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 Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 11:15 pm
As impossible as it seemed, Aree was practically giddy with anticipation. She'd found it. She'd found it, and so had Ursula. With that dress hugging her hips, there was simply no way to be ignored. It would be impossible, unthinkable even. Checking her reflection one last time in the mirror of the vacated changing room, Aree slipped out of the wine-colored miracle.
The nearly $1,000 price tag was a slap in the face.
It was nearly everything she had. Unlike her friend, Aree did not have a day job to keep her bank account filled. What she had was years worth of birthday and christmas money, eBay funds from selling off old clothes and books and gifts. She was a girl of pathetically humble origins, it was what had driven her to the Negaverse in the first place. Still.. obtaining the money would be easy enough. She could spend what she had, and when she found herself in need of money, she would find a way to make it happen.
It would be worth it.
Aree emerged from the dressing room with her debit card already pulled out of her purse, and stepped into line behind Ursula.
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Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 10:05 pm
"I'm sorry, Miss Johnson, I've tried three times. Your card continues to decline."
Her cheeks were red, scarlet even, by this point, as the twenty-two year old secretary gave the cashier the most pathetic look she could muster.
Her card... declined?
She knew she'd been close to hitting her max but... but...she couldn't have maxed out her card. Not now, of all times.
It was humiliating. She couldn't even dare turn around and stare at Aree (God knows what the girl had to be thinking, at this point). Ursula Johnson's card never declined. If she wanted it, she'd have it, by purchase or shoplifting. But never was she ever declined.
Well, the purchasing route was clearly not the available option, which left only one thing that Ursula could do.
Eyes shifted, looking from side to side. The only other customer in the store was in the dressing room, the women from earlier having already left. The other attendant appeared to be in the back room, which meant it was now or never.
Without another word, Ursula, no, Nealite lunged forward, her slender hand diving into the clerk's chest. She pulled back, ripping out the gleaming star seed and leaving the clerk staggering backwards, her face quickly turning ashy.
Star seed in one hand, dress in the other, the Lieutenant hastily wrapped the dress in one of the long plastic bags and it was only then that she turned towards her long haired companion.
"I think it's time we left now, darling," She whispered, unable to help but grin as she idly swiped her declined card from the now unmanned register.
With that, Ursula was off and out the door, dark heels clicking against the linoleum flooring of the mall as she made a hasty beeline for the exit.
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Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2009 11:54 pm
Aree was not one to judge, considering her own card had been declined dozens of times in the few brief years she'd had it. Often she had overestimated her account balance, she recalled with perfect clarity the sinking feeling that overwhelmed one when those two words came up. The disapproving glances and impatient sighs from other patrons. It was nothing short of humiliating. It seemed, however, that they would be avoiding that fate today.
The second Ursula transformed, Tanzanite was there beside her. It was a knee-jerk reaction, something uncontrollable that had been triggered by the appearance of Nealite.
Tanzanite wrapped her own dress in another of the long, plastic sleeves. She nodded in response, unable to stop a faint smile of amusement from reaching her lips.
Together, they slipped out the back doors and into the parking lot, talking as though nothing had happened.Planning hair. Planning make-up. Planning prom. They laughed as they walked, ignorant of the ambulance sirens that wailed in the distance.
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