North struggled to remain calm and appear to be having an enjoyable time as she rode beside Carol in her Saab on the way to the mall. The woman kept up a steady stream of light chatter, and she did her best to respond to it, though it gave her a buzzing headache. She was unused to the noise of all the people talking at once, and though it was just her and Carol in the car, she had the talent for seeming like a crowd of magpies converged together rather than a single woman.

“Here we are,” said Carol with what seemed like genuine delight as she parked the car. “I bet you’ve never been to the mall before, have you?”

North shook her head, overwhelmed by the sprawling structure and parking lot crowded with cars despite it being only late-morning. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this.” There had been similar pictures of gatherings of people in large crowds in her books, but she had certainly never seen them in real life.

A hint of anxiety swept through her as they exited the car, and she wasn’t faking it when she held onto Carol’s arm to cross the parking lot. She needed an anchor at the moment to face the task of entering the building with all the people inside.

“Are you all right? If this is too much for you, we can order you some clothes, and I’ll get them to you…give them to you when they come.”

Carol’s slip of the tongue helped North focus, and she shook her head as she slowly released the other woman’s arm. “No, it’s okay. I can do this.” She spoke confidently, though she felt like a quivering mass on the inside. Still, she managed to walk without her steps faltering, or giving into the urge to turn and run back to the vehicle to lock herself inside, where it was safe. That was just an illusion, because she wasn’t safe with the Allises.

Carol remained nearby, but now it was more of a burden than a crutch to have her so near and paying such close attention. It nixed several ideas for escape that rolled through her mind. Finally, she decided she would have to shop for a while to ensure Carol’s guard was down, and she really could use some clothes.

They seemed to be wandering aimlessly down the long corridor, and so many sights caught North’s eyes. She wanted to go explore each one, but forced herself to keep walking no matter how tempting each new item, because she didn’t have time to dawdle.

They entered a shop after turning a corner of the corridor, and it seemed to carry nothing but fancy lingerie. She frowned doubtfully at the stuff she saw, wondering why she would need any of it.

It was a relief when Carol bypassed the skimpier selections at the front of the store to focus her attention on the back. There, North found plainer briefs and simple bras, along with actual pajamas. She picked up a few sets, limiting her purchases to everything she could carry in one bag and still run if and when it became necessary.

Carol eyed the small pile doubtfully as North laid it on the counter. “You’re going to want more than that. You don’t want to have to do laundry too often.”

If North hadn’t had an inkling that the Allises were planning to hand her over to Douglas somewhere she wouldn’t be accessible, she would’ve thought the comment was strange, but she didn’t challenge it. She simply shrugged and said, “This’ll do me for now. I don’t want to take advantage of your generosity.”

It didn’t feel right to allow Carol Allis to purchase her clothes, but North had no other options. She understood the economy was based on an exchange of currency, and she had no currency available to her. Perhaps Sam had kept a stash at the cabin, and maybe he’d carried some kind of credit card that he’d never shown her, but those things were inaccessible to her at the moment. She didn’t even know where her father’s body had ended up.

The thought eviscerated her and brought tears to her eyes. She barely choked back a sob and sternly reminded herself now wasn’t the time to fall apart. She could grieve Sam when she was safe and free of the Allises, while trying to figure out what had happened in the past. She was certain now that for whatever reason Sam had taken her, it had been to spare her from a worse fate.

“Are you all right?” Carol frowned at her, reaching out a hand to pat her arm. “Do you need to sit down?”

North shook her head, swallowing several times before she managed to speak. “I think I’m okay now. I was just overwhelmed for a moment.”

“Of course you were. You’re a bit like an agoraphobic reentering the world, aren’t you?”

She didn’t remember learning that term, so she just shrugged. “Maybe so.”

After purchasing undergarments, they left that store and moved on to a far larger one that seemed to have multiple departments. She looked around with wide-eyed curiosity, impressed by the myriad choices, coupled with the festive fall decorations. For a moment, she was tempted to forget all about what she’d heard last night and just enjoy the shopping experience, but she couldn’t allow herself to yield. Losing her focus could end up costing her freedom, and no matter how amazing or intriguing the shop was, it certainly wasn’t worth that.

They spent the next hour moving through the store, and North kept her purchases practical and small in quantity, so she was only holding a single large shopping bag.

