Red is for Remembrance by Laurie Faria Stolarz Read Free Book Online Page B

down, curtains closed, lights turned off, and a collection of rolled-up newspapers strewn about the stairs. They haven't been around since Monday."
    "Let's go!" Daisy cheers, pulling her ski mask down over her face.
    The tension suddenly melted, the others follow suit with their masks-- all except She'll.
    "Come on," Lily coaxes him. "It'll be fun. We're giving this family an opportunity to share with us. It's beautiful, don't you think?"
    Shell wants to believe her, but it still doesn't make sense to him. Maybe this family doesn't have the resources to give. Maybe they just barely make ends meet.
    "Look at the exterior of the house," Clay says, regarding Shell. "It's mint. The walkway and driveway have been plowed. No paint chipping or peeling to speak of. No rot. Holiday wreath on the door. These people have it good."
     
    But how can Clay tell all that in the darkness? There's a solitary street lamp, but it's several houses away.
    "I don't think I want to go," Shell says, finally, reminded of his first breakin at the old couple's house-- the fear he felt in the pit of his stomach. "Is it okay if I wait here?"
    "No," Clay snaps. "It isn't okay."
    "It was okay before," Shell ventures, more confused.
    "Before, you were willing to try. You went into the house. It wasn't a blind decision. Now, you're refusing to participate before even stepping a foot inside. How are you going 61
    to learn our peaceful ways if you block yourself off from what we're trying to teach you?"
    Shell looks to Brick for reassurance. "You can stick with me," Brick says.
    'And me!" Lily beams. She rests her head on his shoulder and bats her eyes up at him from behind the mask.
    "Okay," Shell says, comforted by the feel of Lily's head against his shoulder. "I'll go."
    "That's all we ask." Clay smiles, clicking the ignition off, and reminds everybody to leave the car doors slightly ajar.
    They sneak around the side of the house to the back, where it's even darker. Using his flashlight, Clay looks around the door for a key, checking under the doormat and running his fingers atop the door ledge.
    "Found it," Daisy whispers, holding the key out for show. Apparently it'd been hidden in the planter at the foot of the stairs.
    Clay plucks it out of her hand, unlocks the door, and the group enters, locking the door back up behind them. "Okay," Clay says. "You know the rules-- be quick, be selective, and leave things as you found them. Sometimes these people are so prepared to give, they don't even notice when something's missing."
    While Daisy and Lily scamper off down the hail and Clay remains in the kitchen area, She'll sticks close to Brick. They begin in the family room. Brick unzips his duffel bag and disconnects the family's DVD player, as though he's an old pro. "You don't have to take anything if you don't feel comfortable," Brick whispers. "I'll just say you helped me with this stuff." He checks the drawers, loading his bag with
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    a handful of DVDs, a remote control, and a portable CD player.
     
    A few moments later, Lily enters the room, duffel bag already full. "Come on," she whispers to Shell, dropping her bag, taking his hand, and leading him down the hallway into what appears to be the master bedroom. She pulls him into a walk-in closet, clicks on the light, and closes the door. "They must be super rich," she says, "like movie stars." She pulls off her ski mask and grabs a mink stole from the hanger. She slips it around her shoulders, adding a matching mink hat and a beaded bag with rhinestone detail to enhance the look. "How do I look?"
    Shell has to admit that she couldn't look more beautiful. It isn't the clothes per se; it's the way she wears them and how happy she is.
    Lily snags a man's scarf from a hanger, a charcoal-gray one with black stitching. She pulls off Shell's ski mask, drapes the scarf around his neck and pulls him close, staring into his silvery blue eyes and running her fingers through his short dark hair. "I meant what I said