The two set out from Anna’s apartment. Before long, they were nearing the edges of downtown. As the lights from the stores got brighter, both Anna and Mina instinctively scooted closer to the buildings. But they still walked side-by-side – an odd mix of friends spending time together and hunters looking for prey.
Mina glanced casually at Anna as they neared the front of a brightly-lit thrift store. “Where do you want to go?”
Neither of them had been hunting around here before. They’d picked this particular area though, for a change from either of their usual hunting grounds. In Mina’s streets, much like in Anna’s own neighborhood, people just weren’t venturing out by themselves like they used to. So the girls decided to try someplace new – and with two of them, what better time to go someplace busy?
Anna saw a narrow car-lined street a block or so past the glow from the thrift store. She pointed it out to Mina who nodded silently in agreement.
Casually, they walked down the dimly-lit sidewalk until they reached the middle of the street. Anna smiled happily into the darkness. Mina had been right – this was exactly the thing to make her feel better.
It was hard to believe that just a few short hours before, she’d felt trapped in that suffocating hallway at school. Now, she was outside – free – doing what she was best at. There was nothing like the thrill of the hunt, of keeping her senses alert to every change around her, to make Anna feel so alive. Even as she stared up into the starry sky, Anna continued listening for any change, trying to detect any microscopic difference that would alert her to somebody’s presence.
And then she heard it. Faintly, but it was there. Shoes squeaking ever so slightly as they squished into the pavement. Anna snapped immediately back to attention. She did a graceful 180 as she pulled her head down away from the sky and towards the sound of whoever was approaching. Two middle-aged men in business suits – one lean and muscular, the other much shorter and stockier, were walking down the street.
Anna turned, ready to head closer to the shadows along the edge of the sidewalk. But sensing that Mina wasn’t moving, Anna turned to face her. Instead of preparing for the ambush, Mina seemed to be completely preoccupied with shifting things around inside her bag.
“Mina!” Anna whispered harshly, trying to signal the approach of the two men.
“Hmm?” Mina asked casually, not even looking up.
“What’s wrong?” Anna asked, exasperated. What could possibly be so important she’d risk letting these two get away? Unconsciously, Anna began to shift her weight from one foot to the other, silently begging Mina to hurry up.
“I can’t find my keys!” Mina wailed piteously in a voice that carried down to the end of the street.
“What?” Anna asked, baffled. Of all the things for Mina to worry about, this was definitely not on Anna’s list.
“My keys!” Mina repeated, sounding close to tears. “Where could they be?”
Anna was at a loss. She’d never heard Mina sound so upset before – she was usually so calm, so aloof. And forgetful? Not since Anna had met her! Anna struggled for something to say. What she really wanted to say was “Can’t you look for them later?” but she knew that would be a bad idea. Mina sounded so upset, and Anna just couldn’t bear to make her cry. Instead, she struggled for something more reassuring to say to her friend.
“Well…uh…” Anna started, wishing she could do better.
“Are you young ladies alright?” a deep voice asked from over Anna’s shoulder.
Anna jumped visibly and had to focus all her energy on not screaming. Turning around, she saw the two men she’d been hoping to ambush standing only feet away, and her surprise turned to annoyance. So much for sneaking up on these two, she thought bitterly.
“Sorry we scared you.”
It was the shorter of the two men who spoke. As he did so, he took a small step backwards in an effort to appear nonthreatening. Anna smiled at this useless gesture. For his part, the man took it as a sign that he’d made the right decision in stepping away.
“I lost my car keys.” Mina told the men dejectedly. Car keys? Anna just stared. Fortunately, it was too dark for either man to read her expression.
“…How old are you?” the taller of the two men asked suspiciously.
“Old enough.” Mina said, managing to sound insulted at the implication. The man just shrugged.
“Which car is yours?”
“This one.” Mina said, sweeping her hand casually towards the closest car – a black one with lots of shine on it.
“Really?” said the first man again, and his voice sounded strange.
“Yes!” Mina said, sounding like she was going to cry all over again. There was a slight pause while the two men looked at each other.
“That Jaguar’s yours?” the second man asked, suspicion obvious even to Anna.
There was a pause while Mina digested what the man had said. When she spoke again, she didn’t sound as upset. Instead, she sounded defensive.
“Yes, it’s my car.” she told the two men. She met their stares head-on, as if daring them to contradict her.
“No, it isn’t.” the man said, obviously up for the challenge. “It’s my car.”
“Oh.” Mina said, surprised. Then, her voice full of genuine interest, “Really?”
“Really.” came the reply.
By now, the two men were no longer sounding so good-natured. Instead, they were beginning to look suspicious. The owner of the Jaguar peered intently at Mina. He tensed up for just a moment, as if he were going to say something else before seeming to relax, and Anna could tell by his body language that his mind was beginning to glaze over.
The shorter man looked from his friend to Mina, and Anna could sense his confusion. Seeing the two of them standing still, not moving a muscle, he began to get nervous. Turning slightly behind him, he looked to see where Anna was.
By now, even Anna had figured out what was going on. As soon as he glanced her way, Anna was ready. Smiling as pleasantly as she could under the circumstances, Anna met his gaze head-on. In just a few short minutes, she could see his shoulders start to slump as he fell, like his friend, into a daze. As his knees began to buckle, Anna casually walked up to him. To any passerby, it might have looked as if he’d simply stumbled, and Anna had come to catch his fall. As he leaned in to her, Anna carefully tilted his chin, getting the best angle possible.
Anna leaned forward into the man. But just before she reached his neck, she caught Mina’s eye. Mina glanced wickedly over at Anna and mouthed the word “Sorry”.
Chapter 26: A Proposition