Thistle.

My name is Thistle Marsh.

I am a 15-year-old girl. 

Both of my parents are dead.

I grew up without a mother, and before he died, my father raised me. 

I have left my home.

It no longer feels like home.

THISTLE MARSH

---

I am in a large clearing. I can see a forest to my right and a path leading out of the woods to my left. I can also see a small house on the edge of the woods.

I enter the house and find that it is abandoned. I look around and see that it was once home to a hermit. There are items piled up around the room. 

I exit the house and head towards the forest.

I note the house in case I need a safe place to return to in the future. I travel into the forest.

✶

I walk through the forest for hours. I find a stream and follow it, hoping that it will lead me to a larger body of water.

I begin to notice that the trees are becoming thicker and thicker. They are closer together, and there is almost no undergrowth. 

The stream has led me to a small pond. I am unsure if I should continue forward or turn back.

I decide to turn around and head back the way I came.

I continue walking.

✶

I walk for a couple of hours, and the trees seem to get even closer together. 

I have a strange feeling that I am being watched.

I hear a twang and feel an arrow go into my arm. I fall to the ground.

"We got one, boys!" I hear a voice shout from the trees.

I try to stand, but another arrow goes into my leg. I am unable to move.

"Come on! Let us get out of here!" I hear another voice shout.

"Help!" I shout through the pain.

I yell as loud as I can. I hear the voices of men running towards me.

"Quick! Grab his feet!" I hear a voice shout.

I feel hands grab my ankles, and then my body is dragged through the dirt. I am pulled through the underbrush and laid on the ground.

"What should we do with him?" I hear a voice ask.

"We need to take him back to the camp. The boss will be so proud," another voice says.

"I am a woman," I say.

"What?" one of the men asks.

"I am a woman!" I say again.

"You’re no woman. Look at these muscles."

"I am a woman. Just a very masculine-looking one."

The men look at each other and then back to me.

"We should just kill her," one of the men says.

"No, we cannot kill her," another says. "

"I will do anything you ask," I say.

"Anything?" one of the men asks with a grin.

"Yes, anything," I say.

The men all let out a little laugh, and then one of them says,

"Let's take her to the boss."

✶

I am dragged through the forest before being thrown over the shoulder of one of the men. 

I am carried through the woods, and after about an hour, I see a campfire in the distance.

I watch as we approach the campfire and more men.

I am soon thrown onto the ground. I look up to see a large group of men standing around a fire, laughing and drinking. 

"Look what we have here, lads!" one of the men says. "A little girl!"

The men laugh, and I look at them all. 

The man who is obviously in charge sits above everyone else on a chair with a high back.

"Why have you captured me?" I ask the man.

"We were just having a bit of fun," the man says. "Nothing to do with you."

"Yes, it does," I say. "I am a person. I have rights."

"Well, of course, you do," the man says. "Please, sit down and get some food into you. We will talk about this later."

"I wish to talk about it now."

"I am in charge of this gang, and I say we will talk about it later!" the man says.

"You are not in charge of me," I say. 

I stand my ground and stare at the man.

The man stares at me for a while and then says, "Fine! We will talk about it now. Sit down and listen carefully."

I sit down and listen to the man's terms.

"You are now a member of my gang."

"And why would I want to join your gang?"

"Because if you are a member of my gang, you will have food, drink, a place to sleep, and, most importantly, your life. You will also be able to do what you like within reason. If you refuse, well... I cannot hold the beast inside me back forever. It is either join us or die."

I look at the ground, thinking. 

After a moment, I nod and begin eating, avoiding eye contact with the other gang members.

"You will have to share a tent with another girl. We are a bit short on tents at the moment, so you will be sharing with Olive," the man says. "I am guessing you two will not have a problem with that?"

I continue eating as the man looks at the girl named Olive and me.

"Well? Nothing to say?" he asks.

"We will talk later," Olive says.

I notice how beautifully rugged Olive looks. I begin to notice a strange feeling in my chest. I try to ignore it and finish my meal.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Olive asks.

"Nothing," I reply.

I follow Olive into a tent and sit down next to her. I feel the strange feeling in my chest again.

"What is wrong with you?" Olive asks, looking at me.

