Paolo Bacigalupi - The Doubt Factory

Lisa glanced back at her. “Yes?”

“Can you get me this in a four?” She held out a camisole.

Lisa glanced around the place. There was no one in the store. Alix watched, with her heart racing.

When Lisa went away, she switched to the stall across from her and waited as Denise accepted the new camisole from Lisa over the top of the stall. “Thanks,” Alix heard her sort of grunt. Alix put on a blond wig that she’d brought in her purse to further confuse and distract Lisa.

Alix waited until she heard Sophie arrive on the scene and start to chitchat with Lisa, pretending to be surprised to see her friend’s bodyguard there.

Sophie’s arrival was the cue. It was going to happen soon.

Alix heard the door across from her open. Denise would be wearing the wig she’d styled in an approximation of Alix’s brown hair. As Sophie was chatting up Lisa, Denise would be walking away from Death Barbie, toward the racks on the opposite side. Sophie followed, calling out, “Hey, Alix, how’s it going?” and walked over to her.

Three, two, one… Alix peered out of her own dressing room door now. Lisa was trailing after them, her back to Alix. Now or never .

She slipped out of the dressing room and walked away as quickly as she could. Walking, trying not to run… trying not to panic as her heart pounded.

Behind her she heard an exclamation—Death Barbie discovering the switch too soon. Dammit! Alix bolted. She hit the service entrance, labeled EMPLOYEES ONLY, and then was off and running down the back corridors of the mall.

“Alix! Stop!”

Alix spared a glance back. Oh shit . Lisa was scary fast. The woman was charging down the corridor like some kind of insane Olympic sprinter.

Okay, fine. Let’s run, then! Alix put her head down and ran, putting everything into it, just like at track and field…. She blasted past a FedEx guy with a bunch of packages on a cart and hit the loading-entrance doors. Slammed out into bright sunshine.

Cynthia was waiting right where she said she’d be, in her Miata with the motor running.

Behind her, Lisa shouted again, “ Alix! ”

Cynthia leaned over and shoved open the passenger door as the mall doors slammed open, Death Barbie coming through them like a freight train.

“Come on!” Cynthia shouted.

Alix dove in.

Cynthia peeled out, driving so fast Alix almost fell back out the open door. “What are you doing?” she shouted as she grabbed for the dash and the seat, trying to stay inside the careering car.

“Get in, already!”

“I’m trying!” Alix dragged her legs in and yanked the door closed. She glanced back. Lisa was running full out. “She’s going to catch us!”

“Not if I can help it,” Cynthia said grimly. She gunned the engine. They squealed in a tight turn, heading for the mall exit. Death Barbie cut the corner, barreling toward them.

“She’s still coming!” Alix warned.

“How’d she see you leaving?”

“The switch didn’t go so—Car!” Alix pointed.

“I see it.” Cynthia shot past the BMW. Alix glimpsed the driver staring at them in horror as they blasted past, and then they were in the exit lanes, weaving. Ahead, the traffic light turned red.

“Oh hell,” Cynthia muttered, slowing for the light.

Alix glanced back. Lisa was gaining on them. “Um… Cynthia?” They were never going to get away.

“Fuck it.” Cynthia gunned the engine. “Hold on.”

Alix slammed back into her seat as the Miata accelerated. Cynthia slewed into the oncoming lane and ripped past all the cars stopped at the intersection.

“What are you doing ?” Alix shouted, but it was too late. They blasted out into the intersection, tires squealing as Cynthia cranked the wheel over. Horns blared. Alix grabbed for the door handle and braced to hit the oncoming cars.

“Ahhhh!”

They were sliding, all four wheels skidding across pavement as they made the turn. Alix was staring into the face of a driver of a Tesla, who was staring back at her with equal horror, both of them realizing they were about to die.

The Miata’s tires caught. They shot through the rest of the turn, with Cynthia whooping triumph. “ Goddamn , I’m good!”

Alix was gasping with adrenaline, relief, and fear. She twisted around, checking for Lisa.

Death Barbie had finally given up. The bodyguard was bent over, hands on her knees in the middle of traffic, red-faced. Panting and exhausted, staring after them.

Alix shivered at Lisa’s expression. The woman looked so pissed she could have been a demon pursuer from one of Jonah’s Xbox games.

“I am so dead,” Alix muttered as she slumped back into her seat.

“Buckle up,” Cynthia said. “Safety first, and all that.” She started to laugh.

“Safety first,” Alix said as she snapped the seat belt into place. “Is that what that was?”

“We’re alive, aren’t we?”

“That’s the bright side, I guess.”

“Yeah. That was a little more excitement than I was expecting.”

“Where’d you learn to drive that way?” Alix asked.

“My dad got me lessons.”

“Fuckin’ A, he did.” Alix closed her eyes. “Please don’t ever do that to me again.”

Cynthia laughed. “I thought you wanted some excitement!”

“Yeah, well, I’ve got enough for a lifetime now. So thanks.”

“What? You don’t want to go back, do you?”

“No.” Alix closed her eyes. Her heart was slowing, the adrenaline leaking out of her, leaving her drained and a little depressed.

It had seemed like a lot of fun to engineer this game. Escape from Death Barbie —she’d thought of it in her mind, but now that it was done, she wasn’t so sure of herself. A couple of weeks ago she would never have done this. Cynthia, neither, for that matter.

It was like having security everywhere—everyone minding her every move—had made her more rebellious instead of less. She was used to being trusted. And now having that trust stripped away was more than a little uncomfortable…. It wasn’t her .

Am I untrustworthy?

Alix didn’t like the thought, but the reality of ditching Death Barbie was starting to settle in. Watching Lisa running after her, full out, desperate not to lose the girl she was supposed to protect…

She’s the one who would have taken a bullet for you .

Alix felt ill.

Dad would be pissed, and Mom would be disappointed, and Jonah would think it was all a joke and be impressed that she’d actually rebelled against anything at all. But Lisa…

Lisa was the one Alix actually felt bad about.

Alix closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead, trying to scrub away the feeling of guilt.

The Miata cut through weekend traffic. Cynthia drove expertly. Just like her studying, Cynthia took her driving seriously.

It was kind of funny. They were both such serious girls, and here they were, finally cutting loose with a high-speed escape.

Dad is going to kill me .

Cynthia pulled off the highway.

“Why are we stopping?” Alix asked.

Cynthia gave her a look as they pulled into a Home Depot parking lot. “You think Death Barbie didn’t get my license plate? They’re going to be looking for my car. We have to ditch it.”

Alix laughed incredulously. “Are you serious?”

“Aren’t you?” Cynthia shot back. “Your dad called the FBI when Jonah went missing for, like, three hours. You better believe they’re looking for us already.” Cynthia climbed out of the car. “Come on. I’ve got another car for us.”

“Seriously? You’ve got a plan for this?”

“What else was I going to think about all week? School?” Cynthia snorted. “If you’re going to plan an escape, you’ve got to do it right. It’s all about the details.”