The Last Dainv-Chapter 153

The Last Dainv-Chapter 153

Oliver kicked in the apartment door. He quickly put the greasy paper bags on the table, then looked at Cassie who had followed him in.
"Home crap home. What do you think?"
Cassie walked in, looking left and right and then out to the single window at the end of the room. Orange light filtered through the newspapers that were stuck on it as dawn was right around the corner.
"You live here?" she asked.
"Government pity for the homeless children." Oliver opened one of the bags. "Social worker checks in once a month, brings basic supplies. Rest of the time, they leave me alone."
"How'd you swing that?"
"Got caught stealing. First offense on record, so they stuck me in the system. Better than something they call
juvie
."
Cassie sat across from him as he ripped open the bag. It contained two shawarma wraps, hummus, and a generous amount of fries. Napkins were supposed to be extra, but the old man couldn't resist the two children's puppy dog eyes.
"Gotta admit. Your connect hooked us up good," Oliver said. "Dig in before it gets colder than it already is."
Cassie grabbed her wrap immediately and started 'digging in'. It looked like she hadn't eaten for days. She probably hadn't from the look of her bony cheeks.
"Mmmm," she mumbled through a mouthful. "This is good. Real good."
Oliver nodded, stuffing fries into his mouth. His lips still hurt, but that was a daily thing back at home. Easy to ignore.
The two didn't talk while eating. Just chewed on and the distant sounds of sirens blared out the window, probably somewhere in the city.
"So," Cassie wiped sauce from her chin. "Why'd you really help me back there?"
Oliver chewed slowly, thinking for a second before answering, "Dunno. Seemed like the thing to do."
"Right. And I should believe that because?"
"Fine." He dipped a fry in hummus. "Those guys were distracted. Made for easy pickings."
Cassie's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
Oliver grinned, though it looked more like a grimace, then immediately regretted it from the pain coming from his whole face and lips. He pulled out three wallets, placing them on a clean spot on the table.
"Woah," Cassie whispered. "How?"
"Magic," he said, making weird hand gestures like in a certain magical school book.
"Yeah, okay. Seriously, how'd you swipe this stuff while getting your ass handed to you?"
"Got quick hands. Sleight of hand. Magic sleight of hands. Seriously," sarcasm oozing from Oliver's voice.
He wasn't going to tell her or if she could even believe it. People in this world weren't like the ones in his. That was something he quickly learned. People in his world called the people who didn't have powers 'unawakened'. He didn't know what they were called here, but there's no way he was risking a trip to government labs.
Cassie picked up one of the wallets and opened it. "There's like three hundred bucks in here!"
"We split it even," Oliver said, returning to his food. "That was the deal."
"We didn't have a deal."
"We do now. You did distract them, so you get a cut."
Cassie looked at him as she took another big bite of her shawarma. She mumbled, "Fine by me. But I want half the cash, not half the trouble."
"Smart girl."
"Smarter than you, apparently. You look like hamburger meat."
Oliver touched his swollen eye. "You should see the other guys."
"I did. They looked fine."
"Yeah, well." He shrugged. "You'll see them next time."
Oliver collected the trash after they finished eating. Stuffed it in a plastic bag that he called trash can.
"You take the mattress," he said. "I'll sleep on the floor."
Cassie looked at the mattress in the corner away from the window. "Where are your parents?"
"Not here," Oliver said.
"Mine either. They died when I was seven. Car crash."
"Sorry."
"Don't be. Wasn't your fault." Cassie pulled up her legs, hugging her knees to her chest. "Foster care sucked, so I bounced last year. Been on my own since."
No point in sharing his own story. She wouldn't believe him… probably. "You can crash here tonight. Tomorrow we figure out the rest."
"The rest?"
"Whether you're staying or going."
"You asking me to be roommates, Ollie?" Cassie said as she settled on the mattress.
"It's Oliver. And no. Just offering a place to sleep."
"Sure." She grinned. "Whatever you say."
Oliver rolled his eyes and tossed her a thin blanket from his backpack. "Get some sleep. Tomorrow's gonna be busy."
