An Innocent Moon

Chapter Seven

The next morning, Cece heard the purr of a car engine in the driveway. Still holding her first cup of coffee, she walked to the window to see Lisa hop out of the driver's seat and jaunt up to the front door. A small chuckle escaped her lips at her friend's unabashed enthusiasm for shopping. She crossed the foyer and was already pulling open the door as Lisa pressed down on the doorbell.

"You're here early," Cece said by way of greeting.

"Good morning! Of course, I couldn't allow you to worm out of this mission," Lisa said.

Cece couldn't help her grin as she opened the door wider and held up her mug. "Want one while I finish and get ready?"

"Of course. You have creamer or just milk?" Lisa asked, walking through the doorway.

"Just milk. We're a black coffee kind of family."

After settling Lisa in the kitchen to gossip with her mother, Cece ran upstairs to get dressed for the day. After throwing on a t-shirt with a pair of jeans, she took her time brushing her hair and even applied a wisp of eyeliner. Knowing Lisa, today wasn't just a shopping trip for a dress, it was a Day at the Mall. That meant she needed to go above and beyond her normal look, which meant eyeliner and no ponytail. Lisa was going to be so proud.

Cece checked the clock and waited an extra five minutes before descending the stairs.

As she turned towards the kitchen, she was able to overhear her mother and Lisa's conversation.

"Well, I had heard that he had been falling in with a bad crowd for a little while now. I overheard Mrs. Price talking at the hardware store and she said that there might have been drugs involved."

"Hush dear, the police said it was a wild animal. What do drugs have to do with a bear attack? Don't speak ill of the dead, it's not right. And his parents are such lovely people. We see them at church every Sunday."

"I'm just telling you what I heard, Mrs. Brennan. I think they've got everyone stirred up with this wild animal talk, but there's a good chance those boys were looking for trouble. I don't plan on being too scared walking in the woods. Nothing's happened since then anyway."

"There's scarier things than what's in the woods and I worry about you girls. You be safe today, okay? Stay together and don't talk to strangers."

"Got it, Mom," Cece said announcing her presence. "Although it's going to be hard to buy anything if we can't talk to the person working at the checkout."

Her mother scowled at the joke. "You know what I mean. Don't be funny."

"I know, I know. I'll be back after dinner probably, so don't wait on me."

"Um, you'll definitely be back after dinner. It's not often I can convince you to go out with me and I plan to take full advantage," Lisa declared.

"That's fine, just stick to the eleven o'clock curfew or call me well before then if you decide to sleep at Lisa's."

"Will do, mom," Cece said. She mock saluted her mother before grabbing her wallet off the counter.

A little over an hour later, Lisa pulled into the Dillard's parking lot. The mall was on the outer rim of St. Louis, but the girls still felt giddy about their adventure into the city. Though she preferred the hum of nature to the thrum of the city, Cece still couldn't help channeling Lisa's frenetic energy.

Despite the store being fairly busy, the prom dress section was devoid of people and the options had clearly been well-picked over. Cece and Lisa quickly browsed through the remaining options and found a midnight blue satin dress. After trying it on for size, Cece found herself staring into the floor length mirror at the end of the dressing room. The bodice of the dress was simple with a square neckline and spaghetti straps, but the A-line skirt had silver glitter swirls that reminded her of looking at the Milky Way in a dark field. Lisa came up behind her and started slow-clapping.