๑ 5 ๑
El had shared so much laughter with Mike, that she began to feel her poor stomach start to hurt from it all. She didn't exactly know why the accident she caused was so funny, but Mike was certainly amused by it. It were as if his laughter was contagious too, because once he started, she was unable to stop her own from harmonizing with his.
Despite how much amusement they'd gotten out of it, El did start to feel bad. She really didn't mean to break anything, the ball just slipped right out of her hand. It was an honest mistake.
Thanks to that honest mistake though, their time at the arcade was cut short and she really wished it hadn't been. She was having so much fun there with Mike learning how to play all the different games. Even the ones that were more difficult for her were still enjoyable.
To make things even better, she also made a new friend there. Dustin had been so kind to her, telling her all about the games in the arcade and which ones were his favorites. She didn't understand some of the things he said, but was so caught up in his nonstop chatter, that it didn't really matter. He was a very talkative boy and she liked that a lot. She hoped that maybe one day she'd get to talk to him again.
As sad as she was to leave the arcade, El was looking forward to where they'd go next. She was already feeling so happy and free, she just couldn't wait for those feelings to grow stronger. She had almost eighteen years to make up for, after all.
"What can we do now?" She had asked Mike once they'd both gotten ahold of themselves and stopped laughing.
"It's your dream, El. You pick." He told her, his eyes never leaving the fairly empty road ahead of them.
El thought back to what she'd seen on television, trying to remember all the things she'd seen people her age doing when they weren't at school or at home. There was so much she wanted to experience, how could she ever choose?
"Oh! Is there a mall? Could we go there?"
"Yeah, we have a mall." Mike glanced over at her then, his brow slightly raised. "You sure you're gonna be okay with all those people around?"
Would she be okay? She honestly had no idea. The most she's ever been around was ten, maybe fifteen people at once. Those people being the ones who worked with Papa in the lab, always hidden by their weird looking suits and masks.
She'd never been around as many people as she expected to be at the mall, but she figured it couldn't be that bad. If it was, then she would simply force herself to get over it. This could be her only chance to go, she wasn't going to let fear mess that up.
"Yes, I'll be okay." El assured him with a confident smile on her face.
He eyed her warily, before nodding his head in approval. "Then let's go to the mall."
El couldn't possibly contain her excitement as they drove on, it increasing with each turn he took until they'd finally arrived. The parking lot was packed with cars, so many cars she couldn't believe it. As they walked through the lot, El trailed behind Mike, having been so distracted by everything around her. She froze as they neared the front, marveling at the huge building before her. Her eyes eventually landed on where people were going in and out, some with shopping bags in hand. They all looked so happy, wearing joyous smiles on their faces.
She couldn't wait to get inside and once she had, her mind was truly blown.
"Oh wow!"
El had never seen anything like it. There were stores every single place she looked, the signs hanging outside of them lit up with various colors, colors so bright she almost had to look away. Behind each crystal clear window stood what looked like people, but with no faces, wearing all different kinds of clothes, more clothes than El had ever seen.
She could smell all the food in the air, it smelling better than anything Papa had ever made her back at the cabin. She could already feel her mouth watering at the thought of getting to taste something that wasn't part of the frozen meals she has to heat up everyday.
All around her, there were people walking, each too caught up in their own conversations to even spare her a glance. She wasn't used to that, at all. Usually when she visits the lab, everyone stares at her. They would stare at her the entire time she was there and she always hated it.
She was a tiny bit worried that a crowd like this might scare her, but it didn't seem to bother her, because not a single person was looking her way.
Well, except for Mike, but she didn't mind his stares.
"Pretty cool, huh?" He spoke from where he stood beside her, watching as she continued to take in her surroundings, eyes wide and full of amazement.
"So cool!"
"Just try not to break anything here okay?" He teased, finally managing to get her eyes away from everything else and back on him.
She sent him a questionable look, before huffing out a breath and crossing her arms over her chest. "You're just kidding, aren't you?"
"Look at you! You're catching on to my jokes!" Mike teased once more, while nudging softly at her arm. "Alright, so where do we start?"
El took another good look around, then grabbed his hand, yanking him along with her. The two disappeared within the sea of people, El leading the way until they came to a sudden stop outside the first store that had caught her eye.
"Here?" She asked him, to which Mike nodded.
