Zydrate Cure

Chapter Three

"Then here we go." He held out his hand to her.

Taking a deep breath, she took it and they exited the house.

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Doing as he said, Ember kept her head down and held tightly to Clarence's hand. Every once in awhile, she would peek out at the world by a sideways glance. There were a lot of people out and about.

Every so often, someone would say hello to Clarence, who would respond back, but never stop their forward progress. He led them for a good ten blocks before turning a corner and continuing to the left. Four blocks later, they stopped and went into a building.

They were in a large super store full of people; shelves and racks were everywhere. He led them carefully through the people, grabbed a cart, and started into the store.

Isle after isle, he threw stuff in the cart. Shampoo, hair products, body wash, lotion, perfume, makeup, and he finally stopped in the hair dye isle. Turning to Ember, he quietly asked, "Do you want to be a blonde or a redhead?"

"Um... a redhead, I guess." She looked at him with uncertainty.

"Good choice. Go ahead, pick a shade." He motioned to the boxes in front of him.

Her eyes immediately went to the boldest and brightest shade. Grabbing it, she put it in the cart and looked up at him, looking for more approval. Getting praise from him was HER drug.

"Very nice!" He grabbed a bottle off of a shelf and they moved on to clothes. "Do you know your size?"

She got quiet. "Yes. My mother would scream it at me, telling me how fat I was..."

He pulled her close to him and held her for a little while. "You are the opposite of everything they called you. Remember that," he whispered quietly. Releasing her, he said, "So go crazy. Anything that you like, buy it."

"No, no, I can't do th-"

"Yes, you can. And you will. I mean it. Anything you like, put it in the cart. Am I clear?"

"Of course," she finally said and wandered into the sea of clothes racks.

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Forty-five minutes later, they were in the checkout line. Ember had been feeling guilty the whole time about buying things, so eventually Clarence gave up and started throwing everything she took more than one glance at into the cart. They'd also gotten her two pairs of shoes and a purse.

Ember kept stealing glances at him, but it seemed that Clarence truly wasn't bothered by the cart-full of things he was leaning on. The fact that he didn't care seemed to bother her more. She got anxious and started to fiddle with the zipper on his coat.

He sighed and looked down at her. "Look at it this way, now I won't have to buy you clothes again."

"But I could just wear your stuff when I'm at your- I mean, OUR house! I would just need them to go outside in!"

He had to collect himself after the idea of her never leaving his house, always wearing his clothes, flashed through his mind. "You're going to need them for when you're ready to leave and go out on your own. This way you won't have to worry about that." The idea of her leaving upset him a little.

She looked up at him curiously. Her eyes seemed to bore through all of his lies and cover ups to his very soul, leaving him bare. He wasn't used to being vulnerable. It made him more upset.

Eventually, she looked away and was quiet again. She didn't look at him or say anything until they arrived back in the house.

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As he put away their coats and hats along with her shoes, Clarence was in a volatile mood. He was upset with himself that he foolishly allowed himself to become attached to someone, mad at her for being able to read him so well, and furious with himself for upsetting her. And now, night was quickly falling, meaning he would have to leave her here, alone and vulnerable. He sighed and turned to look at Ember, who was sitting on the couch, looking miserable. "Look, I have to start getting ready for work."

She said nothing.

"I wish I didn't have to, but... gotta make money."

She was still silent.

"I hope you'll be alright here until I come back."

She slowly nodded.

"Alright, well... anything you want to do, go ahead. TV, movies, books... I don't mind." He walked towards his room.

"Clarence... what will happen if I don't WANT to ever leave?" She quietly asked.

He froze as he fully tried to comprehend her question. "I don't know," he finally said. "But we will figure it out."