Murasakino

Making my escape

   I tried to look casual as I walked over to Midori's counter. Hers was furthest away from mine, meaning my distraction would attract people away from me.
   "Oh, hi, Murasakino!" she said, evidently not expecting to see me. "Why are you..."
   "Just came over to say hello!" I said, grinning a little to widely.
   "Okay... Well, hello!"
   "Have you seen what's in our lunches today?"
   "No, why? Is it nice?"
   "Really nice," I lied, although judging by Cathy's previous cakes and traybakes, it probably was.
   "Cool! I'll look now!" she smiled, leaning down toward her lunch.
   Now was my chance.
   I lifted her scanner out of its holder, looked around me twice, and slipped it under one of two piles of food magazines. I quickly moved a couple of them onto the other pile so it looked like they had the same amount, and quickly shuffled back to a customer waiting for me.
   "Sorry, sir," I said to him. "I was just sorting something out in a..."
   "Where'd I put my scanner?" I heard Midori say to herself. I felt guilty already that I had done it, but I knew that I had to.
   "Nevermind," the man said. "I'll just put..."
   "Excuse me!" Midori shouted. "Can I have some help over here?"

   First, the man I was about to scan food for went over to her. The two girls closest to her got up, and I got out of my chair too. Once all of the girls were helping, I put up my 'out of order' sign and walked towards them.
   "Murasakino!" Aka said. "Can you help?"
   "It might be behind the... under the conveyor belt, maybe," I said, attempting to shift her attention.
   She turned, and I sprinted towards the doors, almost running straight through the glass. I took one last look into the supermarket, listened to the soft melody playing from the speakers, breathed in the smell of the bakery area, and started to run again. I thought I saw Midori looking at me out of the corner of my eye, but knew she mustn't have been.
   As I expected, like when I chased the shoplifter, I was incredibly fast. I was constantly looking around to make sure nobody saw me, but I managed to remain unseen and made it out of the car park in a few seconds.
   Unfortunately for me, the path I nedded to take was blocked off.

   Somebody had accidentally driven onto it while parking, and although nobody was injured and nothing had been damaged, they couldn't get their car back onto the road. I looked for an alternative route, but the only one was past the windows of the shop, and I'd be seen. So, I tried to get around the car, walking on the grass. The rainwater on it got into my shoes, dampening my socks.
   "Excuse me?" the driver asked. It was the barbecue man, and I hadn't seen him for a few days. "Could you get in and push the accelerator while I..."
   "I'm really, really sorry," I said, "but I'm in a rush to get somewhere."
   "Ah, that's okay," he said, smiling and waving a hand as if to say "It doesn't matter, I can manage it myself." "Hang on; don't you work here?"
   But I had taken off down the path already.
   Turning into the street, I was slightly upset to see that the market stalls were no longer set up. Instead, the street was now just as it usually was, with small shops and terraced houses. It was quiet, too; only a jogger and a man walking a dog almost as tall as himself were there.

   I looked into the first shop window, and found that it was a sweet shop. There was a conter with shelves all the way up to the ceiling behind it, filled with jars and plastic tubs of hundreds of different sweets. The bakery stall had been in front of a bakery shop, I found, which had more on display than the stall. I went inside for a closer look, staring at the different cakes and doughnuts that were available. My mouth started to water.
   "Can I help you?" the girl at the counter asked. Her face was covered in freckles and she looked young, but she was almost as tall as me.
   "No, I'm just looking thanks."
   She must have been at least slightly confused, as she replied with "Okay then," and leant back on a table, folding her arms. There was a really tasty-looking eclair with cream in it, and I licked my lips, almost tasting it in my mouth.
   "You sure you don't want anything?" asked the girl.
   "No, no, I'm alright, thanks," I said, not taking my eyes off the eclair.
   When I left, the street was still quite empty. I made my way toward the place Dr Kerrett had bought us both sushi, and when I looked in the window I felt myself go cold with shock. She was in there, looking right at me.

   I took a step back, but she didn't stop looking at me. I walked away from the window, and realised she had been staring at a stack of movies by the window. I sighed, knowing I had remained unseen, but just to be sure I carried on walking down the street.
   "Murasakino?" shouted a voice, and I froze again. It was Midori, and she was about to turn onto the street. I dashed into a café, scanning the room for a toilet.
   Once safely hidden inside, I sat and waited. Nobody else entered, leaving me by myself, and it was silent apart from the muffled noise of diners coming through the door.
   After a while I realised I actually needed to use the toilet, so I did. I washed my hands, figuring Midori and Dr Kerrett were propably no longer looking for me.
   Outside, a black bird was pecking at a discarded doughnut wrapper, and no people were in sight. I wondered whether everyone was at an event, or didn't want to come outside, but the sun was out and the rain clouds had disappeared. Then I realised that Dr Kerrett was looking for me even though I had only just left the store.
   How had she known?