Third In Line

Chapter Twenty Four - Divide and Conquer

"We'll meet back at the car when we're done?"

"Sure thing"

"You behave now Alex, no running off on your own"

"Same to you Ellie"

And so it was decided. They traded goodbye hugs and kisses on the cheeks and then split, heading in different directions across the sprawling complex that was the supermarket. Alex waved at her dramatically as they disappeared down one of the many aisles, and in that moment it felt like she would never see her sister again. She did her best to focus on the fact that a smaller group would draw less attention and make it easier for them to shop in peace, but she was still intensely aware of the fact that there were now less people to back them up in case they were swarmed.

But we haven't been swarmed yet, she realised.

She hadn't noticed anyone come up to them because nobody had come close. Everyone had kept a respectful distance, and in fact Ellie wasn't even sure if they had been recognised yet. There was nobody crowding around them, nobody shouting at them to smile, nobody doing anything.

Maybe the world still didn't know that they were in Bucklebury, maybe that's the difference, that there were no cameras circling them, blocking their way. Maybe without the barriers and the police and the cameras, these people are just normal respectful people.

She'd always felt like the barriers and the police were stopping everyone from getting to them, but now she was beginning to understand that it wasn't for everybody. She was beginning to understand that when the cameras, the media and the crazies were excluded, the rest of the world were normal human beings that were ready to treat her and her family as normal human beings as well.

"Do you think they've spotted us yet?" Ellie asked as they trundled along at a slow pace.

Her mother was casually glancing at the signs which hung above the entrance to each aisle, looking for whichever one would hold the first item on their shopping list. "Most likely poppet"

She could see people queuing up ahead at the checkout stations, and the repetitive beeping of the machines as items were processed, paid for and packed up. Ellie tried to focus on less frightening things, like her feet, the floor or the wobbly wheels of their shopping trolley, but it was all too obvious where they were. The people were all around them now and she could feel them staring, some were smiling, some were whispering but none of them were coming close. It was like the people were scared to approach them, or they didn't know how to go about it, as if there was some sort of protocol they had to follow.

The cameras don't follow protocol. The cameras get up close, break the boundaries, cross the lines just to get a photo.

These people were nice and respectful, perfectly normal, but she could still feel their eyes following her and her mother. She could feel herself bordering the line between royalty and normality, anonymous enough to go about her life, but not enough to go about it unseen.

"Ellie, why don't you come up on the trolley with me?" Kate asked, providing a welcome distraction from all the attention.

"Why Mum? I'm not a toddler anymore" Ellie replied, blushing fiercely and trying desperately to hide it.

"I know, I know" her mother replied wistfully "But it'll be fun, like you're on a roller coaster!"

"Mum..." Ellie sighed loudly, and then gave the trolley a quick once-over "My legs are too big for the holes anyway"

"I didn't mean the child seats honey" said her mother as they finally turned into one of the many quiet aisles in the supermarket, and all of the staring and chattering disappeared behind them.

She hardly had time to respond, to ask how else she was supposed to get up on the trolley as her mother had suggested. Two powerful hands wound their way under her armpits, while their long slender fingers grabbed onto her jacket and took control of her arms. However, the grip wasn't particularly strong or rough, more gentle and caring. She thought she was being kidnapped, stolen away without seeing her captor, but instead she saw her legs being lowered toward the trolley.

The metal flap that came down inside the trolley to form two little seats had come loose, and the leg holes were waiting for her feet to slide through. The little belts were lying there in anticipation, with a small buckle that would clip around her waist.

"Mum! Put me down!"

"I am putting you down!" came her mother's reply.

As quickly as it had happened, she was lowered down. Her legs avoided the child seat's clutches and instead found themselves resting on the trolley's axel that ran between its back wheels. Kate placed her hands back on the handlebar, therefore completely encircling Ellie, almost like a very very loose hug.

"Feel better?" her mother asked, resting her chin on top of Ellie's head and slowly pushing the trolley forward.

Her mother's hair fell down around her head, tickling her ears and making her smirk. Her mother's chest pressed against her back and her shoulders, allowing her to hear Kate's relaxed breathing and feel the warmth of her embrace. She felt much better, safer and less conscious of her surroundings. More protected than she'd ever felt in a public place.

"Yeah..." she admitted "But you didn't have to do that"

"I waited until we got into one of the quieter aisles Elle. I didn't want you to get too embarrassed!" her mother insisted.

"I still got embarrassed! People could have seen!" Ellie complained.

"Relax honey, we got away with it" Kate gently squeezed her shoulder to reassure her.

"I hate you" Ellie muttered in frustration.

"No you don't" her mother quickly spotted her lie "You just love me too much to say it"

"I do" Ellie mumbled, this time truthfully.

Kate wrapped her arm around her shoulders and hugged her tightly, shaking her a little as she moved her hand back. "I know you do poppet" she replied, kissing the top of Ellie's head, "Now where's the hot chocolate?"