Chapter 2
"Harmony!"
The pink-haired girl froze. 'Who could possibly have found me here?' she thought. 'This hiding place was ingenious!'
Harmony was sitting on the swingset of a backyard display at the Domino Shopping Mart, along with a few realistic-looking plastic statues of seated children. She had needed a place to plan her next move.
A black-haired girl in a Domino Shopping Mart employee uniform [white shirt, red vest, black pants] made her way towards the swingset. "Harmony, you're wearing the blue drop necklace that Melody gave you last Christmas."
Before Harmony had a chance to speak, she went on. "I was with her when she bought it. But I had no idea you'd never take it off. Even when you were running away. Won't it bother you? Won't it be a constant reminder of your worried sister? Won't it make you feel exceedingly guilty for leaving her behind? Won't it-?"
"Shut up, Byakko. No matter what you say, I'm not changing my mind. And how did you know I was running away?"
"Why else would you be here at 1:19 in the morning? You don't work here."
"I could ask you the same. It's a school night. Aren't you supposed to be at home? Sleeping?"
Byakko sighed, took one of the plastic child statues off of the swingset, and sat next to Harmony.
"They put me on the night shift again, even though we specified that I couldn't work nights in the application."
"Oh." Harmony started to swing.
"But... it's not like I have a choice... money's getting kind of tight these days..." The black-haired employee looked wistfully at the ceiling.
"I'm sorry," Harmony said.
Byakko smiled, closing her eyes. "It's alright. It's not like it's your fault."
"I know," replied the pink-haired girl. "I still feel that way though."
They sat there for a moment. "You know," said Byakko. "You really should be getting home now."
Harmony laughed. "Yeah, right."
The two girls laughed, then Byakko's face fell. "Seriously."