Laughter rang across the park. A large stage imposed on the gazebo. My part was over. Only my brother Peck's puppet was needed. I crawled to the back and, completely unseen, lurked in the depths of our audience.

The Mothers were well off. Bejeweled and clad in business attire. Plus bulky, heavy purses so woefully unguarded.

Groping in the haphazardly open bags I pulled out cell phones, jewelry, wallets, spare bills, and one especially expensive coin purse. Despite that Peck's beanie still sat on the front steps prodding for donations.

He continued to charm the audience prying open more purses and bags. It was almost like he wanted to rub the theft in their noses.

I sat outside so we wouldn't be seen together. I balled myself up so the bulges in my coat and person weren't so obvious.

No one paid me any mind. Hopefully I'd become just another bum.

"Ready?" my brother asked, offering a hand. I took it and we walked away in silence.

"Home now right?" I asked daring to hope. "I mean we don't have to sell every little thing, we already got a good haul from what they were happy to give us."

The beanie, now held like a sack, was stuffed full to burst with bills and coins. "Jimmy how expensive do you figure Dad's treatments are? Too much for Mom to pay for, and what about the stack of bills huh?"

He plowed on before I could form an argument. "Besides if we can do something to help we should. You said that once didn't you? That's what we're doing, besides Mom pretty much has her own side hustle."

Why'd he always have to be so good at that? Always an answer for everything.

"the people we steal from could have problems too," I pointed out, "being rich doesn't automatically make you happy and who says they deserve what we do? What if it were you?"

"Money doesn't make you happy, but it pays unhappiness to stay away," Peck said, quoting himself. "They have plenty so what's a few bucks and doo dads that can be easily replaced?"

We were in a skeazy part of town. Any sane person would speed walk through. Not to mention avoid staring at the loons. Not Peck, he searched the faces for his shady business partner.

"Hey Peck," greeted the young man with a smirk. Out of reflex I clung close to my brother. "Got anything good?"

"Gee I dunno, come on Jimmy," Peck said nudging me. I glared at the pair, sinching my jacket firmly closed for business.

"Jimmy don't be difficult," Peck insisted with a nervous chuckle.

"Yes Jimmy do what your brother says," the young man agreed in an off-putting tone. Reluctantly I emptied my pockets.

Each item was inspected with a pretend seasoned eye. He didn't seem to find much interest in any of it. Except the coin purse.

With a whistle he marveled at the item. "This is nice," he said.

"Thanks though we went through a lot of work to get it," Peck put in.

"I'm sure," the man responded with a glance at me.

Out of his black bag he produced a crystal white willow patterned teapot. We were both in awe even if I guessed at how he got it.

Peck was deep in thought. "I dunno what else have you got?" he asked.

"Why not just run?" I asked only to be ignored. It was Peck's turn to inspect some stolen items. From the cache he selected baseball cards lovingly wrapped in bubble wrap.

"These and the pot," Peck decided.

At first he refused but with a little haggling Peck got all three items for the purse and a cell phone.

Our next stop was a pawn shop, a just as shady business, where Peck turned our haul into cash. The owner an intimidating fat man with bush of a beard, was a tough customer.

Peck once again used me to great effect.

"Okay, okay," Peck said, feigning surrender, "I guess we could see if the police is interested in knowing you buy stolen goods."

"Who would believe you over me?" the proprietor scoffed.

"No one, but wouldn't you believe this cute face," Peck crooned showing me off.

On cue I asked, full of innocence, "Why do you do bad things?"

I held his eyes for a few long seconds. Finally he growled, "fine! Four fifty for the lot."

"Pleasure doing business," Peck chirped.

At two in the afternoon our house was empty. Aunt Clara didn't come to make lunch for another half hour.

That gave Peck time to count our loot. Without a word I left my brother to it.

"Hey!" Peck exclaimed, stopping me. "You deserve a reward, candy store on me tomorrow?"

"Sounds good," I mumbled.

My trash overflowed with uneaten sweets. Food in general didn't agree with me lately while cookies and candies turned my stomach.

Aunt Clara came right on time. Her perky voice travelled down the hall. Soon she was calling for me.

Clara smothered me in a hug, gushing about how handsome I was getting. Just like my Father.

An honest, content man. Someone who wore flannel more often than not and had only one suit for his work. Yet, he worked in the cutthroat world of real-estate in one of the more ruthless firms. Those superiors had pretended he just didn't meet their sales standards when he was really fired for not being sly, for not edging his clients towards anything less than their dream home.

Then he had gotten sick. All of those savings that could have kept the family comfortable was sucked into treatments. Still, Dan Wicket had raised two honest, straight-laced men. that's what mattered.

So what would he say if he found out about our business?

"Done," I said, interrupting Peck and Aunt Clara's lively conversation. Probably about some movie.

"You haven't touched your spinach," Clara noticed.

True. All I had managed were a few rabbit bites before feeling nauseous.

"It's just-- I filled up on ice cream," I lied.

My Aunt turned on my brother.

Peck was stammering for an answer. I took the chance to leave but not before putting my plate in the fridge.

Alone in my room my phone pinged. J.J Singer. My girl crazy best friend and celeb encyclopedia.

'Major news. There's a true blue Princess in town!' the text read. With it was two photos; one of a redhead in jeans and a light blue blouse and the other of an ebony haired girl in a poofy, periwinkle dress.

'Got me. Which is which?' I replied. Still I felt like I had seen Miss Poofy Gown.

'Both!' J.J followed with at least eight grinning emojis.

'Oh yeah a princess is chewing on a chili dog and I'm a Duke.'

'Really it's Livianna,' J.J insisted.

