19. Cuties

"Just 20 dollars!" Zhang Wei sighed, feeling defeated. he and his brother were huddled in an alley checking the wallet they just picked from a dude.

"Well, you should be able to atleast buy 2 weeks worth of rice with that money right?" Someone pointed out.

"Hmmn." the two kids nodded in unison just to jump in surprise realizing that there is someone else with them.

"Big sister!" Relief washed over them "Sister Katarina, you shouldn't butt in other people's conversation like that. Don't you know it's rude?" Zhang Yi Jie exclaimed.

She laughed and playfully spank them on their butts. "You picked someone's pocket again?" she asked a rhetorical question, not really mad.

She showed them the paperbag she's holding and casually sat on a pile of fruit crates that was dump on the side of the alley and made a makeshift table, unpacked the lunch she cooked for them and watched on her periphery as they eagerly approached her. She felt a tug in her heart looking at their excited face, if only she could bring them home.

Katarina met them when her dance crew toured around the towns of Red Meadow City, she was one of these kids' victims. She ran after them when they snatched her bag and that's how she discovered their unfortunate situation, Katarina didn't know what came over her but instead of reprimanding them right away she had this urge to follow them instead when she noticed that the boys went to the pharmacy right after stealing her belongings out of all places.

The boys lived with their sickly mother and a younger sister who is barely five years old, their father had left them to fend for themselves. She could still remember the fear on their faces when they realized that she followed them home and begged her to not surrender them to the social service, afraid that they would get separated from each other and leaving their ill mother alone at home.

She ended up giving in, the boys returned her belongings but several days after the encounter she still can't forget them. Her conscience is eating her up, she just can't turn a blind eye about the family's situation. She's no mother Theresa and her family is not that well off but she can't just not do nothing about it so she decided to pull out her rent deposit and moved back in with her parents for the time being, she went back to the Zhang family with the money and brought the kid's mom to the hospital.

Luckily it was a treatable illness, it just so happened that they could not afford the treatment and the mother is not really well educated and didn't know she could seek help from the government agencies so she accompanied her to ask for assistance, filling out the forms for her and waiting on long queues with her. Eventually mother Zhang got better and was able to get a part time job to support the kids but there are times that her condition relapses hence the kids still picking pockets sometimes.

"I went to your house and your mom told me you haven't been attending school again?"

The kids bowed their heads, focusing on eating the food she brought. Looking guilty and cute at the same time.

She sighed "Didn't I tell you the story of Robin Hood, stealing is never good but bandits can be noble with principles too."

Zhang Wei nodded like a pecking chicken "Yes sister Katarina, we don't steal from the poor, the students and the elderly anymore!" he proudly stated and Katarina didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

She knew she shouldn't let them do this anymore but despite her incessant plea the older brother said he can't let her give them all her money anymore and refused to take the allowance she wanted to send them every month, the only time he reluctantly accepted her help was when their mother's condition relapsed and had to be sent to the hospital again.

So all she can do is try her best to support them in any way that she can, making sure that they still have a sense of morality and most importantly keep them safe. The last thing they needed is another judgmental adult, Katarina knows it sounds hypocritical but she's torn as well, she can't let the Zhang family fall apart. So she painstakingly endure long bus rides every week to check on them and let them eat atleast one hearty meal every week.

"Hmm, I appreciate you taking into consideration my opinion. I see that you're also dressed well. " She said smiling sweetly and gently caressing their heads.

"It actually works, when we don't look shabby people stopped giving us suspicious look making it easier to pick pockets. We don't have to snatch our way around anymore, we could just stealthily take it with ease." Zhang Yi Jie gave his objective feedback about her suggestion like a boss making Katarina want to bang her head on the wall for giving them pointers on how to successfully steal without catching attention, she had seen it in the news before. Bandits dressing up like gentlemen catching their victims off guard and the kids effectively putting it in practice.

'Lord forgive me, I just can't imagine them getting hurt if they get caught.' It will certainly break her heart.

"Hmmn, as long as it keeps you safe. So about school?"

"We'll go back to school, we promise!" Zhang Wei also promised on his brother's behalf leaving the latter no choice but to commit as well.

"That's great! We can't be bandits forever, can we?" She stood up and started packing the empty containers "Come, let me walk you home and little Fei is asking me to teach her new dance routine again so I decided to stay longer with you today."

---

It was already night time when she walked out of the Zhang's family home, it's located in a slum area. But more than her fear of the bad guys lurking around is her fear for the kids, She felt frustrated knowing she can't do more.

As she walks around the dimly lit neighborhood, Katarina noticed a faint shadow following her. She could feel her heart in her throat as she turned to a corner to check if he is really following her and it turned out he really is. His shadow is still lingering next to hers and the next second, the worst case scenario that she anticipated really did happen. She felt a hand held her shoulder and like what Leona had advised her, she didn't had any second thoughts and acted right away.

Feeling jittery, she positioned her body the way Leona taught her. Pulled his arm, breaking his balance in the proccess and had him on a one hand shoulder throw while screaming due to anxiety at the same time.

"KYAAAAH"