There was a bit of a line at the checkout, and she stood with Carol as her gaze moved over the area. There wasn’t an easy exit, so she bided her time and followed Carol to the next shop. There, they both acquired a pair of shoes, and as they left, North was growing quietly desperate. She was afraid the opportunity to slip away wouldn’t come. She might have to make a break anyway without the opportunity to be discreet.

Either way, she wasn’t going back to the Allises’ home, but she’d hoped to slip away and buy herself some time before they realized she was aware of their plan—though she only knew a small iota of their plan, of course. It was just enough to make her cautious and afraid, but not enough to actually enlighten her as to what their intentions were. That was a dangerous combination, and she wasn’t entrusting herself to their hands.

Her opening to escape came unexpectedly as Carol suggested they stop for ice cream. North stood in line behind her when someone brushed against North. “Stop him! He took my purse.” Carol shouted the words, and everyone around them froze for a moment.

Instinct kicked into gear, and North turned in the direction the thief had run. “I’ll get it back.”

“No, North, don’t do that. It isn’t safe.” Carol reached out for her, but she was already out of range.

Ignoring her words, North burst into a run, following the same direction as the thief. It was only when they reached the corner and disappeared from Carol’s sight that she ran the opposite direction of the person who’d stolen the purse. She caught a brief glance of a tall, lithe figure with long black hair disappearing with Carol’s purse, but that was it.

Her purpose was to escape, not retrieve the possession, and she kept running through the mall at full tilt until she reached the escalators on the other side. She took those down, taking advantage of the moment to catch her breath, and still move rapidly, but not a breakneck run, when she stepped out on the main floor. The exit was close, and she slipped out along with another rush of people, still clutching her shopping bag.

She breathed in a lungful of fresh air, appreciating the view of the sky for just a moment, but knowing she couldn’t linger. Just because she was away from Carol didn’t make her safe yet.

She moved across the parking lot, breaking into a jog when she saw there was a line of cars waiting parked parallel to a nearby curb. They seemed to be available for hire, and random people approached them. North didn’t have any way to pay for the ride, but she’d worry about that after she was away from the mall.

She reached the line of people waiting, shifting restlessly on her feet. She wanted to just shove right through them and rush to the next available car, but she tried to be patient. Carol would still be looking for her chasing the purse thief, and she wouldn’t have yet realized North had use the moment to slip away. Maybe. She couldn’t count on having much longer, and she might have to be rude enough to shove her way past the others.

A group stepped into line behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder. North forgot to breathe for a moment at the sight of handsome faces belonging to equally handsome bodies. It would’ve been rude to stare, but it was difficult to turn her gaze away from the pale man with the sandy-brown hair, the redhead with brown eyes that seemed to have a flame burning in them, and the slightly shorter one with curly brown hair and sparkling green eyes with a dusting of freckles across his nose.

That she had caught all those details in a brief glance amazed her, but she didn’t have time to dwell on the three handsome men standing behind her. She drew in a deep breath, preparing to push past the people in front of her, but froze when a hand touched her shoulder. She shuddered, half-expecting to find Carol, Jim, or even Dr. Douglas standing behind her. Instead, it was a black man with long black hair in tiny braids and dark eyes. He smiled at her, and her heart skipped a beat. “Yes?”

“I thought you’d follow me all the way out, instead of ditching me. We had our escape plan calculated for the other side of the mall.”

She frowned, and then it clicked that she’d seen him before, but he’d been running with Carol’s purse. She gasped and took a step back, wanting to distance herself from the thief.

The three handsome men she’d noticed before took a step closer, and at first, she thought maybe they were going to help her. It was only when they formed a ring around her, looking menacing, that she realized they were with the purse-snatcher. “What do you want?”

“You need to come with us,” said the one with ice-blue eyes and silvery white hair. He hadn’t been present when she had last looked behind her. The one with curly brown hair seemed to have disappeared in the process.

She shook her head. “I don’t know who you are, but I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“That’s wrong, princess. Just relax.”

She opened her mouth to scream, but didn’t have a chance. The one with the long, dark braids lifted his hand, and there was a glowing green orb on his left palm. A moment later, light radiated from it and engulfed her head. North was immediately lightheaded and swooned, unable to fight the effects of whatever the purse snatcher had done to her. The ground seemed to be racing toward her, but she lost consciousness before crashing into it.