Lost Time

Chapter 4: ninjas

Oli and I wake up at the same time on wednesday morning. We had been busy preparing and planning all day yesterday. 

We each get up, give each other a look, and get dressed without a word. Oli heads downstairs before me, so I take that time to mentally prepare myself for the day ahead. 

I head down the stairs a couple minutes later to find Oli making english muffins for us. I sit down at the table and say, "Thank you".

I take a bite, but pause when I taste something off. I look down at my english muffin, then over at Oli, who points at something on the table. I look down and see a little bottle of ground cinnamon. I grab in and shake some onto my english muffin. I smile at her and continue eating. 

After we are both finished, I take our dishes to the sink and rinse them. When we are both heading back up the stairs, I notice that we are both wearing mostly black. I laugh and Oli gives me a questioning look. 

"We look like ninjas", I point out. 

She looks at both of our attire. "I didn't even notice. Let's hope the cops don't mistake us for the robber.", she laughs. 

Aaaand we're back to the robbery and the store. I was trying to distract myself with humor, but that clearly didn't work. 

According to the newspaper article, the robbery took place at 8:00 p.m; closing time. My mom; the owner, was the only one there. The robber was described as male and he was armed. My mom couldn't call anyone or defend the store. I'm glad she didn't try. 

I shake my head. This is so weird, I don't even know if those newspapers are real. But I have to risk it, even if they aren't true. 

Oli and I try and kill time by doing random things. Playing Monopoly, painting each others toes, taking turns reciting the plan, making lunch, and wandering around the house. 

I have been on high alert ever since my mom went to work earlier. What if the robber decides to rob the store at 7:00? What if this time, my mom does fight back? What am I talking about? If that newspaper was from the future, then everything should as planned. 

I plop down on the couch and turn my phone on to look at the time. I put my phone back down beside me, then realize that I didn't even look at the time. I look at my phone again and the screen reads 7:32. 

I take a couple of deep breaths to prepare myself, then stand and call for Oli. She comes down the stairs and looks at the clock on the wall. She slips her shoes on, then tosses some at me. Black converse. I roll my eyes and slip the shoes on. 

I follow her out the door and down to the sidewalk. For this plan to work, we have to walk to the store, which is fine. 

I always tell my mom that she would save gas and burn calories if she would just walk the two miles to the store instead of driving. It's not like she wears heels to work or anything. 

When we arrive at the store, I lead Oli around to the front and behind some bushes. We crouch down and I pull out my phone again. 7:45. I look at Oli and she nods approvingly. I dial 911 and put the phone on speaker. 

"911, what's your emergency?", a woman's voice asks. 

I take a deep breath and answer, "You need to send someone to FoodForLife. Someone is trying to rob it and they have a gun!". I do my best to sound scared and worried. 

The woman answers, "Do not engage the robber. We will be there soon."

She hangs up ans I look at the time on my phone. 7:50. I start to get worried. The police station is only a couple of blocks away from here.