Plans

Chapter 7

It took us three days to find out all of the information we needed and to make a plan. We knew we probably wouldn't get that far before there was the possibility of us getting thrown in jail, but as long as we were getting farther away from home, I was happy.

We walked into the parking garage together, calling for our parents. Soon enough, we stumbled upon the office of the valet parker. He came out, asking us what we were doing there without our parents.

"We can't find them, sir. We went to the bathroom and they told us to meet them somewhere but we don't remember where. Please help us!" Fern said in the sweetest and most innocent voice I have ever heard.

"Of course. You wait in my office. I'll look for them." He answered, opening the door for us. So far, the plan was working.

He led us into the office and left to look for the parents that weren't there. Once he was out of sight, I picked the lock to the cabinet that held the keys to the cars that he had parked. I grabbed the keys to the car that was parked closest to the office while Fern watched to make sure he wasn't coming back. We then quickly snuck out of the office and found the car. I unlocked it and the sound echoed throughout the garage.

"Hurry!" Fern whisper-screamed at me as she opened her door and jumped into the passenger seat of the car.

I got in and turned it on then started pulling out of the parking space as the valet parker came around a corner.

"Hey! Get out of that car now!" He shouted at us, but it was too late. We were already out of the garage and driving down the street.

There wasn't much traffic in that part of the city so it only took us a few minutes until we were a decent distance away.

We got out of Chicago without a problem. There wasn't a single cop. We drove down the highway, hiding in plain sight. Fern kept nervously looking around until I had her read all of the billboards and signs we passed by. It calmed her down some but her voice was shaky and she talked really fast.

"Welcome to Indiana, crossroads of America." She read. "Can we stop somewhere soon please? I need to go to the bathroom."

"Yeah." I said over her reading the next sign.

I started looking at the signs too, trying to find a good town that we could stay in for a bit. Most were not that interesting. Just adds for different hotels, casinos, websites and medications. Then, there it was. Fern was the one who saw it.

"Um, Rose. I think we're going to have to hide really well and maybe ditch this car. Look." She pointed out her window at a large billboard somebody was in the process of putting up. It read 'Have you seen these two girls?' in large bolded letters and underneath that there were pictures of us.

I cursed under my breath and looked straight ahead at the road. "Don't look out the window anymore. Somebody might see you. We'll have to get a disguise when we get into the next town."

Taking the next exit, I glanced at Fern. "Grab the money out of our bags please."

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A lock of auburn hair fell into my face, startling me as I paid the gas station attendant for the chips and soda. My jump caused him to look at me funny and I scolded myself for it. We couldn't afford to attract too much attention.

"Thank you sir." I said in the least shaky voice I could manage when he handed me the receipt.

Fern grabbed the chips and soda off the counter and smiled at him. She looked like a completely different person with her newly dyed brown hair that we cut so that it hung just above her shoulders.

"No problem..." The man's voice trailed off. He obviously knew something was up.

"Way to not attract any attention Rose." Fern said in a sarcastic tone when we got in the car. "I don't think he noticed anything unusual at all."

"Sorry. I was nervous. Who wouldn't notice the fact that we came out of the bathroom looking completely different from when we went in?"

"Well, if you would have not been so panicky, he might not have noticed."

I sighed, knowing it was impossible for me to win this fight, because she was right.

We drove around for a few hours, sticking to the back roads. On the edge of a cornfield, we found an old pickup truck, covered in rust. It had a sign on it that read 'Please Take'. So we took it and left our stolen car for somebody else to deal with. Then we started on our way to our next destination.