"Doing what?"
He put his backpack on the floor, placing it carefully. Laying down his head on the backpack, he said, "Doing stuff to live another day."
The next morning came. Oliver woke up to the sound of running water in the bathroom. Trying to get up was a mistake. His body hurt from the bruises and sore muscles in places he didn't even think had muscles.
The bathroom door opened. Cassie came out, clothed, dark hair still wet.
"You snore," she said.
"I don't."
"Like a chainsaw with asthma."
"You always this annoying in the morning?" Oliver sat up, wincing.
"Only when I'm hungry." She dropped onto the mattress.
Oliver checked his watch, something he
found
in a park. Probably dropped by a kid. "Convenience store opens in twenty minutes. We can get something there."
"With our new fortune?" Cassie grinned.
"We're not blowing it all on food. We need supplies."
"Like what?"
"Winter's coming. Need better clothes, maybe some actual blankets. Medicine. First aid stuff."
Cassie's smile faded. "You… you've done this a while?"
Of course he had. Looking at her, not sure how she even got this far in a year. Well, actually, it's believable. Who'd ever let a 14 year old girl like her freeze or starve to death? Even that old man from the shawarma shop had gotten all too soft when he saw her.
Standing up, Ollie said, "Let's go."
October morning. Always cold and almost in the negatives. Streets were still busy, though. People heading to work, walking while glued to their bricks that lit up, magically avoiding people without looking up.
Perfect for pickpockets.
They went to the Rabba's convenience store nearby. Oliver grabbed the essentials. Bread, canned foods, peanut butter, bottled water. Cassie added chips and a chocolate bar to the pile.
"Can I?" she said with her best puppy dog eyes.
"Fine. But that's all for junk food," Oliver grumbled.
Next was the discount clothing store three blocks over. They each got warm jackets, gloves, and thick socks for each of them. Oliver wanted practical. Cassie wanted style.
"No one's going to see us," Oliver said.
"I'll see us," Cassie said. "And I refuse to look like a trash bag with legs."
By noon, a quarter of their cash had been spent. Money was going down fast. They sat on a park bench, eating cold sandwiches they had bought from the Rabbas.
"We're running out of money," he said between bites.
"You just scored like nine hundred bucks."
"It goes fast. Already out fast too because of your junk food."
"Hmmmm," Cassie said. "So what's the plan? More wallet-snatching?"
"Something like that." Oliver looked around the park. Business people on lunch breaks. Tourists taking photos. Joggers with phones on their arms. It was like he was a wolf looking at a flock of sheep. So many pockets. So little time.
When he swallowed his last bite, Cassie put something into his mouth. A hard sugary substance on a stick that he only saw the nobles eating back in his world. "What's this?"
"A lollipop."
"Why?"
"Put something sweet in you." Cassie chuckled. "You're too salty all the time."
"Where did you even get this?!" Oliver telekinetically checked his cash. All the cash was still in his pocket. "You know what, don't answer that. Better I don't know."
"I pocketed it."
"I told you not to tell me!" Oliver sighed. "Let's go."
Oliver and Cassie went to Dundas Square. It was cold, but street performers still performed their circus act on the streets. A preacher by the street even shouted loudly at one of the people arguing with him. Old Tomtom would have a field day on this street.
Positioning himself near the crowded intersection of Dundas and Yonge, he whispered into Cassie's ear, "Watch and learn."
A businessman walked by, shouting into the electric brick. Nice looking suit and something shiny on his wrist. His wallet stuck out the back of his pocket.
Oliver focused on the object. Pressure built behind his eyes. A blue outline appeared on the wallet and floated towards him, hidden by the people who didn't care about a floating object.
Cassie gasped, watching the wallet float.
"Shhh," he hissed.
The businessman kept walking, completely unaware that his wallet was gone from his pocket.
"How did you do that?!" Cassie's mouth still gaped.
"Not here."
They changed locations three times that afternoon. Each time, Oliver picked a target, focused, and took their wallet or phone. Never both. Never getting greedy.
