I couldn’t think of a better way to spend the afternoon. Tomorrow night was the full moon and the most powerful twenty-fours of the lunar cycle. Most of us wouldn’t be human, might as well enjoy it now.
“That sounds excellent. I wouldn’t mind a little shopping. There was a really cute pair of heels at the mall a few weeks ago. I never had time to try them on.”
When Ky disappeared into our small office and closed the door, I decided I’d better jump in the shower and get ready. I wasn’t really keen on walking around in public wearing the worst pair of sweat pants I own. But, even as I massaged conditioner into my long, agonizingly straight hair, the scenes from my nightmare continued to replay inside my head.
* * * *
I stood staring at a lilac sundress. It would have looked great on me if I had legs a mile long, but, let’s just say, I didn’t add it to my collection of things to try on.
“Alexa.” I heard my name whispered loudly from the changing room around the corner.
Kylarai stood behind one of the heavy, red velvet curtains. Only her face peered out at me. At my approach, she opened the curtain enough for me to slip behind it.
“What do you think?” She asked as she spread her arms, as wide as the small space would allow, and twirled. She wore a pale blue dress that ended just above the knee. The color gave the illusion that her grey eyes were also blue. A form fitting bodice and spaghetti straps made it simple but in an elegant way.
“It looks beautiful,” I said, envying the other woman’s height. She had a good four inches on me, which made all the difference when it came to buying pants. And, that lilac sundress. It’s harder than one may think to find petites.
“Really? You don’t think it’s squeezing too much in here?” She indicated her generous cle**age.
“That’s the point, Ky.”
She cast me a playful glare and turned to examine her behind in the mirror. “Ok, you can go now.”
I returned to browse through the sales racks and actually managed to think only about what I was seeing, particularly that silky red skirt. I examined the V-cut of it before shaking my head and putting it back. A long black evening dress near the doorway caught my eye. Though I did not intend to buy it, I was drawn to look.
My hackles rose, just for a moment, as if somebody was watching me. I cast a glance around the near empty store. Nobody. I glanced out the open door into the fast-paced mall beyond. A mother struggled by with three small children. A teenage couple holding hands and a pair of mall security guards passed by. No one stared at me. Even as the feeling began to fade, I couldn’t shake the strange energy that taunted my senses.
I was relieved when Kylarai appeared, dress in hand. “I haven’t bought myself something nice like this in ages. I know I’m going to feel so guilty about this later.” I followed her to the cashier as she chattered on but stared back over my shoulder. “What’s wrong?” She asked suddenly.
“Nothing. Just spaced out. Sorry.” I shrugged. There was no point in ruining the day with some paranoia.
“My legs feel like jelly,” I said when we finally flopped into the car with our bags stowed in the backseat.
I never did buy those shoes. Instead, I had come across a sexy, little black dress. A combination of silk with lace trim, it hugged my every curve, as if tailored for me alone. The fact that it was strapless had caused me some hesitation. After Kylarai’s reassurance that my ample br**sts would hold it up just fine, I succumbed and handed over my debit card. Aside from that, I dropped more money than I should have at the bookstore, one of my favorite places to shop. And now, I was ready to call it a day.
“Do you want to stay in the city for supper or head back to town?” I asked. When she reached to change the radio station, I smiled through the twinges of irritation.
“You want the steak from Lucy’s, don’t you?”
“It’s been awhile. And, it is past supper time.”
“That’s fine with me. It’s been a while since I’ve gone to Lucy’s for steak and drinks.” A few more turns of the dial, and she stopped on the local hip-hop station. I tried hard not to howl from the pain it caused me.
“Kylarai, I can’t stand this station. My car, my radio. Why don’t you ever drive anymore?”
“Your car is newer.” She shrugged. “And, mine is a bitch on gas.”
After some friendly bickering, we settled on a station that we could both live with, easy listening.
It was going to be the start of the full moon at midnight, which encouraged loose and reckless behavior. I could already feel the crackle of the moon’s powerful pull on the air.