She couldn't bring herself to let go of his hand as they walked through the store, simply enjoying the comfort too much that holding his hand gave her. So, she held on tight, her eyes scanning over each rack of clothing that she passed by. She ran her free hand along some of the things that looked to be unlike anything she'd seen before, while others looked similar to what was tucked away in her closet.
"You can try some of this stuff on, you know?" Mike told her, but she wasn't too thrilled over the idea.
"I can't, I don't have money." She sighed, wishing more than anything that she did. There were so many cute things in here, but what was the point in trying them on if she couldn't have them?
"Oh, don't worry about that then, I got it covered." Mike shrugged, snatching the dress her eyes had been locked on right off the rack. "Go and try some stuff on, including this, and see what you like the best."
El happily took the dress from him, the thought of getting to pick out her own clothes being something she didn't think she'd ever get to experience. Papa never lets her choose, always bringing home things he picked out himself. Not that she didn't like some of the things he brought home, because she did, at times. The dress she was wearing today was actually one of her favorites, but it would still be nice to choose for herself.
"Really?" She had to ask, just to be certain.
"Yes, really. Now, go before I change my mind and find a new little princess to spend all my money on."
El didn't need him to say anything more. She finally let go of his hand, hastily grabbing some cute dresses off the rack, along with a pair of shorts and a shirt to match. She wasn't sure what size she wore in, well anything, but everything she'd found so far looked like it would fit her.
If it didn't, then she'd just have to keep searching.
"Will you come with me, Mike?" El asked once she'd decided to try on what she had in hand. She wasn't exactly comfortable enough to go off by herself somewhere and take her clothes off.
"I can't actually go in the dressing room with you, but I'll sit outside of it. Sound good?"
Well, at least I won't have to be alone.
El nodded, then followed him to the back of the store, to a small area where bright green curtains were hanging up all around them. Mike pulled one back, gesturing for her to go inside the small room.
"Just keep this closed while you're changing okay?"
"Got it!" El chirped, pulling the curtain shut before Mike got the chance to.
She laid all her clothes down, quickly getting out of her dress. She decided to try the shirt on, along with the light blue shorts, which somehow ended up being a perfect fit. The shorts felt much rougher than any other pair she had, but she liked them. She couldn't think of what they were called, though.
After a moment or two of getting lost in thought over what these shorts could possibly be named, she finally looked over herself in the mirror, feeling rather satisfied with what she saw. These clothes looked so cute on her, she looked so cute in them!
Once she grew tired of staring at herself, she moved on to one of the dresses she'd found. After undressing, she placed the outfit she'd just tried on in a neat pile on the floor. She then slipped on the dress, using her powers for the second time since she'd left the cabin to zip the back up.
She looked over herself again in the mirror, finding that this dress was a little shorter than what she's used to wearing. It was also a bit tighter in certain spots, but she really loved the color of it. Blue is her favorite color, after all, so of course she loves that part of the dress.
Still, she was unsure as to whether it looked okay or not. Television could only tell her so much, so she wasn't that well versed on what people her age wear. Her opinion was all that she had and it probably wasn't the best to go by.
Oh! I'll ask Mike!
Without a second thought, she stepped outside the dressing room, her eyes scoping out the area around it until she found him. "Mike, what do you think about this?"
He stood from the chair he was sitting on just around the corner, looking a little shocked as he came into view. El recognized that look right away, his eyes widened and mouth slightly agape, and all she could think was that this dress definitely looks bad on her.
"I look bad, don't I?"
"No!" Mike was quick to deny. "I mean, well no. You look great El, it looks great on you."
She quickly felt her cheeks get hot, not expecting him to say such nice things to her. "Really?"
"Yeah, blue is your color." He nodded, his eyes trailing over her body once more. "Definitely."
"Thank you, Mike." El couldn't contain the grin on her face, as she spun around to glance at the mirrors that were hung outside of her dressing room.
She then rushed back in to try on the next dress, eager to get his opinion on this one. She was secretly hoping that he would say something nice again, because hearing him speak that way made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside... she really liked feeling warm and fuzzy inside.
The next dress was a light pink color, looking a little bit like the one from before, only the straps were much thinner on this one. Truthfully, she didn't need Mike's thoughts on this at all. She liked it and she knew she wanted it, but she really wanted to hear him say something nice about her. So, she walked right back there.
"What do you think about this one, Mike?"
"Wow." He breathed, wearing the same look of shock she noticed before.
"Is that a good wow or bad?" El glanced down nervously, awaiting whatever he was going to say.
"It's a good wow. You look really pretty, El."
