Marisol stared gloomily down at her chartreuse colored drink, swirling it around in the glass with the swivel stick that had been provided. She had taken the small paper parasol out hours ago, yet she still had not decided whether or not she would actually drink the Sector Seven Sunset Slammer that the bartender, Sherri, had set on the counter in front of her.
"It's our specialty." The feisty young blonde had told her, giving her a saucy wink before she turned away to assist her other customers.
Marisol had never touched a drop of alcohol in her life. It had always been strictly forbidden for her, but looking at the chaos the world that surrounded her was in, Marisol had begun to question everything – especially those things that she had previously been forbidden to do so.
"Ya know," Sherri sauntered over to her after setting yet another full shot glass in front of the handsome young man sitting on the barstool beside Marisol, "That little drink won't really do anything to you. Not much anyway. Now this stuff," She gestured to the amber liquid she had just poured from her bottle, "It will mess with your mind. Isn't that right, Lex?" She nudged the young man with her elbow.
The drunken young man, Lex, looked up at her with bleary eyes, an angry scowl on his face. "Whadda ya want Sherri?" He growled, his voice low and threatening, despite the fact that his words slurred together a bit. Even though his words were not directed at Marisol, she felt a small chill race down her spine.
"Aw, nothing for you to worry your pretty little head about Lex." Sherri wrinkled her nose at him. "You going to drink that last one or do you think you've had enough for the night?"
Lex stared at her, his expression as sour as ever. "There's never enough." He muttered as he reached for the shot glass. In one smooth movement, he tilted his head back and drank the entire shot in one quick gulp.
"You stay away from that one, doll face." Sherri instructed Marisol, her tone light and teasing. "He'll break your heart, now won't you, Lexy baby?"
Sherri's words earned her yet another scowl from the surly young man, but he said nothing to the bartender, instead, he turned his full attention to Marisol who still sat perched atop her barstool, nervously fiddling with her drink glass.
"Did it hurt?"
"What?" Marisol, slightly startled that he was addressing her, frowned in confusion at Lex's question. "Did what hurt?"
"Did it hurt when you fell from heaven? 'Cause baby, you look like an angel to me." He repeated, looking at her slyly and Marisol quickly realized he was hitting on her.
"Oh." She curled her lip up in disgust, flicking her long jet-black locks of hair over her shoulder. "No, it didn't hurt. As it happened, I didn't fall. I flew."
Behind the bar, Sherri let out a small chuckle. "Leave her be, Lex. Don't you have a woman you're supposed to be going home to? What was her name again? Sandra?"
"Zandra." Lex corrected, his angry expression deepening at the mention of the woman he was obviously involved with. "And it's her fault I'm here tonight. I tell you, that woman drives a man to drink."
"No woman can do that." Marisol said quietly, turning back to her own drink. "It's every man's own choice if he'll turn to liquor or not."
"Who died and made you Aristotle?" Lex quipped, snickering at his own lame joke.
Marisol could only roll her eyes, refusing to engage in conversation with the annoying lout any longer that night. Instead, she began to examine her drink suspiciously, determining that she would indeed drink it.
She slowly lifted the glass to her lips, the stench of the alcohol burning her nostrils. She quickly closed her eyes and took a sip, wondering if it would taste like she always imagined liquor would taste like. She did not have to wonder for long, as the drink slowly burned its way down her throat, warming her from the inside out. It tasted awful, but it was the sensation that Marisol loved – the sensation of being wild and afire.
"Wow." She exclaimed, taking another sip, this one far less tentatively. "That is amazing."
"First drink, eh?" Lex inquired and Marisol noticed that he had polished off two more shots in the time it took Marisol to take her two short sips.
"That's none of your business, Lex." She told him coolly.
"My, you are a sour one, aren't you?" Undaunted, Lex pressed for conversation with her as he slipped off his stool so he could be even closer to her. "What's wrong, gorgeous? Did someone rub you the wrong way?"
"Yes." She snapped, her violet eyes flashing angrily. "You did."
"Little ol' Lexy?" He widened his eyes innocently.
Marisol pressed her lips together in a firm line, trying to gain control of her anger. Somehow this incredibly good looking young man had managed to annoy her more in fifteen minutes than anyone else had in her entire life. Something about him got under her skin and she wanted to be rid of him as soon as possible.
