"I'm really sorry," said Solange. "It was really stupid of me."

"I know, you acted like a seventeen-year-old, and Amanda acted like she is thirteen," said Michael.

Amanda looked at Michael in amazement. He was actually being kind and not bawling them out they way they deserved. Maybe he was just so glad that they were okay that he did not care about what they had done earlier that night.

"It's a long story," said Amanda. "But now we need to call the FBI."

"No, no FBI. I help you but if you call the FBI, they will turn me into immigration," said the counter man.

Terrence/DJ True looked at Michael and said, "So what do you think? Not only do they know about Amanda and her gang, now they've seen Solange and us."

Michael looked at his brother and said, "Yes."

Michael then turned to the counter man and said, "There won't be any FBI. You need to go home and disappear. Don't come back here, ever. Give me your keys. We will lock up for you. Is there a surveillance camera in the store?"

"No, I broke it when I started working here. I can't be filmed," The counter man was quickly grabbing his jacket and heading towards the door. He left his keys on the counter telling DJ to put them under the trash can outside.

"Girls, did you leave anything here?" asked Michael.

"We have a bag of wet clothes in the storage room," said Amanda.

"Go get it and use paper towels to wipe down anything you touched, put the paper towels in the bag with the clothes and then I will put you in the car," said Terrence/DJ True. "Be very careful that your fingerprints are not anywhere back there."

Michael looked at Solange and Amanda and said, "Go, now."

Amanda and Solange hurried back into the bathroom and grabbed the bag of their clothes and using paper towels, they wiped off every surface they touched including the door knobs to both the storeroom and the bathroom.

When they were done, Amanda turned to Solange and said, "We can't let them do that."

"What? Do what?" asked Solange.

"Kill those guys," said Amanda. "I can't have that on me and I don't want that on them either."

"They are not going to kill them," said Solange. "Why do you think that?"

"I saw the look on Michael's face and he is incredibly angry. He doesn't say much when he gets angry, but you can see it in his eyes," said Amanda.

"He is just mad because of what they did to us. He doesn't want to kill anyone," said Solange.

"You know how you said I was a watcher. Well I have been watching Michael ever since I met him and have to believe me on this one. Those guys were really awful to us but we are okay and I want to continue being okay, don't you?" asked Amanda.

"Yes," replied Solange.

Amanda and Solange left the storeroom, using a paper towel to open the door the way Amanda's mother always made her exit a public restroom.

Terrence/DJ True was finishing wiping down the counters and door knobs.

Michael looked at Amanda and Solange and said, "I am going to put you in the car. I will turn on the heater and you two sit there and wait for us. We won't be long."

"What do you mean, you won't be long? What are you going to do?" asked Amanda.

"We are going to take care of this." DJ True said.

Amanda said, "No. You are not going to do this. The reason we have been hiding, the reason I don't see my mother or my friends is so there will be a trial, so we can testify, so we can have justice. I have given up everything, all of my life, just so these monsters can go to trial and I can't let you just take care of it."

"But look at what they did to you, they beat you up, just look at your faces and look at what they planned to do to you," Michael had opened the kidnappers' pockets and pulled out duct tape, some Exacto knives and guns. "What do you think they were going to do with these?"

"But I want justice. I want a trial. We need to call the FBI." said Amanda.

"Amanda is right. I don't want you taking care of this yourself. I can't let you do something like that, have that on you and on us," said Solange.

"Do you realize that if you don't let us take care of it, you will have to leave with us and give up everything you have until all these guys go to prison?" asked Michael.

"Leave with you?" asked Solange.

"Yes, you are a witness now and will be a fugitive, and so will we," said Michael pointing at Terrence/DJ True. "He won't be able to go back to his show, we will all have to run and hide."

"Oh, I'm going back to my show," said Terrence/DJ True.

Michael just looked at his brother like he had suddenly started speaking Chinese.

