“Damn Hunter, he stole my favourite technique,” she said. Luxor rolled her eyes at all the times he had made her do things because of some illogical obligation. “Can we go for a drive?”
“Sure,” she said, and strapped the seatbelt across her chest.
“Good, because this is urgent.”
For the entirety of the thirty-minute ride to Mount Beauty, Evie hummed an infectious tune until they reached the city centre. She narrowly parked against another car, and Luxor clutched her chest, and not for the first time thought Evie must have won her licence because no qualified instructor could pass her on her skills. Or lack thereof.
“Shopping, really?” Luxor said.
“Why not? It’s something different.”
The main entrance to the Mount Beauty mall had bluestone pillars with an arch, a sign above the door had the image of waves under the monogram of MB. A variety of café’s and boutiques rounded the entire expanse of the grand multi-tiered building.
Luxor entered the automatic sliding doors, the chilly whoosh of air a welcome relief from the heat. Natural light penetrated through the high translucent roof and she absorbed the interior as she passed the earthy muted colours, and blues which were painted on the walls, obviously a homage to the ocean. There was an abundance of speciality fashion and lifestyle stores, beauty salons, as well as too many swimwear stores to count.
Evie transformed into a beast on a whirlwind mission, and her usually hyperactive character skyrocketed into overdrive as she entered shop after shop. If nothing caught her attention after one minute of flurrying, she’d leave, with Luxor hot on her trail trying to figure out what in the hell was going on.
After the fifth store, Evie stared at the mannequin in the window and declared, “Yep, this will do.”
The girl behind the counter didn't bother paying any attention, she played around on her phone with a bored expression. Evie sifted through the shelves and clothes rack and with a pile stacked with a selection of dresses, tops and shorts, quickly disappeared behind a curtain.
Luxor sat back on a plump couch outside the changing rooms, pulled out of her phone from her front pocket, and played Lolly Crusher while she waited. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't pass level 268. It irked her having to repeat it as it was her only source of electronic entertainment.
"What's the occasion anyway?" Luxor put the phone away. Later on, she'd have another crack at passing the level.
"Nothing major, my wardrobe needs an update." The curtain rippled, and grunts came from behind the curtain, the dress obviously too small.
Evie pulled back the curtain, her cheeks flushed, wearing a black dress with cut-outs at the ribs that skimmed her thighs, and hugged her curves. Too much. She pinched at her sides, scrunching up her nose. Luxor shook her head and gave a thumbs down.
Evie returned inside where the next dress was tried on. "Aren't you going to try on anything? That kind of defeats the purpose of shopping?"
"I'm here to be a dress critic, doesn't mean I'm buying anything."
Evie re-emerged in a black and silver off the shoulder dress, struck a pose and pouted in front of a full-length mirror as if a camera had just been pulled out.
"Go with that one, very rock chic," Luxor said. Her was elsewhere and she teetered on the edge of complete and utter boredom. If she was less of a friend, she would be on the verge of telling her to hurry the hell up, but it had been too long since she did normal activities, however mundane.
"I'll put it on the maybe list." She picked up another dress which was near identical to the last one, except in a bright red, and disappeared behind the curtain.
"Just try one on, don't you love shopping?"
"No." It was a total lie.
Not long ago, Luxor was a shopaholic. Weekends were spent burning hours and money at the high brand names stores for the perfect outfit, and then off to find for shoes to match. Make-up was always a must, with Sephora and MAC, being her favourites, every shade of eye shadow, and multiple shades of lipsticks, hers being light pink and natural, while Verity loved the vibrancy of the coral and red. But now materialistic possessions were pointless. It was part of the reason why she preferred no makeup and dressed down in clothes, it was purely to blend into the background.
For the next hour, Evie shopped for accessories and settled on spiked cuffs and silver rings. Luxor blew out a heavy breath once she had announced she was done. They travelled down three escalators to the ground floor, and despite being a weekday, the food court was packed with teenagers in high-end clothing and spread around, occupying the seats, even in the alfresco area. After they grabbed a couple of lattes, they managed to find a table next to the pyramid shaped water fountain.
