SMOKE (The Aurum Trilogy Book 2)

Chapter 14

FOURTEEN

Lauren

The mall was full of people and I immediately hated it. Lia's idea to take me here was nothing but wrong. It was a bit crowded, considering that today was a weekend and it was noisy.  The floors are filled with chattering teenagers, dating couples and happy families. I tried my best not to flinch whenever I saw them. They all looked so alive and happy. I had no reason to be.

            There had been no malls in Aurum, just a couple of buildings here and there with small shopping facilities. A building was designed for the sole purpose of selling clothes or food. There was never a collaboration of it in one whole building. If ever Aurum had one, I'll never have the chance to get inside. I was a poor girl born in Division 38, what do you expect?

            "Are you done yet?" I impatiently called out to Lia who was still in the fitting room, trying on a bluegreen sleeveless top and couple other items along with it. Apparently, she thought  the word 'shopping' might lighten my mood. She did not succeed.

            "No." Lia responded.

            "You're taking too long." I whined, particularly expressionless but still sounding a little pissed.

            "I need a new outfit for a date okay?"

            "Psh." I waved my hand in the air in a dismissive gesture. "That guy obviously loves you enough even if you wear the same clothes every day."

            Silence.

            "Really?" I heard Lia's voice come out from the fitting room, quivering and non believing.

            "Of course." I chimed in. "I see the way he looks and smiles at you. I've seen..." I stopped before I could utter his name recklessly. "I'll take a look around, okay?" I said, excusing myself and evading the topic of Jonathan.

            I walked around the shop, picking at random clothes and dresses. None of them seemed fitting to my taste. I rolled my eyes. I didn't need new clothes. Argentum always provides for me. What's the point of looking around?

            "I'm done!" Lia's voice popped out from behind me. I turned to see her holding two black shopping bags.

"Great." I groaned sardonically. "Where we at now?"

"Didn't you find anything?" Lia asked.

I shook my head as we made our way outside the shop. Lia looked happy with her two shopping bags. We continued walking. Most of the mall's interior was colored white and silver, making it look as neutral as possible. We passed by different stores. Some of them were selling clothes, others were selling accessories. We passed by a music store which sold instruments and I had a faint glimpse of Daniel in my mind-the way his slender pianist hands pressed those keys and produced magical sounds, the way he told me about his father and the family he used to have, the way his eyes lit up when I told him that he was perfect, the way his lips felt against my own.

            "Lauren!" Lia called out. I spun around to see that I've walked so much ahead of her, distant in thought. "Where are you going?"

            I abruptly made my way towards her, shaking my head, knocking thoughts of Daniel away. Again, the idea of myself not weakening at an overdrive of emotion for him was quite overwhelming. "Sorry." I muttered as she held on firmly to my hand like a big sister. "Lost track of things..."

            "You can't be like that all the time." She said, her stern tone was back. We stepped inside a bookshop and started towards the shelves. "Once we send you to Argentum, you can't just get distracted and do rash things. You have to be in focus or else the enemy will take that as an advantage."