"Back home, or in California—what is it with kids smoking in the parking lot?"

The Carlin car passed a small group of frowzy looking teenagers congregating against the side wall of the supermarket. Paula leaned in close to the passenger's side window to give them a decent disapproving look before her husband pulled into the next row of cars in search of a free parking spot. This repeated a couple of more times each time those kids came into view.

Spencer sighed notably.

Arthur had been driving around for a good five minutes before he found a place to park.

"Pretty packed, I'd say, for a Saturday afternoon," he commented offhandedly.

The family replied mixed yeah's and uh-huhs as buckles were undone and doors were opened then slammed shut. Her brothers Glen and Clay were already halfway down the length of the parking lot racing each other when Spencer stepped out of the car. Arthur and Paula were enjoying a leisurely stroll together arm in arm a few cars ahead of their daughter. The girl stood awkwardly behind the family's Saab alone. She looked around. Nobody. Funny that in a parking lot filled to the brim with cars Spencer still managed to feel alone. Her hands were hastily shoved into her front pockets. And with a gaze two feet in front of her on the pavement, the blonde made her way to the entrance of the supermarket.

She hadn't walked for more than five seconds though, when a pair of shoes kicking lazily caught her attention. All black canvas shoes scribbled on with a single signature in metallic silver sharpie it was. Spencer stopped short. The handwriting seemed rushed but still managed to look neat at the same time. But before the girl got a good chance to read what it had said the feet stopped kicking and the owner looked pointedly, or seemingly pointedly, at her from behind oversized sunglasses.

"What?"

The girl sat leaning up against the back windshield of a well kept car.

"I was, uh… nothing." The blonde turned away for a moment. A blush crept its way up her neck and stained her cheeks. She stood self-conscious under the gaze of this complete stranger. It felt as if she was being scrutinized by the black haired girl, Spencer could just feel it.

A moment had passed before the Carlin had realized what she was doing. Her hands were pushed back into her front pockets and she made for a hurried escape. However a light grip at her elbow kept her from going too far.

"Hey," the girl said.

Spencer regarded her for a moment. Wow, she thought. She's fast.

The girl ran a hand through her hair. Hair that was unnaturally black, Spencer noted.

She raised her eyebrows and with an amused grin she repeated, "Hey."

The Carlin stood for a moment with the girl's hand at her elbow before finally responding. "Hi," came out weakly.

The other girl smirked at Spencer's obvious discomfort.

Silence set in for a second.

"You don't say much, do you?"

"Nah."

Neither made to move.

This is more awkward than when she was sitting on the car.

Spencer regarded the stranger. She wore jeans that must have been black at some point but now rested at a warm gray. A plain black belt kept it tight at her hips. Her top half was adorned with an almost too bright blue tee sporting some obscure band Spencer had never heard of. Her green bow stood out brilliantly against her pitch black hair. And glasses just as black as her hair covered her eyes keeping Spencer from reading them.

"Hmm—what'd you say?" the blonde was distracted with her own thoughts to hear what the other girl had said.

The strange girl chuckled. Her hand dropped from the other's arm. "I said," she drew out the last word while her hands searched for her front pockets, something Spencer noticed she did too. "You wanna hang out, Barbie?"

"Spencer." She corrected automatically. "Wait," Spencer looked around, "you want to hang out, like now?"

The black haired girl shrugged carelessly. "Yeah, why not?"

A confused but amused smile turned up on Spencer's face. "You want to hang out at Wegman's with me?"

As if it were nothing to be thinking it odd to do, the strange girl nodded. "Sure."

"Well…" her parents and brothers were sure to already be inside the supermarket. There seemed to be no harm in saying yes. She'd still be here when they got back right?

Unless this girl was some type of… kidnapper or something. I've never heard of a female abductor before, but that's probably how she rounds up all her victims! I mean, who would expect her to be one? She doesn't look that much older than me… but what is she doing talking to strangers anyway—

Spencer's inner rant was disrupted though when her hand was picked up by the other girl.

"What are…"

Her question was answered though when a pen was pulled from the other girl's back pocket. She scrawled something down on the blonde's wrist. The pen was replaced when she was done.

"You must not be from around here."

Spencer dropped her hand to her side. "What makes you say that?"

"You look lost." The girl chuckled to herself. She gave Spencer a half-smile before turning around and walking away. She had watched her walk to the group of those kids.

Hm, Spencer thought.

She was about to put her hands back in her front pocket when she remembered something. The blonde brought her hand closer to her face to see what the strange girl had written. In well practiced handwriting written in pink ink were the words: Call me if you need direction followed by a phone number.

She stood there for a moment longer before pushing the weird encounter to the back of her mind, and continued on her way to the front doors of the supermarket.