"You know, you'd get there before it closes if you walked faster," Eli scoffed, stopping again for me to catch up. He'd already done that twice, and we haven't even gotten into the building yet. I laughed at his slightly annoyed expression, that face that wondered why he was even here with a total and complete stranger. But he was, and the slight smile that would appear on his face every so often showed me he was completely upset that he was here. I looked forward, the door just a across the street.

I laughed softly, stopping completely when I passed by him, waiting for cars to pass before I crossed the street. "You know, if you slowed down every so often, you might enjoy life a bit more. Stop and smell the roses."

He scoffed, muttering "Like I haven't heard that before." Then in a louder voice, he stated, "Maybe, but there's no roses here to stop for." Eli glanced at me and I pretended not to notice. "Well, not any red ones."

I bit my lip and crossed the street, assuming he was following me. I didn't check to see if he was there, but I picked up the pace so he wouldn't end up right next to me and catch me blushing madly. Finally I pushed the door open and I felt the cool air conditioning, at least a ten degree difference. It felt nice and the redness of my face melted away, absorbed by the cool air. Just in time too, Eli appeared next to me.

"And here we are…" he let the sentence trail, looking around the building. I glanced around too, setting my eyes on the little valley of teenage shops on the second floor. I smiled and turned to Eli, watching as he realized my gaze and met it, this sly smile making its way onto his lips. I stared at his dark eyes.

"Eli…" I began, forgetting what I was about to say, at least at the moment.

He glanced at me, watching the way my eyes changed when I hesitated, not looking as bright anymore. I was sure that there was a distinct change, while I scrambled for what I was going to tell him. Something about… "Yes, Miss Edwards?"

I bit my lip, smiling as it snapped into my mind. "Oh." I looked back at him. "Let's go upstairs, everyone knows the better shops are up there. "

He stared at me skeptically. "By better stores…you mean the preppy teenage ones? I don't think so, Clare."

I shook my head, glancing back up to the second level, wondering just how much I could control him. "C'mon, I really want to go." I took his hand, entwining our finger, looking at him with the most innocent eyes I could manage. My dad always said my puppy dog face was unbeatable, because all I needed to use were my blue eyes and I could get virtually anything I wanted. I've just never used it for…evil before. I watched as his expression changed, a slight blush, his eyes staring into mine. The way he lost his smirk and was in captivated, I had him now.

He nodded slowly saying, "Sure, let's go."

I giggled, pulling him toward the escalator. I glanced back to see his face, a look that clearly stated, "What just happened?" and laughed a little more. He knew he'd gotten himself into something, just like I know I just did. The new Clare's got him now.

Yeah, short, I know. The next chapter will be longer and will have a little more manipulation ;)

Sorry I delayed another day, didn't have that much time.

Well, tell me what you think ;) Comments, concerns, criticism.

Also, I'm working on a new story, here's a hint, it involves Clare and JT. You'll see how that works. :D