Alesha reviewed the target objects in her mind one last time before looking at the clock and deciding when to steal the items. It was now 15:42, with just about 20 minutes until Dennis would get out of school, Layla following 30 minutes after that. She could take the objects from her siblings' rooms now, assuming they were where she remembered them being, but she wanted to try gaming the system first. Could she technically meet the quest requirements without actually causing her family distress? To try it, she would need to wait until her family got home and was distracted, or better yet, asleep. She wasn't worried about being stealthy since she had gotten used to being quiet during her time in the dorms back as a freshman in university.
To prepare, Alesha scouted her siblings' rooms. TinTin the unicorn was among several other video game plushies on Dennis's homework desk, and Layla's favorite makeup kit sat neatly where it belonged in the bathroom. They were both where she remembered them being. As for her mother's object, she found it right where she expected it to be as well. What luck! Unless her father's Lucky Chain was difficult to find later, she would be able to find (and hopefully take) everything without trouble.
She took a deep breath, crossed her fingers, and waited for her family to get home.
----
Dennis waved goodbye to his friend Marshall as he went down the stairs after walking him to his door. They lived in the same apartment building, and attended the same school, but they didn't have the luck to live on the same floor or be in the same class. That didn't bother him too much, though. Once he got his homework done he'd be able to hop into "Ultimate Gamer's World 2000" and continue the conquest of Arimathea with him. They'd been working together to build an empire in the game for months now, and they were getting so close!
Eager to game with Marshall, Dennis hurried down the stairs and the hallway, rushed up to the door, flashed his wrist by the featureless black hemisphere that served as the door's lock, and rushed through the entrance. "Mom, I'm home!" He called, tossing his backpack haphazardly onto the couch, where it landed on top of the unnoticed Alesha. She was laying there, checking out her stats and making educated guesses about what they could do. And, as she had guessed earlier, the System was completely tight-lipped, offering no insight at all.
Dennis didn't notice even when she made an "oof!" as the backpack landed on her stomach. He was too focused on his goal: the fridge! He opened it quickly, carelessly opened a drawer and pulled out a stick of string cheese, which he began to pull apart with his teeth. He wasn't particularly picky about how he ate string cheese, but felt like enjoying the stringiness of it today.
Turning around and propping herself up on her elbow, Alesha quietly took Dennis's backpack and set it on the floor beside the couch. She rolled off the couch, careful to not make any noise, tiptoed in a semi-crouch up behind Dennis, then suddenly trapped him in a ferocious hug with a "Boo!"
Dennis cried out in surprise, jolting and knocking his head into Alesha's chin as he dropped his snack to the floor.
[Ding! -0.1 HP]
Alesha released Dennis and rubbed at her chin. "Phhh, scare you that much, did I?" she asked with a mischievous grin.
"ALESHA!!" He screamed at full volume, tackling her in a hug and clinging to her like a koala. "You woke up?! You're here?! How come Parents didn't tell me?! They should've grabbed me from school at least!!"
Alesha laughed. "Aw, little buddy, but you've got Finals coming up. They couldn't risk hurting your grades like that."
Grumbling, Dennis said, "Yeah, sure I suppose. But come on!" He turned a fierce gaze up at Alesha, still gripping her in a death hug. "This is more important! You almost died!"
Her smile faded at the reminder. "Yeah, I suppose I did," she said quietly. "But! I didn't! I'm okay now and I'm just gonna be here with you guys for a while."
"Really?!" Dennis asked, eyes sparkling.
"Yeah, really," Alesha smiled back. "Kay, I bet you have some homework to do, right?"
"Yep, then I'm gonna play 'Ultimate Gamer's World 2000' with Marshall! We're taking over the world!"
"Haha, you're adorable, Dennis! You might have to let me go in order to do your homework, though."
"Hmmmm…. let me snuggle you while I do my homework then?"
"Sure," Alesha said, still smiling. It was good to be home again. She'd missed this little bugger.