"Mummy! Toys!" Darcy tugged at my hand, pulling me towards a large toy store. I was greatly relieved to see how empty the small store was, the achingly crowded mall was something I absolutely hated, but Darcy loved it. All the people excited her, made her happy, pulling me along to where ever she wanted to go. Since the store was basically empty, I released her to run free from one section of toys to the next. I silently watched her, a smile on my face. My smile soon vanished as Darcy ran up to me with a large stuffed cat in her arms, the fur pattern matching the little black and white cat she had at home. "Fufi!" She hugged the cat so close I was afraid the head would pop off. I looked in my purse, my near-empty wallet the first thing to catch my eyes.
"I'm sorry baby, it's too expensive. Maybe next time." I could see her face fall, hazel eyes beginning to water. I was surprised when she turned on her heels, returned the large animal to the self and came back to me with a small orange stuffed kitten in her hand. My heart tore in two, bleeding straight into my soul. "Did you want that one instead?" Darcy nodded her head, meeting my eyes with pride and too much dignity for someone so young. "Alright, let's go pay for it." She followed behind me, her empty hand clutching my coat. Up at the counter Darcy placed the cat on it, watching the young girl ring it up. I quickly paid and handed it back to my daughter, leading her to the nearest door. About to face the crowds again I paused, looking out at the endless sea of people, many more than when we entered the store. They were all facing away from us, watching some unseen source of excitement. They were jumping up and down; I could hear their screams faintly through the glass. Even the girls working the store had begun to crowd the windows, squeals escaping their lips.
"Mummy, why everyone excited?" I pulled Darcy closer to me; I feared just that, what made the crowds so excited. It was then that the crowds parted slightly, jet black quiff visible through the throng. Annoyance sparked my anger; I swore those boys were following me. From what I could see of the boys they were searching the crowds, Liam's brown eyes catching mine. Frick! I pulled Darcy away from the doors, skirting the windows we slid down an isle towards the back of the store. "Hide and Seek?"She questioned, holding her new toy close to her chest.
"Yes baby. Stay quiet, we're hiding." I smiled, faltering when the bell to the door went off and screaming filled the air. Instantly Darcy's hands covered her ears, her adorable face holding a frown. I cursed under my breath as the voices of 5 pop-stars cut through the reconstructed silence. They were speaking to the girls behind the counter, the girls must have been to star-struck to respond since they failed to answer the boys. I was relieved when Louis thanked the girl and the door opened again, until Liam spoke up and thanked them as well. Darcy smiled and ran from the isle; she knew that voice too well by now. "No!" Too late, she was running towards Liam with arms open for a hug.
"Darcy?" I watched them from edge of the shelves as Liam grasped her in his arms and picked her up, much to her enjoyment. "Where's your mum?" Sheepishly I left the safety of my hiding spot, walking over to the small group.
I met Liam's eyes with a forced smile parting my lips, greeting the boys with a halfhearted hello. "What are y'all doing here?" I tried my best to sound excited about the accidental meeting but I knew there was hint of aggravation laying at the edge of my voice. It wasn't my fault; I had a hard time hiding when I was mad or annoyed. I had worked very hard to avoid the boys for the past three days, sneaking out of the house whenever they were off recording or taking some kind of fancy photo shoot. I know it sounds cruel and odd for me to be looking for time away from them but I hated the publicity that always came with hanging out with them, or the crowds that followed them, much like the ones now pressing against the glass to get a good glance at the famous band members.
Harry turned away from tickling Darcy's cheeks, meeting my eyes with a hard green stare. "We were looking for you. Zayn saw you leave so we followed you." He grasped my arms lightly, looking over to smile at fans smashed against the panes of glass before guiding me away from the others. We ended up in the corner of the store, safely away from the eyes and ears of anyone else. "We all know you're avoiding us." He let me go and ran a hand through his curls, pushing them to one side like he always did. "What we don't know is why. You seemed so happy to see us. Is it because of what happened at the restaurant?" I looked away from his face, focusing instead on a little dragon figure that sat on the shelf inches from my shoulder, the details on the body of it were amazing. "It is, isn't it Danni." He sighed, letting out a frustrated sound, much like a growl. "It's over; no one got pictures or anything. No one knows it was you."