"I do not know," I reply. "I just feel... strange."

"Oh, I see," Olive says, smirking.

I blush and look away. Olive reaches for my hand and holds it.

"I will make you feel better," she whispers in my ear.

I feel Olive's lips on mine and her tongue in my mouth. I kiss her and feel an odd sensation below my belly button. I wrap my arms around her, deepening the kiss. Olive's hands move to my chest and begin rubbing it through my shirt.

I have never felt like this, but it feels nice, so I continue. I wonder if we are moving too fast. I have only just met Olive and know nothing about her. I break the kiss and look into her eyes.

"What is wrong?" Olive asks.

"I do not know you," I say. "I mean, I do not know anything about you."

"We are in a gang together. Of course, you know me," Olive says.

"Can we just talk? I want to get to know you before we do anything else. "

"You want to talk?" Olive asks. "We can do that. So, tell me about yourself."

"What do you want to know?" I ask.

"I do not know. Where are you from? I have never heard an accent like yours before."

"I am from a small village a few days walk from here."

"Interesting," Olive says, sounding bored.

"What about you? Where are you from?"

"I am from here," Olive says.

"No, I mean, where are you from originally."

"Oh. Well, I was born in a nearby village, but I do not remember it. It was burned to the ground by bandits when I was five. I survived and ended up here."

"I am sorry," I say.

"What for? It was just a village. I had no family there or anything. I barely remember it."

We both sit silently for a moment, unsure of what to say. Olive breaks the tension by kissing me on the cheek.

Olive moves in closer and kisses me on the lips. I feel a wave of warmth and comfort and forget all my worries for a moment. I feel a hand on my leg as it slowly moves upwards. I push back against Olive and break the kiss.

"I... I do not think we should do this."

Olive nods, looking disappointed. Olive wraps her arms around me as we both lay down and fall asleep in each other's arms.

✶

In the morning, I wake up and find Olive is already up. I see her talking to a man with a goatee and pointy black hat. She nods to him and returns to our tent.

"Who is that?" I ask, moving closer to Olive.

"Him? That is John of Gish, the leader of this place."

I look at him for a moment and realize he is the man I spoke to the night before.

Olive says, "He is overly religious but not a bad guy. Are you religious?"

I admit, "I am not really religious, and I do not understand any of it."

"That is because you are an idiot," John says, walking over.

I stand shocked at John's tactless remark. Olive introduces me.

"John, this is the girl who joined our gang last night."

"Hmm. So you are. You do not look like much," John says.

"Um... thanks?" I say, unsure how to respond.

"We were just talking about you," Olive says. "John, why don't you tell her what you told me earlier."

"I told Olive that God has a plan for you."

"Oh?" I say, wondering where this is going.

"Yes. I believe God has a plan for you. However, I do not think it is this gang."

I look at Olive, who nods in agreement.

"I think you should leave," John says. "Now, before it is too late."

"What?" Olive asks. "We cannot just kick her out! She has only just arrived.

I look at Olive and wonder about the future. I decide to remain with the gang until I find somewhere else to go. I tell Olive as we are eating breakfast, and she acts like she does not care either way, but I think she might.

✶

The gang packs up and travels all day before stopping at an abandoned church for the night. Olive and I spend another night in each other’s arms in the cold church.

✶

I wake up the following morning on the floor of the church, lying next to Olive. I stand and stretch before helping her up. She looks over at John, who is sitting in a pew, staring at me.

"What is he doing?" I ask.

"He has been like that since last night," Olive says. "He has not moved at all."

I walk over to him and stare at him in the eyes for a moment. He does not blink. I turn to Olive.

"I think he is dead."

She stares at him in shock. He looks as if he is just meditating.

"Should we bury him?" Olive asks.

"I guess so," I say. "Let us get this over with."

We wake a few men to help us and carry him outside to dig a shallow grave. We lay him to rest and stand there in silence for a moment.

"Do you think he is in heaven?" Olive asks once the others have returned to the church.

I say, "I believe that is where he would have liked to be. "

"I think so, too," Olive says. "He was a good man. He just had a hard time showing it."

We stand in silence for a moment before turning and heading back to the church. 

✶

Olive and I sit in the church away from the other gang members and talk.

