Traveling Light
Prologue
She entered the mall through the least crowded entrance, not wanting to be seen by too many people and especially not wanting to be spotted by security. Her hair was unkempt and her clothes were torn and dirty. If anyone saw her they would know she didn't belong there and that she was up to no good. She was small so most people wouldn't notice her but she didn't want to take the chance that someone would stop her and ask if she was lost and to help her find her parents. She wanted to go unnoticed; it was easier that way. She slipped into the women's restroom to clean herself up before she roamed the corridors of the mall. She hadn't eaten since the day before yesterday and she was starving. She hated stealing but she had to find some food. Her brother once told her it was better to steal than starve, and that's what she was doing.
Walking through the mall she spotted several people she could steal from. People were very careless with their belongings, leaving their shopping bags for anyone to grab. She wasn't looking for merchandise though; she needed money. And the only way to get that was to steal a purse. Businesswomen were the easiest targets because they carried their purses on their shoulders and never paid attention to the people around them because they were too busy shopping or talking on their cell phones; they also wore high heels so they couldn't run after you. Her brother had taught her that.
She sat herself down on a bench across from some shops she thought plenty of businesswomen might shop at. A clothing store, shoe store, bookstore, and a baby store. She had to find the perfect one. It was almost the end of the lunch hour so most of them had already gone back to work. She kept her eyes on several women at a time, watching each one carefully. She spotted a tall blonde woman coming out of the fancy clothing store with a shopping bag in her hand but no purse on her shoulder. The woman looked mean anyway; if she did get caught she's pretty sure the woman would have her thrown in an institution for juvenile delinquents.
She glanced around and saw another woman standing outside of a baby apparel store. She looked like she was having trouble deciding whether to go in or not and she had a sad look on her face. The woman was very beautiful, with curly dark hair, just like her own hair, she noticed. She wondered what would make a woman that beautiful look so sad. After standing there for several minutes, the woman finally went in. She decided that woman would be her target.