Walking Among Humans

Chapter 8 - Part 2

I will not let Lois down. I promised her I'd do this.

We head for the men's department, which is on the second floor. As we reach the top Ben holds his hand out for me. I take it and step off the escalator.

Johnson is the first to see the sign. "Over there."

As we step onto the carpet a young man wearing an Armani suit and silk tie greets us. "Is there anything I can help you find today?"

I can feel Ben and the others tense as the man steps closer to me. "I'm looking for a new tie for my uncle. It's their thirtieth wedding anniversary and I would like it to be special."

The young man nods and turns around. "The ties are this way."

We arrive at the displays of ties and my eyes go wide in amazement. "This is going to be much harder than I thought."

The young man smiles. "First time you've bought him a tie I take it."

I blush. "Yes. I hadn't realized there would be so many choices."

"Well, I'll be happy to help you pick one out." He takes another step closer to me.

"That is so kind of you."

"I assure you, it's my pleasure."

I hear a low rumbling sound coming from somewhere behind me. I ignore it and continue to look at the variety of ties in front of me.

The clerk watches me for a minute. "What is your uncle like?"

That seems a little personal to me. "Excuse me?"

He must sense my apprehension because he is quick to clarify. "Is he a businessman? Or more laid back?"

"He's the headmaster of a private school. I've only ever seen him wear two ties in all my life. One dark blue, the other black."

"What kind of material are his ties made of?"

I blush again at my ignorance. "You mean there's more than one kind?"

He begins to explain the different kinds of ties. My mind is reeling with all the choices. I glance over my shoulder at Ben, who is standing less than two feet away scowling at the clerk.

"I think a silk tie would be nice. What about you, Ben? Do you think he'd like the silk?"

"Yeah, whatever. Just pick one so we can get this over with."

I can tell something is wrong by the tone in his voice. He is never that curt with me unless something is bothering him.

I reach for a soft lavender silk tie at the same time as the clerk. Our hands meet and sparks fly. I jerk my hand back. "Ouch!"

Ben closes the distance between us in three steps. "I think we can get it from here. Thank you so much for your time."

As the young man nods and walks away, I stare at Ben in disbelief. "What was that about?"

He shakes his head. "I was doing my job. He hurt you."

"It was static electricity, Ben. It wasn't like he used a taser on me." I look to Martinez for help, but she wants no part of this argument.

Ben bends down and whispers in my ear. "If you're going be out in public you have to stop flirting with humans."

I can't take it anymore. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? I wasn't flirting with him."

"Maybe not on purpose, but he was flirting with you. And you did nothing to discourage him."

"Is this coming from my guardian or my best friend?"

The look in his eye tells me that I've caught him off-guard. "Both."

"Well, why don't you help me pick a tie for him then?"

He smiles and walks to the next table. He reaches out and picks up a red silk one. "This one will be perfect. Can we go now?"

"I need to pay for this."

"I'll take care of it. You stay here."

* * *

Ben

I place the tie on the counter in front of the clerk.

He smiles. "I'm glad you were able to find something to your liking."

A knot tightens in my stomach. Is this guy for real? "Stay away from her."

"I'm sorry?"

"The girl. Stay away from her. If you come near her again, you will be sorry."

Fear flashes in his eyes, but he says nothing.

Stupid humans, so weak. He hands me the bag with a shaky hand. I turn and walk back to the others.

* * *

Mona

I hear Lucy as she approaches us from behind. "Hey, there you are. I thought maybe you got lost."

I am about to say something when she throws her arms around my neck and pulls me close enough to hear her whisper. "You shouldn't be too hard on him. He can't help it that he's jealous."

I laugh. "Jealous? Of what?"

She just shrugs as Ben comes back to where we stand. "All set. Let's get this over with."

The clerk says goodbye as we are walking away. I wave back to him.

Once we are back downstairs, Lucy leads us to the juniors department.

As we walk along the linoleum path, I notice that there are many people shopping in the area. One of them stands out for some reason. He looks to be about John's age and is short with long wiry hair. He catches me looking at him and he scurries off in the opposite direction. Weird. I shrug and dismiss the odd behavior. Humans can be so strange.

Once we reach the department, we stroll from rack to rack holding up various pieces of clothing up for the other to approve of. I spot a gorgeous sundress on a rack a few feet away from us just before I spot the man again. He's just standing there staring at me.

I open a link with Lucy.

"Hey, do you see that guy over there?"

"Yeah, he's kind of creepy."

"I think he's following me."

"Why do you say that?"

"I keep seeing him. And he's always staring at me."

"It's a small store."

"Yeah, but he's not shopping. I have yet to see him looking at anything but me."

"I'm sure it's nothing. He doesn't seem dangerous to me."

If she doesn't sense a threat, then there's no need for me to alert my guardians. I grab the dress off the rack and hold it up for Lucy.

"Oh! That is so adorable. You should try it on."

"Don't go too far away," Ben calls from behind us.

"I won't."

Once I have it on, I step out of the fitting room to show Lucy. I am a little nervous about letting everyone see me in this dress. The dress is very short in comparison to what I usually wear, and it has thin straps that keep it from falling off. It leaves my arms and shoulders completely exposed, including my marks. We're not supposed to show our marks in public. Especially here on Earth.

I peek around the corner and look for Lucy. She is over by the register chatting with the clerk.

Once again I notice that man staring at me. I attempt to read his mind but get nothing. My heart starts to race and I'm beginning to have trouble breathing. I scan the area and find my companions are all several yards away. I hurry back into the fitting room and lean back against the wall to catch my breath.