Beneath The Light

10. Love Is Just A Word

Love Is Just a Word

Aden and Zac headed downstairs in the early afternoon, still sweating from their work outs, their stomachs growling aggressively. The two girls came giggling out of Topaz's bedroom as they were passing the first floor. "Oh yeah, since when did you two become BFF's?" Zac grinned happily at the pair. Aden let his towel fall down over his right shoulder. "We've finally realised that we have more in common than we first thought." Topaz admitted, resting her elbow on Alice's shoulder. "Yeah, we have a lot to learn from each other." Zac and Aden blinked at each other with faces blank in shock. "Well..." Aden mumbled confusedly. "That's a turn up for the books." Zac finished. The two girls looked at each other and grinned before Alice piped up with, "So we're going shopping." Again the boys exchanged blank looks of shock. "You're going shopping?" Aden asked. "With Topaz?" Zac added. The two girls nodded and smiled and once more the boys exchanged a humorous blank look of shock. "Well..." Aden mumbled once again. "We'll be back around dinner-time." Alice said as her and Topaz started walking down the hall towards the stairs where the boys stood. "Yeah, and, make sure you're wearing something nice." Topaz winked at Aden before kissing him swiftly and heading downstairs. Alice followed in an ecstatic bubble with a giggle and a girlie wave. "Since when did that happen?" Zac demanded as soon as the girls had left the house. "I really have no clue." Aden whispered, baffled with his fingers pressed against his lips where Topaz had just kissed him. Zac shook his head half-angry half-confused and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Aden followed in a dazed confusion.

For Topaz the decision to go shopping had been spur-of-the-moment. There she was, pouring her heart out, confessing all her most inner-thoughts to Aden's big sister, when suddenly a thought occurred to her. She needed help. In fact, she needed therapy. Retail therapy. Whenever she was thoroughly depressed, the only way she could pick herself up was to buy clothes. And shoes. Most of which she never got the chance to wear because she was always wearing leather for training or fighting or acting as if she were either training or fighting. Alice was easy to win over after Topaz pointed out the fact that shopping would make them both a lot happier and would also allow Topaz the chance to get Alice round to her way of thinking in the clothing department. Not that Alice's clothes weren't nice, because they were they just lacked in practicality. Long chiffon dresses or just dresses in general weren't good for fighting in. Unless you had a mermaid-silk-cape in your handbag that you could whip out and use to change outfits in five seconds flat. But, only Topaz had one of them, which was now lost forever.

Being back in Ireland was overwhelmingly comforting to Topaz. It was the one place her happy memories revolved around. Back in a time when keeping her family happy was her only goal. They found the shopping centre within an hour; and Topaz's favourite shop within in less than five minutes. "I think this colour suits you more." Topaz said, holding a teal lace body con dress against Alice's torso. The length came to just below her bum. Topaz could see Alice squirm as she took in the low neckline and length. "Hmm, I dunno... It's not really my style..." Topaz raised an eyebrow and folded it over her arm in a size eight. "But you agree you like the colour?" She asked, heading over to the floor-length dresses next. "Yes, I do like the colour." There Topaz picked out several maxi-dresses, keeping away from chiffon and white. Instead she picked out shades of blue, a few black, a red, a dusty rose, and a khaki. "They're all lovely colours..." Alice said from behind the dressing room door. Topaz was filing her nails on the white fabric sofa of the fancy dressing room. Her leather jacket was slung over the back of the sofa beside her and her hair hung in a heavy plait down her back. She meant business. She was determined to find Alice outfits she'd never have dreamt of wearing. She knew their friendship wasn't exactly in the best position to do this; however doing it now would only better it. "I'm just not sure of the styles." Topaz admitted that the dresses were quite short and had daring cut-outs or dipping neck or back-lines, but they were all of high style and price. And all she knew, would suit Alice perfectly if she just had the guts to wear them. "Hurry up Al; we've not even looked at the other clothing departments yet." Topaz sighed emphatically as she paced the luxurious dressing room, members of staff smiling and offering her coffee. "Hmm, I dunno Paz..." Alice's voice sounded nearer and as Topaz turned back to the cubicle Alice was in she realised the Angel was already standing in front of the door, pulling the hem of the teal lace dress, the average neckline the lowest Topaz had ever seen on Alice, showing off the stunning shine of the silver necklace the Angel always seemed to be wearing. "Wow," Topaz grinned, walking over to Alice. "You look hot," Topaz admitted, taking her hands away from the hem and putting them by her sides. "If you paired this with green or black heels, you'd have Zac eating out the palm of your hand!" Alice smiled and turned back towards her cubicle in order to see herself in the full-length mirror. "You think so?" She asked quietly, cocking her head to the side. Topaz smiled and observed the Angel from the back. Topaz could see the white feathered wings folded at the Angels back, draping down from the plunging back-line of the dress, but she knew the Norants wouldn't be able to with the charm she'd dressed Alice in before they'd left her grandmother's house that morning. "I know so." Topaz grinned, looking back at the Angel watching her in the mirror. For a moment Topaz's jealousy consumed her. Alice was the most astonishing Worlder Topaz had ever met. She had blonde curls falling to her waist and a face only an Archangel would be able to create. Topaz knew that Alice had captured her brother's heart, and knew that more than anything else in the world, that she made him happy. And for that, Topaz was eternally grateful.