Kitty summoned me at 12 the next day, suggesting we go out shopping or something mundane and uninteresting such as that. Of corse, I knew she was really just making an attempt at getting my mind off... Him. I appreciated the gesture, but made it perfectly clear I wouldn't be caught dead toting her bags around in a crowded shopping center.
And yet, here we are.
Unfortunately, the mindless task of shopping had not been a big enough distraction. Nothing would ever be a big enough distraction. It's like trying to take someone's mind off a severe injury. More often then not, it won't work. As pathetic as it sounds, suddenly everything somehow reminded me of him. Every gawky awkward teen with bad hair, every mention of the war with the American colonies, every bustling businessman or rude politician. That stupid kid was everywhere! And what's worse, His stupid "real war stories" were being handed out on every street corner! I mean will someone please help these damn idiots make up their minds! When He was alive those damn things could be found as toilet paper in nearly every pub, now its as if they came from the bible! Kitty liked to pretend she didn't notice, I on the other hand had to stop myself from ripping the head of anyone with one of those papers in their possession. Hypocrites, the lot of them, but that's a common attribute in humans, so I should be used to it by now. I'm rambling now, but it doesn't seem to matter much. Nothing matters much to me anymore.
Anyway, I was standing outside of a woman's department store, holding two bags. They were hot pink no less. I considered taking the form of a female, but decided I couldn't be bothered. Kitty would be out any minuet, then the horrible nightmare of shopping could be over! As I predicted it wasn't long before kitty came striding out of the incredibly girly shop, another pink bag in tow. "Honestly Bartimaeus this whole thing would be a lot more helpful for everyone if you actually came in the shops with me." She grumbled as she handed me the bag.
"And as I've said more times then should be necessary, I will not be caught dead in that place. That is where I draw the line." I countered, admittedly feeling like my old self if only for a minuet. Kitty rolled her eyes, but let it go for now. "Now lets get out of here." I pressed eagerly. Kitty sighed, having officially given up on this particular scheme. I knew, however, it was only a matter of time before she came up with some new dastardly way to temporarily keep me from "wallowing". Her word, not mine. I prefer the term mourning. Besides, even if I was borderline wallowing, can you honestly blame me? I've lived a very long time, and yet, He stuck out. He was special, even I could see that. I loved Him, and I'd never get to tell Him. So, I ask again, can you blame me? According to Kitty, yes. The girl was still babbling on about some nonsense. Most likely about her new position in parliament. As you can guess, not my favorite topic, and I made a habit of tuning her out whenever the subject was approached.
"Bartimaeus!" The tone of her voice made it obvious this was not her first bid at my attention.
"Huh? You were saying?" I cringed, definitely not my most clever of responses, but I probably could have said worse. Besides, it's not like I was interested in her senseless prattle, which she was well aware. I had made my views very clear, as had she. I wasn't going to listen, but that wasn't going to stop her from talking.
"I was saying Jakob is coming to stay over for a while, and I need you to be civil, understood?" I nodded. Jakob wasn't a bad kid, a tad bit annoying with that whole paranoia thing, but that could be over looked. Kitty sighed (we had both been doing a lot of that recently it seemed), realizing she was getting nowhere with me. "Lets go home." She muttered defeatedly. I nodded, eagerly hurrying after her as we left. If I hadn't been in such a hurry to leave that putrid hell hole, I may have noticed the shadowy, transparent outline of a tall, thin boy hovering just behind us.
A/N: so what did you think? Constructive criticism is welcome. Also, feel free to point out any spelling errors. I'm sure there are quite a few. Thanks for reading!