"So what happens now?" Olive asks.

"I am not sure. We need to appoint a new leader. I suppose we need to have an election."

"An election?" Olive asks, surprised. "I did not know we did that."

"How does the gang usually decide who is in charge?"

"We have always just had the leader be the one who found the next hideout."

"So whoever finds a new place for us to stay is the leader?" I ask.

"Yes," Olive says.

"Then I suppose that will be me."

Olive stares at me in shock.

"What? Why?" she asks.

"Because I know a place we can go. So I will take charge."

"I do not think that is how it is supposed to work..." Olive says.

"Well, it is how it is working," I say. "Now, come on, let us go."

I pick up my bag and head out of the church. The rest of the gang is waiting outside.

I look around at the other members of the gang.

"I know where we can go," I say.

✶

I lead the group out of the city to a large house a few miles out of town. 

From the outside, the house looks snug and comfortable. It has been built with grey bricks and has mahogany wooden decorations. Small, rectangular windows face out to the road.

The second floor is the same size as the first, but part of it hangs over the edge below, creating an overhang on one side and a balcony on the other. This floor has a slightly different style than the floor below. The roof is low and slanted to one side and is covered with wood shingles. One small chimney sits at the side of the house. Rows of small windows perch just below the roof. The house is surrounded by a modest garden, covered primarily with grass and a few flower patches, with a small guest house in the back.

After a few moments, I knock on the front door, to which a young, pretty woman answers.

"Can I help you?" she asks.

"We need a place to stay," I say. "How much does it cost to rent your house?"

"Uh..."

I say, "We can pay," and open my pack to reveal wads of cash. I am discrete enough, so the gang members do not see. 

The woman looks shocked and silently nods, allowing me in. I give her the money, and she provides me the key to the house.

"Thank you," I say.

"No, thank you...?" The homeowner asks.

"Thistle," I reply.

I take the key and go into the house. I open the door and let the rest of the gang inside.

"This place is great!" one of them says. "There is a pool table, a bar... This is like home!"

We gather in the main living area. The men sprawl out across the delicate furniture, and some lean against the wallpapered walls.

I address the gang as the new leader and inform them that I shall have the first choice of which room I will reside in. Olive and I settle into the master bedroom upstairs. It has a large king bed, a vanity, and its very own bathroom. 

The rest of the gang settle into the rest of the house.

"This is good," Olive says. "We have a nice house, and it is free!"

"I know," I say. "But we need to keep a low profile. No loud parties or anything."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Olive says. "Let us get some rest."

I nod and head to bed.

I lay next to Olive in the king-sized bed. She begins caressing me and speaking in a sensual voice.

Olive begins kissing my neck, and I can feel myself getting excited. I start caressing her body, and soon the pair of I have forgotten all about the troubles of the day. After a while, we fall asleep in each other’s arms.

✶

The following day, I wake up and find Olive is already gone. I get out of bed and head downstairs. I see Olive at the breakfast bar, speaking with the owner of the house.

"I am sorry," Olive says. "We will be out of here by tonight."

"It is all right," the owner says. "I trust you have some money to pay for your stay?"

Olive looks confused.

"I do not understand," Olive says. 

She turns to me. 

I say, "I had to pay them so we could stay here. Did you think these people would just let us in while they sleep in their own guest house?"

Olive looks shocked.

"You paid them?" Olive asks. "How much did it cost?"

"I gave them a couple of grand," I say.

"A couple of grand? We could have stayed in a hotel for a week for that price!"

"We needed a place to stay, and I did not want to risk anything."

"Yeah, well, we are going to need to find another place soon."

"This was only a temporary solution. "

Olive looks furious.

"You think this is a good solution?" Olive asks. "We are in the middle of fucking nowhere! We are completely cut off from civilization!"

"It is fine," I say. "We will be able to get more work done without worrying about getting robbed or killed in our sleep."

"I cannot believe I am stuck with a girl who does not know shit about the outside world!"

"I am the gang leader according to the gang's rules."

Olive looks furious.

"Gang rules? Gang rules? What the fuck are you talking about, Thistle? You are an idiot if you think I am going to let you be in charge of me."

"I am the leader of this gang," I say. "You will follow my orders."

