Anna wakes the both of them up early the next day.
“We have to get ready for the day quickly, girls,” Anna says, taking Laura from the crib before she’s fully awake. She squeezes Laura’s diaper. “Wet. But not messy. I’m surprised.” Anna turns to Kaitlin. “Show me how you did last night,” she instructs. Kaitlin turns pink, but reluctantly lifts the skirt of her dress. “Wow, you stayed dry! Good work!” Kaitlin blushes further. “Go ahead and pick anything you want out of the dresser to wear today.”
“Anything?” Kaitlin asks, walking over to the dresser.
“Well, within reason, dear,” Anna says. Still in Anna’s arms, Laura suddenly begins to grunt loudly. She scrunches up her face, turning red with effort. Anna laughs. “So much for not being messy.” She sets Laura on the ground. “Let me know when you’re done. I’m going to help Kaitlin get dressed.” Laura squats, continuing to grunt as she messes herself, while Anna and Kaitlin look through the dresser.
“Done,” Laura says finally. Anna whisks Laura away to the changing table, where Laura is wiped down and put into yet another diaper. Already getting familiar with the sensation of being changed, Laura barely notices what’s going on.
“I’ll dress Laura, you go ahead and dress yourself, Kaitlin,” Anna instructs. Kaitlin nods. She grabs the things she chose and heads for the bathroom down the hall. When she’s fully dressed and ready for the day, Kaitlin exits the bathroom. She follows the sound of voices into a kitchen. Her jaw drops. Anna is speaking to what is obviously a police officer.
“And they made up this entire story?” the officer asks. Anna nods.
“I’m not sure what they’re hiding, so I thought it best if I contacted you.”
“That was the right thing to do. Where’s the other one?” The officer and Anna suddenly spot Kaitlin. “Ah.”
“Kaitlin, you and Laura are going to go to the police station today, isn’t that fun?” Anna asks. Kaitlin scowls. “Don’t worry, I told the officers everything that you told me. They’ll help you find the dice and get back to normal!” Kaitlin’s scowl deepens. From the few seconds she overheard before being spotted, she knows Anna is lying through her teeth. And apparently had been lying through her teeth for a while. Clearly, Anna never believed them.
“Yes, you and your little sister will have a fun day with us,” the officer says, smiling. Kaitlin’s ready to bolt, but then she catches sight of a baby carrier being held by the officer. Inside the carrier is Laura, dressed in only a thick diaper and a T-shirt, suckling urgently on a pacifier. Kaitlin’s decision to run crumbles. Laura’s not her little sister, despite what the police think, but Laura is her friend. She can’t leave her friend in that situation.
Very reluctantly, Kaitlin follows the officer to the police car and gets into the back seat. Laura’s carrier is buckled next to her. They pull away from Anna’s house. Kaitlin fidgets nervously. She wants to talk to Laura, but the police officer might hear. At this point, she’s just praying for something that will delay, or better yet, prevent their arrival at the police station.