Having a name to the face it came together. Just to be sure I checked my favorite video.

Princess Livianna addressed a crowd of ten thousand in her overblown periwinkle gown. Not the best outfit for a TED Talk.

Her topic was gender equality. She had a clear passion about the subject focusing on what she had dubbed; "The Princess Fallacy."

Except the Princess devolved into bashing TV princesses and in a more posh, sly way calling men in general pigs. Still I admired her. Livianna did have a way with words that could stir a frenzy in an audience and more fire than I could ever dream of. More cash too.

As promised Peck treated me to my choice of sweets from Deb's Delights.

The owner was actually named Alec. Though his grammy Deb had taught him the ins and outs of candy making.

For twenty minutes I tried to decide between the cheapest candies. All the while thinking of times Peck had swiped pieces of heart and hard work. Sure, more often than not they had ended up as gestures for Dad but I still felt sick at keeping that secret.

"I'm just not feeling it today," I told Peck.

Leaving the shop he asked me, "what's wrong bro?"

I tried to get him to drop it knowing he wouldn't understand.

"Come on Jimmy that's what I'm here for," Peck insisted.

"I know but really it's nothing," Jimmy said. 'Nothing you won't try to muddle,' he added in his head.

"If you can't share with me then who can you share with?" he asked. "I know keeping secrets feels bad but at least we've gotten closer. At least... I had hoped."

"Fine, there's no winning with you," I muttered bitterly.

Peck gave me his full attention. "How is this so easy for you?" I asked not looking Peck in the eyes.

"Oh this again," he realized. "I told you we do a not right thing for a selfless reason that's--"

"Karmically neutral," we both said.

"So," I started fidgeting a bit, "you don't like it?"

It was unsettling to watch him think about it. "Gives me a rush but, nah, I wouldn't be in this long term," he said to my relief.

"Great. When can we stop?" I asked.

"Again I've told you when Dad gets better," he reminded me.

Dad would be home one day. We all wanted to believe that. We needed to. Even when my Father was so drugged he could barely acknowledge his sons.

To me he got paler every visit. We left the hospital in pretty low spirits. Mom still dabbed her eyes.

After four days incognito Princess Livianna had been outed, her picture plastered all over the news.

Since the news broke Jerry blew up my phone like mad.

Either he texted blurry candids of possible sightings, lookalikes or other fans having a laugh, bits of her schedule, links to all sorts of tabloids, and his own kinda creepy fantasies for her. I tried my best to temper his crazy. Not easy to do. Poor idiot. What would it be like to be so ridiculous? Jimmy had to wonder, annoying as it was to witness. Jerry was happy. His friend had no worry in the world.

Didn't hate any of his thoughts or any of the things he did.

Jimmy didn't judge, didn't say a word about the subject really, since they were just thoughts. Just thoughts.

I was still low-key interested enough to peruse said pictures and articles. What was a princess doing here?

Of all the articles and news stories such a question had only vague answers. Hardly one at all. The King and Queen were overprotective, and their strong willed daughter would have none of it. She wanted a taste of the real world.

Still life went on. Peck and I did our shows, traded and pawned valuables, and moved our Mom to happy tears when the money covered the bills.

I should have been happy. Everyone around me was, and I helped make that happen. I had done wrong. I let Peck do wrong.

I wanted out. Peck promised a way out. "'When Dad gets better.'"

When he got better, so we wouldn't have to scrape money together for treatments. That was the real issue.

If we pawned off something valuable enough we could pay off Dad's treatments easy.

Something came to mind. In one of Livianna's photos was a hidden pearl necklace with a sapphire sparkle figure.

Except it was so wrong. I'd be slammed with grand theft, to a princess no less.

All the same Peck's arguments rang true. Livianna was plenty rich, not without problems, but money wouldn't solve them while money was critical for us. My aim wasn't selfish. Saving a life certainly balanced out with nicking a piece of jewelry, right?

My musings morphed into a plan. With time I'd learn her schedule and get her alone or find some way to get the escorts off her. Then distract her or otherwise find a way to explain away being near the necklace's clasp.

As I did I went deeper into myself. I don't know why I didn't tell Peck. It wasn't like he'd talk me out of it.

Then the day arrived. Livianna had been sighted just ten minutes ago going to the public pool. With a quick goodbye I raced out of the house, boxers hidden under my shirt.

The pool resembled a raging beach party. Every inch was full of people eating, laughing, swimming, and splashing and having a good time. That is, except for one lone pool.

Around its perimeter was a wall of what I had to assume were servants. Sure, they were dressed normally enough, if not still a little too put-together for the pool, except they stood in a way that conveyed constant high alert and suspicion of anyone who wandered within their claimed territory. The girl almost blended with the water in her blue one piece. Clearly her heart wasn't in swimming as she just let the flow take her.

I definitely wouldn't be either in her shoes.

Moving on I entered the locker room. I had already stashed my own clothes in a random locker in the boys ones. Now at worst I was just some peeper.

Still, I decided that was better than the presence of two tall, able-bodied men standing guard over their princess' locker.

Alright this was my chance. Ducking out of sight I gave myself a little distance before barreling towards the two escorts. "Help! Help! Someone's drowning!" I cried frantically.

"Lifeguard's outside," the one on the left said barely reacting. I restrained my disgust. Surely he just thought I was joking. Or did he really not care? Well whatever.

No he's off duty," I said thinking fast.

"Someone else could--"

"She has this blue one piece swimsuit on-- not that I looked too closely anyway-- yuck, but her guardians or whatever must be distracted," I plowed on.

Pushing me aside both went running. I had two, maybe two and a half minutes.