The Imposter

The Imposter | Chapter Fourteen [Scapegrace]

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[Chapter Fourteen]

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scapegrace \SKAYP-grayss\

(n.) A complete rogue or rascal; a habitually unscrupulous person; scamp

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I worked Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, along with the occasional weekend this summer at a local mall shop. It was nice, because it gave me a chance to do something productive and make a nice amount of money. I was in charge of stocking the shelves and greeting customers; a relatively easy job. Today was Wednesday and I had about two hours or so before my shift—from one to seven. Both of my parents were away at work for some meeting at NANO headquarters leaving me home alone and bored. I didn't have any plans so I lazed around the house, watching TV and reading books. I was relieved when my phone finally rang.

"Hey sweetie," my mom said tiredly when I answered the phone.

"Hey mom, is something wrong?"

"Oh, no everything is fine sweetie," she sighed. "I just need you to go to the store and get some groceries. I don't know when your father and I will be home."

I grabbed a pencil and a nearby piece of paper. "Sure, what do you need me to get?" She listed off a couple items and then thanked me for my help. "No problem," I said. "Is that everything?"

"Yes. Oh and Dayna, are you going to go right now? I'll have to check the GPS coordinates if you do."

I glanced at the time and nodded, "Yah, I can go now. Want me to call when I get back home?"

"Yes, please."

"All right, bye mom." I hung up the phone with my mom and grabbed my purse and keys from the counter. As frustrating as it was to let my parents know where I was at all times, it made sense for safety purposes. Checking the grocery list one last time, I locked the door behind me and stuck the list in my pocket.

Before I could even place my hand on the door handle, two policemen appeared out of nowhere. They were an odd pair: one guy was pretty much the Hulk's twin...except not green, while the other guy was a short, thin black man with a bald head and creepy blue eyes. "Dayna Rochester, place your hands on the car with your feet spread apart," one of them barked.

Trembling in fear I did as they asked, still holding my keys in one hand and my purse in the other. "Wh-what's going on?" I choked out when one of them came up behind me.

"I'll take those," the black man said casually, grabbing my purse and keys. He set the purse on top of my trunk and started rifling through the contents.

"Hey!" I protested, "What is the meaning of all of this? I haven't done anything wrong!" Dear God, I hoped I hadn't done anything wrong. But who knew anymore.

"You're being arrested for stealing from Paula's Boutique, ring a bell?" Hulk Policeman said casually. "We reviewed the tapes and it's clearly you, sweetheart. Plus, your fingerprints are all over the place. I'm going to pat you down now." I stiffened in fear and revulsion as he briskly patted his hands over my arms, down my sides and over my legs. It was an uncomfortable and degrading process and by the time he finished I was well on my way to feeling like a criminal.

"I've never been there," I said weakly, knowing there was a 1% chance they'd actually believe me, especially if they claimed to have caught me on tape.