“I can’t believe you finished eating before searching for your phone.”

I twist around to look at my brother, who’s lagging behind me while we walk. “And what, let you finish it off? No way.” I turn forwards again and increase my speed, making him walk faster.

Previously, we asked a couple people in the area if they’d seen an excessively colorful phone around, and they said there was a kid with a rainbow phone running away from the crowd earlier. Definitely my phone, and definitely stolen.

We’re currently walking towards where they said the local kiddie gang has a hideout. I really hope none of them are too beefed up, because neither my brother nor I are the most fit. One time we played games for so long we got thumb cramps, which gives you an idea of how out of shape we are.

“I think this is it.” I shake out of my thoughts and look up. We’re standing in front of an abandoned store. Anything that might’ve indicated what type of store it used to be has been ripped to pieces, like half a sofa and what used to be a bar counter. The sign is long gone and instead there’s graffiti in greek. Neither of us can read or speak it, so I guess it says something like ‘tough little kids playing mafia here.’

“We are the big kids here”. I look over at my brother in confusion. What?

“The sign says, according to Google translate, ‘We are the big kids here.’ I’m not even kidding, look.” He hands the phone to me, and sure enough that’s what it says. I’m both shocked and unsurprised. Trust a bunch of preteens to constantly assert that they’re not kids anymore. I step up the the door and start to knock, but after considering considering my options I decide to kick the door open instead.

“OK KIDS HOLD YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR I WANNA SEE SOME RAINBOWS.” All ten kids sitting in the room immediately start screaming and running amuck, but before they can make a getaway I see my phone in the middle of the group and make a dive for it. The first couple feet are easy, but as soon as they realize that I’m going for their spoils I’m onslaught with nail scratching and biting. After a couple minutes of shouting in both english and greek I’m able to reach my phone and tuck it into my bra to free up my hands. I slowly stand up with three kids hanging onto me while screaming their lungs out and start lumbering for the door, trying to shake them off along the way. My dearest brother, of course, is nowhere to be found. Suddenly a roar comes from the doorway, and I see the brat standing there with a long metal pipe. Where...where did he get that? Luckily it scares the kids into shutting up, but I still have to shake them off before I’m able to bolt for the door. I reach my brother and collide into a hug with him, my eyes almost tearing up in gratitude. I guess he isn’t such a brat after all. I break from the hug and close the door behind us, then pull out my phone to assess the damage. Luckily there are minimal scratches on the case, but the screen has a fairly large crack running through the center.

I turn to Aiden and tell him, “We’ll need to visit a screen repair shop sometime soon, but for now let’s head back to the hotel.”

“Agreed.”