Chapter 6

Luckily Marisa was still in the washroom, and I had my hat on. I was RIGHT THERE, and they didn’t notice me at all.

The cops were asking around if people had seen us. They asked the ticket booth person. He said Marisa was “kind of scary” and “had a long coat” and “had a kid with her.” That was enough for the cops. One of them said “They’re around here somewhere. Set up a perimeter” into his walkie-talkie.

When Marisa came out of the washroom, I dragged her behind a vending machine so the cops wouldn’t see her. I told her what I saw. I didn’t know what to do, but Marisa had a plan, like she always does.

We had to move fast. The place was still crowded, but pretty soon people would start leaving, and we would be easy pickings. Marisa made me give her my hat and then picked a random guy in the crowd who had two kids with him and we stuck close to them, pretending we were one big family. She told me not to act so scared, but it was hard. It’s like telling me not to shiver when it’s cold.

But we made it into the parking lot. There was a swarm of cops where we parked our car. We had to ditch it.

And then came the worst part. We managed to get out of the parking lot before the cops finished setting up their perimeter. We walked all the way into the city, staying with the crowd that was heading for the train. Marisa saw a mall and we went into the parking garage. She told me to spark one of the car’s doors. I did. But then I saw what was in the back seat. One of those baby chairs. There were dolls and toys on the back and on the dashboard. We were stealing from a family with a baby.

I told Marisa we had to pick a different car, but she just told me to get in the car. I felt like crying. It seems stupid. But all I could think about was that family coming back from their shopping trip and realizing their car is gone. How are they going to get home? What if the baby is really really hungry or cold or sick?

What’s more important: our lives, or some family we’ve never even met?

I don’t know. 

And I hate that I don’t know.