Thank you for waiting.

Chapter Eleven

Flor was staring through a window and into a shop. On the other side were televisions, stacked like books and decorated with 'ON SALE – LIMITED TIME' banners. The time between her staring and her dream was indeterminable. Her eyes were far too fixed on the displays. They showed videos of musicians and entertainers, all playing music she could only barely hear from across the glass. All of them were beautiful people, smiling like paragons, ornate and precise. Their eyes were joyful at best and hollow at worst.

In the reflection from the glass, Flor could merely adjust her eyes and stare at this face she found herself trapped in. If there was a girl behind her eyes that had even a glimpse of joy, it was buried behind the soundproof glass of her strange, new eyes.

A noise broke the silence, and it resembled a voice. "You," a girl said nearby in a nasally voice, "You the one?"

Flor turned her heard to the side and felt like her gaze had never left the mirror. There was a pack of girls identical to her, standing off to the side, staring at her like a piece of meat. They had the same black hair, the same uniform, the same jewel-green eyes... it was uncanny.

She didn't think, she just ran. In a moment, she was on her shaky legs once again, darting downhill from the pack. Flustered for only a moment, the group chased suit, screaming after her. "HEY! ... NATSUKI! ... STOP! HEY- ... WHAT THE HELL?!"

Flor knew that they might not know who she was, but she wasn't willing to take any chances at all. She kept passing by building after building, darting past store after store, person after person, farther and farther away from any recognizable landmarks that may help her find her friends.

Her breathing became labored. She couldn't keep doing this. The girls kept chasing, cursing at her, but it became clear from their voices that the group had a nearly identical amount of stamina.

There came a point where she realized she couldn't keep going. It didn't matter what was to her right, but she was barging in. Exhausted, she leaned to the right and entered the nearest establishment, stumbling across the ground until she was inside.

They weren't far behind. She only had a moment. She scanned her surroundings to get an idea of where to hide. There were instruments everywhere, hanging from the walls, adorning the shelves, and even a few on the floor. It smelled like mildew and sweat, and the carpet below her feet had seen better days.

A man was staring at her. He was behind the desk, eyes wide in confusion, fixing something made of brass. At first, Flor was taken aback, but it was only a moment before she remembered her heavy breathing and eyes shining with tears.

"What's wrong?" he asked, speaking with a voice that sounded like chocolate tasted.

"I... I want to hide," she demanded, running to the counter. "...P-Please."

"Right," he replied, "Get over on this side. Fast!"

He reached out his arms and she stretched out hers in response. In a moment, he had grabbed her arms and pulled her over the counter, setting her snugly on her feet.

Just at that moment, the pack burst into the doors. They were equally as out of breath, wheezing and bending over on their knees as they searched the building. Flor had knelt and was peering through the glass on the other side of the counter, wide-eyed, desperately hoping they wouldn't find her.

"NATSUKI!" shouted one of the girls, pointing towards the counter. The others snapped in the direction of her pointed finger, and within a moment, all eyes were on her. She felt exposed, and she imagined that crawling out of her skin and burying herself underneath the carpet was a preferable alternative to her current situation.