"Look," She took a deep breath, ordering herself to remain calm. "I had a really hard day and thus far it's been a really bad night. You're really bothering me and I'd suggest that if you want to leave this bar with your genitalia still in place, you'll leave me alone."
"Oooo…" Lex cooed. "Feisty! I like that in a woman. Especially in bed." He leered at her, he gaze lingering on her cleavage, making her wish she had brought a jacket to cover herself up with.
"Maybe you ought to listen to her, Lex." Sherri cautioned, looking at Marisol a bit suspiciously.
"I'm not afraid of any woman." Lex scoffed, brushing off Sherri's warning. "Look, babe—"
"Do not call me babe." Marisol ordered, her voice firm and commanding. "I am no one's 'babe'."
"Yeah, whatever." Lex sneered. "Look, babe, I don't think you really realize who I am. See, I'm Lex, of the Mall Rats. I assumed you've heard of us."
"Should I have?" Marisol arched an eyebrow expectantly.
"You mean you haven't?" Lex stared at her in disbelief. "We're the tribe that took down Zoot for ya, made these streets safe for a purdy little thing like you to walk down."
"You expect me to thank you for murdering a man?" Marisol eyed him with annoyance.
"Zoot was the murderer, not the Mall Rats." Lex slurred.
"Yes, but even a murderer should be given a fair trial at least." Marisol stated. "From what I hear, all you Mall Rats did was push him off a balcony when he went to go see his daughter."
"Where'd you hear that?" Lex paled suddenly, and Marisol saw Sherri stiffen out of the corner of her eye.
"Doesn't matter." Marisol told him plainly, thankful that he at long last realized that she was in control of the situation, not the other way around. "All that matters is that I want to finish my drink in peace then be on my way, alright? So keep your tongue inside your mouth for the rest of the evening and we'll get along just great."
Lex nodded, clamping his mouth shut as he scurried back to his stool. He tapped the countertop and Sherri poured him another shot. Marisol counted at least twelve empty glasses in front of him and she knew that he must be quite drunk. She wondered what he was like when he didn't have that much liquor in him.
Marisol sucked in a deep breath, turning her stool back to her drink. It was half-empty, but she couldn't remember drinking that much. Lifting the glass to her lips she took another swig of the foul beverage, realizing that its taste perfectly suited her mood now.
"You know," Sherri walked over to where Marisol sat and leaned across the bar, her voice barely above a whisper, "I hadn't heard that about Zoot. Where'd you find that out?"
"Like I told Lex, it doesn't matter." Marisol told her flatly. "All that matters is that it's the truth."
"Yeah, I can see that." Sherri nodded. "I've never seen Lex, or any Mall Rat for that matter, back down so quickly. You really freaked him out."
Marisol shrugged, deciding that she sort of liked this bartender.
"So, you mentioned to Lex that you had had a hard day…" Sherri continued, attempting to strike up a conversation with her. "You wanna talk about it?"
"No, not really." Marisol quickly said, but the moment the words were past her lips she realized that she did want to talk about it. It felt like an eternity since she had actually talked to someone and the familiar ache of loneliness swept over the petite woman.
As Sherri turned to walk away, Marisol called after her, her violet eyes pleading with her to understand. "Sherri, wait." She murmured quietly, so as not to disturb Lex from his drinking binge. "I-I do want to talk about it, it's just, well, I haven't really had any friends for a long time and I don't exactly know how to act around them."
Sherri looked at her curiously, but nodded. "Alright." A wide smile spread across her face. "Well, a bartender is everyone's friend and listening ear. So fire away, Marisol. Let me know what has you so troubled."
Marisol nodded, then reached for her glass, draining the last drop from the bottom of the glass, the affects of the alcohol already beginning to take hold and loosen her tongue. "Well," Marisol said softly, wondering just where she could begin. "I was sent to this city with a mission."
"A mission? Sounds intriguing." Sherri arched her eyebrow curiously as she poured Marisol another drink. "What sort of mission?"
"Well, I can't really explain that." Marisol sighed heavily, "But I had six months to fulfill this mission or else I would be sent home in disgrace. I couldn't go home until either I completed the mission or the six months had passed. Tonight, at the stroke of midnight, it will have been exactly six months since I was sent out and I will be taken home, a failure."
