I'm stepping out of my one-shot world!

Disclaimer: Oh, yeah. Definetly...No.

I'm actually really looking forward to this story! Hope you enjoy!

This wasn't right.

Oh, man. This wasn't right.

Elijah Goldsworthy ignored the voices arguing in his head. It felt like he was in a stupid sit-com, that's how cliche it was. He could almost see the devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other.

His feet stuck to the sidewalk and he felt his heart grow heavier with every step he took. His fingers scraped repeatedly against his palm in worry. He knew what he was doing was wrong, he knew it from every inch of his body, but he also knew that he had to do this. He had to do this to save his home.

Everyone that passed by Eli gave him the shivers. They knew. Or, that was his first thought. The people would just walk by him in slight disgust of the boy. They thought that he was on drugs from the way his eyes bugged out.

Now, what Eli was doing was wrong, but it was also very clever. He had done his research. Eli knew that after church, the church people would walk down to the little bakery for twenty minutes. And Eli also knew that they left the offerings out, the little wooden bowl, the one filled with money, the one on the little table next to the organ. It was out in the open. Just hanging there. No one feared that it would get stolen, having trust that people would have the decency to not steal.

But I'm an atheist, Eli thought, trying to calm himself with humor. But that still didn't make him feel better.

Because stealing was stealing. There's no way around it.

Eli stood a safe distance from the church, simply waiting for the Catholic church doors to open and to let the people out. His patience was fading and his heart was becoming heavier and he had a headache. Must be from the sun. Part of him wished that he had worn lighter colors, colors that wouldn't trap the heat. And, he was also wearing a rough texture. Which, even though he failed Earth Science in ninth grade, he remembers that rough textures also trap heat.

Well, isn't that lovely?

He could hear the people singing in the church. They were singing their...songs. Hymns was it? Oh, he didn't know. He was an atheist, remember? But the words floated out of the windows of the church and the words found their way to Eli's ear. They swiftly snuggled right into his ear, giving him no choice but to listen.

Jubilate! Jubilate! Jubilate! Amen!
Farther now and farther stealing
Soft it fades upon the ear.

Stealing, really? That's the only word that stuck with him.

Was God mocking him? Or...was he mocking God?

Eli stuck his finger up at the God that he didn't believe in and tried to lighten his heart, which was already filled with heavy stones. He searched his brain for something to think about.

Oh.

Of course.

His foot started to tap, finding the beat to the song that he just heard last night. He still remembered the guitarist playing on his knees, letting everything play out to the night. And he noticed how free the drummer looked, just simply banging on the drums. And he remembered the singer, who was screaming and letting every bad feeling out. The singer who if you looked him in the eyes for too long, they'd become dead and lifeless, almost as if he had given up. The sad part was that Eli had the same look in his eye.

A rush of noises filled Eli's ears, interrupting his silent guitar solo. The doors to the church had opened and all the little old ladies and the young mothers and the middle-age men in crisis came piling out, all ready for some of the pie that was waiting for them at the bakery. The teenagers came out slowly, all watching each other, waiting for one to make the first move. And one girl did. Eli watched the small, but cute curly-haired girl skip ahead, not caring what the other people her age did. Eli cracked a smile at her innocence and then his smile grew larger as the other teenagers sped up too.

Just a bunch of sheep, Eli thought grimly, keeping his eye on the cute girl.

He shook his head and watched as the last few people exited the church. Eli's head rolled back in impatience as the people gossiped. He couldn't see why they couldn't talk about who slept with who, who got drunk last night, who pulled the fire alarm, and who was expelled at school for dating a teacher, at the bakery.

Once the last people came out, he made sure that no one was looking, and dashed to the doors of the church. They were wide open.

Eli felt bad for stealing from such trustful people. But, he shook away the guilt and walked inside.

The church was large and grand, something that you'd see from a movie. The wood on the pews were polished and clean, looking brand-spanking new, and everything had a certain shine about it.

Eli rolled his eyes as he walked up the aisles.

Sure, they can clean a church perfectly, but schools? Nahh, he thought and then laughed. Bashing things was fun. At least to him it was.

He saw the offerings on the little table next to the organ. Jackpot. A nervous grin spread across his nervous face and he walked to the money. Nervously. His eyebrows raised at the amount of money that was there. These people were fucking generous. Eli opened up his black leather wallet and stuffed all of the money in it. He didn't care if they noticed. Fuck, he didn't even care if he got caught. I mean, really. What were they going to do if he got caught? Sing hymns to him until he died?

Eli laughed darkly at that.

By accident, he knocked over the offering bowl. He turned around without picking it up and sprinted to the front door, tripping on a blue bag as he ran. But he got to the last pew and turned around, staring at the Jesus who was nailed to the golden cross, he shivered because he felt like the statue Jesus was watching him. And he thought of that innocent, curly-haired girl that had caught his attention.

And he wondered if she would be disappointed in him if she found out what he did.

Once the answer came to him, he shook his head violently and finished his trip to the door.

His heart was heavy and his wallet was full.

Clare.

She trudged back up the hill, grumbling darkly. Only she would forget her purse. In fact, she hadn't even been the one to notice that it was missing. It was the weird ten-year-old, Jake, that had told her. So, she had told the others that she was going to get her bag.

And she could get her pie later, right?

Clare made her way across the grass, the grass that was the front yard to the church. She walked up the stone steps slowly, the result in losing her energy walking up the very steep hill.

Being in the church had always calmed her. It always calmed her in ways that she couldn't explain. In ways that one couldn't define. She was proud about her faith, even though she had gotten crap about it.

Clare spotted her blue bag and she ran towards in relief. She picked up the old sack and hugged it to her chest. She didn't know what she'd have done if it were gone for good.

She smiled up at the statue of Jesus on the cross and felt the warmth of something unexplainable come over her. She shut her eyes slowly, taking in the warmth and then turned around to go back outside, hugging her bag to her chest.

Clare did not notice the empty bowl on the ground.

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