The Day Before

Two days have past since we found out about the little fountain of water. I’ve noticed that Benji and Eli don’t get along and Charlotte is always trying to break up their verbal fights. Ruth and Cove are always together, no matter what. I’m getting ignored by Eli, which is helping with getting my fear over him. But I’m still uncertain, so I don’t stay anywhere near or alone with him.

Every night, to go to sleep, you get the privilege to pick your own store to sleep in. Eli picked Macy’s Kids Home & Furniture store. Everyone praised him for the good pick, there were beds and such. Which then led Charlotte to pick it also, which led Ruth, (who admired Charlotte) to pick it, Cove picked the same room ‘just because’, and Benji picked the same room ‘just because’.

Now, it was all up to me to pick a room to sleep in. I wanted to sleep in Macy’s Home & Furniture ‘just because’ also, but Eli was sizzling with anger. Mostly, I just didn’t want to be alone, fearing that I’ll drown by the ‘little fountain of water’. I gulped, as everyone’s eyes laid on me.

“I-I-I’ll get Aeropostale…” I blurted out, looking down quickly. I heard everyone gasp except Eli. Bad choice! Why didn’t you just get a nice comfy bed? Now you’ll have to sleep on the floor. I groaned out in frustration, I always had an urge to please people and I was beginning to hate it.

“You know what? I’m taking Hot Topic.” Eli said after me. I knew what he was playing at. He wanted to pick a store that no one would follow him into. Cove and Ruth were scared of that store, even though they were old enough to know bogeyman and Michael Meyers didn’t exist.

Charlotte was about to answer, but didn’t. She closed her mouth and nodded politely. Benji shrugged and declared Abercrombie & Fitch his. I said goodbye to Ruth, Charlotte, and Cove, taking the out-of-service escalator down to the first floor. I heard Benji’s footsteps behind me and then Eli.

We all filed out of Macy’s Home & Furniture in a single line, me in the front. First up was Abercrombie & Fitch, even underwater I could smell their perfume scent wafting around. “Bye, Violet.” Benji said with a wave. I waved after him and smiled. The door to Abercrombie & Fitch was already open and I could see their monochrome poster models as Benji headed in. I fast-walked ahead, trying to get as far away from Eli. It was like a scary movie, the main character running away from her attacker, but then you see the attacker in front of her in a flash of lightning--

Smack!

I rubbed my forehead in deep agony. Apparently while I was daydreaming, I smacked right into a concrete pillar. I kept on walking, noticing that Eli was right beside me. I mentally smacked myself on my already smacked forehead, knowing that he saw my clumsy move. I tensed up, looking everywhere but his eyes. When I saw Aeropostale, I let out a sigh of relief. I ran over to their doors, only to find out they were locked. I groaned out in frustration. This can’t be happening to me, my mind yelled in exasperation at me, while I was trying to pry the door open.

Eli saw my futile attempts, and I guess took pity on me. He roughly pushed me aside and kicked the door. It swung open and right when I was about to say ‘thank you’ he stalked over to the other side. Turns out, Hot Topic and Aeropostale are close to each other. He kicked that door open and slammed it shut. I looked at what he did in disbelief.

“Thank you.” I whispered and I scurried inside the room, closing the glass door behind me.



I felt something nudge my nose. It was cold and wet...and I instantly woke up, yelping in the darkness. I was determined to run out of the store if it’s was flooded from the nasty water that was leaking inside. I looked around, glad to see it was only Dash’s noise. Dash whimpered and clawed at the glass door.

“Oh, not now.” I said, my body already drained from it’s adrenaline. I opened the door and Dash shot out of the room. I quietly called out to him, he ducked his head and rolled over on his back, waiting for a belly scratch. I scooped him up with both of my hands and looked around the area.

The bathrooms were in the Food Court, but, I didn’t want to go in there. Instead, I took him the place I feared the most. The window with the crack in it.