She and Dorrie had a game that they played during the day once in a while, when there were enough people browsing through the store. It was based on a kids’ game that somebody had donated-it had tiles picturing a variety of different heads, torsos and legs. The idea was to mix and match them and create bizarre hybrids of people and animals, like Egyptian gods or cross-breeding experiments gone horribly wrong. They had taken the idea and transferred it into real life-they would have huddled discussions and see just how hideous an outfit, or how ugly a person they could make by mixing and matching various components from customers who were wandering the store.

Natalie was leaning on the counter and Dorrie was sitting in a chair beside her.

“Take his nose,” she said, nodding discreetly toward a short man with a beak of a nose, “that guy’s ears…her hair.”

Dorrie’s eyes twinkled and she sat there, shaking with silent laughter. “We’re awful,” she whispered, “and we’re going to get in trouble one day, but it’s so fun.”