*One shots (multi fandom)

Au-ish (Mare's POV)

 So thanks to the encouragement of  @ringler123 , @Natthefantastic , @kittylovy , and @Starzrose I am writing this hoping that it has no mistakes.

Mare stalked after her older brother, fingers at the ready.

You wouldn't notice her approach at first glance. Bree was with his at-the-moment girlfriend, charming her with a witty comment and a wink.

Nasty, she thought. She would never fall for a boy's charms. And if that were to happen, Shade could knock some sense into her.

Her tiny fingers grasped whatever was in Bree's pocket, and pulled it out quickly. A bracelet, worth of more value than the nickels in her little bag. Not bad for an eight year old, she thought, and turned the other way before Bree reached for the missing trinket in his pants' pocket.

...

Mare felt proud of her second item stolen. So she decides to take her chances, and snatched a few loaves of bread from thin, gangly teens. Kilorn needs his strength if he wants to pick another fight.

As she thinks this, her mind wanders to back then. One year ago, she met the skinny boy under her house, crying until he saw her. He lunged at her, noticing the bit of food in her hand. At first she resisted, fighting back, but afterwards took pity and fed him for the next few days, turning into weeks and months. Some might say he was a friend. More like a poor fool that got lucky enough to find someone to give him his meals.

"Here you go, Kilorn," Mare sighs, giving him half of her food.

"Where did you get the money?" He asks, ripping through the loaf of bread, mouth full.

"I don't need money. Just my hands." Mare smirks.

...

They're in his house, and Mare sits on a worn chair, watching as Kilorn plays the violin. The song played was screechy, but they both didn't mind. Music was a luxury they could only afford in poor quality.

"You sound good. For a dummy, you sound good."

Kilorn scoffs. "You can't read, so go suck a sock."

Mare raises a brow at the poor insult. "I bet I can play an instrument better than you."

"Can you even get one?" Kilorn puts the violin down and wriggles his fingers to get some feeling back in them.

"I bet you your violin that I can steal one." Mare says smugly.

"Deal. But just because you're good at stealing bracelets and pennies, that doesn't mean you can pull off big stunts."

Mare stands as if she's getting ready for another fight. "Watch me."

...

"Bree, Tramy, I need your help."

"Mare? Why is your eye purple?" Bree rushes towards his sister and inspects the bruise.

"I'll be fine, I just need your help." She pushes his hands away.

"With what?"

"Who made your tap shoes? And can he make instruments too?" She gets straight to the point.

Bree furrows his brow. "Why?"

"I'm just asking."

"Oh. You thought you could steal a pair of shoes like you stole my girlfriend's bracelet?" He crosses his arms as Mare grinned. But unlike herself, Bree did not see her little theft as an accomplishment. "No, I need an instrument."

"Well, his brother makes instruments, like the violin your friend has. But I'm not helping you steal an instrument."

"I'll get you a better bracelet for your new girlfriend."

Bree doesn't hesitate. "Deal."

...

"So what instrument do you want?" Bree asks as they stroll through the muddy streets.

Mare looks over her choices. She wanted something to be proud of stealing, not just another woman's bracelet.

"How about that one?" Mare points to a bass, strings looking old and rusty.

"No. Not the huge violin."

"Hmm. What about that one?" Mare addresses a piano—she knew the name, and was proud of that.

"No. You're an eight-year-old girl, and that piano looks too heavy for you to carry."

Mare pouts. "I'm strong! I can carry a piano!"

Bree snorts. "I doubt you can carry that thing with your nonexistent muscles."

She punches his arm, and even for a bony fist, it hurt.

...

It was night, and Mare decided to try and get the piano herself since Bree was out. Doing what, she didn't know.

She walked the streets with a quick pace, doing her best to be quiet since the road was particularly muddy. I can do this, she thinks. I am Mare Barrow, a small girl about to do what no one has ever done before.

She thought about a theme song for herself when she reached the desired place. There was the piano, out under a hastily built shed.

Mare walked around it, focusing on a way to move it out.

Eventually she just pushed it, finding it easier than expected to move it. Content and determined, she pushed it out of the shed and onto the street.

...

Three hours later, Mare was beginning to tire from the exertion and lack of sleep. Almost there, she keeps telling herself, seeing Kilorn's house.

...

It was dawn, and Mare managed to push the instrument under Kilorn's house.

"Finally," she whispered, and collapsed beside it.

When Kilorn emerged from his house and climbed down the steps, he shrieked in bewilderment. "WHAT have you DONE?!?"

Mare lifted her head, and smiled. "I got the piano. Can I have your violin now?"

"Ah—" he opened his mouth and closed it, resembling a fish. "You can have it," he squeaked.

...

The man was upset to know that a little girl managed to steal such a huge instrument right under his nose, but when he heard the notes that flowed from her fingers, he smiled.

"Someday, you'll be in a better place, and your children can learn to play like you." He says, a sad smile in his features.

Mare scoffed at the idea of having children—she was only eight—let alone be in a peaceful place without the impending death. "Yeah, right."

They had no idea how right he was.

I so hope that I've done to your satisfaction, faithful reader.

Also, I take prompts for the The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, hush, hush, The Slayer Chronicles, The Mortal Instruments, Divergent, Hunger Games, Magisterium series, Percy Jackson series, Heroes of Olympus, Trials of Apollo, and The Fault in Our Stars. (I think I have the entire list. I'll add more when I finish The Infernal Devices) 

This is the third writer typing, and have a good day.🙂