Janie Face to Face Read Online Free

flag: here we are!
    But nobody stopped them.
    It was so exciting.
    Way better than stealing a car.
    The little girl looked around. Still not afraid—just looking for Mommy.
    “You know what?” said Hannah. “You can sit in front!”
    The front seat was a privilege forbidden to small children. The little girl was thrilled. She climbed right in, so small she was hardly visible. It did not occur to Hannah to fasten thetoddler’s seat belt. The little girl even asked her to, but Hannah didn’t have time for that kind of thing.
    The mall was wrapped in parking lots. Hannah circled. She did not immediately see an exit to the main road. Racing toward her was a Jeep with a twirling light on its roof and a slap-on magnetic sign that read MALL SECURITY .
    Hannah felt a wonderful thrill of fear, deep and cold and exciting. But the driver of the Jeep did not look at Hannah and could not see the small passenger in her front seat.
    Hannah giggled. Guess what. Your mall is not secure.
    “But what about Mommy?” said the child.
    It was a stupid sentence. Hannah was sick of it. “She’s taking a nap,” snapped Hannah. “When we get there, Mommy will be awake.” In moments, she was back at the interstate, choosing her direction by the usual method: whichever entrance came first. It happened to be northbound. Hannah changed the subject. “What’s your name?”
    Her name was Janie and she loved her shoes and she loved her doggy back home and basically she loved everything. Hannah quickly tired of this kid’s happiness. “Put your head down,” she said. “Take a nap.”
    Obediently, the little girl tipped over and curled up on the seat, and shortly the rhythm and purr of the car really did put her to sleep.
    In less than an hour, they had reached New York City.
    Hannah disliked paying attention to traffic, but now she had no choice. She really disliked paying a toll, but she had no choice about that either. Hannah hated things where shehad no choice. It was typical of society that they were always shoving themselves down your throat.
    Hannah’s goal in life was to be free.
    She emerged from the tangle of roads and traffic, merging lanes and shoving trucks; that was New York. The turnpike widened and she could breathe. Her eye was caught by a pile of red hair on the seat next to her. She had forgotten about the stupid little girl. She could not remember what her plans had been. What was she supposed to do with this burden?
    Hannah hated responsibility. A kid! Next she’d have a utility bill and a factory job. She had to offload this kid.
    A large sign loomed by the side of the road. NEW ENGLAND AND POINTS NORTH , it said.
    Connecticut was the first Point North.
    Hannah would dump the kid on her parents. She hadn’t seen them in years, not since they tried to wrench her out of her group, which they viciously called a cult. It was her parents’ assault on the leader that eventually led to his arrest and the end of the group. Hannah had never dreamed that she could avenge this.
    I know! she thought, giggling. I’ll pretend this is
my
kid!
    “Wake up!” she said roughly. She had to jab the kid to wake her. The kid was confused and puffy-faced and tearful and Hannah had to sweet-talk her into a fun game. “A let’s-pretend game!” she cried. “Let’s pretend I’m the mommy and you’re the little girl! And guess what! We’re going to meet a whole new grandma and grandpa. It’ll be so much fun!”
    And it was.
    The mother and father Hannah hadn’t seen or communicated with in years kissed and hugged her. For a fraction of a second, Hannah remembered what love was. But then they centered their attention on the kid.
    “This beautiful little redhead is our granddaughter?” they cried.
    Now they really kissed and hugged. They rushed the little girl to the bathroom and cleaned up the sticky mess of the ice cream and fixed her a butter and jam sandwich with the crusts cut off, and found a cute little plastic glass with