"How is that 'urgent?’" Luxor said, alluding to Evie’s earlier comments on the way to the plaza. She all but gulped down the latte in one go. Evie averted her eyes, and turned away. She flicked a gold two coin into the water, and it landed with a plop. "This isn't about a wardrobe update, is it?" she crossed her arms across her chest.
"No," Evie whispered, lowering her lashes.
"I'm not going to like the truth, am I?" She already knew the answer.
Evie fiddled with her wrist cuff. "If you're anything like Ayla, then no."
This reeked of trouble, especially if Ayla would be against it.
"So, are you going to tell me or do I have to pry it from your brain?" Luxor waited for the confession. "And since when do you drink coffee? All I've ever see you do is guzzle Coke."
"I want to look my best. Coffee is a meal suppressant and Coke gives me a pot," she replied cryptically, patting her non-existent bump.
So that’s why she didn’t eat my feast at The Hive.
"For?" There was a long pause.
Evie sighed and chewed her bottom lip eventually giving up her secret. "There's a new club opening up in Mount Beauty, Sanctum I'm pretty sure it's called."
Luxor rubbed her head and braced herself for what was about to come. A person didn't need to have ESP to know the direction of where the conversation was going.
"And I'm going," Evie blurted out.
Luxor let out a high-pitched laugh that attracted stares from surrounding tables. Evie crossed her arms, to show she was serious. She lowered her voice. "Are you out of your godforsaken fricken mind? How are you getting there? No wait, firstly how are you going to get in?" Her mind swam with a million questions, and she was convinced Evie had gone insane. "What are you going to tell your mum?"
"All thought of. Yes. Driving. Fake ID, and my mum thinks I'm sleeping at Ayla's. In that order."
Luxor retraced the order of questions. What was she stressed about? Evie wasn't her responsibility, if she wanted to be grounded for life that was up to her. Problem was she cared and knew the type of sleazy guys that were out there, the city was full of them. The very thought of Evie being around them disturbed her.
"You're coming too.”
“Umm, no.”
“Please. I don't want to go alone." Evie begged, her hands together in prayer and puppy-eyed.
"Sorry to break it to you, but you will be. Besides, there's no way you'll pass for an eighteen-year-old."
Evie placed a plastic card on the table. "Look."
At first, it looked passable, the result of a backyard job, the number one flaw being the photo. There was a slight resemblance; the girl in the ID had long brown hair and a rounder face.
"Angie Berry?" Luxor snorted. "What sort of name is that?"
"Who cares? We do look alike, kinda. I could say I just cut and dyed my hair, and lost a bit of weight. And besides, nobody really looks at the ID."
"A little weight Evie? She's like ten kilos heavier than you," she exclaimed.
"Exactly, and that's why I look different." Luxor let out a frustrated sigh as Evie produced another card. "Here's yours."
"For some reason, I don't think I'll be needing it." She pushed the card, not bothering to look at it. She moved away, and dumped the coffee in th
e nearest bin. "Let's go."
"Pit stop. This coffee isn't agreeing with me." Evie held her gurgling stomach. She dashed through other chairs, and bumped into other diners, and down a corridor.
Before she could sit and wait for her an elderly couple swooped in and grabbed the table.
"Excuse me, miss." There was a soft voice behind her.
Luxor turned around, and her eyes widened. “You,” she whispered.
The wind had been knocked out of her lungs as a boy, a year or two older held out her bag. The same boy who she had hit with the rock, when she was at the cemetery. He wore a polo shirt teamed up with cream chinos. His wavy flaxen hair peeked from underneath his baseball cap, a perfect accompaniment to his creamy complexion.
“So it is,” his voice was soft with an unidentifiable accent. “Don’t you want your bag?”
"Thank you," Luxor croaked. He placed the bag in front of her and after swiping it from him, she held on tight, but not for fear of losing it.
She straightened her shoulders and cleared her throat. “What are you doing here?”
