A McLure Christmas (Part Two)
Second part of A McLure Christmas. Some much needed McLure fam fic .
Stone insisted on getting food from the food court before they went on their search. Sadie scowled at her older brother as he ate. It seemed Stone's metabolism burned through whatever he ate the second it hit his stomach. He always was hungry.
After wasting thirty minutes in the food court, they finally went into the first store. A Men's Warehouse was the first store, and while there were many neon and striped ties, none of them felt right. Even as a joke.
"Imagine Dad in a bow tie." Stone said, examining one on a mannequin.
"How about no." Sadie replied. They browsed through the store at their leisure, she hoping to find something for their father and Stone, well, a lot of women like men—'men' being a very loose term—who browsed this store. She seethed as she went through a rack of shirts. What was the point of bringing Stone if he didn't help? She'd have been better off coming here alone.
She was genuinely angry now.
Stern agreed when she said nothing here was right for Grey, but it took some coaxing to get Stone to leave Men's Warehouse. Yes, Stern relented, they could go back to the food court later. Yes, he caved, that pretty woman was allowed to give him her number.
Sometimes Sadie wanted to bruise her brother's face so women wouldn't hit on him every time they went somewhere.
Was this how he coped with Mom's death? Flirting with all these older women?
Sadie did not try ignoring the problem, there would be no use. One of her friends, Amy, had actually gone through the same thing, only it had been her dad, so she talked to her more than she used to. Usually she focused on the good memories until the pain faded, but that took a long time.
She had to move past the pain of losing her mother. Mom always told her that, to move past the pain.
Besides, she had Stone, mostly, and Dad, always. Stern seemed okay. Dad once said Stern was practically his brother. She still had people. She had family and friends. She would be okay, one day.
Stone ventured off into Barns & Noble, insisting Sadie and Stern stay outside. Although he thought she had listened and stayed put, she convinced Stern to help her look for a book for Grey. She overheard Stone ask for the section where "badass literary chicks" wrote "important stuff". He carried his purchase in a black bag, so she couldn't see.
"Please tell me it's for dad," she said, "because nothing else here is."
"Nope," he grinned, satisfied with himself.
They searched clothing stores, book stores, and now they entered the swarm of kiosks inside the mall. She slipped inside an old CD store—a CD store going out of business—and scored a copy of Rolling Stone's Beast of Burden. It was an inside joke between them, one that Stern caught on to quickly when she showed him while Stone chatted up a kiosk lady. She was trying to sell him lotion.
"You think he'll break the record?" She asked bitterly.
"Possibly." Stern said, frowning. His gaze wasn't on her brother, but on a pair of shoppers three stores ahead. Stern became uneasy, especially when she spotted the man and woman. They tried to stare at her indiscreetly, but Sadie knew better.
They looked like ordinary shoppers. The way they dressed, they could have stepped out of a Lands' End magazine. The man carried Macy's bags, while the woman carried a bag from JCPenny.
"It's nothing," Stern said, noticing her concerned, guarded look. "Just…don't wander off too far."
"Who are they?"
"It's nothing," Stern repeated, and it was clear she should not ask again, because that was the only answer she was getting.
They left the swarm of kiosks and made it to a CVS. Stern said he had to make a phone call. She gave him a doubting look which he ignored. Stone felt like sitting on one of the benches, so she sat next to him and sighed.
"Should we get him something?" Stone asked, motioning his head towards Stern.
"He had a pile of graphic novels in the backseat." She suggested. "But what about Dad?"
He shook his head, glanced quickly at Stern, who stood out of earshot. He talked seriously into the phone, not really keeping an eye on them. "Cover for me. Say I'm going to the bathroom."
"Stone!" Sadie hissed, because, for one, she did not feel comfortable by herself, and two, she absolutely did not feel comfortable leaving her brother by himself. He had a knack for trouble. He already bolted, however, and Stern had his back to them, hiding his panic or anger.
She was left alone, now, wondering whether if she should chase after her brother or tell Stern her brother wandered off. Usually, she never minded being left alone, free from her brother and free from security. Usually, she would embrace solidarity. Sadie didn't have a lot of friends, she was kind of a bitch. If she could have a chance to be alone, she'd take it.
Nothing about this atmosphere felt usual. She felt a bit anxious, like when you first strapped into a roller coaster and after that first lurch, after that first stomach-churning lurch, you realized you suddenly wanted to get off, had to get back on the ground, but the roller coaster shoots out on the tracks anyway.
She wanted off the roller coaster. Now. But there was no way off. The couple from before returned, eyeing her skeptically.
Like she was missing something. A critical part of her.
Or someone. Were they searching for her brother? Why? What did they want with Stone?
She rushed over to Stern and before he questioned her, she said, "We need to find Stone. Right now."