After playing on the bouncy castle for a while, Laura spots some adults looking her way. She’s not completely sure, but she gets the feeling that they’ve realized no one at the party recognizes her. Laura decides that it’s time to leave before she attracts any more attention.
Laura gets out of the bouncy castle, grabs her backpack off the table, and waits until she’s no longer being watched to take her leave. She wanders around the neighborhood, upset that she hadn’t been able to stay longer. It would have been nice to stick around for cake. But she couldn’t afford for a well-meaning adult to take notice of her.
Laura continues to walk, waiting until she reaches somewhere that she recognizes. Eventually, she comes to a very familiar neighborhood. There are multiple people that she knows who live here. Laura looks around. The sun is beginning to sink below the horizon; she walked for much longer than she thought. There’s no way that she’ll reach the magic shop before nightfall, and the thought of walking alone in the dark terrifies her.
So, she decides to stop for the night. In the morning, she can resume her trip to the magic shop.