"Oh wow." Sherri murmured sympathetically. "Sounds like a tough crowd you're running with. What's your tribe's name?"
"Uh, I…" Marisol trailed off, knowing that she couldn't tell this kind bartender the true name of her tribe. "Well, that doesn't really matter. All that matters anymore is that I searched this entire city from top to bottom and I couldn't find what I was looking for."
"No where?"
"No." Marisol sunk deeper into her stool. "When they assigned the mission I thought it would be simple. I thought I would be returning home in less than a week. But it's proven to be impossible and I sometimes find myself forgetting what my home looked like."
"I feel that." Sherri smiled at her, understanding shining in her hazel-green eyes. "I haven't been back to my home since my parents died about a year ago now. I can still remember what the outside of the house looked like, but the inside is starting to get a bit hazy. Too dangerous to go back now, anyway. It's Crazies territory and I'd rather deal with hazy memories than tangle with one of the Crazies."
"Yeah. Hazy." Marisol closed her eyes, allowing the memories of her home, her world, to sweep over her. It was so beautiful compared to the city, fresh air, a cool breeze blowing constantly, so many people and not a single one of them wanting to kill the other. It was peaceful and serene and she wanted nothing more than to leave this filthy city and return there.
"You'll make it back there, I'm sure you will." Sherri assured her. "You say you've tried looking everywhere in the city and haven't found it, right? Have you tried the docks? There's lots of stuff out there that people have long forgotten about." She informed her helpfully.
Marisol shook her head, a sad smile crossing her lips. "If only it were a physical object I'm looking for. See, I'm—" But she broke off as her eyes trained on the young woman who had just stepped through the bar door. The woman was about a year or so younger than Marisol, her golden blonde hair tied up peculiarly in tight knots atop her head. Her eyes scanned the bar, obviously searching for someone and Marisol knew instantly that the woman was looking for the drunken Lex.
"Hey Lexy," Sherri spotted the woman who had drawn Marisol's attention. "Your mummy's here to pick you up."
"Mufph?" Lex looked up from the drink he had currently been drowning in and Marisol quickly realized that when he had hit on her he had been at a good point in his drinking. He looked awful and smelled worse. Marisol highly doubted he could string two words together to make a complete sentence.
"Amber." Sherri jerked her head in the woman's direction.
A small groan emitted from Lex's mouth as he flopped over on his stool to face the approaching young woman whom Marisol assumed was named Amber.
Marisol was not paying attention to Lex's moaning, however. Instead, she found herself staring in disbelief at what wasn't really there. The glow, the sparks – they were so strong and beautiful, it was undeniable to Marisol, and yet neither Lex nor Amber was aware of their existence.
"I found it." She breathed, draining the last of her third drink. "I found it at last."
Amber scanned the crowded bar in annoyance, crossing her arms against her slim form in an attempt to hide as much of her body as possible from the leering gazes of the men who had noticed her the moment she had come in. Just their looks made Amber feel dirty and violated, but she wasn't about to let that show on her face. She must never appear weak, not even for a moment.
"Geeze." She muttered to herself, scowling down at one of the more bold 'gentlemen' who had decided to approach her rather than remain in his seat to drool over her. "I don't even know why I bother."
But Amber did know why she bothered. Zandra was her friend, and she had seen the pain mixed with worry in Zandra's teary blue eyes when she had run into Amber's room, begging her to do something about Lex. They had fought, like usual, and Lex stormed out, muttering something about not coming back until he was good and wasted.
Amber had tracked down KC, who seemed to always know exactly where Lex was going even before the older Mall Rat knew, and found out that Lex usually liked to frequent a small bar in sector seven. It was run by a young woman named Sherri who had a great reputation amongst the tribes, according to KC.
Finally Amber spotted his slumped over form, his entire upper body practically laying atop the countertop, his butt barely remaining in the stool. The bartender, the woman Amber assumed was Sherri, nudged him and motioned in her direction. Obviously Sherri knew who she was, even though Amber didn't remember ever meeting her.
Amber quickly pushed past the drunken bar patrons and made her way to where Lex slumped. He had turned to watch her approach, his familiar smirk on his face, stirring up Amber's anger even more.
"Lex," She stated coldly the moment she was within earshot, "What the hell do you think you're doing here?"
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Lex smirked, knocking back yet another shot. She could tell by the amount of glasses sitting behind him on the counter he was well past the point of reason and it would be a miracle if she actually got him back to the mall without help.
