Graduation

Some of the events in here may seem a little far fetched, but they did actually happen here. Thank you to everyone who contributed ideas on this and my last story. You know who you are. The hostage negotiations came from a website. FF won't let me post links, so if you want to know where to find it, let me know. Enjoy the story.

Chapter 1

Sal Munroe woke up early on the day of her graduation. It was going to be a busy day. She had lots of things to do to prepare. Number one on her list was shopping. She and her big sister Jill were going to do a lot of it. Kris couldn't make it. She had a previous engagement. Sal bounded out of her room and over to the spare bed that doubled as a couch in the living room.

"Jill! Jill! Time to wake up! Let's go!" Sal yanked the covers off of her sister who was trying to keep them on. Jill grumbled. She rolled over and tried to keep sleeping. "Come ON, Jill!"

"Alright, alright! I'm up already! Let me get dressed and have some coffee and breakfast, then we'll go." Jill grumbled good naturedly as she climbed out of bed. Jill stumbled into the bathroom to shower and dress. She passed Kris, who was still asleep in the bedroom.

"Lucky!"

Sal bounced out to the kitchen to make some breakfast. She started the coffee maker. Her sisters weren't always sociable before the first cup. Kris staggered out to the kitchen. "Isn't kind of early, Sal?" She grumbled.

"Nah. It's 8:00 the stores open at 10:00. I've got lots to do. Shopping first! DA DA DA DA DAAAAAAAAAAA! CHARGE IT!!!!!!"

"Go easy on those credit cards, sis. Bills need to be paid," Kris told her.

"You're sounding like Bosley," Jill said as she came into the kitchen. Sal had been scrambling some eggs, and she now put them on plates to serve her sisters. She put one in front of Jill, who dived in. Sal made some toast and juice, and the sisters sat down to eat.

"First, I need a dress to wear to graduation tonight. I need nylons and shoes as well," Sal informed her sisters.

"We also need to get your hair and nails done," Jill added.

"Who's paying for all of this?" Kris wanted to know.

"I am, " Jill said. "It's my graduation gift to Sal."

"And I have some money saved up so I'm kicking in."

"But what about...." Kris started to ask as Jill cleared her throat and shook her head.

"What about what?" Sal demanded to know.

"What about picking Grandma and Grandpa up at their hotel?" Kris backpedaled.

"It will get done. Don't worry about it. We have plenty of time." Jill reassured Kris. Kris sighed in exasperation.

"Are you ready, Sal?" Jill asked her youngest sister as she got up from the table.

"Yeah. I just need to grab my purse," Sal said as she put her plate in the sink. "See ya, Kris." Sal and Jill went out the door.

"Sure, leave me with the dishes," Kris muttered as she watched them go out the door.

Sal and Jill hit the stores in the Oceanside Mall. They stopped first at Miss Cherie's Boutique, the clothing store where Sal worked. Sal picked out a beautiful light blue dress, suitable for both graduation and dancing afterwards. Miss Cherie, her boss, sold it to her at a discount. They next went to the department store where they bought nylons and make up. Jill promised to help Sal with hers for graduation. Sal was having the time of her life. She didn't get to spend very much time with Jill, so the excursion was fun for both of them. They stopped at the shoe store, and the hair salon. Then they went to the nail salon. Sal hadn't had her nails done professionally before, and it was a new experience for her. The morning passed very quickly. Soon it was lunch time.

"Hey, let's go to the restaurant over there," Jill suggested.

"Yeah, and I'm starving," Sal said. The morning had really been a busy one. They headed for the restaurant. They chatted while they waited for a table. Sal saw some friends from school and waved to them. The two sisters were eventually seated.

"Are you excited for graduation?" Jill asked.

"Yeah, I am. "

"Have you given any thought to what you're going to do next?"

"Yeah."

"Well, tell me!"

"I will when the time is right. I'm going to go to college, and then I'll take it from there."

Their food arrived, and halted any further conversation for a bit. When they were done, they paid the check and decided to head for home.

"Wait a minute, " Sal said.

"What?"

"I want to go back to my store and get that purse I saw. It matched the dress perfectly."

"OK, but we'll have to make it quick. Kris should be getting Grandma and Grandpa soon. They'll want to see you and take pictures before your graduation starts."

"I know. Grandpa sure loves his camera." The two sisters laughed as they went back to the clothing store. Sal looked at the purses again. She held up two blue ones side by side to make her choice. There was a loud commotion out in the mall. People were screaming and there were sounds of gunfire. Sal looked up in surprise. Jill ran to the door of the clothing store, gun drawn. She saw a man dressed in black and wearing a ski mask heading her way. She ducked back and fired a few shots. The man ran into the clothing store. "Everyone down!" he ordered. Jill ran over to Sal.

"Do what he says," she told her. Sal dropped her packages and hit the floor.

"Nobody move, and no one will get hurt," the man commanded. He noticed Jill had a gun. "Hey, Blondie! Drop the gun!"

"OK, OK," Jill put the gun on the ground and kicked it away from her. The man picked it up. "Hands on your head and face down on the floor, Blondie," he commanded. Jill complied. She stretched out on the floor next to Sal. "Oh, great!" thought Sal. "There goes graduation."

Kris was busy straightening up the house in preparation for her grandparents' arrival. She finished the last of the dishes and put them away. She ran a quick vaccuum over the living room floor, and straightened the covers on Jill's bed. She made sure everything was tidy. Kris picked up the phone and called her friend Kelly.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kel, it's me. Do you think I could borrow your car for a while?"

"What's going on?"

"Nothing much. Sal and Jill took off for some shopping in mine. I need to go pick up my grandparents."

"Sure. I'll even drive you. Be there in a bit."

"Thanks, Kelly. See you in a few." Kris hung up the phone and turned on the radio. A breaking news bulletin was on. There was a hostage situation at one of the local malls. Kris gasped as the Oceanside Mall and Miss Cherie's Boutique where the hostages were were named. It was the mall Jill and Sal had planned on going to, and the store Sal worked in. Kris hoped they had left the mall before the hostage incident. Kelly soon arrived. Kris let her in. Kelly noticed Kris' worried expression.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Did you hear the news?"

"No. Why?"

"There's a hostage situation at the mall and in the store where Sal works. I hope Jill and Sal left before it started. I'm going to call Jill on the car phone right now." Kris picked up the phone and dialed. The phone rang and rang on the other end. Kris finally hung up in exasperation. "There's no answer."

"Maybe they stopped off someplace to get something to eat," Kelly suggested.

"Yeah, maybe. Something doesn't feel right, though...."

The phone rang. Kris answered. "Hello?...... Oh, hi, Grandpa....... I was just getting ready to leave.......OK, I'll be there in a bit. Have Aunt Lydia and Uncle Paul arrived yet? OK.....see you soon. 'Bye." Kris hung up the phone. "That was my Grandpa, " she told Kelly. "He's getting impatient. Sal's graduation isn't until this evening, and he wants to see her before it starts. I sure hope she and Jill come home soon."

"Well, let's go get him. Did your aunt and uncle get in?"

"Yes, they took a taxi to the hotel. Maybe we should ask Bosley if we can borrow the station wagon. I'm sure he'll let us." With that, the two friends left the beach house to go pick up Kris' relatives.