Pretty.
This time she couldn't stop herself from erupting into a fit of giggles because he just called her pretty! She's never been called that by anyone, especially not someone who is as pretty as Mike is.
Overcome with the thrill his words had set off inside of her, she suddenly found herself spinning around, looking off into the mirror and watching as her dress twirled around with her. El glanced away from her reflection, finding Mike smiling as brightly as she was. She couldn't help but be mesmerized by the sight, finding that he had a very nice smile. She wondered why it was that she didn't get to see it more.
"So can I get this dress and the other clothes I tried on?" El finally asked, hoping he'd say yes. She really didn't want to part from what was already her new favorite pieces of clothing.
"Do you want them?"
"Yes, Mike. I really do!"
"Then yeah, you can get them."
"Yay!" El cheered before disappearing back into the dressing room to take them off. She couldn't believe that she would get to wear them all again, that these were her very own clothes!
After Mike had paid for them, they visited a few other stores, where she had found more clothes that she just had to have as her own. Mike bought them for her every single time, even offering to carry all her bags for her, which she greatly appreciated.
Eventually though, she got the idea that maybe she should stop finding things, because it looked as if Mike was having trouble carrying all the bags. Those thoughts didn't last long, because she rushed right into the next store that caught her eye, Mike trailing right behind her, his arms loaded down.
"Oh! These are so pretty!" El gasped, holding up the sparkly pair of earrings she had found.
"Do you want them?" Mike asked, the same exact question he had asked her in all the other stores. This time, she had a different answer.
"I do, but I don't have my ears pierced." She sighed, placing the earrings back on the shelf.
"Ah yeah, that's a problem."
A look of disappointment crossed her face, before she perked right back up again. "But I can get them pierced!"
"Okay, hold up. I know you're all about rebelling today, but I'm pretty sure you need a parent with you for that." He told her, her happiness ruined once again.
Why couldn't I just be normal and have my ears pierced like every other girl? Now I have to turn down the most beautiful pair of earrings I've ever seen!
"I'll see what I can do about that whole parent thing though, come on." Mike groaned, a bright smile finding its way back on her face.
El happily followed him over to the counter, where he started talking to a girl who kept looking at him in a funny way, a way El didn't seem to recognize. Mike was looking at her the exact same way and it seemed to have done trick because next thing El knew, she was sitting in a tall chair, waiting for the girl from the counter to come pierce her ears.
She found herself feeling a little nervous, since she really didn't know what to expect from this. All she knew about earrings were that they somehow went in your ear and looked super cute.
"Mike, can I hold your hand?" She shyly asked, knowing that it would help ease her nerves. She feared that he would say no, but just as she'd asked, he placed all the shopping bags on the floor and held his hand out for her. She took it in an instant, squeezing it tight once the girl came over.
"Is that a gun?" El gasped, her hold on his hand now nearly turning his fingers purple.
"Yeah, but not the scary kind. It just puts the hole in your ear, so the earring can go through." Mike explained, his voice dropping to a much softer tone than she'd heard from him. "Don't worry, it's not dangerous or anything."
El hesitantly let up on her harsh grip, but soon found herself relaxing. Mike said it wasn't dangerous, so she had no reason to be scared.
The girl brought the gun up to her ear once El assured her it was okay and got to work. She squeezed Mike's hand again, but didn't have to for very long, because the whole process went by much quicker than she'd expected it to.
"So, did it hurt?" Mike asked her once they'd left the store, El now sporting freshly pierced ears.
"No, not bad! I've felt worse pain than that plenty of times before." She shrugged, feeling a bit silly that she had been nervous for no reason. The pinch she felt only lasted for a moment, then all that she felt was the heat going to her ears.
El's attention had already strayed away from her ears, so focused on her surroundings that she failed to notice the look of concern Mike was sending her way.
"Oh look!" She pointed toward the giant fountain in the middle of the mall, her eyes widening at the water spewing out from all directions. "Can I get in it?"
"No, El. You can't swim in the fountain." Mike laughed, faintly shaking his head at her.
She wanted to show her disappointment, seeing as she really wanted to get in the water, but didn't have a chance to as she spotted something else, pulling him along in the opposite direction. She couldn't help jumping from once place to another, there was just so much to see.
"What is this, Mike?"
"It's a photo booth. You take pictures in it." He told her, her mind going back to the pictures she'd seen earlier, the ones of Mike and his family.
