Meap Me in St. Louis

Chapter 17: Getting Out

UNIVERSE 252

SHANNA

I don't know how much time we spend chatting, but I learn a lot about Isabella in that time. She claims to be "around" 12 years old, and when I asked why she was approximating, she said her age isn't an important trait of hers, so she doesn't bother keeping track of it. That being said, she's very mature for her age, way more than I'd expect from a pre-teen. She has both Jewish and Hispanic heritage, with the surname "Garcia-Shapiro". She lives in a town part of the "Tri-State Area" called Danville (which doesn't exist in our universe).

At one point, she gets out a peach-colored sash filled with sewn-on patches containing various symbols. There's several dozen of them in total; close to 100, it seems like. "Oh, you're a Girl Scout?" I ask.

"Fireside Girl," she corrects me.

"I think they're the exact same thing." I take another look around the area. It could just be the cartoony aspect of it, but it really is starting to feel like this exhibit goes on forever. Which is even stranger because there's no way Mitch's ship is big enough to house this entire place.

"Say, how far out does this place go–" I ask, right as I slam face-first into a glass wall. I take a step back, rubbing my head. A series of pink windows line the wall in front of us, separating us from the main interior of Mitch's ship. They make it seem like each of the creatures roaming about should be placed in front of these windows, like exhibits in a zoo. Though I don't think Mitch would approve of the term "zoo". (He'd probably prefer "poacher".) And yet, the entire space is wide open, so there's no point to the windows at all.

Near where we've stopped is a metal door. I point to it, and Isabella frowns. "He disabled the inside sensors for that door. It'll only open if he lets it open," she says.

Nodding, I press my hands on the glass. It feels weak, like it wouldn't take much to break through it. I try kicking it, and a crack instantly appears where I made contact. No one is in the other room to see us, and no alarms go off. Isabella notices the crack, then turns her head to face a small pile of rocks and boulders close by.

I look at Isabella, and we share a grin. The cookie of opportunity that we need is on the table.

And you bet we're gonna grab it.

-

Using our combined strength, we're able to lift up the third largest rock (the largest was too heavy, and the second-largest was actually the head of some alien). We position ourselves in front of the cracked window, heaving the rock back and forth.

"One... two... three!" we both say in unison. We toss the rock towards the window, and although the window doesn't break, it does produce even more cracks that spread all across the window. One more throw shatters it entirely.

"Woo-hoo!" Isabella cheers. We hop out of the zoo (I'm glad I didn't take off my shoes before being taken here, who knows how sharp glass is in cartoon worlds?) and into the central room. The entire room is a circle, with the pink windows surrounding us from all sides and a dome-shaped ceiling that goes up for quite a distance. You can actually see more of the "zoo" through the windows than I thought, so my earlier observation is somewhat inaccurate.

Again, no alarms go off from the window breaking, and no one rushes in to see what happened. "Let's go!" Isabella says, taking off towards an elevator.

"Where are we going?!" I ask.

"We've gotta find Meap and the cuteness extractor!"

The elevator opens at the push of a button, and we ride it up to the second floor. Some cheery-sounding elevator music plays during the ride, making it awkward. The wall behind us has a window with a view of the deep void of space. Staring into it brings back some of the terror and understanding of just how dangerous this situation is. I also spot some cows wearing spacesuits and what looks like a giant floating baby head balloon. I consider asking Isabella about those, but decide against it.

As soon as the door opens, we're faced with a squadron of mustachioed Meapian soldiers patrolling a hallway. They spot us and get into fighting stances. A nervous look appears on Isabella's face. She must not have a whole lot of experience with fighting.

Luckily for her, I do. (Somewhat.)

"Hey," I whisper to her, grinning. "I bet I could take out more of them than you."

The competitive Girl Scout part of her is brought to the surface by my challenge. She sneers back at me. "You're on, sister."

With confidence soaring through both of us, we charge towards the Meapians, ready to fight.