"I'll just up security. See how those South African thieves do against my frat brothers from the University of Connecticut. We may look all uptown but we can handle stuff," said Terrence/DJ True "I'm the only Rutgers guy," said Michael.

"What? Why are we talking about colleges?" asked Amanda. "Oh, never mind."

"I still don't want you to take care of them even if I have to leave town. Just tie them up and call the FBI," said Solange.

"I don't want to be responsible for anything happening to them. If they need to die, they need to die after a trial," said Amanda. "I don't want to have to live knowing what we did."

"Hey kid, you won't be doing anything," said Terrence/DJ True.

"Yes, I will be doing it. I was here so it's on me too," said Amanda.

Michael and DJ looked at each other and Michael said. "Okay. I don't agree but okay."

"Oh, and be sure to tell the FBI that there are other thieves in town. They said that guy named Kilgairn was here and that he would be the one to 'take care' of us. I think they meant that Kilgairn would kill us. If the FBI looks at their cell phones, they should be able to find Kilgairn's phone number," said Amanda.

DJ looked at Michael.

Michael shrugged, "I told you they were smart."

"Okay, let's get out of here," Michael looked over Amanda and Solange one more time, checking out their bruises and then he started to move towards the thugs as though he were planning to hit them again even though they were unconscious and lying on the floor.

"That's okay. You can ask the FBI to beat them up," said Amanda.

"Hey, you are starting to be funny," said Solange.

Michael and DJ True grabbed some latex gloves that the counter man kept to make sandwiches and used the kidnappers' duct tape and hog-tied them on the floor. Then they called the number Amanda gave them for Agent Marcum (fortunately she had it memorized since the piece of paper where she kept all her phone numbers was sopping wet and unreadable) and left a message for him telling them what they had done. After locking the door to the store and putting the key under the trash can, they put the girls in the backseat of the car which was parked down the block and called the New Orleans 911 operator from a burn phone and told them that there were two terrorists from the New York City bombings tied up in a convenience store and some other terrorists were loose in the city. They asked the Police to call Agent Marcum of the FBI after they had arrested them. The 911 operator was still asking questions as Michael put his burn phone on the ground and stomped on it.

Michael got into the driver's seat and drove away from the store.

"Where are we going?" asked Amanda.

"St. Barnabas School," said Michael. "I told the boys to get ready and wait for us to pick them up. Sorry but they will have a chance to pack and you won't. We can't risk going back to the apartment."

"I have to call Armand and tell him I am leaving town," said Solange.

"In a bit," said Michael.

Michael drove the car to the school and called the boys. Peter and Thibodeaux ran out quickly with their duffle bags and their pillows and blankets.

Peter and Thibodeaux climbed into the back of the car with Solange and Amanda and asked, "What happened?"

"I'll tell you later. I am just too tired and cold," said Amanda.

Thibodeaux handed blankets to both Solange and Amanda, "Here, wrap up in these. Boy you look frozen. I am so glad you are okay."

"Me, too," said Amanda and Solange in unison.

Amanda climbed into the third seat of the Escalade and motioned to Peter to climb back with her. She grabbed one of Peter's pillows and put it on the side next to her head and put the other one in her lap and pulled Peter's head down so he could sleep.

"I have to call Armand," said Solange.

"Okay, you can use this phone," said Michael handing a phone to Solange.

Solange started to open the door so she could step out for some privacy when Michael said, "No, call him from inside the car. You will freeze outside and it's not safe for you to be out in the middle of the night, especially not dressed like that."

Solange took the phone from Michael and looking very sad, she dialed Armand's number. She listened while the phone rang looking around at all the people who would hear her conversation and then Armand answered, "Hey baby," Solange listened for a moment. "I have some bad news. I have to leave town." Solange listened. "No, I can't come see you first. You just need to tell everyone we know including Miss McMartin that I had to go help my Auntie Tina because she is sick. Yes, she lives in New York and tell them that I am going to New York. But Armand, that is not really where I will be so you won't be able to call me and I won't be able to call you. No, I am all right. No, I am not running away with him. I told you, he is just a friend. Armand no, no. I'm sorry. I love....."

