It was a night just like any other. I got up, showered, dressed and left for school. Stopping in at the corner store for my evening wake up. The aroma of brewing coffee filled the café. As I looked at the cookie jar on the counter and slipped one into my pocket. I thought to myself I’ve had a good week. Four out of five cookies for free! Can't complain about that and I think I'll take an apple juice for the teacher. It is the last night of school after all and it's his favorite. "Nothing works better than apple juice to help keep you awake" as he always says.
We never really knew which classroom we would be using or building for that matter. We just meet at the back of the school grounds and wait for the teacher. Every night was different he would lead us through a maze of shadows and pitch black hall ways looking for the right room to suit his needs for the night. Sometimes he would teach us about locks, combinations and tumblers other nights we would pair up and practice self defense. It was only a small room for tonights lesson our last lesson.
As always every class had to be done in full costume dress including gloves and socks on our shoes. You always have to be prepared, for anything, for whatever opportunities may arise. "For every job you miss it's money lost" is what he would always say.
Not that he's done any jobs lately. I think he's lost his nerve after his narrow escape trying to steal the famous Jade Dragons Egg from the Chinese Embassy. He just doesn't have that edge he had when I first started this course. I suppose he is getting on in age now. I remember the stories that he would tell us about his heydays ha ha they used to call him the human fly. He never fell not even once and no one ever caught him.
Tonight’s lesson would be on infrared beams and trip wires. How to set them detect them, and how to avoid them. Another boring class, I’ve been jumping beams since I was a kid. I didn't know that you could make your own spray from potato skins. So I said to the teacher "Well that could save some money I guess except that potatoes cost more then the can of spray". I don't think he likes me much. He's always saying that I don't have the concentration or the nerve needed for most jobs. I'll show him, silly old man! I asked "When are we going on our field trip we’ve all done these infrared beams before at least a dozen times can we just go already".
Finally things are looking up after all. Instead of going to the usual run down worthless estates we have arrived at the middle class burbs about time too. The teacher called us together for his usual don’t get caught speech “OK this is how it’s going to be tonight. You can either work together as a team or you can pair up or you can go it alone. It’s your choice. Your final exam will be based on the fenced cash amount of your total haul, not what you think you might get for it down at the pub. If there are two of you then your price is halved. Not what you took or what he grabbed. You work as a team and will be scored as a team. Something to keep in mind, a plain diamond ring may not be worth as much as a custom made ring but will fence at a higher price due to the fact that it will be easier to sell. Be careful what you take don’t be wastin my time with crap, now grab your tools and get going.”
Mike, Sarah and Jane went off together as always and as always they’ll come back late with the least amount cause all they ever do is play around, doing unmentionable things to peoples toothbrushes and on their dinning tables and lounge room floors.
Oh great Andy is looking at me as if to ask please can I come with you, but there is no way I’m going to risk getting caught in a confined place with him again, all he ever eats are curried egg and onion sandwiches, the upside is he doesn’t need to use the spray can to see the infer red beams. I had to say to Andy “Sorry mate but I’m going it alone tonight”. He didn’t take it well but that’s just not my problem anymore he shouldn’t have been allowed to pass the confidence exam. “You’ll look out for him won’t you boy” the teacher said to me with a strong hand on my shoulder. “Yeah sure” I said like I had a choice. Well not tonight, tonight is my night and I’m going after the Dragons Egg the teacher Achilles’ heel. That will show him who has the bollocks to play the game.