The suburbs are relatively quiet now. There are hardly any cars, and most of the residents are in their homes. The streetlights are flickering on as the sun sets. One bespectacled boy walks home alone. His hands are stuffed into his pockets.

His sneakers scrape along the sidewalk as he approaches a particular house. The neat-looking home is quiet, its windows darkened. The boy pulls out his house key and unlocks the door. He enters, and locks the door behind him.

Fuck, that was way too close!

Theo takes a deep shaky breath. He's leaning against the locked front door, and shuts his eyes as if trying to block out the visions of Zoe nearly being stabbed. Theo made it in time. Barely.

I need to fix this.

Walking toward the stairs, Theo starts to pull things from his pockets. First out comes the taser he used to incapacitate the psycho who attacked Zoe. He grips it firmly as he ascends the stairs. There's nobody here, but Theo is on edge.

He relaxes slightly after entering his bedroom. The tidy space is devoid of intruders, and everything is as it should be. He places his taser on his desk.

First, I need a plan.

Theo stalks over to the corkboard with a purpose. He pulls away the poster covering his questionable hobby. Pictures of Zoe and notes regarding her magical abilities adorn the corkboard. Theo carefully pulls out the tacks keeping these pictures and papers in place. He neatly stores everything in his desk, and turns back to the now-empty cork board.

Pictures aren't really an option, so Theo settles for quick sketches of the important points. He sketches a picture of the knife-wielder's face. Then a picture of the knife itself. He can't quite recall all the details, but it's good enough.

Theo absentmindedly pulls another tool from his pocket. The high-power laser pointer he used to disable the school security cameras. He couldn't risk someone investigating him or how he acquired his tools.

Just who is this guy?

I've never noticed him before...

The sketch of the attacker and his weapon are then pinned upon the cork board. They're connected by a string of yarn. Theo moves on to sketching Derek, and Derek's wound. He hasn't actually seen the wound, but that's not what's important.

Theo pins up Derek and his wound on the board, connecting the wound with a string to the knife the attacker used. This connection is obvious enough.

To finish his points, Theo sketches a picture of Zoe and her near-miss with the attacker. He pins the picture of Zoe and connects her to the incident. He then connects the incident with the psycho's knife using another length of yarn.

What is this guy's motivation?

Does he just want violence?

Theo finally pulls out his cellphone. He doesn't want to have to do this, but Zoe's safety is at stake. He dials Jamison's number. It begins to ring. Once. Twice. He picks up--

"What do you want?" Jamison asks coldly.

"I need your cooperation," Theo replies vaguely.

The sound of Jamison taking a deep breath comes through the phone.

"With what, Theodore?" Jamison questions.

"I need to acquire some more tools, and fast."

The tone of the conversation shifts immediately. Jamison's thinly veiled frustration is now completely unfiltered.

"You want me to get you some more toys? Already?" Jamison scoffs.

"They're tools, not toys. I'll pay market price," Theo adds.

"Look, you pulled that taser I got you on me the other day. Why should I help you?" Jamison retorts.

Theo purses his lips in contemplation. He hadn't been thinking straight when he threatened his friends with the taser, but it wasn't as if they were in their right minds either. They can all get a bit crazy when it comes to Zoe.

Oh wait, that's it.

"Zoe is in danger," Theo warns.

"What? Is she hurt? Where is she?" Jamison's facade crumbles instantly.

Jamison's shift in attitude brings a smug smile to Theo's face. He stifles a chuckle at his friend's expense, and starts talking.

~

Zoe's eyes follow her feet as she walks home. Nothing really feels real after the incident. A gentle shake from Tracy brings her attention up from the ground. Tracy is saying something, but she can't hear her. It's like she's someplace else.

"Zoe? Are you okay?" Tracy asks, repeating herself.

The dry sensation in Zoe's mouth leaves her struggling for words. She moves her tongue around in her mouth as if to remedy the issue, and speaks.

"Y-Yeah. I'm just out of it," Zoe replies hoarsely.

"I can tell. Let's get you home, okay?" Tracy urges.

Tracy gently grabs ahold of Zoe's hand. The warmth radiating from Tracy's hand is comforting. Zoe can feel herself returning to the present as Tracy guides her along the sidewalk.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

Gradually, Zoe notices the little things around her. The birds chirping softly. The distant sounds of cars driving along roads. The smell of freshly cut grass. Zoe feels like things are real again.

"Thank you, Tracy," Zoe says suddenly.

Tracy turns to give Zoe a slight smile. Zoe returns the expression, and suddenly leans forward to peck Tracy on the lips. The action leaves Tracy stunned.

"You must be feeling better..." Tracy murmurs.

Zoe giggles, a light airy sound that betrays her uplifted mood.

"Yeah, I guess so. All thanks to you!" Zoe replies.

Tracy can’t help herself. When a girl is this adorably sweet, you just have to take a bite out of her. Zoe squeaks as Tracy suddenly pulls her in for a kiss.

This kiss is much more passionate than the first. Right in the middle of the sidewalk, the two girls assault one another's lips. The intimate exchange ends when Tracy manages to tamp down her raging desires, and pull her head away from Zoe's.

"Ha... Whoops." Tracy puffs.

Zoe is blushing a bright shade of red as she looks at Tracy. Her brown doe eyes are almost enough to lure Tracy back in for some more, but she thinks better of it.

