Now I've got a new problem. Hazel thinks we should make a morning of it, do some window-shopping through the city. Perhaps she forgot that she's still wearing the yellow floral but I haven't. Lillian Street is hot and littered with young mothers who'd just dropped their children off and have a few minutes to spare before they go home. I wonder. Did my mother ever have time for such frivolities? I know she never had much time for me. Zero room for a needy child backstage, I guess.
Just as I'd thought, Hazel's dress is an instant hit. Almost everyone spins around to get a second look. People are pointing from across the street, and by people I mean two bank girls stepping out to fill the air with toxic gas. Yet Hazel is oblivious to their giggles. Much to her delight, I chuck her through the Ficus trees between the office building and burger joint, which puts us at the base of Granderson Street. We swing left at the next corner. Hazel knows where we're headed, the mall on Owl Street. It's not my cup of tea but a necessary evil to escape those blood hounds. Let me harbour snide thoughts about her looks. She's my Rubrum. Not yours. If anyone's going to make fun of her, it should be me.
We enter and are immediately blasted by a level of coldness that contradicts the welcome sign on the door. Hazel's in her glee though. She loves the temperature. Plus, there's cloth here, there and everywhere. She gravitates towards the brighter section, fluorescent in every colour you can think of. I hope beyond hope that she has no money. She pulls fifty dollars out of her bra, like her future grandmother self would do, and instructs the girl to cut a yard in three colours. God Almighty! What the hell for? I don't have to guess for long.
"I saw this beautiful two-toned dress once. I'll go up on it a notch, three tones."
I don't even fake it this time. "That sounds horrible!"
"What?" Her mood dampens.
I find my escape. "You know what. It's too early for that line to be so long."
"Tell me about it."
"I think I'll go look around a bit."
"After what happened the last time?"
"Don't worry. I can't get lost twice."
"How will I find you?"
"We'll meet by the crafting store."
YOU ARE READING
NINE TIME MACHINES: Do you want to undo your entire life on planet earth?
FantasíaThere is a war coming! In it, Lilith and the impostor God must battle for all human minds on earth. But one girl can stand in the gap for all humanity. However, to prove worthy for this feat, Mary must begin shadow work to take the mark upon herself...
