The Dream Thief by Kari Kilgore (books for 10th graders txt) 📕

The evening only got worse for Loretta as it wore on. She was relieved to finally be going out at night, the first time in weeks that she'd been able to. She wouldn't be taking her Dragon, no matter how badly she wanted to, and she wouldn't be going alone.

Sure, it might look like it, and for a few blocks it would feel like it, but she wouldn't be alone. She got dressed, trying to stay calm by going over the list of Builds she still had in her mind, the ones she had been in the middle of when Karl tackled her. Nothing had been the same since then except her clothes.

She wore the black skinsuit and low boots, with her hair pulled back, wondering what Bill would think of such a getup. Karl had seen it once before, but she'd be willing to bet he hadn't been paying much attention to her body.

These nights with a far-off Build usually started with a long, leisurely walk to prepare and get into the necessary mindset. Tonight Loretta was out front pacing long before Bill's wagon was due to arrive. Gemma had gone to bed earlier than expected, saving everyone that struggle.

"Everything ready?" she said when Karl joined her on the porch.

"As far as I know," he said. "Once Bill shows up, we're good. Rullin won't have much choice but cooperating, thanks to my skills with rope and yours with sedatives."

"Just stay close," Loretta said. "But not too close. I don't want to wake them or anyone else before we're ready."

No one spoke on the ride over to Daylily Way. Loretta kept wanting to ask them to stop and let her out, even though she hadn't even brought her Dragon along. That was too much danger for Bill, and for her.

When they finally did stop a few blocks away, the houses were dark, the streetlights turned low. Odds were high no one would ever know they'd been here. No one outside the Norwood household, anyway.

"We'll leave him on the porch," Bill said, gripping Loretta's arm. "Then you’re on. We won't be far away if there's any trouble."

She nodded and looked into Karl's worried eyes. Loretta smiled at him as she jumped to the ground. The small, dark wagon continued on past her.

She walked slowly until it stopped in front of the Norwood’s sprawling house. Even though she strained to hear, Bill and Karl worked silently. The only noise Loretta heard was the creak of the wagon when it started moving again. She picked up her pace then, worried about what had to be the weakest part of their plan.

If Rullin made too much noise and woke everyone up, especially the Norwood’s neighbors, everything would fall apart.

Loretta drew even with the house to see an unmoving lump on the porch. As unpleasant as the rest might turn out to be, that breaking point had passed. She resisted the strong urge to kick him in the face when she walked by. If she'd been wearing her high pointed boots instead of her silent night shoes, she might not have resisted.

She took a deep breath, then knocked on the front door. Not as loudly as she wanted to, not by any means. She wanted only the occupants of this house, not all of their neighbors.

After a few minutes, she knocked again. People slept so deeply when they were on a full dose of Crumble. Loretta had a few seconds to wish they could have tried Karl's idea of creating paranoia by somehow forcing Mr. Norwood off of it before a light moved down the front stairs.

She dropped the letter on the still-unconscious young man's chest as she stepped around the corner of the porch into the shadows.

"Who's out here?"

Olsen Norwood wore a quite proper striped robe tied most improperly, and his hair stood around his head like a halo. He held a lamp in one hand, and held Mrs. Norwood behind him with the other. Loretta could hear her muttering, then exclaiming.

"What's that thing on the porch?"

Mr. Norwood drew back and reached for something before he pushed his wife inside and closed the door. He walked slowly toward Rullin, and now Loretta saw the heavy fireplace poker in his hand. When Mr. Norwood got close enough to see the boy's face, his shoulder slumped.

He dropped the poker and picked up the letter. The curtains in the door were pushed aside, but he didn't seem to notice. He was too busy reading the letter.

"Imp burn you," he said. "Worthless shaw scum."

Loretta stepped forward.

"Good evening, Mr. Norwood."

Loretta was afraid the Mr. Norwood would scream out loud, or that she herself would laugh at the way he jumped backward. She walked toward him, stopping before his wife would see.

"I need to have a word with you," she said. "I'll leave it up to you whether your wife joins us or not."

"No, please. Just give me a minute."

He dropped the letter and nearly crashed into the door. Loretta leaned against the wall, trying to put proper Mrs. Norwood together with the language she was hearing. Those words were more appropriate for the collection hidden deep inside the house, or deep in the shaw camps in the middle of the night.

"I said go back upstairs, Roma. It's not him! No, I don't tell you what to do. That's why you're going to listen to me this one blasted time!"

Mr. Norwood stood inside the door watching his wife walk up the stairs, then closed it and leaned against it. Loretta shoved Rullin with her foot.

"Care to explain why this worthless shaw scum tried to kill me in my sleep, Mr. Norwood?"

He nearly dropped his lamp.

"That's not... I didn't... He wasn't supposed to do anything like that!"

Loretta stepped closer. "You need to consider what class of criminal you're hiring before you hand the rittern over. Whether he went outside of his job description or not doesn't matter