Elemental Thief

Chapter 25

Ridley arrived home at the same time as her father, reaching the corner of their block just as Dad came out of the Lins' restaurant across the road. "Is Shen home?" she asked as Dad walked toward her.

"No. I was just paying his parents a visit." Dad paused, a frown creeping across his face. "Weren't you just with Shen and Meera?"

Ridley realized her mistake a moment too late. "Actually, I decided to give the two of them some time alone together."

"Ah. Shen and Meera. How interesting." They continued down the alley toward the store's back door. "I would never have guessed they felt that way about each other."

Ridley shrugged. "They can both be quite shy sometimes. Maybe that's why?"

"Mmm. Yes." Dad pushed his key into the lock of the back door, then leaned a little closer when it wouldn't turn. "Odd," he murmured. "I'm sure I ..." He pushed down on the handle, and the door opened easily.

"Didn't you lock it when you left to see the Lins?" Ridley asked.

"I'm sure I must have." Dad pushed a hand through his scruffy hair and squinted at the partially open door. "Why wouldn't I?" He pushed it open fully, and Ridley peered through the back room and into the store. She couldn't see much from this angle. They wouldn't know whether anyone had broken in and stolen anything until they moved further inside.

Ridley exchanged a look with Dad, but neither of them said a word. This was the point at which a normal person might have said, "Should we call the cops?" But Ridley wasn't normal, and Dad had spent a long time keeping her away from the attention of anyone in law enforcement. Having the cops right outside their door last week was close enough; they weren't about to willingly invite them inside their home now.

"I can check it out," Ridley whispered, "without anyone seeing me. It'll be easy."

"Absolutely not," Dad answered. "One of our nosy neighbors might notice the glow before you vanish. You'd have to wait until you're inside, and by then, whoever's in the store might see you. If there's someone in the store, that is." He stepped inside, adding, "I'll take a look."

"Dad!" Ridley hissed, reaching forward to tug him back and missing his arm by inches. She followed him inside, but he turned his furious gaze back over his shoulder at her, mouthing something about her waiting outside. She shook her head, just as insistent as her father. No way was she leaving him to confront whoever was inside their store.

"Go back outside," Dad whispered.

Ridley leaned back, tugged the door shut, then shoved her magic outward as she lunged forward and pressed herself against Dad's side. They both vanished as her magic turned to air around them. The air moved them forward at Ridley's mental command, and at the back of her mind, she couldn't help noticing the irony of the situation: She was a thief about to get a taste of her own medicine. About to find her family's store robbed of everything valuable.

Except ... it wasn't. Not a single item appeared out of place. She swirled the two of them through the air as she examined the shop, but it was exactly as she and Dad had left it that morning before heading out for breakfast. The magic dissipated around them, revealing them bit by bit until they were fully visible, Ridley still pressed against Dad's side.

He stepped away and swung Ridley to face him. "What the hell was that?"

She hesitated, startled for a moment by his anger. "I was trying to keep us both safe, okay? Anyone could have been inside this store, and you just walked in, unarmed."

He leaned closer to her, lowering his voice. "You're not supposed to have used magic in years, and yet you turned us into air almost faster than I could see. That suggests to me that you've been practicing."