Midnight Thoughts ~ Shadow & Bone

1

faceclaim for Levi is Andrew Garfield btw  😜

Age 15

Growing up in the Little Palace meant that I got used to people knowing who I was. And along with that came knowing how to get out of that spotlight.

The experience I got in the two areas came in extremely useful in Ketterdam.

I wasn't even there for a year before my name became known. Not my old name, not my father's; I had made sure to get rid of that when I left Os Alta. My name.

Karlin Kaye. The Panther.

I wasn't particularly fond of that nickname, but it served its purpose well. It was a name people would whisper in dark corners when they thought no one would hear. Unbeknownst to them, I heard everything.

Like the animal they named me after.

Many well-known names in the Barrel were associated with different gangs. They had allies, they had territory.

I had no one.

There were a few street rats I had come across that would help me out every now and then. They would bring me information when they heard, and I would give them food and a safe place if they ever found themselves in need of one. But we weren't a gang.

People often thought that because I had no allies, no one to protect me, they could swindle me. Cheat me, con me. They quickly realized that this wasn't the case. No one realized that I had been raised by one of the most lying, manipulative men in the world.

Sometimes when they realized they weren't going to be able to get anything more out of me then they deserved, men tried to force it out of me. This occasionally consisted of threats, but considering I had nothing and no one important to me, this was the bare minimum and never succeeded.

The other strategy people would go for was to try and take care of me themselves. Whether it be revenge for a slight sabotage they had traced back to me or simply annoyed men being men, it was safe to say my life itself had been threatened many times since I had come to Kerch.

Anyone who chose that approach would be found dead under mysterious circumstances a few days later.

But my time in the shadows that I grew to call my home gained attention. And soon I was brought into the light and thrown into what at the time I thought was a mess.

Only later would I begin to call it fate.

🝯

Sunlight was not something I liked seeing. And in Ketterdam, it was not something I saw often. So you can imagine my distaste when I was approached about a deal that would take place by the harbor, one of the only places anywhere close to the Barrel where sunlight was common.

In the early hours of the morning, just after the sun rose, I gritted my teeth as I stared across the water. The light reflecting off of the small waves caused the light to be nearly blinding to anyone, but especially to me.

Light was not my friend. Even as a child I knew that.

"What did that water ever do to you?" I smirked but didn't look toward the voice. I didn't need to. I knew exactly who was standing behind me.

"Morning, Levi," I greeted. I heard the boy chuckle and turned to him. His brown eyes held a mischievous glint, as usual, and he was smiling fondly.

"Karlin." He reached up, pretending to tip a hat that wasn't there. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"What do you have for me today, Lev?" He ran a hand through his hair and walked up to stand on the edge of the pier with me.

"It's not really information, per se." I frowned and looked up at him. "But you might get some regardless." He sighed. "The Bastard wants to see you." I rolled my eyes.

"Of course he does," I muttered. "Did he tell you what about?" He shook his head.

"Just something about the Panther of the Barrel learning her way around town." I sighed and turned to leave the harbor, anxiously awaiting the dark, gloomy streets I heavily preferred. Levi raced after me.

"Wait," he said, "you aren't actually going to meet with him, are you?" I sighed.

"If I wait any longer, it'll look like fear, Lev," I told him. "Regardless of what it actually is, if I don't want people coming after me more than they already are, I'd say it's about time I met Dirtyhands." He sighed and nodded.

"Wait, but if it's not fear that's kept you away from him, then what is it?" I stopped walking and turned to face him.

"The same reason I've never met Pekka Rollins or Tante Heleen." I smirked. "The people who work for them are much easier to manipulate." He chuckled.

"Like me." His smile faltered, and he furrowed his brows. "Wait... you've never done that to me, right?" I ticked my head to the side before turning and walking away, the boy immediately running after me. "Right??"

🝯

I had been to the Crow Club before.

No one ever knew it was me, as not many people ever actually saw me other than informants like Levi, who I trusted. But the easiest way to scope out places for possible allies–or enemies–was to blend in with the people that regularly attended.

During these visits, I had met a few of the Crows. They were decent people–or as decent as you could get in the Barrel. And one of them just happened to be watching the door when me and Levi arrived.

"Morning, Lev," the tall Zemini boy greeted. He glanced down at me. "I thought the boss sent you to look for the Panther." I smirked and crossed my arms.

"What?" I asked. "Am I not enough for you?" He did a double take and frowned.

"Wait, but you- You've been here before!" I grinned and faked a curtsey.

"Karlin Kaye, at your service." Levi sighed and looked up at him.

"Do you mind taking her to Kaz?" he asked. "He scares me in the mornings." The taller boy groaned.

"Really?" he asked. "Why do I have to do it?"

"I went and found her, it's only fair." I leaned back on the wall, thoroughly amused. The Zemini sighed and looked down at me before glaring at Levi.

"Fine," he said. "But you owe me a round at Makker's Wheel." Levi held his hands up in surrender and nodded. The other boy looked down at me and motioned into the club. "Come on," he said. He led me through the bustling club and up the back staircase, and I looked around as we entered a part of the club I had never seen.

At the top of the stairs, there was a door at the end of the hall. It was closed, but I could see a sliver of light streaming under it. The boy knocked twice on the heavy wood before pushing it open.

I could see another room through a partially obscured archway, but in this room, there was a desk to the side. And sitting at that desk was a boy who couldn't be much older than me but whose name I had heard whispered in hushed tones similar to mine. A name that instilled fear into the hearts of any smart person who heard it, regardless of which name it was.

The Bastard of the Barrel.

Dirtyhands.

Kaz Brekker.