Michael grabbed the phone from Solange and said, "Hey Armand. It's Michael. Remember what I told you about anyone who helped these kids is in danger because of their father. Well, some thugs who work for their father found them and you need to help us. No, no. They didn't get the kids, we have them. But you need to listen. Don't tell people that Solange left to take care of her Auntie Tina, tell them she ran away with me and you don't know where she is. ...No, she didn't and we aren't. But if you don't want those thugs to beat you up or worse, you need to sell this story. Find another girl friend and start going out with her right away and tell everyone you know that Solange ran away and you are through with her. And hey man, watch your back."

Amanda looked at Michael with awe. He really was a good liar and a good survivalist.

Solange was in shock. "I've been with Armand since first grade. We never go anywhere without each other. I don't want him to be with another girl," said Solange.

"It's just pretend," said Amanda.

"I don't want him pretending to be with another girl. What if he starts really liking her?" asked Solange.

Michael said nothing.

Thibodeaux moved next to Solange and wrapped his arms around her and Amanda reached over the back seat to pat Solange's arm.

"I am so sorry. Meeting me is dangerous. You are the kindest girl I have ever met and now you have to leave town and your boyfriend is mad at you. I am so sorry." Amanda started to cry.

Peter sat up and looked at the crying Amanda and did not know what to do. Amanda never cried.

Solange looked at Amanda and she started to cry too.

"Solange, Amanda, you will be okay. I promise it will be all right," said Michael who did not seem unhappy at all. In fact, he was actually smiling.

Terrence/DJ True looked at the crying mess in the back seat and rolled his eyes. "Hey, it's going to be okay. You are the bravest kids I have ever met. Why you are the kids who saved New York, and Solange, you are going to be a witness in the terror trial."

"Yes we did, but now all of your are tangled up in our mess" said Amanda as she sobbed.

"This will be over soon. There will be a trial and then Solange can explain everything to Armand. So let's turn off the faucets and be on our way," said Terrence/DJ True.

"Yes, you will be able to call Armand again sometime in late June," said Michael sounding not at all unhappy about that idea.

Solange just looked at Michael. "That's supposed to comfort me?"

Amanda was still gulping and shivering but she asked, "Where are we going?"

"I don't know. But we are leaving New Orleans," said Michael as he drove the car onto the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. Michael turned on his Sirius Satellite radio and tuned to a station that was playing one of DJ True's tracks.

"Wherever we go. We have to be more careful this time," said Amanda.

"Right, more careful," said Michael.

"I know. I will stay out of clubs," said Solange.

"It was my fault. I should have refused to go," said Amanda.

"That's okay. You are just kids and kids make mistakes," said Terrence/DJ True.

"Hey, this was the first time I saw Solange do anything that wasn't perfect. And it's about time. No one could keep that up," said Michael.

"I'm not perfect," said Solange still sobbing a bit.

"Okay, you're not. Just close," said Michael. "And Amanda, you are just a kid."

Peter sat up from where he was lying on a pillow on Amanda's lap. He whispered, "We can't just be kids anymore."

"No, we can't," replied Amanda.

"Are we ever going to be normal again?" asked Peter.

"I don't know, but until this is over and those guys are convicted, I am never going to let you out of my sight again," said Amanda.

Thibodeaux overheard what Amanda told Peter and said, "That's right. You girls sure could have used our help tonight."

Amanda started to laugh. "Yes, I guess that is what I meant."

"I would have beat them up for you," said Thibodeaux.

"Yes, you would have. But I am glad you did not have to try," said Amanda.

Amanda looked out the window and saw that they were almost out of the city. It was a cold cloudy night, no moon, no stars in sight. And here they were in a car driving down a highway after midnight, fugitives dressed in oversized football sweatshirts, listening to hip-hop. Totally bizarre, but just a regular day lately.