Cincinnati Apocalypse Part 4

"Don't go digging through my purse," Dawn ordered. "Give it to me."

"I need it."

"For what?"

"I just do. I'll tell you later, okay?"

Dawn considered her sister's statement. She shrugged. "Okay, just don't go digging through it."

For the past several years, Dawn had been a kleptomaniac. No one knew. No one even suspected. She'd never been arrested. She'd never even been spotted by store detectives or security guards. Even here, today, she'd stolen pounds of merchandise from a dozen shops and stores along Main Street without arousing anyone's suspicions. That's why her bag was so heavy. It was full of ill-gotten gains-jewelry, novelties, souvenirs, trinkets. Stealing from Mickey Mouse was a new low, Dawn thought. It wasn't something she was proud of having done, but she couldn't help it. She was as addicted to shoplifting as gamblers were to betting against the odds, as drunks were to alcohol, and as drug addicts were to the poisons of their choice.

Dawn was intelligent, and, although she gave little conscious thought to analyzing the motives of her behavior, she understood, almost intuitively, why she was driven to steal even things for which she had little or no use. Were she the moon, instead of a girl (or a cosmic key given human form as a girl), she'd be ever eclipsed by the power and the glory that was her big sister. In every way, without needing even to bother trying, Buffy was better than Dawn. Although Dawn was pretty, Buffy was prettier. She was also stronger, faster, had more stamina, was quicker witted, funnier, more sociable-and on and on the list went. They only thing that Buffy wasn't that Dawn was, Dawn thought, was stealthier. Buffy didn't need to be sneaky very often. As a result, she wasn't too good at skulking except when she was hunting a vampire to slay. Dawn, to the contrary, was very adept at hiding, at stealth, at sneakiness, and at dishonesty. As a shoplifter, she was an amazing thief. At home, her dresser's drawers were full of testaments to her skill at stealing-proof that, in this area, at least, she excelled over Buffy.