My eyes widen to stop myself from collapsing to a sleep. Then I hold the ply wood up and use my other hand to protectively grab one of my brother's hands. I have to keep Toby safe, even if my life depends on it.

"Anna," Max says, frightened after obviously seeing the plank of wood in my hand. "What are you going to do?"

"Explain to me why you lied," I say, ignoring his question. "You said you were going to eat and we find you trying to break into one of the rooms. You're a thief, aren't you?"

"Yes and no." he says.

"How can it be both?!" I shout. "It's either a yes or a no!"

"Something doesn't feel right," Toby says, pulling me forwards.

"What do you mean?" I whisper to my brother, who is acting like an adult now. "Max is the bad guy."

"No, that's not what I mean," Toby says. "I think someone else is here too."

"Toby, now you're scaring me," I say. "The only people who are here are us three."

Just then, a stack of wood falls behind us. I pick up Toby and run towards Max...What a great idea, run to the criminal! Might as well kill myself! Seriously, what am I thinking?!

I put Toby down and point my plank of wood to Max. "If you try to kill us, I'll give you much more than splinters." I say, to the thief beside me.

A figure walks towards us. In the dim lighting, I see it's a middle-aged man with a curly beard that's braided.

"My baaad," he shouts, while swaying (is he drunk?). "You ponies wait for meee!"

Ponies? Yeah, he's probably extremely drunk or he's just a loon.

"Do you know him?" Toby asks Max.

Max shakes his head. "I think I'd remember a guy who braids his beard." he says, then turns to me. "Do you know him?"

"Why would I want to know someone who thinks I'm a horse?" I say.

"I don't know," he says. "You both seem to meet other people, while saying something and looking abnormal. You meet me with a Darth Vader's mask and say something like 'I'll use the force!'. Then weird beard shows up, calling us ponies."

"Was that an insult?!" I ask, angrily.

The intoxicated man/mental case starts to stand on a long piece of wood he dropped and tries to walk across it. He screams each time he falls off and starts over (strange…).

"I think we should walk away…" Max says.

"Heck no," I say, dropping the piece of wood. "I think we should run. This is just disturbing."

"You have a point there," Max says.

We rush to a different direction. I look back once, to see the man still there.

"Wait for meee!" the stranger shouts, still trying to balance on his plank.

"No thank you!" I shout as politely as possible.

I take Toby on my back and run to the bathroom.

"Anna," Toby says. "I can't be in here."

"Would you rather stay outside?" I say. "Or with Max, the evil, insulting, criminal? Or best yet, with the awesome, smart, funny, sister of yours?"

"Probably you." Toby answers.

Max comes in with an annoyed expression.

"Max!" My voice echoes through the room. "You're a boy! GET OUT of here!"

"Anna!" he says, mimicking my tone. "I don't care! You insulted me."

"Hey, I'm a boy too!" Toby shouts.

"You're my brother." I say, as a weak response. It doesn't seem to help right now, so I think of something else. "And I let you in here."

I quickly grab Toby and run to the biggest stall. Then I lock the door. Foot steps come loudly.

"Anna, Toby," he says. "I'm not a criminal."

"Go away, you creep!" I say against the door.

I'm glad these doors are too small for someone (except Toby, of course) to crouch under and over top is too high to climb over.

"Anna, let me explain." Max whispers, because there's shouting from someone getting close to the bathroom.

"Not if it means you could kill Toby." I say. "Give me a good reason why I should trust someone like you."

I hear him sigh. "I heard Toby singing how you liked me, I feel the same." he says. "And I wouldn't hurt you or Toby in any way."

Toby and I look at each like Max has gone mad. Confessing to me like this? That makes no sense.

"You still aren't allowed to come in." Toby says, holding my hand.

Max laughs. "Aw, I thought that would work." he says. "But really, I wouldn't hurt you two."

My left eye starts to twitch. He was LYING?! Oh, I am sooo going to kill him for this! I'll probably go to jail, but since he's a criminal, maybe I can say it was self defense and they'll let me off easier…

"Go away, jerk!" I shout in a shaky voice.

Loud footsteps come closer and I think someone else is running this way.

"I'm gonna hide in a stall, someone's coming." Max says, before slamming a door shut.

"Where did they go?" The voice of a man says in a more serious and evil sounding voice than the other we heard at the industrious area. A grey eye looks through the opening on the door of the stall Toby and I are hiding in. "THERE YOU ARE. TRICK-OR-TREAT..."

Our stall door gets banged on. "Come out, come out!" he commands, creepily.

"I want mom and dad…" Toby whispers/cries, while hugging my legs.

I hug Toby reassuringly. Then the man leaves the bathroom. "Anna, listen to me." I hear Max whisper from the stall across from us. "Open the door when he knocks again. Trust me." I try not to listen. "For your brother's safety."

The scary man walks in again. "Too bad you didn't come out." he says.

I hesitate when the guy knocks harder as if he was tackling it. Toby grips onto me more tightly.

'Trust me. For your brother's safety.' is what I remember that stupid guy say.

I get Toby to let go. My little brother stays behind me. Through the opening I see the man backing up as if he was about to tackle the door again.

As he charges, I hesitate before I unlock the door and swing it open, very hard.

The man gets hit back and has a bleeding nose. He doesn't have a beard! He's not the same man who was balancing on planks! That means there are at least five people in the mall!

"Run!" I hear Max yell, as he swings his door open, which it also hits the bloody-nosed man (Ouch...That would be so horrible for picture day).

The stranger falls flat on his face. Then I pick up Toby and run out of the bathroom.