Chapter Twenty Four

The rest of the gang arrived sooner than noon. All three of them managed the leftover spaghetti, and they were grateful for the meal.
"I like you already, small boobs." Eeeew! Why would she call me that? That was the first thing she was saying to me, and she was saying it with a familiar lustful look. I remember that look on my father's face. I said nothing, I just cleared the table and kept the dirty dishes in the sink.
"You cook well." Another girl added. The only chubby one in the gang. Her name was Kate.
"Thank you!" I stood far away from them, they were all in the living room. On their phones.
"I missed this luxury so much." The girl who had earlier called me "small boobs" said. She was Nancy.
"I do too." The leader of the gang, Vivian added. I stood close to the entrance door, like I was their stewardess, but I didn't mind. I preferred it here than anywhere else. I wish they didn't come back this early, but I would learn to live with them eventually.
They seemed nice. One of them said nothing. She was the prettiest in the gang. She was prettier than I was, I had to admit. Her black hair hung loosely down to her waist. She was wearing very light makeup. She had full lips, long lashes, brown eyes, a nose that was neither broad nor pointy. She wasn't chubby, and she wasn't slim.
She was just perfect. And since they returned, she had said nothing. She looked me over when they all walked through the door, and said nothing. Even after the meal, she still said nothing. While they were conversing, she said nothing. I had learnt that her name was Eleanor.
"So, Camilla." Vivian looked up from her phone. "You really want to be part of the Mafia sisters?"
I nodded. So that's what they are called?
"Hmmm." She looked at her mates, and smiled.
"We have an operation today, and you are going to prove to us if you are worthy of being part of the most dreaded females in the world. Show us what you are made of."
"I will." I didn't think twice about responding.
"We will be robbing the mall today, and we will be doing it without getting Identified. There's tight security personnels, cameras everywhere, and there are lasers too."
I nodded.
"You need a new phone, it's obvious. Clothes for yourself, some new shoes, you need a lot of things. We'll give you a list of stuff that we need, and we are expectant that you will return with all of it without getting us implicated in anyway. We don't care how you will do it, but do it."
"Will I go alone?"
"Duh, yes!" Vivian was the one issuing the Instructions.
"Okay!" I nodded.
"Leave whenever you please, you have twenty four hours. Nancy will give you a list of the things we need."
I left after I got the list from Nancy. She gave me creepy lustful glares, and then handed the list to me.
I said nothing.
"Come back in a good mood."
"Huh?"
"Yh, be sure to borrow a better mood and attitude from the mall. You'll need it, you'll see."
Again, I said nothing. Before I set out on my path, I asked Vivian for a face mask. I expected her to give me a black mask or something to hide some parts of my face. But instead, she gave me a false face.
The face looked like someone's face. Thin jaw lines, brown skin, blue eyes, broad nose… it fit in perfectly.
I asked her for gloves and she also gave me false hands. I wore them like gloves, and my fingers were hidden in them.
"Good to go?" Vivian smiled.
I felt pretty, and protected. I also felt indestructible. I felt like I could destroy the whole world. "I am good to go."
She closed the door behind me after I left, and I set out on my path.
Asides the heat caused by the face mask, the gloves on my hands were super itchy too.
I knew my way around, so It took me less time than yesterday to get to the mall.
When I arrived, I was greeted by the gatekeeper.
"Good day, ma'am."
"Hello."
I walked past him. I didn't know my way around the mall, I didn't know what the time was, I didn't know how I was planning on taking any of those things without getting caught. Security was more tight than they explained.
And there I was thinking it was just an exaggeration.
The first building I saw caught my interest. It had a glas door, so I was able to see the inside without straining.
I saw lots of phones inside of it.
A few weeks ago, I was entitled to as many phones as I wanted, but not without a price. I had to pay with my body.
And now, I had to steal it. I preferred this freedom to that "comfort" I prayed silently that I don't get caught.
I strolled to the building, and the door opened as soon as I stood in front of it.
"Welcome ma'am." The door keeper extended his hand for a handshake, I walked past him.
I wasn't going to get something too classy like the latest iPhone, I had no need for it.
I just needed a means of connecting to Shully and my other friends.
I wouldn't steal a phone if I didn't need it. I wouldn't be out here trying to prove myself worthy of the Mafia sisters if there was no need.

I selected an APK phone that wasn't worth much, and proceeded to the counter with no plans on how to steal it or pay for it. I could run out with it, and throw my false face away on my way back. I was a good sprinter, that was an excellent plan. But I still had a long list of things to buy. So instead, I told the woman at the counter that I was going to buy now and pay later.
She requested for my identity card, and a lot of other details. I gave her my father's details and told her that he was my guardian and that he would pay. When she pressed farther for my name, I told her that I'm Jenny and new in town. That seemed to work. I expected her to find my father's details as someone who had robbed them previously or something like that, but she smiled and handed the phone over to me. It seemed like he had no bad records at the mall yet.
I gave her a false name, she took a picture of my false face, and when she asked for my address, I gave her Keddy's house address. When she asked for a thumb print, I turned it down bluntly. Telling her that I had a sore on my fingers and I'm not permitted to put pressure on it.
She bought the lie too, just like the others I told her.
"We'll do a retina scan then." She moved closely enough to capture my retina.
I couldn't think of any lie to tell her, so I accepted. Three attempts failed, and afterwards, she said I could go. That I had provided them with enough information already.
That was easy!
I thought to myself, as I headed to the next shop. The time on my new phone said 3pm.
The next building that I entered in the mall had everything on Nancy's list.
