"Molly, this is your fourth walkthrough. You’re sweating through the foundation, you know that?" "I’m not sweating, I’m seasoning. Besides, the stag beetle guard is twitchy. If he sees us flinch, the alarm goes off." Bill adjusted his camo fatigues, which were just gardening clothes spray-painted green. "It’s a children’s party, Molly. The alarm is likely a bunch of flags tied to twine. We’re not robbing Fort Knox; we’re robbing the bank of rich toddlers." "The markup on toddler toys is obscene. Do you have the grapple gun?" "The carrot peeler?" "The carrot peeler in the Swiss Army knife. The sharp one." "Right. The carrot peeler. That’s for the plastic wrap." "It’s for high-stakes entry. We’re going up the side of the house, Bill. The ornamental ivy holds weight." "The ivy is fake. It’s plastic plants glued to the siding. We’ll bounce right off." "It’s attached, Bill. It’s physics." "So is gravity. Why are we doing this? I could be home watching paint dry." "Paint dries in four hours, and we’d only get to paint the wall. In here? We’re stealing a hoverboard. Think about the hoverboard." "Is it a self-balancing hoverboard?" "Probably." "Then we’re breaking in." "I knew you’d see the light. Listen, once we’re in, I distract the parents with the noise maker. You get the loot." "The noise maker?" "A bag of marbles." "You’re bringing marbles to a high-speed getaway?" "Traffic violation? No, they just cause sliding collisions. It’s chaos in slow motion. We slide into the SUV and you drive." "I drive?" "You drive. You’ve got the muscle for it. I’ve got the brain. It’s the classic setup. Keep talking so I can tape up the window." "Okay, okay. Tape the window. Marbles. Chaos. You stay inside, I stay outside. But if we get caught, I’m blaming the marbles." "If we get caught, I’ll tell them you tried to eat the piñata." "That’s a felony." "It’s a children’s party, Bill. We’re already felons." Bill climbed the trellis, the plastic ivy snapping loudly under his boots. The window was open just a crack. "Go!" Bill whispered, holding his breath. "Wait, are those footsteps?" "Neighbors! I’ll cut the neighbor’s cable with the carrot peeler." "The carrot peeler!" "It's a multitool!" "You ruined the whole operation with the carrot peeler!" "Shh! They’re gone." Molly slid through the window, keeping low, moving toward the dining room. The presents were piled high, wrapped in shiny paper with bows the size of dinner plates. "I found the box," Bill hissed over the comms. "It’s glowing." "That’s just the wrapping paper, you doofus." "I’m opening it with the carrot peeler!" "Don't open it yet! I see the dog. The Husky is sleeping on the presents." "Take the dog out." "I don't have the tranquilizer dart." "Tickle him." "You tickle him. You’re the tall one." "He’s a Husky, Bill. He’ll think you’re playing fetch." "Just buy me time!" Molly dove behind a potted ficus. The Husky sat up, shook its head, and sneezed a spray of fur. The parents turned from the kitchen. "Now!" Bill dove through the window like a cannonball, but instead of landing softly, he tripped over the carpet runner and slid, crashing directly into the dog bowl, which tipped over and doused the Husky with water. "Water!" Bill shouted. "Water to the dog!" The parents screamed. "Grab the loot!" Molly yelled, grabbing three gift bags and the hoverboard box. She slung the strap over her shoulder. "Get in the car, the car is the car!" "I can't leave, I have to stop the dog from eating the trash." "He doesn't want the trash! He wants the hoverboard!" Molly scrambled out the window, slid down the trellis, and vaulted into the waiting getaway driver seat. "Go, go, go! What are you waiting for? The hoverboard?" "You left the car running?" "I left the keys inside!" "The keys!" "Grab the keys!" Bill shouted from the window, looking disheveled and wet. "And take the marbles! The marbles are powerful weapons!" Molly reached in through the driver's window as Bill was tossed out of the house by the wind of the car door closing. "Thanks for the tip!" she yelled. She peeled out of the driveway, tires smoking, just as the parents opened the front door with the garden hose. Behind her, the inflatable dragon at the gate deflated with a sad hiss.