By sunset, they had hit seven people and added another thousand dollars to their money.
They went into an alley to count their take.
"Don't play with me," Cassie demanded. "How did you do that?"
Oliver sighed. "You wouldn't believe me."
"Try me. I just watched a wallet fly through the air. My BS meter is pretty much broken at this point."
His eyes looked into hers for a long moment as she waited for him to say something. Neither gave in to each other, waiting for one to talk first and give in.
"I can move shit with my mind," he said.
Cassie's head tilted. "Wait, what? Like... telekinesis?"
"Yeah."
"You're shitting me."
Oliver sighed and focused on a soda can near her foot. The can hovered up into the air, then dropped back down.
Cassie's mouth fell open again. "Holy fuck."
"Told you."
"How long have you been able to do that?"
"Ever since I could remember stuff," Oliver said.
"Are you from some government experiment? Area 51?"
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
"No."
"Then where are you from?"
"No." Oliver put the wallet into his backpack and stood up. "I'm from another world."
Cassie stared at him, seriously, then whispered, "You mean New York?"
"No, I mean... Wait. Whatever. Think what you want."
"No, wait." She grabbed his arm. "You're serious?"
"Dead serious."
"Another world. Like... aliens and stuff?"
Oliver shook his head. "Not aliens. People like you, but different rules. Different everything. Magic instead of technology."
"And you can do magic?"
"Just this." He wiggled his fingers. "Moving stuff. For now at least."
Cassie looked at the can Oliver had used as an example, then back at him. "That's why you're on the streets? You escaped from somewhere? How did you get here?"
"I didn't escape. I woke up here two months ago. No idea how or why."
"That's..." She trailed off.
"Crazy? Yeah." Oliver slung the backpack over his shoulder. "Let's go. Getting dark."
They walked in silence for several blocks. Oliver could feel her watching him, studying him like some science project.
"Stop staring."
"Sorry. It's just-"
"A lot. I know."
"Can you move anything? How much weight?"
"Depends. Small stuff is easy. Big stuff takes more focus."
"Could you move a car?"
"Maybe. Never tried."
"Could you move me?"
Oliver stopped walking. "Why would I do that?"
"I don't know. Just asking."
"I don't use it on people."
"Why not?"
Dammit old Tomtom.
He started walking again. "Because… I don't know actually."
They reached the apartment before it got dark. Oliver locked it behind them, then dumped everything they bought onto the floor. Cassie sat cross-legged beside the pile, then took the cash, counting and sorting it.
"Five hundred and fifty three," she said. "Not bad."
"It's a start," Oliver said. He tossed her a protein bar. "Dinner."
"Gourmet."
"Better than nothing."
Cassie unwrapped it and took a bite. "So in this world, moving stuff with your mind is a normal thing?"
"Not just that. There's other stuff people can do with that power."
"Like what?"
"Fireballs."
"So you're weak compared to them. Is that why you left?"
Oliver sighed, eyes narrowing at the
normal
girl. "I didn't leave. I went to sleep and woke up here. End of story."
"Do you miss it?"
"Miss what?"
"Your world. Your home."
"Didn't have a home, just like this shitty new world you call Earth." The only thing he missed in that world was old Tomtom. Took him in when no one else did.
Cassie looked away, changing the subject. "We need a better system for tomorrow."
"What kind of system?"
"I could create a distraction while you do your thing. Draw attention away from the targets."
This could work. He wouldn't have to find already distracted people. Cassie could literally just distract them and then he comes in for the pickings.
"Trust me. I'm great at making scenes."
"I bet."
She grinned. "Partners in crime?"
"For now."
The next day, they hit Yonge and King during lunch hour. The sidewalks were full of office workers rushing to grab food before going back to their high towers.
Cassie positioned herself near a busy intersection. She wore the new jacket Oliver reluctantly strategically bought, a bright red, easy to spot in a crowd, puffy jacket that made her look cute.
Cassie bumped into one of the businessmen that were walking. Coffee spilled on the man's expensive looking gray suit.