“Shopping. Don’t people do that at shopping malls?”
“That’s not what I meant,” she said low. “What are you? Why are you following me?”
He quirked his lips to the side. “Don’t you believe in coincidences?”
“No, no I don’t,” she hissed.
The serene sound of waves assaulted her ears, swish swish, followed by the smell of brine, and she drowned in a sense of calm.
“Your friend, is she okay?”
"Mm-hmm, yeah her coffee’s running through her," she said and wrinkled her nose.
Why did I say that?
Luxor's snapped to attention, her face burning up.
He bowed his head, his pillowy lips stifled a smile. "Do you want to sit and wait for her? I have a table there." The boy pointed to his side, a collection of bags situated on top.
"I really should check on her, she's been gone a while." She pointed to the direction of the restrooms.
Oh, my God Luxor shut up.
One part of her brain, the logical part, told her to go. The other part, the dangerous part, the one that ruled the heart, galloped at a rapid pace. She was tempted to stay, a strange urgency to remain in his presence, but she couldn’t ascertain why.
Maybe it’s to find out how it was possible to meet again.
"Okay. Let me know if you change her mind," he replied and turned on his heel. The flush of glorious warmth began to ebb, inviting the all too familiar coldness to trickle in.
"Wait," she called out, holding up a hand. The boy stopped in his tracks and circled around. "One minute won't hurt, she's probably on her way back anyway." The words tumbled out and the warmth returned. Her knees weakened, and since there was nothing to hold onto, she played with the bottom of her top.
"Are you from around here?"
A melodious laugh came from him, and he arched an eyebrow. "Shouldn't that be my line?"
She covered her face. Kill me now.
"Are you from around here?" The intensity of his vivid pale blue gaze was almost too much to bear. His irises had an overtone of grey, resembling electricity sparks, the power to draw her in.
Luxor removed her hands and shook her head. "Brighton Falls. I l-live in Brighton Falls," she stuttered out.
Evie, where are you?
“You don’t need to be nervous.”
All Luxor could do was give a brief nod. She smoothed back her hair, tucking a stray tendril behind her ear, and played with the end of her ponytail. She cringed at the cliché lame signals she exhibited.
“Are you sure you don’t want to sit?”
Luxor let out a breathy sigh and stepped in closer as if floating, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth against her accord. The world evaporated and became muted as she was enclosed in a bubble of elation.
A trolley headed her way, a mother trying to contain the twin toddler boys fighting over a plastic toy which most likely came from a coin machine. She faintly heard the rattle of the wheels and stepped aside to make room, and one of the boys gave her a small wave. A mobile rang, the mother answered and removed one of her hands of the trolley, and steered it one-handedly, pointing straight into her direction.
Luxor blinked repeatedly and tumbled back, the trolley inches from colliding with her hip. On instinct, she shut her eyes and waited for the impact. One, two, three. But it never came. She was yanked forward, the trolley powered past unaware of the consequences. Luxor peeped her eyes open and froze.
The boy was close by, close enough she could smell the sea, and experience the warmth of his body against hers. Her breath hitched, the air dissipated and became a seemingly non-commodity. He bowed down, and she followed the direction of her hand. She widened her eyes. Their fingertips were gridlocked together, and a wave of guilt seeped in and she immediately she let go.
He furrowed his eyebrows, his mouth turned downwards. "That was close. Are you okay?"
She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Thank you," she breathed out.
In the background Evie called, power walking in her direction. She peered over her shoulder and gave her a wave, unsure if Evie had seen her. They were quite a few people between them, but she wasn't far off, considering Luxor heard her.
One minute, one more minute.
Moments later Evie arrived. "Couldn't you hear me? I was walking around in circles."
"Couldn't you see me? I was waiting for you...with someone," she replied in a hushed voice. She cocked her head over to indicate someone was behind her.
Evie circled her and placed the back of her palm against her cheek. "Do you have sunstroke? There's no one there."