"Fuck you," Olive says. "Fuck you, and fuck your orders."

Olive pulls a pistol out of her pocket and aims it at me.

I raise my hands in submission and try to talk her down. 

"Olive, listen to me. We can work this out. We do not need to fight."

"Shut up," Olive says, waving the gun to indicate I should stop talking. "You have no idea what you are doing. You're a fucking idiot. I should have seen that when I first met you, but I thought maybe you were just nervous."

"We can be in charge together if you would like. I do not mind sharing the responsibilities. Now please, put the gun down, Olive. Please..."

"Shut the fuck up!" Olive says, now screaming. "I am not going to listen to your bullshit. You are lucky I do not just kill you right now."

"Olive, please," I say.

"Stop talking," Olive says. "Shut the fuck up!"

"Okay," I say.

Olive stares at me for a few moments, still aiming her pistol at my head.

"Can we just talk about this?"

"Fine," Olive says. "Let's talk."

Olive and I walk into the living room and sit down on the couch. Olive keeps her gun raised at me the whole time.

"I am sorry I lied to you," I say. "But I did not have a choice. If I did not lie, I do not know where we would have stayed for the night."

"So that makes it okay to lie?" Olive asks, raising an eyebrow.

"No... I mean..." I say, stumbling over my words. "I am just saying I had a reason."

"What is your reason?" Olive asks.

"I... like you," I say. "I do not want to lose you. You are the first person I have met who I could be myself with."

"You do not know me," Olive says. "You just think you do. You do not know shit about me."

"I know you are a good person," I say. "I know you would never murder anyone."

"I have murdered people," Olive says. "And I am not a good person. I am a fucking monster, and you would be smart to remember that."

"I am not afraid of you. I care about you."

"You should not," Olive says. "I do not want you to care about me."

"I cannot help it," I say. "I know you are a violent, angry person, but there is something about you that draws me in."

Olive stares at me for a moment. 

"Please, just put the gun down."

"Fine," Olive says. "I will put the gun down. However, I am not giving it to you."

Olive slowly lowers her gun before dropping it onto the floor. I let out a sigh of relief before kissing her on the lips. She kisses me back before pushing me away.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Olive asks.

"I am kissing you," I say.

"Why?" Olive asks.

"Because I like you," I say. "What is wrong with that?"

"There is a whole list of things wrong with that," Olive says. "For one, you are a fucking kid."

"I will be sixteen in three months," I point out.

"You are too young to know what the fuck you are doing," Olive says.

"How can you say that? You are younger than me," I point out.

Olive does not respond. 

"Well, what do you want to do now?" I ask.

"I want to be your girlfriend."

I look at her in surprise. Says the girl who almost just shot me, I think to myself.

"That is even better," I say.

Whatever, I think, it could be worse.

"Let us do this," Olive says.

The rest of the gang enters the room after eavesdropping on the conversation. The group was woken by the commotion of the teenage girls yelling at each other.

"Good to see you two made up," one man says with a chuckle.

"So, we have two leaders now?" Asks another.

"Yes, we do," Olive says.

"And I am the alpha," I say.

"Of course you are," Olive says with a smirk.

"All right, enough of this," says one of the men. "Let us get down to business. We are all here for a purpose. We need to make plans."

"I agree," Olive says. "I think we should all sit down and discuss it."

"I have got a list of ideas already," I say.

"That is great, Thistle," Olive says. "Why don't you go and get the list, and we can all look it over?"

I nod and walk over to the door. Before leaving the room, I turn and wink at Olive. She smiles.

✶

Over the next few weeks, the gang slowly gets back to their normal activities. I am surprised how quickly time goes by. 

I am also surprised at how much I have changed. For one, I am now in a relationship with Olive, who has become a lot less hostile towards me. I have also become more of a leader. I have taken control of the gang and have been making plans to improve it. 

We eventually let the owners have their house back and found a new home closer to the city. Once an abandoned Victorian house, the new hideout looks better than when we found it, and there is more order.

The most important thing is that I feel happy for once. I have got a group of friends whom I care about and who care about me. For the first time since my parents died, I feel like I belong.

✶

I walk into the hideout, smiling. Olive sees me and smiles back at me.

"What is up?" She asks.