"I'm so sorry!" she shouted, loud enough to cause a commotion. "I'm sorry, mister. I-I think I just sprained my ankle."
A small crowd gathered as she put on a show of a child in distress. The businessman looked annoyed but stayed to help, along with two women who'd been walking behind him.
While everyone watched Cassie, Oliver focused on their back pockets and purses. Three wallets slid out silently and floated to his waiting hands.
They did this four more times that day, in different locations. By sunset, they'd scored over two thousand dollars.
"We're getting good at this," Cassie said as they counted their money in a food court's bathroom.
"Too good. Need to switch places tomorrow. Can't hit the same areas too often."
"We could try the mall."
"Security cameras."
"The park?"
"Not enough cash. Tourists carry card things that we can't use, not money."
"What about the theatre district? Lots of rich people going to shows." Cassie stuffed the bills into her pocket.
Oliver nodded. "Not bad."
They got burgers and fries with their new money and headed back home. Oliver's mouth drooled at the sloppy, greasy burger. One thing better in this world than his original's was the food. How is this heavenly thing between two pieces of bread even made? It's meat but not meat? It's probably meat, but how is it so mushy and juicy and…
Cassie dunked a couple of fries into her chocolate shake, interrupting his drooling all over the food.
"Seriously?"
"What?" Cassie ate the fries. "It's good. Wanna try?"
"No." Oliver sighed, taking a bite of his burger.
"We should get a better place," she said between bites.
"This one's free."
"But it sucks."
"Free trumps sucks."
Cassie rolled her eyes. "Whatever. At least we're eating real food now."
"Fuck yeah for real food," Oliver said. "Except your chocolate shake fries."
"If we keep this up," Cassie said, "we could probably save enough to go somewhere warm."
"Like where?"
"Florida? California? Dunno. Just anywhere where we won't freeze to death in the winter."
Oliver sipped his soda. "Maybe."
Three weeks passed. Their routine got solid: find a location, create a distraction, take wallets, move on. They never hit the same area twice in a row. Never got greedy, always disciplined when choosing locations. 30 minutes, in and out. That was it.
They upgraded from protein bars to actual meals. Bought better clothes. Even got a portable heater for the apartment as November brought colder nights.
Then Cassie got sick.
It started with a cough. Nothing serious, she said. Just a cold. But by the third day, she could barely get out of bed. Her face flushed, forehead hot with fever.
"It's fine," she rasped when Oliver touched her forehead. "Just need to sleep it off."
"You need medicine."
"We can't afford it. I'll be fine after resting, trust me."
"No, I'm buying medicine. Don't stop me."
Oliver left her wrapped in their new blankets and headed to the nearest Shoppers Drug Mart. The store was full of random convenience materials from pantry, food, and skin care. He found the drugs section, but the shelves were locked behind plastic with a lock.
A pharmacist noticed him, walking up to him. "Hey there little guy, can I help you with something?"
"My sister's sick," Oliver said. "Fever, cough. Don't know what to get her."
The woman's face softened. "How old is she?"
"Fourteen."
"Any allergies?"
"Don't think so."
The pharmacist pulled a few boxes from the shelf. "These should help. The fever reducer, cough suppressant, and some throat lozenges."
Oliver looked at the prices and winced. Nearly a hundred dollars total.
"Thanks," he said, putting the items in the basket. He paid for them. Regardless of the cost, Cassie needed medicine, and that was all that mattered. Money can be made later. As much as he didn't want to admit it, she can't be replaced with money.
When he got back to the apartment, Oliver saw her shivering under the blankets. The room was cold. Old government provided apartments barely had any heating.
"Got you something," he said, sitting on the edge of the mattress. "Sit up."
Oliver helped her stand up as she struggled to sit up.
"You didn't have to get this," Cassie said.
"Just drink this."
She did as told, making a face at the taste of the cough syrup.
"Tastes really bad. I don't like it," she muttered.
"Medicine's supposed to taste bad. Means it's gonna work."
Cassie lay back down facing him with one of her hands out of the blanket, her eyes already closing. "Thanks, Ollie."
