The young teenage boy calmly walked throughout the jewelry shop, eyeing the flashy jewels, rings, and necklaces. The shop’s customers and employees would think that he would be buying a trinket or two for his mother or girlfriend, but this boy’s intention was completely different.

“I need to get something that is small but expensive,” Alfonso thought.
There was a group of people by a massive jewel near the door. This was the perfect chance to steal something. The group of people would block any guard’s view, allowing Alfonso to slip a nearby ring into his pocket and walk out of the door like nothing bad happened. It would take a few minutes for anyone to realize that something was missing, but by that time, Alfonso would be long gone. He walked toward the ring, checked if anyone was looking, and with a swift movement of his hand, snatched the ring and put it into his pocket. He calmly walked out of the shop, trying not to express his excitement.
“This ring is worth a month’s supply of food!!!” he muttered.
A sudden scream shocked him out of his daydreams of stuffing himself full with delicious meats, pies, and cakes. The jeweler had noticed that the ring was missing! The shop’s guards were searching everyone in the market square. Alfonso ran out of the square and into the busy streets of Venice.
Someone shouted, “Stop!!!” but Alfonso kept running.
He turned to look back and saw the some guards running after him. Alfonso sprinted along the pathway, shoving people aside left and right. He ducked into a nearby alley and scrambled over a wall. He risked a peek and saw the guards running past the alley. He was safe!

Alfonso’s group of  “rogues” were waiting for him. They were in his hideout, a cavern Alfonso had discovered under the hill while exploring. The hideout was located on the outskirts of Venice, under a dirt hill. There was a secret entrance on the side of the hill, well disguised with all sorts of dirt and vegetation to blend in with the hill. It was filled with many “rooms”, just enough for everyone to live happily. There was a massive main cavern for meals, sub-caverns for living quarters, with a slightly bigger one for Alfonso. The most impressive part, however, was in the farthest reaches of the cavern. It was about the size of an average house and filled with all the treasures Alfonso and his group stole. The cavern was more likely to be in a king’s treasure room than in a group of orphans’ hideout. There were 5 kids in Alfonso’s group, Antonio, Dante, Enzo, Ariana, and Isabella. Antonio was 12, a creative boy, always making things with his clever hands. Dante was 10 and loved to help Alfonso and was a great mathematician. Enzo was 13 and was a silent boy. He was skilled in moving unseen and it seemed like he could “bend” light to his will to cloak him in shadows. However, he was good spying, often necessary before Alfonso or anyone else went to steal something. Ariana and Isabella were both also 13, skilled in martial arts, and made sure that the boys didn’t mess with them. Alfonso often put them on lookout duty, since they both had keen eyesight. For a group of children, they were a great team and always helped each other out. The trapdoor creaked open, and a tall boy creeped in. He had blondish hair that was curved to the side and he strode into the main room fearlessly and with swag. Alfonso was back!!!

All the children crowded around Alfonso, eager to see what he had stolen. Alfonso whipped out the ring. It was a golden ring, studded with diamonds and a massive ruby on top, inlaid in a circlet of emerald.
“It’s worth millions!!!” Enzo said in excitement. “We’re going to eat like kings!!!”
“It’s gonna supply us for months,” said Alfonso.
The children cheered.
“Enzo, Ariana, go sell this to the dealer,” Alfonso ordered. “You know what to do.”
Ariana was the kid who sold all the things to Jocaine, the antiques dealer. She had an excellent seller’s face, often haggling Jocaine for the highest price, and usually succeeded. She had managed to get Jocaine to buy a silver spoon for 100,000 coins, even though Alfonso knew it was worth about 500 coins. Enzo came along just to make sure Ariana stayed safe. It would be suspicious to see a lone girl walking along the streets, but with someone with her, know one would give the pair a second glance. Enzo and Ariana entered Jocaine’s shop with the bell on the door jingling softly, notifying Jocaine. He greeted them with ease, as they were his usual customers.
“Well, what do you have today?” asked Jocaine. “A small trinket it seemed likes, since I don’t see anything big.”
Ariana took out the ring and gave it to Jocaine. He eyed it with his little piggy eyes and they grew to the size of golf balls.
“This is worth millions!” he exclaimed. “How much are you selling it for? Any price is fine, I must have this ring!”
“10 million coins,” answered Ariana. “10 million, no more, no less.”
“Outrageous!” Jocaine cried, his face turning red. “This ring is only worth about 7 million.”
Ariana kept a stony face and Enzo crossed his arms. He wished Jocaine to hurry up and make the deal. Alfonso would worry if they were gone for too long. It seemed like hours after Jocaine finally agreed to pay 10 million coins for the ring although he kept muttering, “Outrageous, just outrageous.” Enzo took the money and stuffed it into a small bag that he had brought along. Alfonso would decide what to buy, with the other children’s consent of course.

