THIEF! Chapter 18

A Long Night Part 3: Leader

He heard the doorbell ring. Who was it now? It was too early for any of his associates to arrive. Was it merely some salesperson he would have to shoo away? He opened the door to reveal a boy, with blond hair and determination in his gray-green eyes. Another one? he asked himself. But he would soon find out. "I'm here to see Allyssa," the boy told him, without being asked.

"You must be very late," he observed. "The others all came here more than an hour ago." The boy looked surprised. And wasn't that strange… he thought. This boy didn't have a bag, though he had a pokeball at his waist like the others. "You are here to work on the project?" he asked suspiciously.

Uh oh, you've got to think fast Dream thought to himself. This man already distrusted him. And I can't say I'm here to work on the project, because I will have to leave in a few minutes to report what I've found out "No, this is something different," he said, his mind racing as he stalled. "I've just got to talk to Allyssa for a bit, and then I'll go."

He eyed the boy up and down, trying to figure whether or not he was trustworthy. Finally he nodded "She's upstairs with some of her friends." The boy nodded and headed towards the door.

"A boy came up to the door from the police." Bobby told the story through Nowtowl's eyes and Combusken's mind.

"It's Dream," they all said at once, confidant that there could be no other.

"Yes," Bobby said. "He rang the doorbell, and your uncle answered," he pointed to Allyssa here. "They talked for a bit, then he let him in. He's coming." They heard footsteps coming upstairs.

"What do we do?" Allyssa asked. Heads turned automatically to where Jenna stood.

But for once the girl didn't have a plan. She paced back and forth, growing more and more nervous as the footsteps neared. "I-I don't know. We can't get out in time, and in any case the police are outside. We can't very well take him hostage either. But how else will we keep him from telling his father everything?" She seemed almost at her wit's end.

"We are going to talk to him." Everyone turned to Liana, who was sitting tranquilly. "We are going to try to convince him that we are here for an entirely different purpose, and that this is just a coincidence. And if that doesn't work, well, we'll come to that if we have to do so." Her voice was steady and calm.

Just then, the door opened and Dream stepped in. Everyone's eyes turned to him. But he only saw Liana. He was shocked, but at the same time several things fell into place. She fit the profile he had made. She did gymnastics. She was the right height and body size. He should have seen it sooner. But right now it was all he could do to believe it at all. "So it's you," he said, his voice quiet and reserved.

"What are you talking about?" Her voice was quiet as well, and she didn't meet his eyes.

"Don't play dumb. It doesn't suit you." The others in the room shifted uncomfortably, and Jenna made as if to speak, before Dream silenced her with a gesture. "I think the only reason I couldn't figure this out before, despite the fact that you were working in a group, was because I thought you were a better leader than this."

Liana's eyes widened slightly, and her mouth twisted, giving her a slightly bitter expression. "I'm not the leader of this group. Jenna's the one who comes up with all the plans." She still had not admitted what they were here for, but Dream hardly noticed that.

"No, you're the leader," he told her firmly, so much so that she met his gaze in surprise. "You're the driving force here; it's obvious, especially now that you're all sitting on eggshells. Look at them." He pointed to each kid in turn, and her sight followed his fingers. "They're looking at you. Wondering what to do. It's your responsibility to make sure no one gets hurt. You started this, and you have to end it right. It's not a game. It's dangerous"

Liana had been mesmerized by his speech, but now she pulled her eyes away. "We can take care of it," she said, trying to sound light and unaffected, and made a dismissive gesture with her hand.

Dream caught her hand, and recaptured her gaze. "Then be serious." Suddenly realizing the intensity of his hold, he let go, and looked at the ground. "I told that man that I would only be a few minutes. If I don't leave now, he could get suspicious and come up here to investigate, and that would be bad for all of us. But think, do you have the right to put people in danger for your game?" He turned away, and put his hands on the door.

"Wait." Liana called; still somewhat annoyed that he had called this a game. "Angel, you have an extra headset, right?" The boy nodded. "Give him one. It's not my game. I'm just going to play it out. And you, you will get a play-by-play. We are willing to cooperate."

"Then stay out of it." He told her.

"Ah, but that is not cooperation. Now you said you need to go, so go." Dream nodded thoughtfully, took the headset, and walked out.

Dragon let out a sigh. "So much for convincing him that we're here for a different purpose."

"Be quiet," Liana retorted. " You should be getting ready. They'll be here soon, and that's when it'll be your turn. Are your fingers warmed up?"

"Primed and itching to go." The girl replied with a grin.

He heard footsteps, and the boy came back down the stairs. He had something bulky in his hands. On that his eyes fixed. "Were you able to resolve things to your satisfaction?"

The boy turned. "Ah, no, not quite. But borrowing this should help." He held up the object, and he could see that it was a headset. "I need it for a project, you see."

The man nodded. "There seems to be a rather large group project going on currently."

"There is," the boy replied, and it seemed to carry an unnatural weight. "But I am part of a different group."

"What did you find out?" his father asked him.

"This is the concerted effort of a group of kids: 2 boys, and 4 girls, if you include Allyssa. They all go to my school except for one girl younger than the rest, but who I've seen hanging around their group. The leader is a girl named Liana. She is adamant on taking a part in this, and since they're already inside, it would be very difficult to remove them without raising suspicions. But there's a plus side: Liana wants very much to prove her worth, so she has given me this," Dream held up the headset, "with which to communicate with her. With this, we can keep her activities in check, or at least anticipate them."

"So we'll definitely have to work with this girl?"

"I don't think we have a choice. Besides, they're well placed, and they somehow knew I was coming before I was there. They can be useful."

"Alright. Good work. You'll be the one that talks to her. Now, we have our perimeter set up, and-What was that?" Dream's father referred to the sound of a car approaching. Father and son looked at one another. "They're coming."

Bobby suddenly jerked up. "They're coming," he told them, his voice somber.

He looked out the window, and saw the car pulling up. They're coming He went to make sure the table was set up properly.