Elisabeth was pulled from thoughts of her sister when Alice came bounding down the stairs. Thinking Alice had had a vision, she received an inquisitor look. Alice said she was just excited because it was shopping day. Alice claimed to need new clothes causing Elisabeth to roll her eyes at the girl.
"That had better not include me. Especially if I'll be dragged somewhere like Macy's or some other overpriced department store."
"Come on, Liz. It'll be fun. You could use some new clothes. Why do you hate department stores so much anyway?"
"I like second hand stores."
"Why? As old as you are, you pretty much have unlimited money. That means you can do all the overpriced shopping you want."
"It's just what I prefer Alice. I'll go with you on the condition we go to Ikea. I need a new bookshelf or something for organizing my classroom. I need to get gas on the way. I haven't gassed up my truck in a while since I haven't been driving it."
Alice agreed with some gripping but asked Rosalie and Esme if they wanted to go. They agreed and piled into Rose's convertible with Elisabeth by herself in her truck, the girls headed to Seattle in the early morning light. Stopping briefly at a gas station, both vehicle's gas was topped off for the long road trip. Glad that she was alone, Elisabeth was able to crank up her radio and sing to the cd. Meeting the others in the parking structure, Elisabeth made sure Rosalie had parked well away from any direct sunlight. Rose assured Elisabeth she had before grabbing her arm and dragging her into Northgate Mall.
Elisabeth was indeed dragged to stores like Macy's and JCPenney to her annoyance. Alice and Rosalie turned it into an all-day shopping, leaving Elisabeth to wander around. Esme was much more patient but had to remind Alice the group still needed to stop at Ikea. The girls finished quickly after that and ordered a few things from the store when everyone checked out. Rose was a little surprised to see Elisabeth purchasing some makeup and perfume and asked about it.
"I thought you hated big stores like this Elisabeth."
"It's not what I prefer Rose, but it is a little hard to get makeup at a place like Goodwill. Makeup and perfume are really the only things I get at stores like this. Would you like to ride with me Esme?"
"Maybe after Ikea. I get the feeling you need some time alone."
Elisabeth cocked her head in confusion as Esme gathered the bags and headed out. Getting into her truck, she texted Alice the store's address and pulled out of the parking lot. Unable to find anything good on the radio, Elisabeth looked through her cd collection. She finally plugged in her iPod and shuffled the entire library. When her cell phone went off Elisabeth was surprised to see Emmett was calling. The only time he called was to ask if she'd go hunting with him.
"Hey Emmett. What's up? I was gonna go hunting tomorrow."
"Actually, I have a homework question. You know that short story you assigned in English yesterday?"
"Yes. What about it?"
"Does it have to be fiction?"
"What event were you wanting to write about?"
"A tragic story based on what happened to me."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
"Alright then. Don't forget the text requirements or the fact that it's due day after tomorrow."
"I'll get it done. Will you proofread it when you get back?"
"Sure. Hey, I need to get off the phone. I'm driving right now and getting pulled over for talking on my phone means rolling down my window. And right now, the sun is on my side of the car, so I really want to avoid rolling it down."
"Aren't all your windows tinted?"
"Yeah, but I don't want to drive past a cop with a sixth sense. I'll proofread your paper when I get back."
Hanging up, Elisabeth placed her phone in the cup holder and turned up the volume. Humming along with the song Elisabeth glanced in the rearview at Rose's car. Knowing Rose could see her, Elisabeth waved at them as she started moving right towards the exit. Looking around town, Elisabeth contemplated stopping at Goodwill after Ikea. She decided against it, figuring it would be too late by the time she finished at the store.
After circling the parking structure, both vehicles found parking near each other by the covered walkway to the store. Making as much of a beeline as possible to the office section, Elisabeth started comparing bookshelves. Calling an employee over she asked what would be best for a classroom, when she couldn't decide. She was liking the idea of either a bookshelf or a six to nine cubicle. After expressing the pros and cons of each, the employee suggested cubicle shelf with inserts for better organization.
Elisabeth agreed after a moment's pause and noted where they were in the self-serve warehouse. Looking around some more, Elisabeth was surprised to find Rose closely examining some vanities. When asked what she was doing, Rose said she would need a new one soon. Elisabeth's eyes twinkled with mischief as she teased Rose about all her beauty products. Rose pulled a face and Elisabeth moved on ahead with Esme.
Finding the product in the warehouse, Elisabeth asked Esme for help loading it on the trolley. Deciding to get another one, the women browsed the as-is section while waiting for the others. When they didn't show after thirty minutes, Elisabeth called Alice's cellphone at Esme's request.
"Where are you guys?"
"Closets. Rose backtracked when she couldn't decide on a vanity. What about you guys?"
"We're at As-is near check out. We'll meet you outside and you can help load my truck. Bye."
Navigating the trolley into a line with Esme's help, Elisabeth looked around the area again. Asking Esme to grab something that'd caught her eye, Elisabeth moved forward. Seeing streak of red, Elisabeth say the girls stop by the doors. Elisabeth frowned at them, but they only shrugged in reply and helped with the trolley. On the way outside Elisabeth scolded them for moving faster than a human. Ignoring the reprimand as the truck was loaded, the girls did apologize before they got in the convertible. Esme rode with Elisabeth and they talked about various things like European architecture. About halfway back, Elisabeth decided to ask something that had been bothering her.
"Hey, Esme. I need to ask you a question."
"What is it?"
"What did you mean earlier when you said I needed some time alone between stores?"
"You always get moody and withdrawn this time of year. I was hoping you would call Carlisle and talk about it since he knows what happened."
"Oh. I didn't think to call him to be honest but you're right. It might be a good idea to talk with him when we get back."
Arriving at the Cullen's around 10 pm, Elisabeth went inside to talk with Carlisle like she'd promised Esme. Following his scent to his office, she knocked on the door frame to draw his attention. He smiled and said he'd known she was back when he didn't hear the truck leave. Sticking her tongue out, Elisabeth looked around at the stacks of patient files. She rolled her eyes and told Carlisle to slow down or people were going to get suspicious of how quickly his patients were treated. Carlisle agreed to slow down before asking what was really on her mind.
"Esme said I've been moody and withdrawn and I was think of leaving a couple of days early. Did you want to go with me this time? Or am I delivering another message?"
"I can go with you. Alice says it will be sunny on Wednesday, so we can make plans to leave sometime Tuesday."