"I've never taken a picture before. Can we?"
Mike looked as if he were going to refuse, but once his stern face had fallen, she knew she had won him over. They found their way inside the small booth, Mike placing all her shopping bags at their feet so nobody could steal them. The booth ended up being so small, that El had no choice but to plop right down on his lap, wiggling around a bit to get comfortable.
"Woah, hey!" Mike was suddenly yelling out, El whipping her head around to see what the problem was.
"What is it?"
He looked at her wide-eyed, almost like he was going to yell at her, but then his features softened. "Can you just be still, please? You moving around like that is making things incredibly hard for me."
"What do you mean?" Her brows furrowed, not understanding what she was doing wrong.
Mike only cleared his throat, while placing his hands on her hips to scoot her over a little more. "Just put the money in, so we can take the pictures already."
"Okay!"
She did just as he said, shoving the money he had given her into the slot of the machine. From there, it turned on and was soon counting down from 5 to take their pictures.
El was out of the booth in an instant to see how they had turned out and she was not disappointed. She looked different in each one, while Mike almost had the same look on his face. She ran her fingers over each picture, amazed that she was holding one of herself in hand.
"You can keep them if you want." Mike told her, as he collected all of her bags in his arms again. "Maybe hang them on your wall or something?"
"Yes! Good idea!" El agreed, as she already knew the perfect place to put them so Papa wouldn't see. "Will you keep them now, just so they stay safe?"
"Sure." Mike stuck the pictures in one of her bags, just as something else had caught her attention and she tugged him right along with her.
"Oh my gosh! Is that ice cream?"
Of course that one question had led them to Scoops Ahoy, where El was now sat at a table, waiting for Mike to return with her ice cream. She was facing the outside of the shop, so she had the perfect view of everyone walking by.
She stared in awe, noticing every little thing that made each person so different from the rest. People of all shapes and sizes passed by, some with long hair, almost as long as hers, while others had hair as short as Mike's. Some wore clothes that showed off their skin, skin of all shades that El found to be rather beautiful.
The world she had been hidden away from was so diverse and she loved that about it.
"Alright, here you go. One strawberry cone for the little mall virgin." Mike spoke, once he'd come back to the table, El being so eager to eat hers that she forgot all about people watching and snatched it right from his hand.
She was once again clueless as to what he meant by what he said, but didn't care enough to ask about it. The ice cream cone now in her hand was for more important.
She didn't waste any time in taking a lick, noticing right away that it tasted nothing like the plain kind Papa would let her have. "What did you say this was called?"
"Strawberry, like the fruit." Mike said, his mouth stuffed full of his own ice cream.
"I think this might be my new favorite kind!"
"Well, you have great taste then. It's my favorite too, I just chose to get something different today."
"We have something in common, Mike!" El pointed out, her enthusiasm making him laugh.
"Yeah, I guess we do."
With that, the two finished eating their ice cream, El being so focused on her treat that she didn't have much to say anymore. Besides, Papa always says it's rude to talk with her mouth full and she definitely didn't want to be rude toward Mike.
"Alright, anywhere else you wanna go in here?" Mike had asked once they'd left the ice cream shop.
El looked around the mall, searching for what to do next until her eyes honed in a place at the top. "Could we go see a movie?"
"Don't you watch those at home?"
"Well yeah, but I've never seen one on a big screen!"
Mike sighed, adjusting his hold on all the bags he had in hand. "You're not even aware how much it costs to see a movie are you?"
"Nope." She smiled, innocently peering up at him as she awaited his answer.
"Fine, let's go see a movie." He sighed once more, and El couldn't possibly hold in her excitement.
She squealed as she leapt up and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight. "You're the best, Mike!"
"Yeah, yeah." He muttered, being a bit stiff in her embrace, but it wasn't long before she felt him patting softly at her back.
He might not believe her words, but she meant them. While Mike wasn't the nicest when she'd first met him, he had certainly changed the more time that she spent with him. He was actually being really kind toward her now.
He gave her a name, a name she had already come to love more than the one she'd known her whole life. He showed her how to play all sorts of arcade games, bought her everything she'd wanted, including that delicious ice cream cone. He took pictures with her. He even held her hand while she got her ears pierced and told her she looked really pretty. Amidst all of these wonderful things though, El truly found herself enjoying the boy's company.
So, of course she meant what she told him. Mike Wheeler was simply the best and she couldn't be more grateful that he was the one who had stumbled through her window.