DISCLAIMER:
This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Furnace series, which is trademarked by Alexander Gordon Smith.
Carl Donovan, Toby, and Alex Sawyer are characters created and owned by Alexander Gordon Smith, and I do not claim ownership over them or the Furnace world.
Please enjoy!
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A fourteen year old boy named Alex was ditching school and watching television. His parents had unknowingly left for work. Bzzzt! His doorbell rang. Alex yawned, and halfheartedly stretched his arms before getting up and opening the door. All he saw was a blur before he was knocked down and the door was shut and the lock clicked.
"Hello, Donovan." Donovan, the boy in question, ignored the greeting. He sprinted to the windows and closed the blinds.
"Sorry, Alex", he finally said. "But you can't be too careful doing what we're doing."
Alex grinned. "So? You found a house?" he asked.
Donovan nodded. "The couple that lives in it are vacationing up North, in Canada. Staying for a couple of weeks, and they don't have any pets or people in the house."
Alex said, "Where are my manners? Have a seat." The two boys walked into the living room and plopped themselves down onto the old but comfortable couches. Donovan propped his feet onto the coffee table and whisked out his cell phone. Alex leaned towards him as Donovan showed him some pictures of a luxurious mansion.
"They're very rich", Donovan began. "The husband is a senator and the wife is a heiress. Just look at their mansion! I heard them discussing about the wife's jewelry and their secret stash of cash. Also, something about an art collection?"
Donovan had run away from home after he was sentenced to adult jail after accidentally murdered his mother's abusive boyfriend. They had met when Alex found a starving boy digging through a trash can in an ally. Since then, Alex had been secretly housing Donovan in his family's basement at night, while in the daytime, Donovan disguised himself as an old beggar and begged for money in the city. Not only did they acquire quite a bit of money, he caught many snippets of conversation when rich people decided to go on vacation. Between the begging and robbing rich people's houses, they made quite a pretty penny.
"Let's rob them tonight!", Alex said excitedly. They hadn't burglarized any houses for a while now, and he ached for the adrenaline. Donovan hesitated. "We should stake out the house to double check there aren't maids or something…"
Alex's eyes sparkled and he envisioned himself swimming in pools of molten gold. "Oh, come on, Donovan. Not knowing is part of the fun! Remember that naked guy? Wasn't that fun, running away from an angry guy?" Donovan nodded, and then smiled. He ached for the adrenaline of burglarizing houses, too. It was settled. They would rob again.
The house looked impressive at night, with only the glow of the moon to light it. Alex and Donovan had picked the lock of the front door, and had quickly ducked inside. They were both surprised that no audible alarms had gone off. In all the houses that Alex and Donovan had robbed, they just ran as fast as they could once they heard an alarm. Not quite the best way to do things, but so far it had worked.
Alex whispered to Donovan, "Let's stay together. I don't want to shout to find you". Donovan only nodded his head. He was in his element. Swiftly, he lead Alex up the grand, spiral staircase, crouching and moving stealthily and silently, with the grace of a cat. "How do you know the stuff is up here?", Alex asked him. Donovan smiled and tapped his head. "Intuition", he whispered back. Alex shook his head, but trusted him.
They made their way to a hallway. Donovan chose a door to their left, but it was only a bathroom. A beautiful bathroom, with what looked like precious jewels everywhere, and plush floors. But it wasn't like they could just take the toilet. Alex quietly shut the door, and they opened the second one. It was a storage closet, and it smelled like disinfectant. Donovan then opened a third door, and the third door was the charm.
Alex gave a small whistle. Donovan swore under his breath. They were in a magnificent room, an art gallery of sorts. Sparkling chandeliers hung from the swooped ceiling, and the lights had turned on automatically when they opened the door. The room was filled with paintings by famous artists. There was jewelry so precious and priceless that they were displayed only and looked like they had never been worn. Most interesting to the two thieves, though, were the dollar bills. They were everywhere. On top of the glass cases. On the floors. In the chandelier. Literally, there was cash everywhere. It looked like a money filled hurricane had swept through.
Alex and Donovan turned slowly to look at each other. Then, they dived to the floor and started stuffing money into their bags as quickly as they could. Visions of them in their own mansions as obscenely rich teenagers filled both of their minds. Never would they have to beg for money, or go to school, or lift a finger to work. They would be so filthy rich, they wouldn't even have to walk. They could just hire strong people to carry them around on ruby encrusted thrones.
"HEY!", a loud voice shouted. Alex and Donovan both jumped, and a half second later, started running. But they half second was too long. A boy had a remote control, and he clicked it. The door snapped shut. They boy pressed the remote again, and this time, the cash and art disappeared. Everything sort of faded away, and they were left in an empty white room. Alex and Donovan looked around, dazed.
Then they looked at the boy with the remote control.
"Toby?", Alex exclaimed. Toby was a classmate of his. Since Alex hadn't been attending school much, he didn't really know what kind of a person Toby was.
"Hello, Alex. And you too, Donovan. I remember you two from school." Toby looked at the other two boy's confusion. "This is all a hologram", Toby explained. "Except for me, of course. My father works for the government, and we know how you've been robbing houses. We know about your disguise, Donovan, and where you currently live."