Chapter I: The Doctor is In

The doll safely tucked away in her shopping bag made her afternoon more pleasant.

The 5'8, bronze-skinned teenager with lemon-pink colored hair strolled through the barrage of stores during the shopping frenzy for Valentine's Day. On this fine Saturday afternoon she noted that the fated commercial holiday would come in two weeks.

A kiosk decorated in frilly whites and pinks caught her eye. The sale girls matched the colors of the booth as pictures of perfume bottles lined its shelves in their own frilly, girlish colors.

"WTIL's own Angel Proctor aka the Luv Doctor presents: Luv Doctor's No. 9."

Music could be heard playing:

"Angel Proctor/Luv Doctor/She'll give you the advice/Healing broken hearts is her art/So take a part and listen to your heart/The Doctor is innnnnn today/For youuuuu . . . ."

A camera crew was trained on the perfume's designer.

"Hello, this is Angel Proctor, the Luv Doctor and I'll been hear to listen to you!"

She gave a Miss America smile to the cameras.

"And remember to buy my new line of perfume: Luv Doctor's No. 9, the only cure for lonely nights. 19.99 only and you can even get a handy limited edition signed by yours truly!"

'I like pink but that's a bit too much.' Max thought when someone popped up in front of her face and shot something into her face.

"Try this new perfume!"

Poison.

That's was the only word that came to mind when the girl inhaled the oppressing aroma.

Cheap perfume.

Really strong, cheaply made perfume.

Her eyes watered and burned. Several seconds passed before Max could recover to give an answer of any type.

She gagged, the scent nearly strangulating her.

"Like it?" The salesgirl inquired.

"Yuck!" She cried. "What-what in the world is that!?!"

"The new line of perfume, Luv Doctor No. 9! The only cure for lonely nights-"

"I'll rather be alone than breath in those deadly chemicals and die young." Max cut her sale pitch off once she could breath.

What was killing her more she asked: The vapor of the perfume or the cheerleader voice of its airhead salesgirl?

'Only thing keep her from floating away is that big hair . . . .'

"Well." The designer huffed, hands on her hips. "I never!"

"And you never will."

The pink-haired girl walked off with another victim 'verbally assassinated.'

"This is the last time I go to the mall." Max told herself.