"I-I really need to get you home, Zoe," Tracy stutters.

"...True. Let's just continue this 'conversation' another time," Zoe replies with a mischievous giggle.

Zoe's hand slips into Tracy's as the girls finish their walk to Zoe's house. They walk side by side down the sidewalk. The occasional sound of a dog barking is interspersed with the noise of cars driving by. Zoe feels safe here.

~

Theo glances over his shoulder as he approaches Derek's home. The sunlight peeks out over the tops of the surrounding houses, illuminating Derek's house with an orange glow. Theo approaches the side gate, letting himself in without issue.

Beyond the gate is a plethora of useless junk set aside for some unknown purpose. Theo weaves his way through the garbage with his binder held close to his chest. The shadow of the house casts an eerie darkness over the back yard.

Derek is sitting by the firepit, in his usual seat. The well-built boy has some bandages wrapped around his injury. He's staring into the firepit with a complicated expression. The glowing coals in the firepit offer very little warmth.

"Are you sure this will work?" Derek suddenly asks.

Theo takes a seat. He adjusts his glasses with his free hand, and opens his binder.

"Positive," Theo replies.

The quiet sound of birds crowing fills the gap in their conversation.

"It feels too risky, Theodore."

Theo turns to a page depicting a building's floor plan. The schematics for a particular establishment. He traces a dashed line drawn in red ink with his finger.

"It won't be risky, I've accounted for everything."

Derek huffs, sitting up straight for a moment. He flexes his arms, and winces while moving the injured arm. Theo watches him from the corner of his eye.

"You said the wound wouldn't be an issue, Derek?" Theo questions.

"It won't be. I'm fine."

Theo glances over his shoulder, looking at the gate. The gate opens as if on cue. Jamison steps through, wearing some of the high end branded clothing his father bought for him.

"Damn, trust fund baby decided to show up." Derek laughs.

Jamison steps around the scattered garbage without missing a beat. He pulls off his sunglasses, pocketing them with a slight blush. He takes a seat. The sheepish look on his face says it all.

"Look, I don't like it either..." Jamison mutters.

Derek scoffs, narrowing his eyes at Jamison.

"Sure. If you don't like it, then stand up to your old man."

"I can't do that. I'm all he has left, you know?"

Their conversation dies at that. Derek sucks in a breath. Theo clears his throat, bringing up the matter that's brought them together.

"Let's discuss the plan, if you don't mind?" Theo urges.

Jamison and Derek give Theo their full attention. The bespectacled boy holds up his binder, showing them the schematic sketched out on lined paper. There are multiple colored lines with arrows. One red line, another blue, and the last being green.

"Derek, you're red. I'm blue. Jamison is green. Got it?"

"Why do I have to be red?"

Theo blinks, giving Derek a pointed look.

"It's not really important which of us is which color."

"Still, I'd prefer to be orange or yellow."

Theo ignores Derek's suggestion, and begins to break down the plan.

"First, Jamison will enter the building and make a withdrawal for as much money as he can possibly retrieve at once. He will need to leverage his father's influence to get this done quickly and without as many precautions."

Jamison nods in understanding. Theo continues.

"Meanwhile, I'll be taking care of the security system. How I'll be doing this is... risky, but it should work out fine as long as Derek does his part correctly. There is an insecure ventilation shaft I can squeeze through to access a breaker."

Derek tenses upon hearing this. Theo finally brings up Derek's role.

"Derek will be doing the most dangerous part of this scheme. He will be the one robbing the bank, or more specifically robbing Jamison."

"Wait, what? Seriously?" Derek interrupts.

"Yes, seriously. You can't fit into the vents, and I can't intimidate people into listening to me," Theo replies.

Derek's jaw clenches as he mulls it over. Theo has a point about their skills fitting the roles, but committing a crime like this isn't really his style. Come to think of it, it isn't any of their usual styles.

"Should we really do this?" Derek mutters.

Theo and Jamison exchange a look. Jamison turns to Derek, trying to persuade him.

"You want that creep as far from Zoe as possible, don't you?"

Derek nods without hesitation.

"Then this is the best way to do it. He got let off the hook after trying to stab Zoe, so what's stopping him from trying something again?" Jamison argues.

Begrudgingly, Derek nods in agreement. He looks conflicted by the role he's going to play, but understands its the cost of achieving their goals. Theo takes control of the conversation again. He points to his notes.

"Derek, you will enter the building wearing a disguise. You'll threaten everyone in the bank with your gun. Insist on taking the money and leaving with Jamison as a hostage."

Derek blinks, his jaw slack. He stammers a reply.

"I-I don't have a gun?"

Jamison finally pulls a suitcase from beside him. The unassuming black case clicks open, its interior padded with black foam. Derek's eyes widen at the sight of an assault rifle nestled into the case. It's not a model Derek is familiar with, either.

"W-Where the fuck did you get that?" Derek stutters.

Jamison snaps the briefcase shut after having revealed the gun to Derek.

"None of your business."

Derek shakes his head at Jamison's standoffish attitude. Theo clears his throat, getting the boy's attention. He steers the conversation back to the plan.

"We'll need to go over the plan several times to ensure nothing goes wrong... We will only discuss the plan in person. We can't have evidence being tracked back to us." Theo warns.

Jamison and Derek both nod in understanding.

"Okay. I'll go over the details once more..."