The money was running out after 5 months and 24 days, exactly as Dante had calculated after hours of sitting in a corner with a pen and paper, scribbling equations down or talking himself. Alfonso was thinking about his death of his parents and many family friends…
It was a happy party during the night, everyone was gathered at the living room, talking or eating. Alfonso was outside, looking at the geese in the fountain.
“I love my life.” Alfonso thought, reclining in a plush chair.
As he was walking back, he saw a man clothed entirely in black, creeping toward his father’s mansion. It was probably one of the guards in a routine walk. But then the man threw something into the window, and his house went up in flames. Alfonso wasn’t walking now, he was running, shouting his mother and father’s names, hoping that they were safe. He then saw favorite servant, Dizion, was staggering toward him, blood all over his face.
“Run, young master, get away from this place. Your father’s enemies are here,” he managed to gasp before he fell dead at Alfonso’s feet. Then Alfonso remembered, his father telling him to be careful, and never sending him anywhere far without guards accompanying him. He remembered the strange man with a mustache, who once tried to stab his father at a dinner party, only to be saved by another servant, who leaped in front of him just in time. He ran away, tears clouding his eyes, and memories whirling around in his head. Alfonso ran fast, but soon collapsed in the soft grass, exhausted, and cried himself to sleep...
He was shaken out of his thoughts when Isabella and Ariana ran up to him and shouted, “The police are here! They’ve got Antonio!”

Dante was drifting off to sleep when he heard the terrible news of Antonio’s capture. He jumped out of his comfy bed and ran to join the others, who were in the main room. Everyone was going hysterical.
“Stop!!!” Alfonso shouted. “I have a plan! Since Enzo is the best at sneaking around unseen, he will first go and find out where the police are keeping Antonio. He will then come back, get what he needs to rescue Antonio, and then bring him back.”

Enzo followed the guards through the forest leaping from tree to tree. The guards would think it would just be a squirrel or some other animal, not a boy who was stalking them. Still, Enzo was careful, and very silent.
“The guards make so much noise they could wake the dead.” Enzo thought.
He followed the guards for hours, then finally saw them enter a magnificent heavily armed castle, with guards patrolling along the walls with armed ballistae at every corner. It was nigh impenetrable, the fort could hold hundred of guards. There was something that he always saw though, an emblem that all the soldiers wore. It was also on the castle walls and on the castle’s flag. There was a spear in the middle with two swords crossing each other behind it. The emblem was entwined with a ferocious snake. It looked terrifying to Enzo. He focused on the castle walls. They were tall and thick with barely any hand holds. Trying to sneak in and out was like trying to get turtles to fly. Alfonso would have to find another way. He ran back to the hideout, his light footsteps swishing along the forest floor. He left no trace of his footsteps. The forest was silent. He got back to the hideout safely and reported his findings.
Alfonso knew the emblem, it was his father’s enemies’ emblem. The strange man that tried to murder his father wore it too. He knew the castle too, since he had been there many times, exploring it. It was a ruined castle, but his enemies had rebuilt it and made it strong. It was useless to try rescuing Antonio if he was in that castle.
Ariana came running in and reported, “There is a man on the hill. He seems to be trying a flying machine. I think it’s Leonardo Da Vinci!”
“Leonardo Da Vinci?!” Alfonso exclaimed. “This is wonderful!”
He had just remembered that his father once told him that Leonardo Da Vinci was an old loyal family friend and could help him.
“Everyone stays here until I get back,” Alfonso ordered.
Alfonso bounded out of the hideout and ran straight toward the flying machine. The man turned and his eyes widened.
“I thought you were dead!” Leonardo said.

