Photoshopper

Part 3

Next stop, a disguise. I wander through a flea market I found online, and I wonder what I need. My eye is caught by a costume shop that has the motto: "You won't look like yourself." Not a catchy motto by any means, but it may be useful. I walk in, and I see a counter with a bunch of contacts. A nearby sign claims that your irises won't look anything like your own. So I could avoid eye recognition. Or at least confuse it. I take a pair of blue that make my green eyes look very dark. Perfect.

Next I buy a blonde wig. The bob fits over my dark pixie cut in such a way that makes it look layered and natural. I also buy fake glasses, and the dark smooth frames pull it all together quite well. I ask the cashier where the Criminal Minds Museum is, and the directions are easy to follow.

As I walk to the museum, I see a small café, and my stomach rumbles. I haven't eaten in a really long time. I go in, order a croissant sandwich and a salad. And a few delicious pastries. One eclair, one petit gâteau, and a raspberry danish. I get a large to-go box with a few more pastries. Is it wrong to bring them back to my reality? Well, I'm going to anyway. I love the engineering of this box. It collapses to be really small and flat. It fits in my boot, which I think is amazing.

While I eat, I think. Where would it be? The photo will probably in the heart of the building or in the basement, where it would be harder to smuggle out. What kind of security is protecting it? Most likely a velvet rope and glass case. I don't know why that would be the security, it just seems right in my head. How hard will it be to touch the photo? Probably fairly easy if I'm fast. How long do I need? I think about 45 seconds.

At this point, I only have 40 hours until both of my deadlines are up. First off, I need to nap. I am sleep deprived from the last few nights. Next, I will need to go to the museum with my disguise, sneak in, and wait until after hours. I think the graveyard shifts here are from 8 pm to 4 am. So I think that if I hide and wait until 3:30 am to act, it will be best. Less chance of backup happening upon the scene and interfering since it will be near the end of their shift. And they'll be more tired. I think this may just work.

I clarify with the cashier where the museum is and begin my long walk. I have to create a character. How about... Clara Terone. A shallow girl who wants to do what will make people like her. I carry myself with a little bit of arrogance and pride. As I walk in and pay the fine, I make small talk with people next to me and the employees.

"My, it really is a beautiful day. The gray seems so poetic." Okay, that might have been a bit of overkill. I'll turn it down a bit. "Why are you here? Pleasure or work?" I ask in what I hope is a cheerful way.

"Pleasure. I love art and the depth of thoughts that are practically tangible in here." Wow, so I'm talking to a semi-dorky artist or a poet.

"Ah, I just adore artwork and all of the beautiful colors. They -um- make a gorgeous world pull you in." Wow. I've never said anything so... so disgusting. We make it to the entrance of the first gallery, and I ditch the artist.

I move as quickly as I can without seeming rushed and in too much of a hurry to get somewhere. I glance around all of the galleries and grab a map that was being handed out by an employee and walk around more. I've almost covered the entire first floor, and what looks like the only floor, as there are no stairs. However, there is a blank spot that is labeled "Engineering Room." Yeah, right. I walk over and see that there are no security cameras, even though the rest of the museum has been covered with them.

I turn the corner into a dead end near the "Engineering Room." It seems pretty secluded. A brick wall unlike any other in the building faces me and leads to the blank space. Probably a weird thing like Diagon Alley, where you push a certain brick and it opens. (Yes, I read.) Anyway, I try pushing brick after brick after brick. I'm about to give up, because really what chance do you have of finding the right one with just a few bricks out of hundreds in a wall? I lean against the wall, and stumble back. The wall was a door that I just had to push hard enough. I just wasted an hour of my life. Cool. I walk in and find a ton of boxes and a lot of cobwebs. Surprisingly, the map wasn't entirely a lie. I see a few screens that show some security cameras, surrounded by black and broken screens. I can use this to see any approaching people, so that's nice. I am really tired, and it is only 4 pm. I will hide in the boxes in case anyone does come in here, which seems very unlikely. Too tired to do anything else, I settle in, and my thoughts drift... off...