Kairos

Chapter 5

A week of classes and chenaneganery later an intense heatwave hit California and the air conditioning units in the lecture halls broke.

Given that the weather was causing students and professors alike to pass out in the middle of their classes, classes were canceled for the week that the wave would be making us suffer.

After an entire day of being trapped in our dorm room (too damn hot everywhere else) we got a text from Samantha that their friend from Greece was coming in that night, and that they were going to go out to pick up her and introduce Seafoam and me to a few more people.

So basically after about 30 phone calls, a gigantic group message, five location changes, and spending way too long convincing, later forcing, a very grumpy mermaid into a sundress, me Kiera, and Seafoam were crammed into the backseat of Trista's car, on the highway of heavenly air conditioning to some mall called the Grove.

From what I'd gathered from Trista and Viola explaining was that it was a shopping center with a farmers market and several eateries. It was also where their friends Poppy and Eun Ae worked and so we were going to the movies first and meeting up with them at a restaurant afterward.

"So just to forewarn you two, England is sort of..." Trista trailed off looking to Viola.

"An acquired taste." Viola finished, moving Marigold off of the dashboard, for the third time, and plopping him into Trista's lap.

Sistine jumped onto Seafoam and started kneading her skirt with his little claws. Kiera picked up the small skeletal cat and placed him onto her lap, petting him while she texted her brother and sister.

After about 20 minutes of pure awkward silence, I finally got Kiera talking about her family. Apparently, Axle's entire occupation was going to fancy high-end stores and picking out outfits for mystical, and human celebrities. Evidently, it pays a lot more than it should and so he also runs a side business on Youtube doing reviews and tutorials, and fashion design.

When I asked Kiera what kind of tutorials I was informed it would be obvious once I saw him.

So essentially, I got nothing.

One brief side note, if you are not familiar with the Grove try and picture the fanciest mall you've ever been to.

Got it?

Good.

It ain't got nuthin on the Grove.

We pulled up to sort of a back entrance to the parking structure and it doesn't look that assuming.

That is until you actually drive into the parking complex and see fancy expensive cars, large movie posters adorning the walls, trimmed shrubberies and a pristine concrete structure holding the whole thing up. After we parked we headed down towards the entrance where valets and busboys were busy delivering and loading shopping bags into expensive cars, holding car doors open for people inexpensive clothes and dark sunglasses and waving down chauffeurs for the fancy people who'd had too much to drink.

And then there was the inside.

Lights strung all across the roofs, connecting one high-end store after another, glittering storefronts with gorgeous displays and famous brand names. A three-story Barnes & Noble, Nike and Nordstrom, a two-story Spaghetti Factory, and alleyways of other famous brands and apparel spidering off from the main entrance.

In the middle of all of it was a gigantic pool with a dancing water fountain, right next to a large grassy area where a non-profit organization was shutting down their activities, making way for some indie band who was getting their stuff together on the side of the stage.