“You young man, have a lot of explaining to do!” said the guard to Antonio.
Antonio was chained to the wall, half starved and extremely thirsty.
“Give me some water and then I’ll talk,” bargained Antonio.
The guard gave him a long drink and started asking questions.
“Where are you from? What were you doing out there by the hill all alone? Why did you run when you saw us?” demanded the guard.
Antonio fibbed the answers, trying to make the answers sound convincing.
The guard left the room and shut the iron door with a bang. Antonio exhaled, Alfonso and the orphans were safe. Just him in trouble. A sudden marching of boots disturbed him from his thinking. A dozen soldiers filed into his room and took up positions along the wall. A man with fine armor and a blood-red cloak walked in.
“Who are you?” asked Antonio.
“My name is not important, however yours, young boy is. I can just tell you that I am the leader of this group, and I am skilled in telling if people are lying or not. And I don’t like it when people lie to me. So, let’s begin. What is your name? Why exactly are you out here by yourself with no adult to watch you? This is awfully suspicious to me.”
“This guy is bluffing,” Antonio thought. “There is no way he can tell if a person is lying or not.”
So Antonio began lying, careful to make the lies the exact lies that he told the guard before.
“You are lying,” the man said, and pulled out a thin dagger. “Let’s see what happens after this goes somewhere… IN you!”
“Ok, ok!!!” Antonio screamed out loud. “I’ll tell you the truth. I’m part of a group of orphans hiding in the hill near the place I was. The leader is a boy named Alfonso Giovanni and he steals things. We trade in the things he steals and we get money. With the money, we buy food to keep us alive…”
“Alfonso Giovanni, eh,” the man muttered. “Tell me more about this hideout.”
“The entrance is in the side of the hill. It is a small trapdoor which is well disguised. You will never find it!. Only I and the other orphans know where it is.”
“Well, you are going to show us where it is… or die!” said the man. He removed Antonio his chains and dragged him out the door. A group of soldiers followed, all armed to the teeth. They marched to the place where they had captured Antonio and shoved him forward.
“Show me where it is.” ordered the man.
Antonio ran to the trapdoor and pulled it open. The man and his soldiers stayed back.
“Here it is,” Antonio shouted.
The man walked forward and grabbed Antonio into a headlock. He whipped out his knife and slashed it at Antonio. Antonio screamed once, then was silent.

Everyone heard Antonio’s scream. Alfonso ordered everyone to pack everything they needed, spare money, clothing, food, and rolled it up in a blanket. The group of orphans ran out of the hideout as fast as they could. Alfonso grabbed a knife from his pack and threw it at the man. It hit square in his forehead and he went down. The soldiers were too stunned to react. Everyone ran toward Leonardo Da Vinci’s waiting carriage, leaped in, and they were off. Ariana and Isabella were crying, knowing that Antonio was gone forever. Dante, didn’t understand, and kept asking Alfonso why Antonio wasn’t coming with them. After what seemed like hours, they reached Leonardo’s house. He ushered them inside, spoke a few quick words to Alfonso, then ran off.
When Leonardo came back, everyone jumped to their feet.
“I have arranged passage for you to a place that all of you will be safe for the rest of your lives. Come quickly, for he is ready to leave.” Leonardo said.
He led them to another carriage and introduced them to a man named Zion. 
“Come, come, we have little time before our enemies attack us. We are going to Switzerland!”

The journey was harsh and cold. The group traveled for 5 days, crossing mountains, plains, and forests. Zion was a good leader, knew how to keep the group happy and healthy. When they finally reached Switzerland, Zion pulled out a whistle and blew a short rhythm. A group of soldiers appeared and escorted the group to a mountain. The captain of the soldiers pulled a secret lever, and a massive pathway opened into the mountain. Alfonso and the others were quickly ushered in. They walked for a few minutes, and reached the main room. There were many soldiers and people walking around, but in the back of the room, seated on two high chairs, were two very familiar people that Alfonso knew.

Alfonso studied them for a moment, then concluded. He ran toward the two people pushing past everyone and slipping under the soldiers who blocked his way.
“Mother! Father!” he cried, and leapt into their outstretched arms. The reunited family hugged for a long time, enjoying each other's embrace.
Alfonso’s father stood and exclaimed, “My son, Alfonso Giovanni, is alive. He survived for 6 years all by himself. Let us have a feast to honor this great reunion!”  
This feast was long and happy. Everyone was joyful and spirited. Alfonso was reunited with his family, and “his” orphans could live long and happily.