She momentarily regretted not bringing Bray along like he had offered, but quickly shook that thought of her mind. If she had brought Bray it would have sent a message to the rest of the Mall Rats that she was not fit to be leader – that she couldn't even handle Lex without help. So why should they trust her to handle and take care of them?
"You're drunk, Lex." Amber noted, trying to keep the annoyance from her voice. She had to appear calm, even if Lex wasn't sober enough to realize how in control of her emotions she was.
"What gave it away?" Lex hiccupped, hitting the counter again signaling for Sherri to pour him yet another shot.
"Don't." Amber told the bartender who seemed to be taking far too much amusement from this situation. "He's had enough. Don't you have a too many drinks policy at this establishment?"
"Oh listen to your fancy words." Sherri chuckled, her hazel eyes dancing with merriment, which suddenly cooled as she began to speak again. "Look, Miss Smarty-Pants, I'll run my 'establishment' the way I'd like. Lex is a regular here and we treat our regulars with respect – the sort of respect they don't get with their own tribes."
Amber rolled her eyes at the bartender's words. "Tell me, Sherri. How many more drinks were you planning on giving Lex? Because it seems to me that he is far too wasted to make it back to the mall as it is."
"He's been worse." Sherri sniffed. "And he always makes it back."
"You so sure about that?" Amber eyed her coolly, well remembering several times when Ryan had gone out in the deep of the night searching for his friend. Lex didn't deserve a friend like Ryan.
"I make it back here, don't I?" Lex quipped quickly gulping down the shot Sherri had defiantly poured him while Amber was talking.
"Lex, maybe you should listen to her." Amber noticed the quiet young woman sitting on the barstool beside Lex's. She had long deep black hair that she wore loose, falling over her shoulders and well past her waist. She was pale, far paler than any other girl Amber had ever met, and had the most intriguing violet eyes. Eyes that gave Amber the chills just looking at them.
"Look," Amber turned her attention to the mysterious young woman, "I don't know what Lex promised you, but he's got a girlfriend. They're supposed to be getting married next week. That is if he can make it through his vows this time without passing out drunk."
"Oh, no, you misunderstand." A strange smile spread across the young woman's lips. When she smiled she didn't appear nearly as shy and quiet as she first had. "I just met Lex, and believe me, I don't want anything from him."
"Good. Because you won't be getting anything from him." Amber retorted, feeling threatened by the suddenly confident young woman sitting on the barstool. She jerked her attention back to Lex and put a firm hand on his arm, stopping him from lifting another shot to his lips. "Come on, Lex. We're going."
"I don't wanna." Lex slurred, his eyes glazing over.
"You don't have a choice in the matter. You're coming." Amber gripped him with both hands and began to pull with all her strength. She managed to slide him off the stool, but keeping him on his feet was proving to be quite a problem. She swiftly threw one of his arms across her shoulders and tried to hold him up that way, but his weight began to drag her down and she knew she must make quite a comical sight.
"Here, let me help you." The woman slid off her stool and ducked under Lex's other arm. Though she appeared very slight, the woman had tremendous strength and Amber felt the majority of Lex's weight lifted off her.
"My name is Marisol." The woman introduced herself.
"Well, Marisol," Amber stated a bit more snippy than she had intended. "I don't need your help. I can manage Lex by myself just fine."
Marisol seemed a bit taken aback by Amber's words, but suddenly her shocked expression melted away and she threw her head back and let out a loud laugh that seemed to attract the attention of the entire bar. "Oh Amber." She murmured softly, "Everyone could always use a helping hand from time to time. Come, let's get him back to the mall."
Amber gritted her teeth, but did not argue. Marisol was right. She needed her help. Lex seemed to weigh twice as much drunk as he did when he was sober – not that she ever had to lift him like this when he was sober. She followed Marisol's lead out of the bar and into the slightly chilly night.
Amber took a deep breath of the rich air and let the grime of the bar slip away. "Marisol," She addressed the woman who still seemed intent on helping her with Lex, "I really appreciate your offer to help me with Lex, but I really can manage by myself."
Marisol smiled that strange knowing smile of hers and shook her head, her long raven hair rippling about her like waves. "Oh Amber, how little you know." She giggled. "But I'll stop if you'd like."
