The Girl Who Owned a City by O. T. (Terry) Nelson Page B

please promise to take care of Todd. It’s a fair deal. My Secret Place can give you food to stay alive. All you have to do is keep my secret and be responsible for Todd if he ever needs help.”
    â€œSure, it’s a deal. I’ll be your insurance policy for Todd. Now, please tell me about your big idea.”
    â€œOkay. We’re going to try to find the Jewel Grocery warehouse on North Avenue. If my idea is right, it’s full of millions of things we need.” She looked at him. “If any place has lots of food and supplies, don’t you think it would be a grocery warehouse?”
    â€œYeah, you’re right. It’s a great idea! But what made you think of it?”
    â€œI don’t remember exactly,” she answered.
    â€œWatch out, Lisa!” His warning came just in time as she swerved to avoid hitting a stray dog.
    They drove east toward Elmhurst, slowly and in silence, and looked out at the streets they passed. There was no sign of life except for a few homeless animals. The stores and factories along North Avenue were deserted.
    They wondered where the children of these neighborhoods had gone. Had they all moved away? What kind of life did they have now? How were they learning to survive? Someday, Lisa thought, when things were more secure, they might come back for a better look. But not today.
    At Highway 83, Lisa and Craig stopped to study the map. Above them a dead traffic light watched over an empty intersection.
    From the road, it was hard to read the numbers on the buildings. The fact that the warehouse would have a large “Jewel” sign painted on its front didn’t occur to them until, happily, they saw the large blue letters. They had finally arrived.
    To Craig’s surprise, Lisa drove past the building and turned into a side street. She explained that it was important to hide their discovery by circling around on the back roads to the rear of the building. In front, the moving car would attract attention, and it would be stupid to lead the gangs to her treasure.
    But her heart sank when she saw the broken second-story windows of the warehouse. They seemed proof that she hadn’t been the first to think of the idea. Not so smart after all, are you? she chided herself. Her confidence faded. Angrily, she turned the car away.
    â€œWhat are you doing?” said Craig. “Aren’t you even going to look inside after coming all this way?” But she kept driving. “Stop, Lisa. Go back. We should at least look!” She stopped the car and glared at him.
    â€œLisa, look at that building over there. It’s just an old factory, and
its
windows are broken, too. Maybe some kids just had fun breaking windows and never bothered to look inside. Look—the doors are still shut.”
    â€œSorry, Craig. You’re right. I guess it would be dumb not to look at least. We’ll go back.”
    She turned the car around and drove back to the warehouse. Before Craig had unfastened his seat belt, Lisa was running toward the door of the building. It was shut tight. Good! And the lower windows were unbroken. Great! She picked up a large brick and ran along the outer wall, toward the nearest window.
    â€œWait, Lisa!” Craig’s shout followed her. “Don’t break in
there
. It will just make kids curious.”
    â€œAnd don’t
you
shout!”
    When he caught up with her, she said, “Okay, how about one of those windows over there behind the bushes?” He nodded, and soon they were smashing the glass of a large pane.
    â€œNow go to the trunk of the car, Craig. Here are the keys. Get the box of tools. We’re going to have to saw through these bars.”
    He walked back to the car and unlocked the trunk. Lisa had quite a collection of tools in there. Craig was impressed.
    With a hacksaw, he began sawing vigorously at the hard steel bars. Lisa gave him an account of what she could see inside the building. “I