The Sunlight and The Serpent

To say that I was nervous would have been an understatement. This was my first time doing anything like this. Well, at least trying it on a real person. I remember the day so vividly. The sun was shining, and I kept reaching up to wipe the sweat off my face with my sleeve. I sat on the edge of the fountain at a crowded park that afternoon, a park whose name I can't quite recall. I sat, fidgeting around with the cuffs of my blouse, casting glances at one of the girls sitting on the benches.

She was much older than I was at the time, probably in her early twenties. Other than her age, I remember the two features I'd noticed right away were her long, shiny brown hair, and the neutral, emotionless expression she wore on her face. I'd looked her over from top to bottom, taking note of the beaded bracelet and matching earrings that offered a contrast against her milky skin. I can't recall much about the rest of her outfit, it wasn't anything special, probably, but I clearly recall that her plain, black bag was next to her, and slung over her shoulder so it couldn't be stolen. The book she was reading, some sort of paperback novel, distracted her; or, at least, I had lied to myself about that one detail at the time.

Every once in a while I would stand, head towards the girl… and veer off course, sitting down somewhere else, continuing to fight my internal debate.

I didn't like that it had to be this lady. Despite her pretty features, her face had creases in it like she was worried, like she was suspecting at any moment to be mugged in broad daylight or something. I noticed every once in a while the woman's gaze would lift up from her book, dart around, and then was reabsorbed into the page; she was completely paranoid, completely on edge, and not for one moment letting her guard down.

Getting close to her wasn't going to be easy, unless I somehow obtained an invisibility cloak out of thin air. Then again, she was definitely chosen as the target precisely because it wouldn't be easy. I've learned in life that tests were never intended to be easy, and if they were, whoever was administering the test was sending you a subtle message that they believed you were a moron.

I wiped the sweat again, took a deep breath again, and stood from my seat at the edge of the fountain. I was determined this time.

I walked forward.

Then I turned to the left and sat down on a patch of grass, poking at the weeds.

Would my mother be proud if she saw me sitting here, debating over whether or not to steal something?

I frowned at the weed. That inner thought had surfaced all on it's own, and it hit a painful chord. Failures were looked down upon in my family, treated worse than animals to be led to slaughter.

I knew for a fact my mother would be disappointed, and if I lost…

After a few minutes of this internal struggle, a side finally won. I stood with a new resolve, took another breath, and stuck firmly to the decision that would shape the rest of my life.

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I'm cheating on you with an older man because he's paying me.

I'm jealous of you even though I'm congratulating you.

She usually kept her head down for these reasons.

I wish you would drop dead and die painfully.

I'm going to beat my son when we get home.

She tried to focus on her novel, which her grandmother had loaned to her, claiming that it was "one of the classics that all young ladies should read".  The kind old woman had encouraged her by claiming that if she enjoyed reading modern romance novels so much, then why not read the classic ones?

After fifteen pages the girl had determined the reason was because the "classics" were boring and drawn too far out. Despite her grandmother's raving about the book, Jane Austen wasn't really her cup of tea, and she quickly found herself becoming more bored with each word. With a sigh, she closed the book and looked up.

She instantly regretted meeting eyes with someone walking past.

I'm thinking about how if I'd caught you in an alleyway at night, I would take your arms—

She diverted her eyes away from the man's face. Some things were better if people kept them to themselves.

After calming herself, she looked up again.

I'm a cheat— I'm only friends with you for your money and— I want to steal your boyfriend— I hate the dress you're wearing. It's too— I think the guy standing on the corner is kind of— I'm imagining pushing you down a flight of stairs—

She cringed, but forced herself to look around. This was just something she'd have to get used to and deal with, after all. She couldn't be anti-social for her entire life just because of this power.

This "gift".

What a load of crap; being forced to see someone's secret thoughts when you looked at their face was no gift. All she ever saw was what people decided they would never say aloud, and most of the time those thoughts were, of course, kept private with good reason.

Some things were better if people kept to themselves.

I'm still debating over how I'm going to steal from you.

She almost couldn't believe she saw that in the corner of her eye, especially since it looked so close, and quickly whipped her head to the right, startling the girl who had just sat down about a foot away from her on the bench.

The girl looked young, probably not even older than 12, so she reasoned there was a low chance the girl could've been a pickpocket. Her neatly brushed hair was styled into a braid that rested on her shoulder, and her new-looking long-sleeved blouse and skirt told the young woman that the girl probably wasn't homeless…

So why was that her secret?

I think I've been found out, but I can't back away or I lose, so I'll just pretend to mind my own business.

The young woman realized she'd been staring at the girl too long, seeing the new inner thought before the girl's confused expression registered in her mind. The girl tried very hard to avoid the woman's gaze by staring at the fountain, but the mind reader knew that she was still being watched.

The woman looked down at her lap and pursed her lips, thinking about what she should do. She often questioned whether or not she should act on whatever her power had shown her.

All the time people were hiding the truth, carrying the burdens of their lies with them for days, months, and some until they died. This power had only shown her how terrible people could be. For a while she'd thought there was nothing to do that could change anyone, and she'd even questioned whether or not to help people out of the holes they so frequently dug themselves into, but her intuition told her there was something different about the young girl sitting next to her, who had been coaxed into stealing something because of a bet, she assumed. She wasn't even sure exactly what the girl was after, but the voice of optimism in her head was telling her that this was a good chance, a good place to start on the long list of people in the world who needed to change their lying hearts. She could start by helping someone who hadn't morphed into a terrible, unchangeable, dishonest adult yet.

She took the chance.