"Nothing," I say. "I was just thinking about how great things are going."

"Yeah, they are," Olive says. "We have got a nice little gang here."

"It is," I agree.

Olive smiles at me before leaning in to kiss me. I smile and kiss Olive back.

"I love you," Olive whispers.

"I love you more,"

"No, I love you more," Olive says.

"That is not possible," I say.

"I love you infinity plus one," Olive says.

"I love you infinity plus infinity," I say.

"I love you infinity plus infinity plus one," Olive says.

"This is getting ridiculous," I laugh.

"I love you infinity plus infinity plus infinity plus one," Olive says, laughing.

"I love you infinity squared," I say before pausing. "Wait, does this mean I love you more? Or do you?"

"I do not know. Do you?" Olive asks.

"Let us find out," I say.

I kiss Olive. She kisses me. We both smile and kiss again.

"I love you infinity times infinity," Olive whispers.

"I love you infinity times infinity times infinity," I whisper back.

We continue kissing for quite a while. It is the best moment I have had in a while, and it only gets better when I realize that Olive loves me more.

✶

Weeks pass full of petty crimes and enjoying the gang's company. Olive and I seem to be falling more and more in love each day. The gang is doing well, and the police have not caught any of us red-handed yet. 

✶

One night, Olive and I are walking down an alleyway when we see two men enter the alley with pistols in their hands. They point them at a man who is rich based on his attire. 

The two men look around nervously before one says, "Give us your money."

"Of course," the rich man says. 

We start to head into the alley.

"Should we help the man?" Olive asks.

"He is rich. He can pay us more if he survives," I say. "But they have got guns."

Olive and I wait at the end of the alley for the two thieves and their victim. The two thieves seem oblivious, and the rich man is sweating nervously.

"We are not afraid to use these," one of the thieves says, waving his gun. "Hurry up and empty your pockets."

The rich man hands over a small wallet. 

"That is it. Please, I do not carry much on me."

"Of course you do not," one of the thieves says. "It is your own damn fault for being a rich bastard."

Olive and I wait, monitoring the situation. The two thieves begin to circle the rich man like wolves circling prey. 

"You got more money than that," one of them says. "I know you do."

"I swear to God, that is it," the rich man says.

"Don't you dare swear," the thief says before turning to his partner. "See? I told you this was a waste of time. Let us kill this bastard and go find a liquor store to rob."

I turn to Olive, and we both nod. I begin running toward the men, pulling out my switchblade knife. The two thieves turn and point their guns at me. 

"Who the hell are you?" one of them shouts.

"Let him go," I say.

"Or what? Will you die trying to save him? That is what will happen if you come any closer."

I look at Olive, who nods at me. We both rush forward, pushing the two thieves against the wall. Olive pulls out a switchblade of her own and holds it to one of the thieves ‘ throats.

"Drop your gun," Olive says.

The thief drops his gun, which Olive catches. I hold the other thief against the wall. 

Olive points the gun at him as I take his gun.

"Let him go," Olive says.

"Fuck you."

Olive cocks the gun, and the thief's eyes widen. 

"Let. Him. Go."

The thief nods, and Olive lets him go. He runs away down the alleyway, with his partner following. Olive and I look down at the man we saved, who looks up at us in awe.

"I cannot thank you enough," he says. "There is no way I could ever repay you."

"Well, there is one way..."

"There is?" the man asks.

"Yeah. You could help us rob this place."

The man looks at the building I am pointing at, then at me, then at Olive. He seems to be weighing the pros and cons of this decision. 

"Sure," he says. "I will help you."

"Great," I say. "Let us get to work."

Olive and I begin walking around the bank, looking for the best way to break in.

"So, what is your name?" Olive asks.

"Dirk," the man says. "Dirk Cabot."

"I am Olive Quinn," Olive says, shaking his hand.

"What are you doing here, Dirk?" I ask.

"I used to be a teller here," he says. "I had to leave because... well, that does not matter. What matters is that I know this bank inside and out."

"So you are gonna help us?" Olive asks.

"I told you I would," Dirk says.

Olive and I smile. 

"Let us do this," I say.

✶

The three of us meet the rest of the gang back at the hideout to work out a plan to rob the bank.

