Sneaking into the Boston museum was probably not the brightest idea but Dante had never really portrayed himself as a smart child. He might have been smart if it wasn't for the nasty habit of letting his mouth run away from him. It was another reason why was sneaking into the museum in the dead of night. George had bet him that he couldn't sneak out of the hotel and into the museum and Dante might be stupid, but he wasn't a coward. All he had to do is sneak out of the hotel, across the city and into the museum, taking a photo of himself with one of the artefacts as proof before returning. It was a hard bet but Dante had experience with this sort of thing. He was a small child with a disregard for rules and a lot of curiosity. 

Slipping out of the hotel was the easy part. His father always stayed in the best places and the best places were grand and crowded. Making into the lobby and hiding within the groups of people moving in and out was simple. He was small, easily overlooked and walked with a purpose. (People tended to not notice things if you walked as if you knew exactly where you were supposed to be. If you acted like you owned the place then people would assume that you did). Once out onto the Boston streets then it was only the problem of using a map to remind himself how to get to the museum. It was further than he expected but it did not curb ten year old determination. 

It took an hour of walking through the night darkened Boston streets until the museum was visible. When his father had taken him there two days before, he had spied a balcony round the right side of the building that was near to the exhibit on explorers. His father had seemed to enjoy that part of the museum more than the rest, launching into a lecture on Magellan that Dante had absorbed with eager ears. It was that exhibit he was aiming for and the balcony was just the perfect way inside. 

Dante had been rock climbing since he was four. It was first his mother's hobby that she took him along with, and when the marriage had fallen through and she had left, it became his escape. His father never saw the point in it, why put in the effort when you could just hire people to get you things? But Dante loved it and scaling up a drainpipe before vaulting over to catch the rails of the balcony did not fail to send a thrill up his spine. With a triumphant grin, he pulled himself over the ledge and set about picking the lock to the door, yet another trick his mother had taught him before she left. The door opened with a click and he swung it open. 

The halls inside were dark. Paintings in gold frames, the light from the streetlamp outside gleaming on the metal surfaces, and tables holden artefacts in glass boxes lined the walls. Dante dug through his little backpack, dark curly hair wild with the adventure, and brought out his little digital camera. It was only a small one but it did the job. He shuffled across the floor as he powered it on, feet quiet on the varnished wood as he passed by frozen oil faces. Vans worn from use and silent. He turned the corner into the explorers exhibit and froze. 

"Sam!" There was two boys in the room, right by the painting of Magellan. One was obviously in his mid teens, with blonde floppy hair and a blue backpack on his back. The other was younger, with brown hair and wide brown eyes. The younger boy had been the first to spot him. He tugged on the older boy's sleeve and pointed. "Sam!" 

Sam turned and straightened at the sight of Dante standing in the doorway. He was tall, with blue eyes that frowned at him. "It's just a kid. What are you doing here? Kids shouldn't be here at night".

Dante scowled. "Pot. Kettle". A light flashed and both of the other boys winced as the camera in Dante's hands took a photo. 

"Oi", Sam complained. "You're going to get us found. Scram kid". 

"You scram", Dante stuck out his tongue and side stepped the two boys towards the glass case where the first map of the world was held. It was lit by an inner light behind the glass and he peered at it, taking in the lines and the artwork on the vellum. 

"What are you doing here?" The younger boy asked, watching him with curiosity. "How did you even get in here?"

"What are you doing here?" Dante retorted. 

"Sightseeing", Sam snapped. "Now go and play somewhere else". 

"I'm sight seeing", Dante bit back as he turned his back to the glass and struggled to hold the camera up to take a good photo. After a second, he sighed and eyed the two boys. "Can one of you take a photo of me with the map?" 

"You broke into a museum to take a photo?" The blonde scoffed. 

"And you broke into the museum to steal something", Dante sniffed. That was obvious. "If you take a picture of me, then I won't tell the guards". 

"I'll do it". The brown eyed boy stepped forwards. Dante narrowed his eyes at him but handed over the camera. "Okay. Smile". The flash went off and Dante grinned. Sam chuckled, seemingly amused by this. 

"Hey, Nate. Give it to me and I will snap a photo of the both of you". Nate, the younger boy, handed over the camera. Dante scowled but stepped to the side so that Nate to stand next to him, the map visible in the open space between them. Sam fiddled with the camera a bit before stepping back. There was a click as Nate grinned and Dante frowned. As soon as it went off, the curly haired boy stepped forwards and held out his hand. It was late and the night was cold and he had gotten the evidence he needed for the bet. 

"Can I have my camera back now?" 

"Nope", Sam turned the little camera round and draped his arm over Nate's shoulders, pulling the boy util they were beneath the painting of Magellan. "Say cheese Nate". The both grinned and the camera clicked. Sam relaxed and tossed the camera over the Dante. "Now you can scram". 

Dante scowled at him as he caught the camera. "Enjoy stealing. Hope you get caught", he muttered as he walked away, back towards the balcony. 

"Scram kid", Sam shot after him. "Weird". Dante heard him mutter as he left the room. 

"Very weird", Nate agreed. "Who breaks into a place to take photos?" 

After that Dante was out of earshot. He turned the camera off and stuffed it back into his bag before vaulting off the balcony and latching onto the drain pipe before scaling back down to the ground. He pushed the boys out of his mind as he trudged back to the hotel, more concerned on not letting his father find him as he snuck back inside. 

unedited