Time to go back into the past and dig up some dirt on Miz's familia. Enjoy! (Btw, this takes place before the latest Mia story, A Dream Away)
Please be under forty bucks, please be under forty bucks, I'm running out of money. I can't afford to be broke right now, there's still so much I've got to do this week. This is pathetic Mizuki, you got paid three days ago. I exchange a painful glance with Mia as the cashier rings up the total cost of the clothes. "$80.59," he says.
"$80.59?! What the hell? What here costs $80.59?" I holler, shaking my fist at him.
"This top and these jeggings are 80 total," he responds deadpan. "Sorry, no discounts for any Metropolis hero at Loca's."
"You don't sound very sorry. What kind of rip-off is this? Did you ring that up twice? I think the heroes of Metropolis deserve a discount." I've been using the hero card every day to get discounts and free food. Part of me hates the overwhelming attention I get when I do this but free stuff over anything! "Mizuki, I don't think he made a mistake," Mia pats my shoulders as she digs in her pocket. "Besides you wanted to downplay the hero thing remember? Here, I have forty here and don't you have forty?"
"Yeah," I whimper with a nod. I put my purse on the counter, pull out my Westopolis skyline wallet, and take out two twenties. Begrudgingly, I hand the blunt cashier the money and he calmly puts it inside the cash register. "Why do I have expensive taste?"
"Well we're in a famous store known for expensive clothes Mizuki, what did you think was going to happen?" shrugs Mia nonchalantly.
"That I would leave with a full wallet," I pick up the bag with my clothes in it and Mia and I leave the huge high-end store together. Five o' clock in the evening and the sun is now starting to go down. The days are starting to slow down, ever since a month and three days ago, the exact day me, Mia, and Risa saved the world. Who would've thought that I would ever be called a hero? I never thought that my life would get good ever since I fell off the cruise ship, yet here I am shopping with my friend at a fancy store. "I need to change my outfit, I'm sick of rewashing the same clothes over and over again, let's go find some place to change. Like that Starbucks rip-off over there!"
"What is a Starbucks?" asks Mia as we cross the crowded street. People clamor around us as we were celebrities. Oh wait, we kinda are but like I said before, it's not really a good thing. "Everyone is still talking about what happened, it's so embarrassing to go out sometimes," complains Mia with good reason.
"I know what you're talking about," I reply, starting to get vex at the increasing murmuring. At first it was kind of cool, the first time we stepped into the city the day after the world almost ended, everyone cheered and clapped for us and soon we were in every newspaper and paparazzi's camera lenses. Plus I had a good breakfast that day, the fluffiest waffles made from Erick of all people and he was all cool with all of us, telling us how proud he was that we didn't give up and stuff. I think it the publicity made all of us feel good to an extent but now it's getting a little out of hand. The paparazzi stopped following us when Risa and I threatened to destroy every camera they had and Erick helped us get out of the newspaper and every broadcasted television station with adult persuasion. Now it's crowd control time. "You know what? It's about time I put a stop to this, but after I change into my new outfit."
When I leave the café, I jump on the nearest bench while feeling comfortable in my dark blue jeggings. "Hey everyone, pay attention to the heroes who-Mia, get up here too-who saved the world!" Mia, unwillingly gets up on the bench too, staring at her feet anxiously. "Just let me do all the talking and at the end, just say 'yeah'! Now everyone, we as the heroes who saved this place would like to have some peace! Stop staring, stop gossiping, and treat us like normal people because that's what we are! Normal, average, teenage girls!"
"Yeah!" Mia boasts, clearly abashed. The average citizens disperse like timid fish in the sea. We get down from the bench and I put my hands behind my head with a wide grin. "See, that worked, didn't it? Now nobody will be bothering us now," I say satisfactorily. "Well it's getting pretty late, I better head back to the hotel."
"I'll head back to the house. Come by any time."
"Just not when Don's around," I wink as I snicker. Her face turns beet red. "It's true, Don gets upset when Risa and I come around."
"That's because you tease him to death and call him your own made-up nickname," protests Mia playfully, but without smiling.
"I call it like it is. Tell Don I said hey." Before she can reply, I skip away cheerily. I can see her face now, all crimson from embarrassment but I still haven't seen her smile. She doesn't even smile when Don's around so I can't sneak up on them to see her do it. I guess I can't help it after seeing Future Mia worry about Don as if they were boyfriend and girlfriend. Plus it's so fun teasing the two of them, I don't see why they don't get my humor. Clancy's the only one who does and we only got introduced a month ago and two days exactly. How did he and Risa become best friends anyway, they're total opposites. Clancy's like me and Risa is, well…Risa.
It's a good thing this hotel got its shit together and fixed up all the rooms after the Heartless ruined everything. There was no charge on the room damages thank God, and because I've been recognized as a hero, I'm staying here at a discounted rate. I enter my room and leap on the bed, bouncing a little. "Everything's a bit better."
"I'm glad you're enjoying life here."
"What the hell?" I sit up and my eyes widen in horror. Time, wearing a cyan celestial robe with a split down the sides, stands in the middle of the room. "What're you doing here?"
"Presently observing your lifestyle. You and your mother are too much alike, it concerns me," she says while looking around at the room. "How does it concern you? As far as I know you're not a real human being," I snap. Sensing my anger, she turns to me and asks. "Would you like to know how your mother used to live?"
"What do you mean?"
"Dori told you what you are and what he is, there is no point withholding anymore information from you. Therefore, it is his idea to have you see what it was like before you born. Well?" I get off the bed, distrustfully glaring at her. Leave it to Dori and his family to ruin the peace I've worked so hard to achieve.
"You already know what I'm going to say don't you?"
"I do."
"So how come I can't if I represent 'the bright future' and shit."
"Not enough practice. Now do you want to see the life of Evelyn?" My mom's life, playing before my eyes, seeing her for a while-even in memories-wouldn't be so bad would it? But if it's a trap to bring me to Dori and then have him merge with me it wouldn't be good. "Is this a trap?" I wonder suspiciously, not letting my gaze leave her eyes. Like a mask, her face doesn't change. "Is it?"
"It depends on what you consider a trap to be. Dori will be there, you won't have any allies with you, this could possibly be a trap. I have no business with you, it is what my son wants," says the perpetual stolid Time. "He's already told me you two aren't ready to merge so he shouldn't try anything. But knowing all that will you still come along and trust me?"
"If it's going to give me some clues as to what you things did to my mother and my brother, then I'll put my trust in you. But you know I'll mess shit up if something doesn't feel right," I walk over to her, wondering where we're going anyway.
J.G.P.