Read Online Happy Birthday to You (Birthday Trilogy, Book 3) by Brian Rowe - Free Book Online
Authors: Brian Rowe
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?”
“This will be
faster,” Liesel said. “Just trust me.”
“There you go
again with the ‘trust me.’ I swear, Leese. I’m putting a lot of faith in you.”
“I’m the best
chance you’ve got to see your family again, Cam. Come on. Let’s go.”
I shook my head
and stepped out of the car. I caught my face reflected off the window. I looked
so… normal. Normal and attractive. No rapid aging,
forward or backward. While everyone in Los Angeles was suffering with the
fastest aging of his or her life, I had somehow obtained a free pass this time
around. I didn’t want to tell Liesel, of course, but I was ecstatic we could go
about trying to solve this third magical mystery without the two of us having
to age along with everyone else. I knew, in the end, no matter what, Liesel and
I wouldn’t have to perish. It was a tiny luxury in an otherwise gargantuan mess
of a situation, but it was something.
“Shit,” Liesel
said up ahead, near the front of the building.
“What?”
“It’s closed.
They’re closed on Mondays. Isn’t that nice?”
“Are there any
other stores in the area? Maybe I can look—”
“No. Not enough
time. Come on.”
Liesel walked
around the left side of the building, and I hurried up to follow her. I had no
idea what she was planning to do.
The back of the
building faced a giant cement wall. Nobody was around. We could barely even
hear the loud traffic in the distance.
“What are you
gonna do?” I asked.
“We need those
paintball guns, Cam,” Liesel said, before fiddling with the knob on the back
door.
“Leese, it’s
locked.”
“I know,” she
said, taking three steps back.
“So? What
are— ”
Before I could
finish my sentence, Liesel brought her right leg out and slammed it against the
door, twice, three times. The fourth time was the charm, the door flinging back
against some lockers.
Liesel took a
deep breath, then smiled, and turned to me.
I just shook my
head. “Who… are you?”
“Come on.”
I followed her
inside. She turned on some of the lights. It was dead silent inside.
I was far more
nervous about this breaking-and-entering than Liesel was. “Jesus, Leese, what
if someone comes in here?”
“They won’t.”
“But what if
they do?”
“I married a man , right?” she asked, without even
looking at me.
I decided to
shut up as she stepped toward the shelf in the back that housed various
paintball guns.
“Cam, can you step
on this table here to grab that gun?” She pointed up high and at first I
thought there’d be no way to reach it. But once I hesitantly stepped up onto
the glass table, I realized I could’ve reached a whole other ledge higher than
this one if I needed to. I grabbed the heavy black gun and dropped it down onto
Liesel’s hands.
“A Tippmann
A-5,” Liesel said with a smile. “These things run for like three hundred bucks!
Maybe it was a good thing this place was closed. Here, grab me the one just to
the right up there.”
I threw her down
another gun, then two more. One Liesel said had sniper capabilities, and
another was a cheaper but lighter paintball pistol gun.
By the time I
stepped foot on the carpet again, we had five weapons in our inventory. We
grabbed the necessary accessories—barrels, loads, markers, and
paintballs—and threw it all in a large black bag. Liesel didn’t seem to
be having a problem stealing all of this equipment. Part of me expected her to
clean out the cash register before we left, too. Thankfully she didn’t.
“OK, I think
we’re good,” Liesel said. “Do you want to grab anything else from here?”
“No!” I shouted
louder than I expected to. “Were you a shoplifter or something before I met
you?”
She shook her
head. “Just a witch, that’s it. I promise.”
“Oh great. That
makes me feel much better.”
Before I turned
around to face the exit, a door slammed shut in the back. I thought it might
have just been the wind, but the sounds of footsteps instantly
“This will be
faster,” Liesel said. “Just trust me.”
“There you go
again with the ‘trust me.’ I swear, Leese. I’m putting a lot of faith in you.”
“I’m the best
chance you’ve got to see your family again, Cam. Come on. Let’s go.”
I shook my head
and stepped out of the car. I caught my face reflected off the window. I looked
so… normal. Normal and attractive. No rapid aging,
forward or backward. While everyone in Los Angeles was suffering with the
fastest aging of his or her life, I had somehow obtained a free pass this time
around. I didn’t want to tell Liesel, of course, but I was ecstatic we could go
about trying to solve this third magical mystery without the two of us having
to age along with everyone else. I knew, in the end, no matter what, Liesel and
I wouldn’t have to perish. It was a tiny luxury in an otherwise gargantuan mess
of a situation, but it was something.
“Shit,” Liesel
said up ahead, near the front of the building.
“What?”
“It’s closed.
They’re closed on Mondays. Isn’t that nice?”
“Are there any
other stores in the area? Maybe I can look—”
“No. Not enough
time. Come on.”
Liesel walked
around the left side of the building, and I hurried up to follow her. I had no
idea what she was planning to do.
The back of the
building faced a giant cement wall. Nobody was around. We could barely even
hear the loud traffic in the distance.
“What are you
gonna do?” I asked.
“We need those
paintball guns, Cam,” Liesel said, before fiddling with the knob on the back
door.
“Leese, it’s
locked.”
“I know,” she
said, taking three steps back.
“So? What
are— ”
Before I could
finish my sentence, Liesel brought her right leg out and slammed it against the
door, twice, three times. The fourth time was the charm, the door flinging back
against some lockers.
Liesel took a
deep breath, then smiled, and turned to me.
I just shook my
head. “Who… are you?”
“Come on.”
I followed her
inside. She turned on some of the lights. It was dead silent inside.
I was far more
nervous about this breaking-and-entering than Liesel was. “Jesus, Leese, what
if someone comes in here?”
“They won’t.”
“But what if
they do?”
“I married a man , right?” she asked, without even
looking at me.
I decided to
shut up as she stepped toward the shelf in the back that housed various
paintball guns.
“Cam, can you step
on this table here to grab that gun?” She pointed up high and at first I
thought there’d be no way to reach it. But once I hesitantly stepped up onto
the glass table, I realized I could’ve reached a whole other ledge higher than
this one if I needed to. I grabbed the heavy black gun and dropped it down onto
Liesel’s hands.
“A Tippmann
A-5,” Liesel said with a smile. “These things run for like three hundred bucks!
Maybe it was a good thing this place was closed. Here, grab me the one just to
the right up there.”
I threw her down
another gun, then two more. One Liesel said had sniper capabilities, and
another was a cheaper but lighter paintball pistol gun.
By the time I
stepped foot on the carpet again, we had five weapons in our inventory. We
grabbed the necessary accessories—barrels, loads, markers, and
paintballs—and threw it all in a large black bag. Liesel didn’t seem to
be having a problem stealing all of this equipment. Part of me expected her to
clean out the cash register before we left, too. Thankfully she didn’t.
“OK, I think
we’re good,” Liesel said. “Do you want to grab anything else from here?”
“No!” I shouted
louder than I expected to. “Were you a shoplifter or something before I met
you?”
She shook her
head. “Just a witch, that’s it. I promise.”
“Oh great. That
makes me feel much better.”
Before I turned
around to face the exit, a door slammed shut in the back. I thought it might
have just been the wind, but the sounds of footsteps instantly
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