Alex DuCreux stood just over 5 foot tall. Slender of frame Alex wore simple jeans and a button up plaid shirt. DuCreux’s skin was a smooth medium brown, hair a short frizzled black. With soft dark brown eyes that watched intently. One ear studded with small emerald studs Alex eschewed most other adornment, except a dual banded iron ring.<br/><br/>As writing scrolled down the black and green screen Alex flipped through the brown leather wallet. The code would still need to compile for a few hours before Alex could test the beginning of the File Transfer Program. “Sorry John” the programmer murmured as they examined the drivers license within. Back the card went after a moment and out came the nearly 200 dollars within. “Huh not a bad haul, abit of a big spender huh?” Alex spoke in idle boredom as the code compiled. There was no one else in the room to hear anyway.<br/><br/>Tossing the leather wallet aside into a corner under one of the desks where it would be seen and likely returned within a day or two. The money found its way into the back pocket of Alex’s jeans as the code on the screen scrolled steadily downwards. The cursor at the bottom of the screen stationary as above it code scrolled in a blurring mess.<br/><br/>Staring deeply into the flashing cursor Alex’s mind wandered. Taking her back into her past. The sky was darkly over cast and the rain poured down upon concrete steadily. Beneath a small black umbrella Alex remained safe from the clammy night.The steadily flashing red and blue lights of a police car brightened the darkness periodically..<br/><br/>She stood on the building’s steps feeling absolutely giant as her head was now well above the waist of the adults near her. He was talking to her mother about some burglaries in the neighbourhood. Before her the officer’s money clip rested half out of his small uniform pant’s pocket. Like a gift from the heavens tattered green bills strained against the simple steel clip. The bills beckoned to her.<br/><br/>Even as a 5 year old all Alex could think of was the bickering her parents always had over money. She wasn’t the best at French, she could barely understand any of the words they spoke but knew the tone of an argument when she heard it. If they needed money she had just got some.<br/><br/>Across the street the other cop was talking to their neighbours. A crowd growing on the small street from the brown stones all along its length. Alex’s eyes darted about as she looked around for anyone paying attention to her. Her heart raced beating wildly in her chest as her little hand crept out. Even her mother was looking across the street as she leaned forward, straining up to her tippy toes and her hand found purchase,  grasping hold of the fold and slowly pulling it free of the officer’s pocket. The tattered wealth found its way into the little pocket on her dress and her hand clutched onto it tightly like it was a precious prize.<br/><br/>As she rested back on her heels Alex squirmed where she stood. She was impatient to show her parents what she had got but she couldn't do so in front of the officer. As she squirmed the officers radio squawked angrily, just what it said Alex's young ears could not make out but the police jumped into action.<br/><br/>The closest to her apologized quickly to her mother and bolted for the drivers seat of the car.  The other finishing some final point with people across the street before dashing with long legs to their squad car.  It seemed to the young Alex that even before the second officer had jumped aboard the car was revving its engine and beginning to pull away but in its wake it only left a thinning trail of smoke and a small splash of oily water.