Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Doll House ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )

Commentary: This story was inspired by an episode of: Are You Afraid of the Dark. I forgot to mention that in the prologue.

X x X

I strecthed my arms and yanwed; rubbing freshly formed sleep from them. "Hyne, how long have we been working?" I asked Squall who seemed equally bored, though not tired.

"An hour." He replied casually, as though he wasn't ready to blow his brains out from loss of sanity. "Well then I guess I'm done for the day." I stated, standing up and heading towards the bed to get my sneakers.

"Where are you going?" Squall asked while watching me lace them up.

"To the Shears mall. I still need to go Christmas shopping for ma and pop. Wanna join me?" I asked hoping he'd say yes. But he shook his head and stood. "I can't go. I have some things I need to take care of, and I don't think you should go either."

I blinked to that, and asked. "Why not?"

"You nearly jumped off the balcony, that's why." He walked over to the door.

I shook my head with a laugh. "Come on, considering the class I just came from - wouldn't you be hallucinating too?" I joked. However, he didn't find it funny.

"Whatever." And walked out.

"...Okay." I replied after him, but he probably didn't hear me. After I was finished putting on my sneakers, I grabbed my wallet and shoved it into my pants pocket then walked out the door.

The Deling mall itself was crowded when I got there. It was like everyone in the world had planned their day around the place and what time to be there. I know to them I was there just so I could be in the way, because I wasn't hurrying around or swinging from things like Tarzan. I walked casually around the mall and stood around in the directions I wanted to go and..

"Get out of the way!" Some guy shouted, he moved boards past my face.

"You move! You could have cut my head off asshole!" I spat back. "What is wrong with these people?!"

This was totally spoiling my mood as far as the holidays went, and I tried rushing everything I was doing to get out sooner than a need of a Cure spell. "Last stop, Fabricated." I said, checking my list. Ma was in sewing club with Theodora and some of her other friends; she needs needles thread and farbic constantly. "This rose pattern would be nice." I thought out loud picking it up just as this older bigger woman did.

"Lovely." She was saying as her fist gripped it. "And it's down to its last roll."

Now normally I would have let her have it, but I was having the worst time here. So why should I let the mall win? If I could just take this one thing, I'll be set; however, this lady obviously wasn't gonna give it up without a fight. "I don't think so lady. I got here first." I said to her, strengthening my grip on it.

"Don't be dumb, what would a boy do with a print like this?" She nearly insulted me.

"It's for my Ma, so give it to me." I said tugging it back into my possession, then added. "And what would a hippo like you do with it anyway, there isn't rrrrr..." I strained to keep my grip. "There isn't enough material on this one to cover even your shoulder."

"What!?" She cried out and started beating me with her purse.

"OW! Knock it off, lady!" I tried shielding my head but she continued beating me with her hand bag. Hyne, it hurts. What's she got inside a frozen bottle of water? "Stop it!" I kept pleading. Why wasn't anybody helping me? I wondered. Screw it! I dropped the material. "Here take it. It's ugly anyways." I snipped.

She held the fabric up in truimph.

My head was sore as I walked out of the fabric shop. Defeated. "Next time Ma wants me to go shopping, I'm gonna put my foot down and tell her... that I won't carry a list." Alright, so I chickened out of even the idea of letting her down; but shopping isn't easy. I picked up any random fabric I came across then walked out of the store after paying. I grabbed something for myself as a "there, there" then head for the register. The line was huge!

"Ohhhh greeeeat." I groaned. My head and shoulders sank down together. "Hey!" I said in realization. "Can I please cut in line here?" I asked this guy in front of me.

"No way kid wait in line like everyone else." He said in a bland tone.

"Come on, pleeease...I'll pay you."

I could see he was thinking it over, then he asked. "How much?"

I gradually worked my way to the head of the line and finally I hit the register.

"Hey, there." The woman said smiling at me.

"Yeah, whateve-..." I cut myself off as I reached for my wallet, hearing her tell me the price.

"72.50 gil."

"Right." No. There was no possible way I spent it all to cut in line. Looking back down the line of people I saw them all holding my only shopping money for the year and I sighed turning around to get it all back and wait my turn.

"Next." The woman brightly called, and then she smiled. "Oh, it's you again." It wasn't so much what she said but the laugh that she had behind it that made me snap.

"100.50 gil. We also except creds."

"What?!" I shouted. "But before you said..."

"Before we were having a sale but you missed the deadline, sorry."

By now I was fuming. "Missed the deadline?"

She nodded as if I had asked sincerely rather than rhetorically.

"Missed the deadline... Well let me tell you a little bit about my day, sister!" I pointed his finger at her. "I had to sit in a class with an instructor who invented homework for the holidays - and as far as I can tell can't stand me. Then I see this weird little girl, who doesn't seem to know any other words than "help me, help me!"."

She cocked an eyebrow.

"And my boyfriend left on some dumb mission, and won't be back til who knows when. I nearly got my tattoo shaved off by a stupid stock-boy - not to mention I lost in a strength battle for a length of fabric. I only missed the dumb deadline because I gave out my money to cut in line." I took a breath. "Where is your damned Christmas spirit?" I grumped. I even threw in a pout. "I didn't even know the stupid place was having a sale!"

Again, she nodded. But did nothing more.

My eyes narrowed at her as I leaned in to hiss. "Now you listen and you listen good... I haven't got a hundred gil or my cred card on me right now." I could feel my voice rising with every word I said. "Change that price back to 72.50 or I am gonna... gonna... get a monster and let it loose to trash the place!"

She smiled at me. Albeit it was an odd smile.

Curious by her silence, I asked. "You gonna change it?"

"Security."

"What?!" Before I knew what hit me, two big guys were carrying me out of the store - bagless.

"And don't come back until you learn to grow up."

"Grow up?" Was that a short joke? I wondered as I stood up brushing myself off. "Great, there goes my shopping day..." I hung my head low, and walked to the parking lot. I should have shopped in Balamb town.