I just had to shop for it, and escape the three security checkpoints without getting caught.
It wasn't going to be an easy feat.
I knew.
I was dumb to the greetings of the door man as usual.
I spent forty five minutes shopping. I had a huge cart filled with items that I needed, some of which were the sneakers I had initially planned on stealing today. The rest were items that the other members of the gang needed.
The cart was filled to the brim, yet there was more on the list. I was tired already, it was almost four pm.
"Hello, sir." A man was sitting on the counter, staring emotionlessly at me.
"Yh?" His response was as cold as his looks.
"Please rate my orders and tell me how much it is."
He began to unload the cart. He packed everything I bought into a shopping bag, and I was surprised it all fit in.
"950$" he looked over the counter to me. The shopping bag was on his own side of the counter.
"Okay, let me have it please."
"You have to pay first!"
I sighed. "Mister, I said let me have the shopping bag, I'll pay afterwards."
"No you won't. I know you all in this city. Thieves, robbers, you are all gangsters. You already have your plans on how to run out with it, and you think I'm buying any of the lies you are telling?" He shifted the bag closer to himself, and began to unpack it into a shopping cart.
"What are you doing?" Subconsciously, my hands hit the counter table in rage.
"I am stopping a thief."
"How dare you call me a thief? Is there any policy that says I cannot have my items before paying? If I was going to steal it, why would I bring it to you in the first place?"
The man paused, and stared at me slowly. He was bald, and wore glasses on his nasal bridge. His glare was creepy, because he was trying to see through the spectacles.
"Well?" I was hoping he believed my rant. I didn't know what I was going to do next if he did. I still had no idea on how to get pass all the security measures in the mall. He said nothing, and he did nothing. He simply stared blankly at me. You know what? I'm taking my business elsewhere."
That did the trick, the moment I got my hands off the counter and ready to leave, he called me back to the counter. Dozens of others were standing behind me, waiting to be attended to by him.
"There you go, now how do you plan on paying?"
"By bank transfer. Let me have the details please." I brought out the phone I had purchased at the other building, and stretched my left hand out for the details.
"It's right there, on the table." Beside him, there was a table with people gathered round it. I went there and stood next to them. I had no bank account, and my phone wasn't set up yet. But I stood, typing random digits into the phone, while hoping there was going to be some other way out.
Five minutes passed, yet I was unable to think of a way past the security agents. "The network for the transaction is awful." I finally said, shaking my head with disappointment. "And I don't have my credit card with me. Is there any other way I can pay?"
"Why aren't others complaining?" The attendant adjusted his spectacle with his pointy finger, using it to push it closer to his eyes.
"I wouldn't know, Mr sassy attendant. What are you insinuating by the way?" He said nothing.
He went back to attending to other customers, and I went back to pretending like I was trying to make a bank transfer. "Do you have your credit card?" He finally asked, wearing a pity full face.
"It's obvious you haven't been listening. I already told you earlier, I am not here with it. I guess I'll pick these things up later."
I couldn't go home without the items, if I did, that would mean I wasn't part of the Mafia sisters. I would probably not sleep in their house, and I would be unable to exert revenge on my father, either.
"That's your choice to make, miss. What bank do you make use of?"
I had no bank, I didn't even know the name of any bank in this city, but I stared into the air anyways. "Everybody, down! Right now." I heard my father's voice. He threw the door open, and bounced majestically to the counter, close to where I stood. Everyone went down except me. I squeezed myself behind a rack, and blended with the items on the shelf. Thanks to the multiple colored outfit that I had on.
He and the rest of his gang mates strode close to the rack, and one of them who I have never seen peered into my face. I kept calm.
A few minutes passed, and they were past the shelf I was hiding in. Seemed like they didn't see me. I grabbed the bag, and squeezed my self in a corner where I was camouflaged completely.
"I want every dime you made from today, and I don't want any stories."
"Please, sir." The old man went down on his knees. He took his glasses off, and clasped both hands together. "I'll be made to pay heavily for it, please sir don't take it."
My father hit him with the butt of the gun, and kicked him in the stomach. It wasn't difficult, because the man was short, and already kneeling. I watched him cringe in pain, and I couldn't help but feel bad.
"Boys, get the drawer." Three other faces that were alien to me, went to the drawer, and emptied all of it's content into a shopping bag.
Everyone was still lying down, their eyes were shut, their face on the ground. "All of you can get up and take whatever you want, and get out of here. Merry Christmas." Peter Mack said this with an air of pride. "We ain't gonna lay a finger on you, come on! Start stealing, or I shoot."
Peter Mack released a bullet in the air, and everyone obeyed. Those who were done shopping left without paying, and I was one of them. I ran out of the mall, just like everyone else did. Some people went about grabbing stuff and putting them into their shopping bag, and that had created enough distraction for me to leave without getting recognized by any of them.
Maybe this time he didn't know about it, but Peter Mack had saved me for the second time. And yet, this was the same man that was threatening to burst my skull open if he ever set his eyes on me.
Up the hill I went, at some point, I danced, at the other point, I leapt with joy. I was finally one of the Mafia sisters.
I had completed my tasks, all but one.
"Don't get us exposed, don't get us into trouble." Vivian's voice echoed inside of me.
Back, front and to my both sides, I looked to see if anyone was following me. No one was!
Time to get rid of the mask and gloves. Vivian mentioned we don't use one twice. I wondered where they got it from, it looked so real. Like it was my real face and my real arms.
A last glance to my back had saved me from getting the Mafia sisters exposed, someone was following me.