"We will go in the front, and Olive and I will head straight for the safe and load up the money bags," I say. "Dirk, you will have to lock the front door and keep anyone from entering the bank."

"I can do that," Dirk says.

"Good man," I say. "Let us get to it."

✶

We walk over to the bank. Dirk, Olive, and I enter and approach the counter. 

"We are robbing this bank," I say in a low voice. 

The teller looks at me in shock and says something under his breath.

"I am sorry, I cannot hear you," I say, a little louder.

"You are robbing this bank," the teller says, a little louder.

"That is right," I say. "And you are going to help us."

"Never!" the teller says.

I discreetly show the teller my gun hidden in the front of my jeans.

"I will give you a count of three," I say. "One..."

"Okay! Okay!" the teller says. "I will help you."

"Good," I say. "You will go over to the vault, open it, and let my friends in. Then, you will take us to the safe and open that as well."

"I will."

"Good," I say. "Let's go." 

I motion to Olive and follow the teller towards the vault. He opens it and quickly enters, along with Olive. We are both surprised to find stacks and stacks of money in the vault.

"Who would have thought a small bank in a town this size would have a fucking safe like this?" Olive says in awe.

"Let us get to work," I say. 

Over the next few minutes, Olive and I grab money bags, filling them with as much money as we can carry. We head back to the front, where the teller is waiting for us.

"I opened the safe for you," he says. "Now, can I go?"

"Sure," I say.

"Thanks, guys," the teller says.

"Nice guy," I say.

"All right, let us go," Olive says. 

Olive And I head back outside, where the rest of the gang is waiting. 

"We are ready to go."

"What did you get?" Forrest Gilbert asks.

I show him a bag of money, and he smiles. 

"Let us go spend this money," he says excitedly.

"Hold on, hold on," I say. "We need to count it first."

"Fine," Forrest says.

✶

We head back to the hideout and begin counting the money. After about an hour, we finish counting: We have made $20,000. Not a bad take for a morning's work.

"Well, boys, it has been a fun ride, but this is where we part ways," I say. "Thanks for all the work. I will remember it."

"What?" Forrest asks. "You're finished? But... we are a team!"

"Forrest, we are a gang of bank robbers. A gang of two people can be just as effective as a gang of five. Moreover, we make more money because there are fewer people to pay."

I look at Olive. She sighs, and the gang realizes what I mean. 

Olive and I plan to leave the gang together. 

"Olive, come with me," I say. "Forrest, you are on your own."

"B... but guys!" Forrest complains. "I... I..."

"We are done here," I say. "Come on, Olive."

I grab Olive's hand and pull her up. She follows me out of the hideout. 

Once we76 get outside, she stops me.

"What is wrong?" I ask.

"Nothing," Olive says. 

I look at her and worry that she is having second thoughts. 

I am about to ask again when she speaks. 

"I just want to say I had fun. I... I really enjoyed being part of the gang."

"Me too," I admit.

"I will miss it," Olive says.

"We will do it again, sometimes," I say. "Once Forrest gets over being mad, we can do it all over again."

"Maybe..." Olive says.

✶

We leave the city behind and walk down the road. After a few minutes, I feel Olive's hand intertwine with mine. I look over at her, and she smiles at me. 

"I love you, Olive."

Olive smiles at me and squeezes my hand. 

"I love you too," she says.

I smile back, happier than I have ever been. I lean in and kiss Olive. 

"Where shall we go?" Olive asks.

"I do not know," I say. "Where do you want to go?"

Olive thinks for a second, then says, "How about... the beach?"

"The beach?" I ask. "Don't you need to get an airplane to get there?"

"You can get there by car," Olive says. "We can take a car."

"Oh, right. That might be easier," I say.

"Or we could go to the mountains," Olive says. "We could go hiking."

"I do not think I would be a very good hiker," I admit.

"You could carry me over streams if I get tired," Olive says, smiling.

"I suppose I could do that," I say, smiling back.

Olive leans in and kisses me on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too," I say.

We continue down the road, looking for a car to steal so we can drive to the beach or the mountains. I do not care which one we go to, as long as I am with Olive. 

The future is full of endless possibilities, and for the first time in my life, I will grab it with both hands and live freely, without regrets.