"It's Oliver."
"Whatever you say, Ollie."
He sat by her side, holding her hand until she fell asleep once more. Her breathing was rough and harsh, but the medicine worked right away as the flushness on her face slightly receded.
The sight of it all made his heart ache. Being responsible for anyone was a first. He'd only been responsible for himself since the moment he could remember things.
It scared him. But seeing her like this scared him even more. People would die just from a slight cold back at home if they couldn't afford a healer.
December arrived with snow and harsh winds. They'd saved almost five thousand dollars by then, probably enough to rent a real place if they had ID or credit histories. But they didn't, so they stayed in the free apartment, adding more blankets and a second heater to fight the cold that came through the thin walls.
They celebrated Christmas with a bucket of fried chicken and store-bought cookies. Cassie insisted on getting a tiny plastic tree from the dollar store, which Oliver thought was stupid but didn't argue about.
Blizzards were common in the month of January. Sometimes, the city would even shut down, and there would be no one walking in the street for days. They stayed in the apartment, playing cards even as the ceiling light flickered from the storm.
February was even colder. They only went out when necessary, living off canned soup and crackers from the convenience store downstairs.
By March, they needed fresh targets, new hunting grounds.
"The casino," Cassie said one morning. "Rich people, drunk people, distracted people."
"Too much security."
"The opera house?"
"Same problem."
"What about that fancy hotel downtown? The one with the rooftop bar?"
Drunk people, socializing and not caring too much about the world they live in. Fancy hotel also means they're rich and won't mind losing a couple of hundred dollars and their wallets. "Could work. Lots of exits. Crowd mixed enough that we wouldn't stand out."
They spent a day checking out the location. The hotel lobby was all marble and glass, with staff who watched them suspiciously when they stayed too long. But the bar on the top floor was busy enough that two teenagers could slip in unnoticed during the dinner rush.
They struck on a Friday night. Cassie wore her nicest clothes that were still shabby by the hotel's standards, but passable. Oliver stuck to jeans and a clean hoodie. They took the elevator to the top floor and walked into the bar, pretending to belong there as two kids lost while looking for their parents.
The place was busy, people moving about, making it hard to see through the crowd. Business types celebrating the end of the work week. Tourists spending too much on cocktails and getting drunk. The perfect sheeps to hunt.
Cassie nudged him. "Three o'clock. Guy with the fancy fancy watch."
Oliver spotted the shiny shiny immediately. Expensive looking blue suit that probably had way too much thread count. The man's wallet made a bulge in his jacket pocket.
"On it."
Cassie moved first, heading toward the bathrooms but "accidentally" bumping into a server carrying a tray of drinks. The crash and breaking glass turned every head in the place.
"I'm so sorry!" she shouted, loud, but not enough to overpower the music. Just enough to get the attention of the target. "I didn't see you!"
Oliver focused on the jacket's pocket immediately as soon as the man's head turned to the commotion. The wallet slid out smoothly, floating and planting itself behind a potted plant. After Cassie had left and the commotion died down, he casually picked it up and dipped.
While the commotion happened, Oliver focused on the target's pocket. The wallet slid out smoothly and floated behind a potted plant, where Oliver casually picked it up a moment later.
They did this twice more before deciding to quit while ahead. Three wallets, over five hundred dollars in cash, plus credit cards they'd dump in the sewer on the way home.
Not bad for two hours' worth of risk and reward.
Later that night, they laid in their usual spots. Cassie, on the bed. Oliver, on the floor with his backpack as a pillow. The room was dark, except for the dim light that came from the newspaper plastered window.
Cassie asked, "What would you do if you could have anything?"
"What do you mean?" Oliver asked back.
"If money wasn't an issue. If you could just... have whatever you wanted. What would you do?"
"I'd be rich."
"That's not an answer. I mean… if you could have whatever you want, what would you do?"
"No, I mean that's what I want. To be rich. So rich I never have to think about money again."
"Boring."
"What about you?"
Cassie rolled on the mattress to face him. "I'd eat ice cream for breakfast every day."
