~Aiden~

A H,    A I D E N    R O G E R S.    Where to start with this guy?

Let's start in the city. March 5th. You are standing on the busy, crowded street of West Avenue. People are clamoring about. Your hands are full of shopping bags from your day out. Now, the lights are shining brighter than they have all day. Restruants are crowded with people. Cars are honking and distant music is playing. You've no idea what's about to happen.

Even if you were in the city on the night of March 5th, you still would have missed it. Even if you were  strolling  down the bustling West Avenue, you probably would have missed it. Even if you were standing inside the building, you would have missed it.

Most of the people missed it, but you can't really blame them. It all happened too fast.

A figure was running across the building of West Avenue. One moment they are there, the next second they're gone.

Aiden Rogers climbed right into the window of the jewelry store. He heard the burgular alarm go off as soon as it slid shut, and he knew he didn't have much time.

Opening the small bag he held in his hands, he grabbed whatever he could find off some random shelf. Voices were talking outside, and police sirens sounded in the background. Just a normal day in the city.

Thump. The sound of the police knocking on the door.

Most people probably wouldn't even notice something had gone wrong. Everyday they heard police sirens. And even if something happened, what was the big deal? There was always something dangerous going on in the city.

Thump. One step closer to getting caught.

Aiden had to lean over to snatch a particularly shiny watch, but his mask almost fell off in the process. He let go of the watch to readjust his mask. He could never get caught, ever. There were worse things than not getting that shiny gold watch.

Thump. And the police were in. A swarm of men came flowing in, guns aimed. Aiden shut the top of his bag closed, and in one swift move, was already out the window, the demanding voices of the policemen behind him.

Aiden landed on the roof of a neighboring building and ran for his life, his bag swinging wildly behind him. But Aiden didn't care if anything fell out. He just had to get back to his family. He ran as fast as he could go, the wind picking up speed behind him. Cops shouted and sirens wailed in the distance.

And suddenly, Aiden came to a halt. The row of buildings had ended, leaving him to either turn back around or jump. Aiden looked at the street below him. Cars were honking. People were talking. Music played through the streets. Lights illuminated the city in the dark.

Aiden's choices weren't good. The cops were catching up to him now. He couldn't turn back, so he looked down at the street again. People were milling about, walking with friends or eating with their families. Some guy had painted himself silver and was collecting money from people. Some girl was standing in the alley behind the mall, frantically checking her reflection in one of the shops, maybe Forever 21.

"HEY YOU!" Aiden whipped around at the noise. He was surrounded by police.

"Don't move." Another one said. "You are under arrest for shoplifting and thievery. Drop your weapons, hand over the stolen goods, take off your hood, and put your hands up."

"Okay fine." Aiden grinned, not a least bit bothered by this. "I'll take off my hood."  he said, taking off his hood, only to reveal the mask underneath. "I'll hand over a stolen item." he took out some penny he found on the street, and chucked it on the ground, which landed at the feet of the cop.

The police moved forwards, but Aiden was quicker. "I'll drop my weapon." he said, and with that, he pulled out a grenade from his pocket and tossed it on the floor. Half the cops advanced, while the others scattered. Aiden smiled.

"And don't worry, I haven't forgotten to put my hands up."

And with that, Aiden Rogers did the stupidest thing he had ever done (which was saying something). He jumped off the building, throwing his hands up and whooping, making sure his bag was tightly secured around him.

He had left just in time, too, seeing as the cops had fired their guns at the exact place he was a moment before. As he jumped to safety, the building exploded behind him, thanks to his grenade.

The wind picked him up and carried him over to the roof of the building next door. Aiden grimaced. He hated the wind.

But Aiden was grateful he hadn't crashed to the pavement below him and ended up being squashed like a bug. He didn't know how he managed to jump far enough to make it to the roof of the next building, but he had a little help from the wind. He readjusted his bag over his shoulder and got up.

The girl he had seen in the alley, checking her reflection earlier, was gone now. But the guy in silver was still there. So were hundreds of others. Anyone could be a witness for the robbery.

More police sirens. Aiden figured he'd better run. So without looking back, he ran.

***

Aiden slipped through the open window of his apartment soon enough. He was just closing the window behind him as his younger sister, Clara, walked in.

"You'd better get cleaned up. Mom wouldn't like it if she knew you were stealing again." she muttered, smirking at him.

"Oh shut up Clara. I've got enough money for both us and the Johnsons next door to last three weeks each. Besides, at least I didn't get caught or anything." Aiden said, pushing past her and walking to their room.

Clara just rolled her eyes, so Aiden left her and took a shower. He hid his mask and clothes, shoved his bag of jewelry inside his dresser, and came back downstairs, where his mother was making dinner.

"...and the Vigilante causing trouble, as usual. In other news, two men have been found dead in a basement of the little house down on Zehl Alley. Police are still trying to figure out who the culprit is, but they think it is Old Farmer Henry from the countryside." the news reporter's voice filled the kitchen when he walked in, and he saw his mother making dinner as Clara and their two little twin sisters, Wendy and Winnie, set the table.

Wait for it. Aiden thought as he continued to listen to the radio on the tiny counter. And soon enough, he got what he was waiting for.

"There's been another shoplifting incident in the city today, folks. The no-good criminal stole thirty of the jewelry store's valuable items, climbed through the window, and ran away. When six police finally tracked him down and cornered him, he mocked and laughed at them. Then he threw a grenade at them, and jumped off the building. We remind everyone that this man is a lunatic, and we are doing everything we can to stop him." 

Aiden's mother tsk-tsked when she heard this, and Aiden went over to set the plates down by Clara and the girls. Clara glared at him.

"Really, Aiden?" she hissed. "A grenade? You could have gotten yourself into serious trouble!" they both turned around to make sure their mother couldn't hear, but she was listening to the radio. 

"But I didn't, Clare." he said, flashing her a winning smile and calling her the nickname he made for her. "No one knows it was me."

"Whatever. Here, ma, let me get that for you." she huffed and walked towards her mother, helping her carry a tray of food over to the table.

Aiden sat down and played with Wendy and Winnie until dinner was ready, making them laugh and giggle.

"What's that, Aiden?" his mother asked suddenly, her voice hard. Aiden followed her gaze.

Something shiny had fallen out of his pocket. Aiden bent down quickly to pick it up and slipped it back inside, though he was sure his mother already knew what it was.

Aiden looked at his mother. He couldn't bring himself to lie to her, not after what happened last time. Luckily, Clara came to the rescue.

"Oh, it was nothing, ma. Aiden just dropped his blue pen." she said, waving it off. But her look said, you need to be more careful. Then she led her mother away from the kitchen. Wendy and Winnie ran off to play.

Aiden scowled after her, but she was right. He needed to be more careful. If his mother found out he was stealing again - he shuddered at the thought. Let's just say, that would not be good.

He pulled out the object from his pocket. It was a necklace - saffire blue, to be exact. Attached to it was a heart-shaped pendant. Aiden wasn't looking closely at it - he was trying to figure out what to to with it.

Suddenly, Aiden got an idea. He grabbed a scrap of paper and scribbled an anonymous note: From an admirer. He placed the note at the step of his front door with the necklace. Then he grabbed his bag, mask, and jacket. 

Aiden was going on another adventure.