Libra Princesses

“Thanatos? You stole Thanatos?”

I thought the high-pitched scream was in my dream for a second, but the violent shake that followed woke me up. Standing next to my comfy California King was my sister glaring down at me. She was dressed in a nice blouse, and the Louis Vuitton messenger bag still on her shoulder told me she was fresh out of class. In her hands, she was also holding a book. I rubbed my eyes and stretched big before sitting up.

The sun shone through the blinds in my bedroom, and when I checked the clock, I saw it read nine in the morning. I would have kicked her if my legs weren’t tangled in the sheets. Rest was something my body needed with the days I’d been having, especially since information about the robbery at the professor’s manor had hit the news. I could have killed Banks for making us so hot. I didn’t know what he was thinking about killing that guard, and I had to make sure Kelz talked to him about that. None of us could afford to go to jail. I rolled my eyes at my sister, wishing she would just leave and let me go back to sleep.

“What?” I asked in an annoyed tone.

“You heard me. You stole the only piece of King Romulus’s trio that anyone has found,” Nori shouted and pointed at something in the book she was holding.

I realized it wasn’t just any book. It was our family’s journal. Much of what I’d learned about the world’s hidden treasures had come from it. I saw she was pointing at a page dedicated to Romulus and his trio of death. Our great-great-great-grandfather had come face-to-face with the sword many years ago and had documented it. It was how I’d been able to track it down in the first place. I was able to trace every place it had been. Ironically, it ended up in California, making my job easier. I’d done the same for the other two pieces. Knowing I’d used our journal for personal gain and greed, I almost couldn’t look Nori in the eye. Almost.

“You’re wrong. I found the armor and crown as well.”

“You what?”

“I found them and sold them. So?”

“So? So? Nadi, what are you doing? We weren’t given this book to go—to go find its contents like some sort of treasure hunters. We’re supposed to add to it—not take from it.”

“And why not?” I asked, throwing off my covers. I would need some water first if I were about to get into a shouting match with her. She followed me out of my bedroom and into our condo’s kitchen. “Do you know how valuable the things are in that book? I don’t see anything wrong with finding a few and selling them to people who will appreciate them.”

“Wow. I was only speculating, but you’re really using our family’s legacy to make a few dollars? I knew . . . I knew you were finding things somehow, but this? This is fucking crazy. And you know it.”

Blah, blah, blah, blah, I thought. I opened the fridge and was about to grab a water bottle when I saw the expression on Nori’s face. I was going to need something stronger. I grabbed a bottle of wine and poured it into a glass. Nori and I were two pieces to the same puzzle, but somehow, we couldn’t be more different. After I downed the wine, I turned back to my sister and shrugged my shoulders.

“All these years, we could have been rolling in riches.”

“It’s not right.”

“Well, maybe if Dad would have done what I’m doing, he’d still be alive today,” I snapped harshly. “He wouldn’t have needed to work a security job and wouldn’t have been murdered. He should’ve been . . . He should’ve been smarter.”

“Don’t . . .” She paused and jabbed a finger in my direction. “Don’t you talk about him like that.”

“I’m just telling the truth. I loved him as much as you did; still do. But I won’t make the same mistakes. Do you know why I dropped out of college? Because there is no better teacher than experience. While your nose is in the books reading about adventures, I actually have them.”

My words silenced her just like I knew they would. I put down the glass and made to go to the bathroom to shower. I let her have the master bedroom because I knew I wouldn’t be there as much as she would. However, we shared the bathroom. I noticed a jacket on one of the island bar stools on my exit. It was too big to belong to Nori, and it was orange—burnt orange. I stopped in my tracks and turned back to face her.

“Nori, how did you find out about Thanatos?”

My question seemed to catch her off guard. But she caught herself quickly. She stood up straight and closed the journal in her hands.

“Professor Berkley was distraught during our lecture today,” she said smoothly. “He said he’d acquired a rare relic, Thanatos, and had planned to gift it to a fine arts museum here in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, however, it was stolen before he could do that.”

“Uh-huh,” I said, taking another glance at the jacket.

There was a slim chance that the jacket could belong to someone else. However, I couldn’t think of anyone else who would wear something so tacky. What had the professor been doing in our condo? I didn’t want to think of my sister as a traitor, but she didn’t exactly hide the fact that she wasn’t happy with me using the journal. I needed to find out more. But until then, I definitely needed to take a shower.

“Nadi?” Nori’s voice sounded, and I stopped in my tracks.

“This journal was a gift to both of us, but if this is how you’re going to use it, then I won’t let you have it anymore.”

Her words were filled with authority. Sometimes, I felt that she took the fact that she was two weeks older to heart. So, I smiled right before my tongue turned into a needle.

“I guess it’s good that I made a copy then,” I said, popping her bubble.

Her eyes grew wide before turning into a glare. Satisfied, I once again tried to make my leave. However, she stopped me again.

“A guard was murdered at the professor’s manor the night of the robbery. You’re getting sloppy.”