Luxor turned around, her shoulders slumping. Not only was the seat was empty but his bags were gone as well.
Where did he go? I didn't even get his name. Or why he was here.
"Yeah, I must be seeing things. I have a major headache," she joked.
But she knew better, this wasn't a hallucination.
So, what was it?
All the way back to The Chalet, Evie continued to sulk and grumble like a two-year-old. She resumed to pitch her case, still trying to convince Luxor to go with her to Sanctum, but it was in vain. Nightclubs and Luxor did not belong in the same sentence.
"But why?" Evie whined.
Heavy footsteps followed Luxor through the darkened lounge room, and to the kitchen. She assumed Evie would drop her off and go home. Her stomach growled in urgency, literally calling out "feed me, feed me." As usual, no food existed in the fridge… well nothing edible that didn't need to require cooking.
"Because." She searched the cupboard; biscuits, chips, chocolate, all things she couldn't eat. How hard was it to buy things that didn't contain gluten or dairy? Instead, she poured two glasses of orange juice, plopping two ice cubes in and passed one along.
"Since when does that qualify as an answer?" Evie tinkled the ice in the glass, swishing around the pulp.
"How about I don't want to go?” She gulped the drink down in one go, and satiated her thirst. Rinsing her cup under the sink she sat at the kitchen table. If she made idle chit-chat Evie might catch on, get bored and go home.
"It'll be an adventure," Evie urged, and pulled a chair close until their knees close together. "Ayla can convince your mum. I mean look at her, with her angelic looks, she could even convince the pope to commit murder." She nervously whipping her chain link around from her shorts which collided with the legs of the chair.
She leaned over to stop the noise. "Is Ayla going?"
"No," Evie drawled.
"Then why does it matter if she pleads your case?" Luxor huffed and threw her arms in the air in frustration, this was going nowhere.
"We can make it appear like she is going."
The entire plan was flawed. All it took was a seed of doubt and one phone call from one parent to another and the whole plan would combust in a ball like a nuclear atom. To add more confusion, Ayla didn
't even know about Evie's desire to go to Sanctum and would be against it. Ayla wasn't the type to lie, she would probably say ten Hail Mary's for the sin she committed.
Ayla knocked on the door and entered. “You’re back,” she said. “What did you get up to?”
Luxor pursed her lips. “Not much, took a drive, did some retail therapy, normal things.”
“I should have gone with you.”
“Next time,” Evie said, standing up. “I’ll catch up later.” She hugged Luxor and whispered, “Don’t say anything yet.”
Luxor had no intention of saying anything, full stop. She rounded the bench and noticed a stack of bills on the counter, the word urgent, in bold red emblazoned upon the envelope on top. She sifted through them; gas, electricity, water. One of them stood out from the rest and not because of the thickness and it was double the size.
“Why would Mayor Kingsley be writing to us?” Luxor asked. Ayla shrugged. “Only one way to find out?” she said and pulled out a sharp knife from the dispenser.
“Luxor don’t. If Meredith wants you to know, she would tell you.”
She ripped away at the seam and pulled the papers out. She scanned her eyes over the document, key words standing out; The Chalet, expression of interest, offer, compensated.
Luxor scrunched the paper into a ball. “It all makes sense. Scarlett hates me because her father wants the house and Meredith got it. Why didn’t he just buy it before I got here?”
Ayla swallowed. She swayed her hands over the ball, and reverted it to its original state, replacing it into the envelope with a seal. “This isn’t the time to get angry.”
“I’m not. I’m somehow relieved it wasn’t personal, and she acted on her father’s behalf,” she said. “Doesn’t answer the question of why her father didn’t use his power, he’s the mayor after all.”
"Because he couldn’t,” she huffed, her eyes darting about. “Can you keep it a secret?"
Sure, what's one more, Luxor thought sardonically and nodded.
"Do you have a few torches?"
“Yeah why? You realise we can just use the light on our phones, don’t you?”
“They’re not strong enough.”
Betrayed: The Chronicles of Luxor Everstone Book Two Page 6
