Chapter 15: The Mall

Sera finds herself sitting at her desk the next day, staring blankly ahead at her computer screen. Emails keep popping along the right hand side of her screen. She ignores them. Everything that is happening is finally catching up to her. Worst of all, last night was the first night in almost six years that she hadn't dreamt at all. Not one snippet. She doesn't even feel like herself anymore. Even going for a run this morning, didn't snap her out of this daze.

Mostly, she keeps thinking about Nate. God what is it about that mysterious man that she can't seem to get off her mind. Isn't it strange he knew all about her—and what was with that wine? Amanda comes skipping down the hall, breaking up her thoughts.

She props up onto her usual spot on the corner of Sera's desk. Popping her leg over the other, she cracks her gum and asks, "What's up hot stuff?"

At those words, Sera unleashes. It only takes a few moments to tell Amanda everything, but to her, it feels like she talks forever. Unloading to her best friend about the necklace and the oddly gorgeous dinner with one-sided conversation. When at last she looked up to her best friend's awed brown eyes, her mouth droops open slightly.

"Who are you?" she asks Sera. "Let me get this straight. You met a sexy guy at the coffee house, got his number, had a gorgeous romantic date, and you are mad that he wants to know all about you? I mean I knew you were out of the loop when it comes to dating, but come on!" She grows dramatic tossing her arms in the air a few times.

"So, it was a date?" Sera finally realizes the truth.

"Duh."

"And this is normal?"

"Well, I wouldn't say normal," Amanda twists on the desk causing Sera to fidget, "I'd say this guy is some kind of saint and you should marry him!"

Sera laughs.

"I mean who are you, getting guy's numbers at coffee houses? You're a little ginger fox, you know that?"

Somehow hearing those words from Amanda was all Sera needed to calm down. She's right. He seemed concerned for her safety, that's a good thing right? She'll never forget the fire in his eyes when she told him she felt someone watching her. He flinched like he had been physically hit. Maybe, things are simpler than they appear.

"Oh my, Sera, your boobs!" Amanda shrieks.

"Thanks, it's my new bra..."

"No, they're glowing. Your boobs are glowing."

"What?" Sera glances down to see the vial casting her cleavage in a ghastly glow. "Oh, it's just my necklace." She pulls it from her shirt. It blinks slowly with that light it has.

"Oh." Amanda giggles. "That's new."

"It's been doing this lately. The last time it glowed..." The pieces slowing begin to pull themselves together. Nate!

She slips away from Amanda and walks out into the row of cubicles. It pulses faster as she walks toward the elevator—faster and faster until the entire thing is lit up. Someone stands before her. Her eyes take in the dark slacks, the white collar shirt with a few buttons strategically forgotten. It allows a few tufts of hair to peek out from underneath his collared shirt. Her face finally meeting his.

"Gabe," she breathes disappointment.

"Where are you headed little lady?"

Her hand wraps around the necklace, "Just headed to the bathroom, excuse me." She slips around him and heads toward the bathroom in the front.

She quickly slides into the unisex bathroom and secures the lock into place. Her eyes glance around uneasily. Public bathrooms make her nervous, ever since...

Bracing her hands on the edge of the sink, she stares into her reflection.

"Get it together, Seraphina." Even she has to admit there are strange things going on around here. From the necklace, to the two new guys in town, to the trip to NYC, and she doesn't even want to begin to rationalize what happened with the deer.

It causes her heart to race, her palms grow sweaty, and she's constantly scared as hell. Then why is it that she's never felt more alive?

When she finally heads back to her desk, Amanda blocks her path this time. She had rolled her chair into the hall using her legs as a barrier.

"What's the password?"

"Turtle?"

"Turtle?" Amanda bursts into laughter. "Seriously?"

"What? It's the first thing that came to mind."

"I'm sure it was." In between remaining giggles she gets out, "Do you want to come to the mall with me at lunch?"

Amanda gives her those puppy dog eyes of hers that she knows Sera can never say no to. "Yeah, sure," Sera concedes, mainly because she doesn't want to be here alone with creepy Gabe.

"Good! While we are there we can get you some 'date clothes.'" She raises her voice a little to insinuate something Sera doesn't quite catch on to.

"You don't like my wardrobe?"

"Let's just say petticoats and bloomers have long since gone out of style." She jokes with a southern accent and wheels her chair back into her cubicle.

Walking through the vast mall during lunch, Sera follows her best friend into almost every store that sells clothes. Don't get her wrong she enjoys shopping, but she usually has a game plan going in. She knows what she needs, she finds it, and she buys it. Amanda is the complete opposite. She is a compulsive, I-need-want-everything buyer. Happy for a break from reality, she follows her friend from store to store, watching her refresh her winter wardrobe.

"Sera, oh my God! This color would look so good with your eyes. You absolutely have to try it on." She tosses her a green blouse. With a roll of her eyes, she walks to the back of the store and disappears into the dressing room just to appease her friend. Sera locks the stall behind her and takes a seat on the ledge releasing a breath.

"Here, Sera. Try these, too." Amanda tosses some clothes over the top of the door. "Don't forget to come out and show me, I want to see them."

Realizing she's not going to get away without trying them on, Sera reluctantly begins changing. She steps out in the green blouse.

Amanda seems to like it. "Oh my God, Sera, that's gorgeous. I love it!"

"Really?"

"It's fabulous. You should totally buy that."

"You don't think it's too... green?"

"No it's perfect."

With a shrug, Sera slips back into the dressing room. She pauses before the mirror. This shirt is definitely too green. Maybe if it were in red, it would look better. Sera shoots a longing glance at the back of the door. Stepping back outside is probably not the best idea. Amanda would no doubt toss a million other things at her.

"Sera?" Speak of the devil. "I want you to try on that white polka dot dress next. I think it would look so cute with those black pumps we saw at the other store."

To amuse her, Sera picks up the polka dot dress from the pile. The thing looks tiny. She pulls on it between her hands. "This thing is like skin tight." She whispers to herself. Maybe, going to the mall was a bad idea.

"Sera?" Amanda tries again.

"Okay, okay," she yells back before turning to unbutton the blouse. Glancing down to release the button through the eyehole, she notices the shirt she is wearing is no longer the bright green it once was... it is red. Not just regular red, the exact shade she was imagining in her head only moments before.