World of Endless Days

Fifteen minutes. That's how late Charley was for work. She rushed through the shopping centre at the speed of light, glancing at other shop windows along the way, gathering inspiration from the competition. Her scruffy grey pumps squeaked against the shiny marble floor as she skidded to a halt outside the bare window of the shop she worked in. She inhaled deeply, calming herself in preparation for the bitching she was going to receive from her co-workers.

She bowed her head slightly, keeping her eyes on her shoes, rather than the glares she was earning from the shop assistants, who were currently placing jackets on coat hangers, or folding up jumpers and placing them in neat piles, ready for customers to destroy said piles in a bid to find their desired size and colour.

She walked past the counter at the back of the shop, tapping in the code to allow her entry to the staff room.

"Late again, Charlotte."

Charley looked up to see her worst enemy standing before her, a sneer on his face. His nostrils flared in the most unattractive way and he pursed his lips in complete disapproval of her. He folded his arms across his chest, drawing attention to his dull pink jumper.

Charley raised one eyebrow at Chuck's attire and shook her head. "Am I?" She asked, innocence dripping from her tone. She was in the mood to wind him up today.

"Fifteen minutes late, Charley. I'll make sure this is taken from your wages, either that or you can make up the time after closing."

She glowered at him, "and what the hell could I possibly do after closing?"

"Well you've been signed up to dress the shop mannequins today, not just your window. Oh, and make sure this new design isn't tacky like the last few, you know how picky management are." He flounced off towards the tills.

She shook her head again, holding all her anger inside. "I love my job," she mumbled, stabbing the worn buttons again to allow herself entry to the staff room. Access was denied instantly.

"It's four, three, two, one, the code changed, idiot," Chuck informed her, with a cocky smirk gracing his lips.

Charley chewed her lip to keep from screeching at him, stabbing the number in again and pushing the door open, reminding herself over and over that she loved her job.

***

The building was fairly empty and quiet. Pure bliss for the shoppers wandering around purchasing various objects, as they had no bustle to get caught up in, no mothers were pushing prams into the back of their ankles and they didn't have to wait in mile long queues to buy something that only cost a couple of dollars.

For Nick Santino, the near silence was unnerving. It was almost like everyone knew something that he and the innocence shoppers didn't. He sipped his raspberry smoothie, deep in thought, ignoring the animated conversation Eric and John were in the middle of.

They had been sat on that same bench for what seemed like eternity. It had started out quite fun, making up stories and backgrounds for each person that passed them. Every story seemed to get stranger and stranger with each body that slumped by. After a while, both Eric and John had gone off into another world, discussing what could or couldn't have happened to an elderly woman, besides making cheap porn films in her spare time. So Nick left to his own devices, began living in his head, as he did when he had nothing better to do.

"Oh Nick," Eric grinned in a sing-song like voice. This caught Nick's attention straight away, he knew his friend was up to something whenever he used that voice.

He took another sip of his smoothie and narrowed his eyes at the pair. "What?"

"I dare you to go over to that window," Eric pointed to a shop before them, "and stand amongst the mannequins. See if that girl notices." He grinned at the end of his explanation.

Nick sighed heavily to himself, watching the girl. She had a tape measure hanging around her neck, her light brown hair was pulled up in a ponytail at the back of her head, it bounced when she walked. She was currently attaching the clasp of a necklace around one of the mannequin's neck.

"Alright. But if I get kicked out of here, you two better follow me," he pushed his half filled cup into Eric's hand and set off on a slow walk towards the shop, he entered and began looking around at a rack filled with brightly coloured shirts, close to the window. He glanced towards it to see the girl leaving the window and walking towards the back end of the shop. He took this as his chance and quickly stepped onto the small platform that was the window.

Looking around at the half dressed window, he pondered for a moment at where he should stand. He looked out to see John pointing towards the middle of the display. Nick did as he was told and took his position, trying to keep as still as he possibly could.

He felt a presence, the girl had returned. His entire body was frozen, his eyes dry and beginning to ache from the lack of blinking, he held his breath as she approached the mannequin beside him. She gasped. "What the - "

He looked around and looked innocently at her. "Hi."

She scowled at him, glancing out of the window to see both John and Eric in hysterics on the bench. She slapped him around the side of the head and pointed towards the shop. "Out. Now."

Nick chewed his lip, "Sorry, I was just - "

"Ugh, just go already, you're in the way."

With his head hung, he left her alone. It could have been a lot worse, of course. She could have slapped him across the face, in a shop window. Or he could have jumped out at her and given her a heart attack or something.

So Nick left the shop, shooting her an apologetic glance through the window. She shrugged it off and went back to work. He snatched his smoothie out of Eric's hand and glowered at his friends. "I hate you guys, that was embarrassing."

"Well, we didn't know she was going to hit you," John defended.

Nick shook his head. "Let's go home, before one of us gets seriously hurt." He began heading towards the front doors of the shopping centre, John and Eric trailing behind him, complaining that the fun wasn't over yet, but for Nick, it was enough 'fun' for one day.