Colby nearly dropped the glass tubes he was organizing. “W-wait! You n-need to b-borrow my lab a-again? B-but Lena…!”

She held her hands up, already bracing for the complaint. “I know! I know! It makes a mess when I leave and come back… I’m sorry for that, really—but you know how I feel about Dahlia finding out.”

Their eyes met only for a heartbeat—his full of exhaustion, hers pleading—before he looked away with a soft exhale, like he knew he couldn't win against her.

“T-this w-will be the l-last t-time, Lena,” Colby said as seriously as he could, swiveling back toward her.

Lena groaned softly under her breath, leaning against the cool lab counter. The fluorescent lights hummed above them, even that irritating sound somehow judgmental. Colby quietly adjusted the stool and sat, shoulders hunched.

‘I don’t blame him for being upset about it. I just don't trust Dahlia. Simple as that. My power is my secret until that feeling changes,’ Lena thought.

“Okay,” she said aloud, straightening. “This will be the last time. I promise.”

Right on cue—because her power loved dramatic timing lately—the dark, swirling portal blossomed in the back corner of the lab. Papers fluttered off counters. Something clattered to the ground with a hollow thunk. Colby’s hand clenched, knuckles going white, before he forced himself to relax.

“I’ll buy you dinner when I get back to make up for the mess!” she called as she trotted toward the portal, waving over her shoulder.

“R-really?! S-stay safe!” Colby replied, voice suddenly bright with hope. Lena snorted under her breath as she stopped before the dark oval. “Now then,” she muttered, tightening her grip on her notepad, “let’s see how this Santa became Robin Hood.”

She stepped in—

—and the world swallowed her whole.

Darkness pressed around her, broken only by a faint strip of light beneath a lone door. Cold crawled slowly into her bones. She wrapped her arms around herself.

‘Poor insulation. Must be a back building somewhere. Warehouse maybe?’

A door creaked. A grunt. Someone pushing in against the wind. Definitely didn’t sound like a 65-year-old man.

Snow drifted in around a bulky silhouette before the door slammed shut again. The intruder flicked on a flashlight, and the sudden beam stabbed straight into Lena’s eyes. She hissed softly, shielding her face until the flashlight dipped downward—revealing, at the man’s feet…

Knapsacks. Christmas-themed. Several of them.

‘Committed to the aesthetic, I see.’

The intruder crouched and gathered the bags in one clumsy hand, trudging deeper into the building. As the flashlight swept across high industrial shelving stacked with sealed boxes, Lena realized:

‘So we are in a warehouse! Must be located at the back of the mall.’

And toys—plenty of them—untouched.

‘Interesting. He’s picky. This isn’t a simple theft after all… it was targeted.’

The intruder stopped at a side door—which was locked—then gently worked it open, peeking an eye out for any guards. Lena crouched to peek out with him. Only one beam of light was visible—meaning at least one guard was nearby. She spotted the second as they cleared the warehouse.

“Huh,” she whispered. “This place is huge. Two guards can’t possibly cover even half of this building.” She scribbled fast. ‘Possible cause of successful heist: Budget cuts? Negligence?’

The man beside her exhaled sharply—nerves fluttering.

‘Must be his first time doing something illegal,’ she thought, amused. Then she heard him mutter—quiet but clear: “Come on, Evan, focus! You’re doing this for the kids.”

Lena almost dropped her notebook.

‘Evan? Evan WHO?! And he actually did donate them?! But where? Orphanages––research later!’

Evan slipped into stealth mode—hugging shadows, weaving between store displays like he’d practiced on a VHS ninja-training tape.

“If I didn’t already know he succeeded… I’d think he was an idiot,” Lena murmured, smirking to herself.

A Toys “R” Us sign glowed faintly ahead. Somehow unlocked. Just like the back door.

‘Was this an inside job… or does he just have ridiculously good luck?’

Evan dumped his empty sacks on the floor and began stuffing them with whatever he could reach—Rubik’s Cubes, Transformers, Cabbage Patch Kids, My Little Pony. Piling them high until he had his four bags almost completely stuffed to the brim.

‘Good grief. How does he plan to get away cleanly with all of that weighing him down?’

One of the roaming flashlights in the mall swept closer. Lena’s pulse ticked up just watching. Evan, by contrast, seemed utterly oblivious, going about his larceny without pause. Only when light reflected against the store window did he jerk his head up.

“Freeze!” a guard barked. Evan’s hands shot toward the sacks—but he didn’t run. Didn’t drop them. Didn’t speak. Lena’s pen hovered over the paper.

“How will you get out of this, I wonder…” she whispered, a smile curling at the edges of her mouth in genuine interest.

To be continued...