Leah can’t believe this. She’s sitting in a car seat in a stranger’s van, being driven who knows where. The woman finished shopping, checked out, and even loaded Leah into the car, all without realizing Leah wasn’t her daughter. Of course, Leah tried a few times to tell the woman she was mistaken, but each time, the pacifier was put back in her mouth.
The last time she spoke up, the woman assumed she was hungry, and that was why she was so fussy. As such, Leah was given a bottle of milk. She really didn’t want to drink it, but she was thirsty after eating the crackers back in the store, so she guzzled it down. Now, she’s back to sucking on the pacifier for some semblance of comfort.
The van pulls into a driveway. The woman gets out and opens the back door.
“All right, Tina, time to- wait!” The woman stares at Leah. “You’re not my baby girl!” Leah removes the pacifier.
“No, I’m not!” she snaps.
“Who are you?”
“Leah.”
“Oh, no.” The woman groans loudly. “I stole someone’s baby girl, and left mine at the store! I’ve got to call the police.” The woman turns away and hurriedly pulls out her phone to make the call. “Hi, my name is Margaret Brennan. There was a mix-up at a store, and I took someone else’s child by mistake. Her name is Leah. She’s…” Margaret turns to Leah. “How old are you?”
Leah opens her mouth, intending on telling the truth, but pauses. Does she really want a stranger to know she’s a teenager dressed like a baby? Though if she lies, it might make it harder to fix things.