to them. I?ve been pretending like they don?t exist... And that?s not right.? Amy smiled and nodded her agreement.

?I?m glad you think that way.?

?We should get going,? Solon said, getting up and holding a hand to help Amy up. ?I want to start finding info on my parent?s today. You?ll help, right??

?Of course I?ll help!? Amy exclaimed, taking his hand. ?I?ve already got so many ideas of where we could start searching! In fact I have a binder back home with color coded info that I?ve already stacked up on all the places that would have info on that! I mean, I don?t know the exact birth dates of your parents but I?m sure some of the places will have info and we could easily hack into some of the other systems to figure it all out! This is going to be so much fun! Our first big project together!? Solon had almost forgot how much of an organize-freak Amy tended to be, and he had stopped listening half-way through what she was saying.

?Hm? Oh, yeah! This will be a blast!? he exclaimed only half-heartedly. ?Dear god, what have I done?? Amy grabbed Solon?s hand and dragged him off to begin their search.

***

?It was a few days later before we found anything helpful. Amy kept me up night after night, and not for the usual fun reasons, but instead to research more and more on my parents. I don?t even think I wanted to find out about them as much as she did. Either way, I stuck it out and looked for info on my parents. Maybe the reason I wasn?t make a big deal about it was that I was trying to keep my cool. I was afraid of making a big deal about finding my parents, then finding out they were cruel, horrible people. That would have broken me.

?The first piece of info we found was on January 24th, a cold, snowy day, ?a perfect day to be in the library?, as Amy said. That first piece of info was a big lead. It sparked the adventure that only a little kid could ever dream up. And it gave me the boost I needed to start getting serious about my Parent Search. But, I?m getting ahead of myself...?

?Solon, I think I?ve found something!? Amy called out excitedly. ?Yes, yes! I?ve found it!?

?Eureka! This isn?t like the time you thought that stripper page had info on my mum, is it?? Solon sighed, feigning excitement.

?Oh, shut up! Anyone easily could have mistook the names for Danielle Swoon instead of Danielle Sween!?

?I told you, my mum?s name wasn?t Danielle! It was Marie. Daniel was my pop?s name.? Amy rolled her eyes and sighed.

?Whatever, just look at this please.? Solon came closer and looked at the screen. Looking back at him was a picture of his parents, and some others.

?That?s Jehovah! Jehovah, my uncle who ran out on me!? he gasped, pointing at the man with the long brown beard and crazy hair.

?Tell me I?ve done good.?

?You?ve done good!? Solon admitted. ?Where?s the picture taken?? They were standing in front of rolling hills that led up to a mountain farther away, not at a place in Crescent Island that Solon had ever seen.

?Hm... The subtitle says this was taken in Nimbuslus Land,? Amy informed. ?And it gives the names of all the people in the picture. Daniel Swoon, Marie Swoon, Jehovah Donahue, Emily Vancouver, Harry Vancouver, Russell Coake, Gerald Gagman and Jenny Gagman.?

?This is a firm lead. We could figure out where those others live and get info on my parent?s from them!? Solon exclaimed, a big smile on his face. ?Man Amy, great job! What else is on that site??

Amy smiled and listed some more things off of the site, ?Well, it says which of the people from the picture are alive and which are dead. It seems that Russell Coake died and... Jehovah Donahue passed away as well...? Solon raised an eyebrow, his smile dropping.

?What, when?? he asked, feeling his throat close. ?I shouldn?t be sad about this... He was the bastard who left me... But...?

?It says here he died... That?s strange...? Amy stopped.

?What?? Solon read over her shoulder and finished what she was about to say. ?He died almost sixteen years ago!??

?But Solon, he had been taking care of you all those years, hadn?t he?? Amy asked, a frightful look on her face. ?Could it be that it wasn?t him??

?No, no... It?s the same guy. He looks just like that picture!? Solon pointed at the picture on the computer screen. ?I know he never died... He took care of me all those years...?

?Well, it?s quite easy to put on a disguise... And you were young, so...?

?It?s the same darn guy!? Solon shouted back, getting angry. ?As Jehovah?s witness, it was him!? Amy decided not to tell Solon he wasn?t a Jehovah?s Witness and just nodded with what he was saying.

?Okay, same guy... But, why does it say he died around the time you were two?? she asked. Solon just shrugged.

?Easy mistake. Maybe they meant a different person or something... Look, let?s just figure out where these people live.? Amy sighed but nodded and looked back at the screen.

?The Vancouvers? live in Emit and the Gagman live in Nimbuslus Land,? Amy read off the screen.

?Finally, a firm lead... We should run some research on them, see how helpful they?ll be to us before beginning our search for them,? Solon decided. ?But I think we should take a break for now.?

Amy smiled and replied with, ?Alright, Solon. Tomorrow we?re getting back to research, though!? Solon rolled his eyes and laughed.

?Fine, whatever you say, boss.?

[Triforce_Luigi]

Hey, isn't Amy one of the characters who never really caught on in the RP? Hm...

Oh, well. Good chapter, and I presume it's Solon telling the story at the beginning.