Stacey McGill decided to stay over a little after our Babysitters Club meeting. She was in my room helping me with homework. Today was supposed to be a Janine night but I had told mom that since we were going to do our homework together that Janine could have the night off. Janine rolled her eyes a little as if to say "whatever" but she's too buttoned-down to be actually using that word. We were currently taking a study break.

"Stace. Do you think it's wrong to borrow something? When it's more like stealing?" I began.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean . . . what if it is not technically stealing? But it sort of is."

"How are you borrowing it?"

"Well . . . the person might have too much of it so they have plenty to spare."

"That's still stealing."

"But the person doesn't need it. She won't miss it."

"That's still stealing."

"But, but, but . . . I even looked this up . . . didn't the Indians have a concept of shared property? And that private property is just the concept of Europeans?"

"What are you getting at?"

"So someone's property could be thought of as being the community's property. So if you "borrow" and use it, it won't be considered stealing. Right?"

"Claud. You live in a society that uses the concept of private property. It's illegal to steal. The law is the law."

I took a longing peek at her homework. She saw it.

"Claud. Are you thinking about copying homework? STEALING answers? Is that what this was all about?"

"Oh, no. No! Stace. No. You gotta believe me. That's not what I'm getting at, at all." I said with my hands up, palms facing outward, in front of me.

I really wasn't trying to do any of those things that she was accusing me of.

In order to divert my attention from that contentious minor face-off, I looked at my homework. I stared at the problem that I was stuck on. I bandied a decision about in my head for a bit. Then I donned a resolute face. I was going for it.

I glanced over at Stacey, trying to read her face. She looked apologetic yet I could tell that she still held some suspicions. I thought that I had made up my mind but when I looked at her sweet face, my resolve faltered. Was what I was about to do wrong? I scanned her face as if I could glean the answer from it. She was looking at me while I was looking at her during this whole time looking as if she's waiting for me to speak.

After what seemed like a lull, I felt the need to continue the conversation. I still had some questions.

"Um, Stace," I began. "What if what is stolen or borrowed is not protected by law? What if. What if you won't get in trouble if you stole it? Like if the police knew that you stole it, still nothing will happen to you."

She stood up.

"Claudia," she said sounding unsure of how to proceed. "Claud? What are you talking about."

She looked confused. I thought that she might grab her things and leave any time now.

"Stacey. Don't you want to finish your homework here. You're almost done, aren't you?" I said lamely.

I felt a little guilty about trying to persuade her to stay.

"Do you want me to stay?"

"Yes."

When I said "yes", I vaguely felt a little like the devil patting a cushion on a chair.

When her butt hit that wooden seat, I felt that a certain mission was a go. I strained my brain to concentrate on bringing out in my mind's eye a symbol that would represent Stacey's adeptness in math. The harder I focused, the more this symbol came into fruition until I envisioned a bright, glowing orb coming out of Stacey's head. I strained my mental muscles further in order to extinguish away any doubts about this orb truly being in physical form Stacey's math skills - not just something representing it but truly it, itself - and threw myself into fully believing it. Then I channeled my mental energy into making me see this orb glide towards me. I opened my hand with my palm facing it, and with my fingers claw-like and poised to close on it when it reached it. As it flew into my hand, I grabbed it as if swallowing it. I felt it travel up my arm then disperse throughout my body as my whole being absorbed it. I felt my entire body throb as it was endowed with its powers. This was a visualization tactic that I had been taught. If you visualize yourself accomplishing something, then the chances of you accomplishing it will go up. In this case, I visualized that I just got myself some math abilities that is above my normal abilities. This particular strategem was well and good but let's just say that I had improved upon it.

My eyes then bolted to the math problem that I was having trouble with. I smiled as I scribbled down the steps as I worked through it. I felt like I was water moving down a channel in a smooth, unimpeded flow. I felt like an expert doing his craft. At the end of it, I wrote the answer with a flourish accompanied by a feeling of triumph.

Then I remembered.

I remembered so I looked at Stacey.

I wasn't hurting anyone was I? I specifically left out of the previous conversation the question of whether stealing was allowed if it didn't hurt anyone. I intentionally did not ask because I knew the response that I would most likely get from her: stealing ALWAYS hurts the victim.

She looked puzzled and worried as she faced downwards.

"What's wrong, Stace?" I asked nervously.

"I . . . I felt like something was just taken from me," she replied. "I . . ."

"Someone took something from you? Like at school?" I asked. "When's the last time you saw it? Where was it? Maybe you left it at home? It was taken just now? Maybe you didn't even bring it."

I knew that I was rambling but only because I was feeling fidgety, of which I was trying hard to keep subdued.

"No, no. I mean, about a minute ago. Right before you did that equation. The one you just finished."

My eyes widened and my hand braced.

"What? What do you mean?" I asked, trying to act nonchalant.

"I mean, I felt this pull. In my head, in my mind, in my brain. As if something was removed from it. And I'm feeling ever since like something is missing. It's the weirdest thing."