"Please."
Marisol gave a brief nod then quickly stepped out from under Lex's arm, Amber preparing herself to shoulder the full of Lex's weight once again. However, Amber's burden did not change and Lex seemed to be either standing by his own force or held by some invisible field.
"What the…" Amber trailed off, staring at Marisol suspiciously. "What did you do?"
"Just a simple trick." Marisol tittered. "Go ahead, step out from under Lex. You'll find he won't fall over."
"But he's dead drunk." Amber commented, glancing over at Lex's face. His eyes were still glazed over and he barely seemed conscious. There was no way he would be able to support his own weight.
"That will change. Step out." Marisol motioned, her violet eyes glowing strangely.
Amber frowned, still not feeling like she should trust Marisol, but at the same time dying of curiosity to see if her words would prove true. Besides, it would be funny to see Lex fall over so drunk he couldn't even stand.
Shrugging her shoulders, Amber quickly did as she was told, taking a step back and away from Lex. She knew her jaw dropped when she saw Lex still standing as if she and Marisol were supporting his weight, his head lolling to one side, still drunk as ever.
"How did you do that?" Amber breathed in amazement.
"I told you. It's a simple trick." Marisol wrinkled her nose. "No real skill involved in that spell, but this one, well, it took me about thirty years to master." Marisol began to rub her hands together and whispered words in a tongue that Amber did not understand.
"What are you doing?" Amber exclaimed, jumping away from the woman. "Thirty years? But you can't be any more than sixteen or seventeen, eighteen at the most because everyone else is dead!"
Marisol winked at Amber and finished up what she was chanting. She thrust her hands forward, opening her palms flat towards Lex. Then, as if a wave had struck him, Lex's head snapped back and the glazed look from his eyes instantly melted away, replaced by his normal surly look.
"What the—"
"Silence, you." Marisol made a gesture with her hands and suddenly Lex's lips seemed sewn together. He tried to open his mouth, but his lips would not budge as a look of terror crept into Lex's eyes. He began to paw at his mouth and lower chin, but to no avail. His mouth was firmly shut.
"There." Marisol turned her attention back to Amber who was slowly backing away from her, fear in her eyes. "Now that problem is taken care of."
"What are you?" Amber gasped, fear gripping her. She had never seen anyone do what she had just seen Marisol do with a flick of her hands. She not only had made Lex sober, but she had shut him up as well…permanently.
"Relax, Amber." Marisol told her smoothly. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to help you. And I was hoping in exchange you might help me as well."
"What do you want?" Amber found that she had backed up into Lex who quickly put his arms around her waist. She could feel his arms trembling and it comforted her to know that he was just as terrified – if not more so – as she was.
"I already told you." Marisol smiled at her. "I want to help you. You and Lex both. And by helping you, I'll be helping myself. See, I can't go home until I find love."
"Look, I can't help you if you're looking to fall in love." Amber broke in. "I'm having enough problems of my own."
"Of course you are." Marisol laughed. "But your problem is that you're interested in the wrong man. Believe me, you will have nothing but tears in the end if you get together with Bray."
Amber paled, a cold wave of fear washing over her. "How do you know about Bray? I haven't told anyone."
"Your eyes told me." Marisol stated simply. "They are, after all, the window to a human's soul."
"What are you?" Amber repeated again, her stomach turning in knots.
"That I cannot tell you." Marisol stated soberly. "All I can tell you is that I need your and Lex's help so I can get home. Like I was saying earlier, I need to find love in order to get back."
"So how is it that we can help you?" Amber knew her fingers were digging tightly into Lex's arms but he didn't seem to mind, too gripped by fear than to notice anything beyond the violet-eyed woman in front of them.
"Silly Amber, are you so blind as to not recognize what is between you and Lex?"
"Between Lex and I?" Amber stepped free of Lex's arms and stared at the space between them. "I don't see anything… Just air."
"Oh Amber." Marisol shook her head, laughing. "You will see." She made a motion with her hand and suddenly Amber's sight was filled with exploding colors and lights, all seeming to be directly between she and Lex.
"What on earth?" Amber reached out to try and touch them, but she quickly discovered they were not as tangible as they appeared. "What is this?"
"Sparks." Marisol grinned. "As you can see, the sparks between you and Lex are quite obvious – if you're looking for them."
