Nobunny's the Winner

“This is a bad idea,” mumbled Jack.

Kayla glanced at him, crouched next to her in the shrubbery around the mansion. His glasses were all fogged up from one of those stupid COVID masks.

“Aw, come on,” Kayla whispered back. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”

“My sense of adventure caught the ‘rona and died,” he grumbled, wiping his glasses on his shirt. “How did I let you talk me into this?”

She cackled quietly, turning back to the wide open yard behind the mansion. “The target is being held at the end of the yard.” She could sense Jack rolling his eyes at her. “Are you ready for this?”

He sighed. “I still think it’s a bad idea, but sure, whatever you say, Kayla.”

“On three. One. Two. Three!”

They broke cover, bolting across the green expanse of perfectly trimmed grass. Kayla slammed into the gate first and fumbled with the latch. Jack nearly knocked her over trying to get inside.

They stumbled into the walk-in rabbit enclosure. Kayla barely had time to glance around before Jack was pulling her back out. He shoved her behind the bushes that lined the outside of the enclosure.

“What are you doing?” she hissed. “We almost had one.”

Jack shook his head, shushing her with one finger over his mask. He glanced back at the enclosure.

“Who was that? Who’s there?”

Kayla’s eyes widened, and she looked back into the enclosure. There was a gardener standing by the little rabbit house, a tiny shovel full of droppings in his hands. He was looking around suspiciously.

They crouched there, all but holding their breath, until the gardener let out an uneasy chuckle, shaking his head. He went back to work, and Kayla sighed. She glanced at Jack, nodded, and they crept backward into the shrubbery again.

“I told you this was a bad idea!” Jack hissed at her. “I know you’ve been restless since quarantine started, but this was always a bad idea!”

Kayla glared back at him. “Come on, they have fifteen bunnies. Fifteen adorable, fluffy bunnies. They’re not going to miss one!”

“You do realize neither of us is allowed to have pets in our dorm, right?”

“Oh, come on. Like they would ever check.”

Jack looked at her, scrutinizing. “You’re still planning on stealing a bunny.”

Kayla stared back, confused. “Uh, yeah. Aren’t you?” She glanced at the house. “I bet they keep them inside while it’s being cleaned.”

Jack shook his head. “I’m serious, Kayla. It’s a bad idea. We should go. Now.”

Kayla ignored him, pulling a bobby pin out of her hair. “Think I can pick the lock?”

She started moving, not waiting for a response. She crept slowly to the mansion itself, staying low behind the shrubbery and checking the gardener’s position regularly. She could hear Jack muttering something behind her but didn’t bother to listen to what it was. At least he was following.

She reached the end of the row of neatly trimmed bushes, glanced one more time at the rabbit enclosure, and tiptoed up the steps to the back door.

“Kayla!” Jack whisper-shouted from behind her. “Kayla, you are not about to break into a mansion!”

Kayla grabbed the doorknob and twisted. It was open. She shot a look over her shoulder at Jack and eased the door open.

“Last chance to turn back, Kayla! Come on, you’re not seriously… We can come back tomorrow! Kayla!”

She peeked inside and slid in through the doorway, glancing behind her. Jack looked like he was about ready to pass out, but he came when she waved for him to follow.

The door opened into the biggest garage Kayla had ever seen. It was a bit cluttered with tools along one side and three cars on the other. Kayla gave a low whistle and started nosing around.

“Here, bunny, bunny, bunny,” she muttered as she scooted in between cars and boxes. Jack stood by the door, holding his glasses in one hand and rubbing his eyes with the other.

“What are you so stressed about?” she called from the second car. “Nobody’s here.”

She pouted, “Including the bunnies.”

He took a deep breath and put his glasses back on, adjusting his mask. “Great. They’re not here. Can we leave now?”

Kayla sighed, “I guess -”

She was cut off by the sudden movement of the garage door. She and Jack dove for cover behind the cars.

Kayla made eye contact with Jack under the car between them and glanced to the side. He shook his head, but she ignored him again, crawling forward to get a peek of who was in here.

Someone was rolling one of those big green garbage cans into place beside the garage door. She cautiously poked her head out by the car’s fender, then jerked back, heart pounding. It was the gardener from before. Apparently he had finished cleaning the bunny enclosure.

He trudged across the garage to the other door - the one that led inside. Kayla held her breath as he passed in front of her, but he didn’t look down. He unlocked the door and disappeared through it.

Jack was up and moving in an instant, bolting around the car and diving to the ground next to Kayla just as the gardener came back out. The gardener paused. Kayla could only see his shoes. Her mind raced, trying to come up with excuses for why they were there. Then he kept moving, leaving through the back door that Jack had just been hiding by.

Kayla caught a glimpse of what he was holding as he left. It was a bunny cage. And it only had three bunnies in it.

The moment the back door swung closed, she was on her feet.

“Jack! Jack! The bunnies! They’re through that door!”

He groaned, “Hasn’t this been adventurous enough for you?”

She folded her arms and looked down at him as he sat up slowly. “I came here for a bunny, and I’m not leaving without one.”

He stared at her, saying nothing. Then he nodded. “Fine. Get in. Get out. I’ll keep watch.”

She practically danced to the door, pausing at the threshold to peek through. She glanced back at Jack, who gave her a very sarcastic thumbs up. Then she went through.

She entered a small kitchen, really just a walled off portion of the garage with a grill in it. On the other side of the grill stood a temporary wire enclosure. It was filled with bunnies.

She rushed over to it, excitement tingling through her. She stepped over the little wire wall and crouched among the adorable little furry creatures, wondering which one to pick.

“Kayla!” Jack whispered from the door. “Kayla, he’s on his way back!”

Her breath caught in her throat and she looked at the bunnies, selecting the smallest one. She picked it up by the scruff of its neck and hugged it close to her chest, wincing as it clawed her arm.

“Kayla, we’re running out of time! Come on!”

Kayla started to step out of the pen.

“Oh, you’re already out of time.”

She froze, turning slowly to see a man standing behind her, arms folded. The door to the rest of the mansion clicked shut behind him.

There was a commotion from the garage, and Jack stumbled backward into the room, followed by the gardener.

The gardener looked around, taking in the scene, his face darkening. “Should I call the police, Sir?”

The man nodded, “Yes please, Matthew.”

Kayla looked at Jack sheepishly. He was giving her the “I told you so” one-eyebrow raise that he was so good at.

She grimaced under her mask and glanced around the room - the man of the house glaring at her, the gardener on the phone with the police.

“Hey Jack?”

“What?”

“You told me so.”