THE SNATCH September 28, 2513

Night fell upon Persephone. It was very late and Matthew never did return to the shop. Matthew was not worried about pissing off Marcus. He had other plans. Standing in the alley, he waited to make his move. After what seemed like hours, Matthew emerged from the shadows and made his way over to the back door of the dojo.

From his bag, he took out his lock pick. To his surprise, the door opened without a fight. Matthew stalked into the dojo, using the complete darkness as his cover. He made no sound at all when he walked. Breathing was an afterthought. Sweat dripped from his furrowed brow. He wiped his face with the sleeve of his already damp shirt.

In complete darkness, Matthew reached out and felt for the wall. Using it as his guide, he followed it around a corner and into another darkened room. After he walked a few paces, his foot accidentally bumped a door. “Shi,” he whispered. After a long pause, he felt around for the doorknob. Matthew put his hand on the cold metal hoping that what he had come to retrieve was on the other side of the door.

The door creaked only once. Again, Matthew paused. He crept inside, leaving the door slightly ajar so he could make a clean getaway. A small lamp in the on position sat on a cluttered desk, casting orange shadows in the small dusty room. She lay there sleeping, unaware of the ominous intruder in her sad little room. Matthew made his way toward the sleeping beauty. He hovered over Rae for a moment, listening to her breath. He watched as her chest expanded in and out. He wondered for a moment if he should take something else from her besides the necklace. Matthew extended his left arm, and traced his hand over the sleeping woman’s cleavage. No time. Get in, get out. He snapped his hand back. She did not even stir.

Using what light he had in the room, he leaned over and touched the stone laying in the center of Rae’s chest. He wondered for a moment how to remove it. Rip it off right quick and flee, or cut it slowly from her slender neck so as to not wake her. He decided he would cut it off. After all, the stone was the important thing, not the necklace itself. Matthew looked around the room for anything that would cut the band off. He did not want to make a ruckus. He saw a pair of rusty scissors handle side up inside a grubby coffee mug on the desk next to the lamp. He grabbed them and made his way back over to Rae.

Slowly . . . carefully . . . quietly . . . he cut the band around her neck. Just before he could slide the necklace completely from her neck, she stirred. Shocked, she opened her eyes and quickly clasped her left hand around the wrist of the intruder. She stared for a moment at the stranger standing over her holding scissors in one hand, and her necklace in the other. It took her another split second to realize who the intruder was.