"Stop this." Amber insisted, yanking her eyes away from the bright colored lights. "Stop it this instant. I want you to leave me and Lex alone."
"Are you that afraid of true love, Amber?" Marisol asked her softly.
"Lex and I hate each other!" Amber exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "I thought that was obvious to everyone."
"There is such a fine line between love and hate." Marisol quoted, running her fingers through her long dark locks. "You and Lex dance very close to it."
Amber narrowed her eyes at Marisol and shook her head. "You don't know what you're talking about, Marisol. You're drunk and I'm listening to the ramblings of a drunk woman."
"I'm not drunk." Marisol insisted, then hiccupped. "Well, maybe just a little. But even a drunk Fey can see—"
"Fey?" Amber interrupted her.
"Forget you heard me say that." Marisol made a gesture with her hand and quoted some words softly.
Amber blinked, then blinked again, suddenly extremely confused. "What the? Who are you?" The woman standing in front of her was a complete stranger and the lights that were flashing in her eyes were blinding her, giving her an instant headache.
"Oh shoot." The woman muttered. "I messed up. Here, let me fix that." She made another gesture and Amber found she could not tear her eyes away from the stranger. "Now," She stated after she had finished her incantation, "Do you know who I am?"
"Should we?" Lex spoke up, staring at her curiously.
"No." She groaned. "Please, don't tell me this is happening. This is why they told me to stay away from the bars…"
"Oh yeah, that's right. You're that woman that I met at Sherri's!" Lex snapped his fingers, realizing who she was. "Mary or something like that."
"Marisol." She snapped, her attention going back to Amber. "But you don't know who I am?"
"N-no." Amber stammered, a strange terror filling her. "What's going on? Who are you? And what the hell are these lights?"
"Let me get rid of those." Marisol closed her eyes and began to whisper words that Amber couldn't possibly understand. The lights suddenly ceased but Amber's fear and confusion only grew. "Are they gone?"
"Yes." Amber nodded, backing up against Lex. "Lex, do you know this woman?" She asked.
"Not really." Lex scratched his head. "Everything's sort of a haze. I remember being at Sherri's drinking and talking to this girl, but then everything is just a blank."
Amber nodded. She swallowed her fear and turned her full attention to the woman who called herself Marisol. "Look, I don't know who or what you are, but I want you to leave Lex and I alone. We don't want any trouble."
Marisol barely seemed to acknowledge Amber's words, giving just the tiniest of nods as she began to mutter even more words interspersed with curses and a few groans. "This isn't working!" She muttered. "Oh somebody please help me!"
Suddenly the night sky was filled with a brilliant light, blinding both Amber and Lex instantly. Amber stumbled back and fell against Lex, forcing him to catch her, though he was unsteady on his feet himself.
"Marisol!" A woman's voice coming from the light exclaimed. "Do you realize what you've done?"
"I'm only trying to help." Marisol was close to tears. "I-I, I don't know what I did. I accidentally let it slip that we were, well, what we were and so I tried to fix it but I've messed everything up."
"You most certainly have." The light agreed. "But more than you realize."
"Can you fix it?"
"I wish I could, Marisol, but it was your magic that did this, and it is your magic that must fix it."
"B-but…" Marisol stammered.
"I'll help you, Marisol, but you must find the answer by yourself." The light spoke, frightening Amber.
"What about Amber and Lex?"
"Good point." The light hesitated a moment. Then, if possible, the light seemed to turn away from Marisol and towards them. It began to chant softly, then with a suddenly flash Amber felt her every memory begin to wipe away yet again.
"Mother!" Marisol shrieked, her eyes wide. "That's not what I was talking about. What are they going to do?"
"I'm quite sure they'll be fine." The light spoke, confusing Amber as she tried to sort out her disorientation. "A minor inconvenience for humans. That is all. Now, come Daughter. We must be getting back."
Marisol nodded. "I'm sorry, guys." She whispered, closing her eyes and letting the light envelope her. "I'm so sorry."
The light and Marisol vanished just as quickly as it appeared and Amber struggled back to her feet. "What on earth just happened?" She whispered to Lex.
"I don't know, Amber." He murmured. "But I think we ought to be getting back to the mall, don't you?" Amber nodded her agreement and they quickly hurried back to the mall, both trying to force the events of the evening as far out of their minds as possible.