"Hi, my name is Aria," the woman said with a smile, turning to the young girl to introduce herself. She stuck out her right hand, and carefully protected her purse with the other, just in case.

That startled the young girl again, and Aria noticed the girl's eyes weren't looking at her directly, but scanning her face, as if she was trying to figure out what Aria was thinking. The girl just stared for another moment, and then tentatively she reached out, and silently clasping the woman's hand, shaking it for only a couple of seconds before quickly withdrawing her arm back to her side.

I feel a little scared because I think you might be a crazy person.

"My name is Aria," she repeated, ignoring the thought, "What's your name?"

After a moment of silence and continued indirect staring, the girl looked at her as if she'd only just understood the question. She nodded her head slowly in acknowledgement before speaking in a quiet soprano voice, "…Mira."

Aria shook her head. "Mira, listen, I know what you're trying to do, and let me just tell you, friends who ask you to steal aren't really your friends."

I don't understand…

As if to reiterate the statement, Mira stared at her blankly, almost as if Aria was speaking a completely different language.

Aria looked away, toward some of the birds bathing in the shallow part of the fountain. She tried to rephrase what she was saying. "I mean, listen, I know your friends told you to take something from me. I'm good at telling that kind of thing, believe me. But people who tell you to do things that make you uncomfortable like that aren't really your friends. And it's not worth over winning or losing some bet," she paused, leaving some time for the statements to sink in, "I mean, think about it! You could get into huge trouble. Would the people who asked you to steal even care if that happened?"

Mira looked stared off into the distance, appearing to be deep in thought. Aria kept her gaze focused on the girl. About a minute passed before Mira looked back at her, smiled, and nodded.

Knowing there are people like you in this world makes me feel better.

Aria felt a twinge of happiness. She'd never thought she'd been that great of a motivational speaker, but maybe she was wrong. Maybe she could change the world for the better using this power. Being able to set someone straight for the first time really motivated her, and she imagined the voice of optimism in her head dancing around in celebration.

Her newfound friend stood up, and looked at Aria, straight in the eyes, for only a moment. The girl's private thought resonated in both of their minds, and then she spun on her heel, walking away with a slight smile playing on her lips. Aria stared at the girl's back as she grew blurred from the distance between them, before eventually disappearing across the street.

Knowing there's people like you—

I know I'm better than you. God, you're such a—

I hope she doesn't know I'm the one who—

I wish—

Aria cringed again and looked back down at her lap, fiddling around with her fingers. She'd try to help everyone, one at a time. Eventually she might be able to make an impact, as the strange, one-sided conversation with Mira convinced her…

Or at least that's what she was thinking before she noticed her bracelet was gone.

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I recall that I casually strolled into the abandoned building where I had been instructed to go after I was done. I wanted to stop and take something to snack on, but I knew I was still being monitored, so I didn't. I imagine I must've appeared vastly overconfident, strolling into the structure with a smug look of self-satisfaction. The clothing illusion I'd conjured to blend in had started to fade, and I had returned to my normal outfit consisting of all black, with the end of my new cloak flaring out behind me. A man appeared from the shadows suddenly, but despite the black hood covering the upper half of his face I still knew his identity. If it hadn't been for the seriousness of the moment, I might've made a comment about that.

"Teacher, I have completed what you have requested," I said, consciously trying to keep my voice level and professional as I spoke.  I slowly opened my hand, displaying the beads from the girl's bracelet and the cut string, the concealed blade under the edge of my shirtsleeve slightly visible from the angle I held out my arm. I'd been careful enough to cut the string without the girl noticing, and even to catch all of the beads without anyone seeing. It had been tough, but somehow I had kept my nervousness in check.

My teacher took the broken bracelet from my hand, inspecting the beads briefly before tossing them aside. He'd selected a random target, so the beads really weren't worth anything, just part of the challenge. "My congratulations to you, my beloved apprentice… Mirage my dear, you have done a fine job."

I hated being called Mirage, but that was one of the few moments I didn't automatically respond with "it's Mira", because I knew what was about to happen next, and I felt like the excitement getting ready to boil over and gush out like a newly active volcano.

In a flash of smoke a silver signet ring with a snake symbol appeared in his hand. He paused for a moment before bowing his head and holding it out for me to take.

"I suppose you are no longer my apprentice, however. Upon successful completion of the final portion of this exam, I present you with your certification, showing that you are an official guild member," I saw the corners of his lips lift into a proud smile, "Wonderful display, though shaky at first. Still, you can return home and boast about being the youngest member to pass all the test stages on your first try."

First try or not, the kind of deceptive performance I put on was almost instant admittance to the Thief Guild of Serpent-Tongue. It took skill to steal from a target while they were staring at your face, though it wasn't until much later I'd realized how much skill, and luck, it involved, especially with that particular girl.

But for the moment, it really made me feel better that there were people out there so easy to fool…

I took the ring and bowed respectfully to my former teacher before slipping the ring onto my left ring finger.

It was a perfect fit.

"I was pretty nervous at first, I guess," I admitted as I admired the way the sunlight filtering in from the holes in the roof was reflecting off my new ring, "Foolish woman probably hasn't even figured out I don't know the language of this realm," I added, rather arrogantly, placing my hands on my hips with my chin up, standing proudly.

My companion let out a soft chuckle and shook his head at my behavior. "Still, you didn't need to tell her your real name."

I shrugged. "Not like she'll ever catch me. I'll probably never meet her again anyway, so I figured, why not?"
He shrugged too, conceding to my point.

"Shall we head back?" he said, holding out his hands in preparation for the dimension-sliding spell back to our world. I nodded enthusiastically, taking his hands in mine. I couldn't wait to get home and let my family know of my success; mother would be so proud.