Casting Shadows (Sequel to Stepping Into The Light) ON HOLD

Chapter 2

"Hi, can I help you, or are you happy browsing?"

"We're fine, thanks."

"If you need anything, let me know."

I smile at the two girls and walk over to the mother and daughter that have just come in. The girl is wearing black jeans and a black t-shirt, much like me.

"Hi, can I help you, or are you happy browsing?" I ask, smiling.

"My daughter's going on her first date," the lady says.

"Muuuum!" the girl groans, blushing, "you're so embarrassing!"

I smile at her.

"Where're you going on your date?" I ask. She glances at her mother.

"It's not a date date," she says, "we're going to see a movie."

"But she likes him," her mother puts in. Her daughter turns bright red and glares at her.

"Well, I'm sure we can find something for you," I say, "what colours do you like?"

"Black," she says immediately. Her mother rolls her eyes.

"All you wear is black," she tells her daughter, "what about blue?"

Her daughter rolls her eyes and turns to me.

"I want to wear black," she says. I bite my lip, thinking.

"I don't think we've got anything in black," I tell her, "we've got mainly summer colours right now. We have a couple of dark blues and purples, though."

"That's okay, we'll look some where else," the girl says, "thanks, though."

She walks out, her mother following and protesting. I walk over to the counter where two girls are waiting. I take their items and scan them

"That'll be 24.55," I say. The girl hands me her money and I fold her clothes into the bag and count out the change. I hand them over and wish her a good day, still smiling.

My cheeks ache from smiling.

I watch Josie walking across the road and sigh. She pops in about once a week to check the shop out. She's always in a different dress with different shoes and a new spray tan. She's surpassed orange and has created a brand new colour previously unknown to man. Her hair has been bleached white and her lips are bigger than last time I saw her. She flips her sunglasses up onto the top of her head as she enters the shop.

"Alrigh'?" she greets me, "shop looks fab."

"Thanks," I say with a pang. I've left it how George designed it. Could that really only have been yesterday? It feels like months. Josie stands behind the counter looking at some accessories I'd put there. It's 12, so I go over and close the door and turn the sign around. Josie hoists herself onto the counter and looks over at me, blowing a bubble with her gum. It pops and she draws the gum back into her mouth.

"We need to talk about uniform," she says.

"I don't have a uniform," I point out, getting my lunch from under the counter and opening it. Josie pops another bubble with a snap.

"That's the problem," she says, "it's summer and you're walking around in all black, like you're at a funeral."

I look down at my clothes. I don't see anything wrong with this.

"From now on," Josie continues, "you've got to wear something from the shop, k? At the start of each week you can pick six outfits including accessories to wear that week and you can keep 'em."