Crescent World

10

I stared at Bryan in disbelief. The dream was actually real. It was all real.

Donald smiled at Bryan from across his desk. "I'm pleased you came so quickly, Mr. Nash," I heard Donald say. "I know it's last minute, but these are very pressing times."

"It's no problem whatsoever," Bryan said with an easy smile. "Happy to help."

"So we'll begin with -"

Anna walked out of her office and whisked Sarah and I away before I could hear the rest of the conversation, blabbering away about how exciting today was going to be.

***

The mall was jam-packed with activity: bright lights, the sounds of games from the arcade and the music hitting my eardrums, the colored signs of the stores that illuminated and shined in my eyes, the kid's area where children ran around, screaming and laughing cheerfully.  Shifters were everyone, walking past us. They were everywhere. I couldn't decide if I loved it or hated this place.

Anna and Sarah pulled me through a dozen stores. I looked around in each one with interest at the different places we went and what they had. I couldn't believe one place had so much stuff, ranging from clothes, electronics, games, perfumes, makeup, kids' toys, and even more stuff I didn't have time to place. 

I'd never been to a mall before and always wondered what it was like. I was so overwhelmed with being able to see everything and being around so many different Shifters I was able to temporarily forget everything that we were going through, what was at stake.

We ate pretzels at the food court then went inside the arcade. Bright neon lights, loud sounds, a darkened room, and dozens and dozens of games.

Sarah pulled me over to a dance game and I followed along the best I could, not understanding in the least how to do this. She laughed as I tripped over my feet and pulled me to another few games.

I managed to relax and enjoy myself as I ran through the arcade with Sarah like we were little children. 

We stopped beside a basketball hoop and started throwing the balls into the hoop. Sarah managed to shoot four balls through the hoop. I got zero.

"How are you so good at this?" I demanded as I made a pathetic attempt to throw the ball through the hoop, only for it to hit the ring and fall to the floor. I ran after it and laughed as a toddler dressed in a bright pink dress grabbed it.

"Sorry," her mother apologized and gently took the ball from her daughter and handed it back to me. The little girl started crying and her mother immediately distracted her with one of the games nearby.

I watched as they played, my joyful mood suddenly shifting into sadness as I thought of how that should've been my mother and me, where we played together, that I had an actual mother and not someone who only used me for their own gain or abused and neglected me.

I wondered how I would've turned out, what person I would've become if I'd had parents who actually loved and cared about me.

I gave my head a shake, cursing myself, wishing I could just try to enjoy the moment instead of thinking about everything that was wrong in my life.

Not like I had time to be joyful and carefree, with everything going on.

I stared around the arcade and felt a wave of anger so strong it startled me. I felt a different kind of rage as I watched all the carefree young Shifters in here, at how good their lives had to be, that they had the chance to be a kid.

I felt enraged that I never had that chance, that I never got to have a moment in my life where I was carefree.

"Come on, Ava!" Sarah called out to me, breaking me out of my reverie.

I let her pull me to another game but my joyful mood was gone. I sighed and tried to go along with my sister the best I could, cursing myself for having to think about the past when I should've been trying to focus on my present.

As I was trying to follow the game Sarah was showing me, something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention.

I looked up and met Eric's gaze. 

EDITED: 1/22/22