"That's it? Ice cream?"
"And think about this. I'd want to become a scientist."
"What kind?"
"The kind that figures out cool shit. Like space travel or curing diseases."
Oliver snorted. "From pickpocket to scientist. Quite a career change."
"Hey, I'm smart. I just never got the chance to prove it."
"I believe you."
He looked up at the ceiling. If money really wasn't a thing, it'd solve everything for him
and
her. It'd stop her from getting sick. Stop her stomach from growling all the time and… she'd always have a roof over her head to sleep in.
"We'll get out of this," Oliver said. "Find a better place. Better life."
"Promise?"
"Yeah."
"Good." Cassie yawned. "Are you going to spoil me? Nice clothes. Good food. Ice cream everyday."
"High maintenance."
"Damn right."
Oliver smiled. "Go to sleep."
"Night, Ollie."
"It's Oliver."
"Whatever you say, Ollie."
Spring brought warmer weather and new opportunities. They expanded their territory and took a higher risk/reward ratio. Their stash grew to nearly ten thousand dollars in cash, all hidden in various spots around the apartment.
Then the men in suits showed up one day, looking shifty and eyeing every shadowy corner.
Oliver noticed them first. Three of them, standing at the corner across from their usual hunting spot. They didn't look like cops. Didn't look like anyone who should be in this neighbourhood.
"We need to go," he grabbed Cassie by the arm.
"What? Why?"
"Don't look. Just walk."
They walked in the opposite direction. Glancing over his shoulder, the men had crossed the street, blatantly following him and making eye contact with him.
"Shit," he said. "We need to split up."
"No way."
"Yes way. Meet back at the apartment. Go the long route."
Cassie hesitated but nodded anyways. "Be careful."
"Always am."
They separated at the next corner. Cassie went left, Oliver right. Two of the men followed Oliver.
Good. Better him than her. His pace picked up, walking faster, weaving through pedestrians. The men stayed on him, moving with a fluidity that he hadn't seen before.
These weren't random thugs. They moved too fast and weren't even out of breath like they'd had training.
Oliver cut through an alley, jumped a fence, came out on a busy street. Still there. Still following.
He went down to the TTC station. Rush hour. Putting coins into the slot and then going through the automatic doors. The platform was full, making it harder for grown men to pass through. It was a perfect situation for his small physique.
The train arrived soon enough. Oliver went in. So did the men. He waited until the last second and then left the train as soon as it closed. The men banged on the train while he mocked them with a middle finger.
He went back above ground, taking a roundabout route to the apartment. By the time he arrived, the sun had set.
Cassie was already there, pacing.
"Ollie!" she shouted when he walked in. "I thought they got you."
"Almost did." Oliver locked the door behind him. "We need to be more careful. We dip as soon as we see guys like that."
"Who were they?"
"Don't know. Don't care. But they were after us specifically."
Cassie sat on the mattress. "How could they know about us?"
"Maybe someone noticed a pattern. Maybe we hit someone connected. Doesn't matter now."
Oliver grabbed his backpack and started putting in essentials. "Pack only what you need. We'll grab the cash and go."
"Go where?"
"I was thinking the hotel district. One of the big chains. Pay cash for a room, lay low for a few days."
Cassie nodded and started gathering her things. "Those guys looked rich."
"So?"
"So their wallets probably have more than the average target."
Oliver stopped packing. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying if they're hunting us anyway, might as well make it worth our while, like old times."
"That's stupid."
"That's opportunity."
Oliver zipped his backpack closed. "It's too dangerous."
"Everything we do is dangerous. But these guys? They're a bigger score."
"Or they're bait."
"Or they're loaded. Only one way to find out."
Oliver shook his head. "Not worth the risk."
Those suits he saw weren't cheap. Watches didn't look fake either. It was as if they were looking for someone specific. Something about those guys smelled like it didn't belong in the city, and old Tomtom knew that Oliver has got a good gut when it came to these things.
"I'll think about it," he said.
Cassie grinned. "Now you're talking."

.
!
Chapter 153