“Hey, do you think this looks too girly on me?” Rihanna held the pink and white floral top against her as if she was wearing it.
“Meh, I don’t think so.” Serah replied.
“I think this one will look better on you.” Elise held up a blue and white top with a similar, but more subtle design.
“Hmm…” Rihanna took the top from her and compared it to the other.
“I’m getting this one!” Roxanne pulled out a black op with bright yellow sunflowers.
“Eeew, really Rox?” Serah questioned.
“What?” Roxanne took on a childish tone and clutched the top against herself also. “I think it’s nice.”
“It looks like a dress compared to you.”
“You callin’ me short?” Roxanne and Serah continued to argue. Meanwhile, Elise and Ria made their way to the changing rooms to try on their clothes.
“Say uhh, Rihanna.” Grace said quietly in the changing room next door to Ria’s.
“Yeah?” Ria replied, looking at what should have been herself in the mirror.
“Uhh…about uh-”
“If it’s about Roxy and Serah, don’t worry about them. They’ll be done by time we finish.”
“No it’s uh…it’s not about-” She was cut off by some knocking on the changing room doors.
“Hey, guys can you hurry up, Rox needs the loo!” Serah shouted as she banged on the door.
“Gah! Shut up Serah!” Roxanne felt nervous now that she shouted it for everyone to hear.
“It’s alright, I’m done.” Rihanna left her changing room and put the pink top on the rail to be put back and went to buy the blue one.
“Hurry up Grace!” Serah shouted.
“I’m coming! I’m coming!” Grace rushed out of the changing room, still trying to put on her coat while opening the door.
Roxanne practically grabbed her by the hand caught in her sleeve and pulled her out of the shop and into the crowded paths you’d expect in a mall.
The day went on as usual. The girls went to look at the clothes, the books, the games or whatever they felt like, and as usual they ended the day with a trip to the sweet shop.
Roxanne and Serah both got chocolate ice creams while Grace and Rihanna shared a small box of assorted chocolates.
“So anyway, he was like oh I’m not sure if I’m ready to date yet, and I’m like, wait, you asked me out, It wasn’t like I had to say yes.” Serah was going on about her dates as usual.
Roxanne would insult her about her choice in boyfriends and Grace would simply listen, occasionally making the odd remark about Roxanne’s behavior.
Grace sat there fiddling with a chocolate she plucked out of the box, rolling it on the small saucer she was given with it. She wasn’t listening to Serah’s story and Roxy’s insults, but she definitely noticed Ria’s voice.
“What’s wrong Grace?” Ria whispered while Serah and Roxanne ended up in another argument about relationships.
“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing.” She continued to roll the chocolate over the plate.
“Are you sure?”
Grace turned and flashed her a quick smile. “Of course, I’m fine.”
Ria gave a slightly worried ‘hmm’.
Before they knew it, their time was up. It was almost 5. They’d been at the mall for 2 hours, longer than it should have been.
hey all said their goodbyes and made their way home. Grace and Rihanna lived in the same direction from the mall so they walked back together.
“Hey, uhh, Grace.”
“Yeah?”
“Back at the changing rooms, you said you needed to tell me something.”
Grace felt rather embarrassed and quickly tried to avoid it. “Oh! Uhh, it’s nothing! I uhh, forgot.”
Ria stopped and gave a playful glare. “You’re a terrible liar.”
“I am?” Grace wanted to slap herself for how stupid she sounded.
“Seriously though, what did you want to tell me?”
Grace knew her lie failed so quickly thought of something else. “I uhh, I just wanted to know what top you were getting.”
Ria noticed she didn’t want to talk about it anymore so pretended she didn’t notice her blatant lie.
“Oh, alright. I got the blue one by the way.” She held up the bag with the top inside.
“Yeah, I saw. It looks good on you.” Grace wanted to change the subject, but they found they had to split their separate ways as they always did.
“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Ria said as she turned down her road.
“Oh, hey, don’t forget your history books! Mrs will kill us if we forget them again!”
Ria laughed and nodded. “Hahaha, yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“Right, see you tomorrow!”
They waved and parted. Rihanna was desperate to get home fast, ever since they left the mall she noticed one of them following her. Another person with an ability similar to hers.
Why won’t you fight? You know he will, why don’t you take the advantage and start it yourself? Gottfried whispered in her mind.
“Shh, not now.” Ria didn’t notice the large puddle she stepped in. “Ugh.” She looked down and gasped, noticing how Gottfried’s image was reflected in the ripples.
She quickly walked out of it. She looked over her shoulder at the guy following her. He was definitely one of them. She noticed a dog like creature in his reflection, but it was murky and wavering and couldn’t make it out easily.
He was walking faster now. Ria was closer to her home, if she ran she figured she’d be too tired and get caught. She decided to walk through the town, but she wasn’t sure whether he would change or not, regardless of whether or not she would.
She ran through the town and into an alleyway as fast as she could. She tried to get away but was cornered.
“You smell just like her. That stupid mutt.” He growled.
“What? Who?” She wondered if he was referring to one of her friends, but was proven wrong.
“That lousy mutt who bit my leg.” He pulled up his trouser leg to show a large bite on it. It looked like it came from a dog. A very big dog.
Rihanna didn’t know any dogs so she had no idea what he was on about.
The boy started to growl, but it sounded more than a human growl.
Watch out! She felt as if her entire being was being pulled backward and in on itself. Next thing she knew it was as if she was watching something from someone else’s perspective, as if she were blind but watching through another.
Where the boy had been now stood a three headed dog, a very big one at that. She heard ruckus from the town. They heard it and they’d probably come and find out what the noise was.
The three headed hound barked and snarled before charging up towards them.
Gottfried braced himself and grabbed the jaw of the middle that tried to bite him. The other two latched onto his arm and his shoulder trying to get itself free.
Gottfried pulled his arms apart, opening the mouth of the Cerberus wider and wider. He was startled when a jet of fire was shot right into his face. He let go of the head but that was his mistake. The jaws of the Cerberus crushed down on his head, but the thick armor prevented any damage to Gottfried himself. He tried to push he Cerberus off, wildly flapping his four black and white wings while trying to stay as quiet as possible.
Gottfried was being forced down as the Cerberus’ burning breath surrounded him and the sheer bite force on his head made him start to feel dizzy.
“I-don’t know…how much longer I can-.” Gottfried fell onto his back. He flapped his wings wildly in the struggle to escape, but he was stuck. The Cerberus was about the same size as him and weighed almost twice as much, even with Gottfried’s armor.
Gottfried! Get up! She wanted to shout but she could only think it.
“I’m…trying…” He growled, Ria listened as he struggled and watched as if it were her staring down the throat of the creature.
Gotfried blinked for a second and felt he Cerberus’ attention shift. It wasn’ biing or pushing down as hard as it was. Gottfried quickly took advantage of this and kicked the beast in the chest, throwing it off.
His large, glowing sword materialized in his hand, then he noticed something else behind the Cerberus.
A white wolf with scarlet markings. Fire flowing from a green disk floating above it’s back.
It snarled and barked at the three headed dog. Much, much smaller than it’s opponent. The white wolf managed to knock the Cerberus on it’s side with a quick blow to the head using the burning reflector.
The Cerberus hadn’t expected it to move so fast and was blocked from getting up again. Gottfried pushed it’s foot down on the Cerberus and raised it’s sword, but the creature disappeared, it was human again. The boy quickly got up and ran. The cold look he shot the wolf as he did, was it the one he was on about?
Rihanna felt herself being dragged out again, as if she’d just been pushed out of a moving car. When she opened her eyes, the wolf was also a girl. A girl with white hair and a blood red cloak.
“Uhh, hello-.” She reached her hand out for the girl to take, but she took off running faster than she’d anyone move before.
Ria stood there for a while with a bewildered look on her face. She was quickly caught out by the Arcana of Tyr.
She’ll be alright. You better go home, it’s getting late and you’re tired.
“I’m not-…grr, right whatever.” She found it difficult to argue with him. He seemed to know everything about her. It was driving her mad, but she listened anyway. She made her way home as quick as she could, thinking of an excuse as to why she was late and in such a state. She decided to take another path through the maze of alleys, considering the crowd she attracted with all the noise. She doubted anyone managed to actually see them because of how many people there were still in the town. The first time she saw anything like what just happened she took off in a flash.
When she got home she noticed neither of her parents were in. She sighed and threw her school bags on the table beside the sofa. She pulled out a small bag of sweets she bought from the store and turned on the TV. She was watching the news. Nothing of interest was on, just the news and old re-runs of boring soaps and dramas.
It was 8 and her parents still hadn’t come home.
They probably made some sort of medical breakthrough or something, she convinced herself.
Your parents don’t work in the field of medicine.
“Shut up.” Ria turned off the TV and made her way upstairs, turning off the lights behind her as she went.