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Yvette held her phone up to her ear. "...they all called in sick? A-are you sh-sure about that?"

On the other side of the phone, Mrs. Ortiga was panicking. Three different employees had called out, all sick with the flu. At first, the woman had suspected that it was just a lazy excuse to ditch work, but then the woman noticed how several of the other shops had a lack of employees, and the mall itself was much quieter than usual. "Yvette, you need to come in for a triple shift! I know it's asking a lot, but you seem to be the only one who didn't get sick."

The girl stood there, gazing blankly at the wall. A triple shift sounded like a lot of work, and a lot of standing on her feet. Even with her boss' reassurance that things were quiet, it was still something that just sounded awful.

"...I... I... well... y-you know how much transportation is just the bus... right?" she tried to remind the near-hysterical woman on the other side of the phone.

"I don't care... get here as soon as the next bus stops at your place Yvette! I need you here! I can't run this place by myself!" The woman didn't even give her a chance to retort again, hanging up the phone in a hurry.

"...fudge buckets..." The girl sighed before scurrying off to her bedroom. It would be another 25 minutes before the next bus would stop by her place. Which meant she had about 23 minutes to get ready. The girl squirmed out of her jammies and into her work uniform, tugging and adjusting the jacket so she wouldn't feel even more exposed than she already was. It wasn't exactly like it took too long for her to put her clothes on. Heck, even her makeup took only about 4 minutes tops.

It was just eating her meal before work that was going to be timely. Daddy was sleeping now, and Mommy had already left for work. She had to write a note for Daddy so he knew why she wasn't around when he woke up.

Daddy,

Mrs. Ortiga asked me to come in for some extra hours. Feel free to call my phone, but I might not answer if it is busy. Let Mommy know I will be home at normal time!

Love,
Yvette

Leaving the note on the counter, the girl took her granola bar with her and wandered off to the bus stop. While she sat there, nibbling like a squirrel on her breakfast, she did manage to come up with one whole optimistic way of looking at this whole unexpected addition of work for the week.

...at least I'll get some good overtime...

She sighed heavily. It didn't make anything feel much better.

It was just an ordinary day in Elizabeth's Secrets. Yvette was reorganizing the various bins filled with undergarments that were on a special sale. She had been working at the store for over 2 years and she still couldn't truly get over the embarrassment of being in that kind of store. She was folding a stripe printed pair of underwear when a high pitched cheery voice chimed in.

"Hullofericerous*!"

Perhaps it was the fact the word (that sounded somewhat like a greeting) was so nonsensical that it easily caught her attention. Or perhaps it was the fact the voice itself sounded quite a bit on the young side. Either way, the clerk's attention was stolen away from her task. There standing next to her was a girl with silvery hair with the oddest colored streaks. The girl was smiling eagerly and holding out a brassiere in lacy white.

Yvette's cheeks were quite red within moments.

Despite the reaction from the clerk, the girl seemed completely unrattled. She shoved the undergarment closer to the clerk's face. "I was thinkamulating* if you have this style bra in all sizes? I couldn't find any that were larger than a C-cup! Do you have more in storage? I am looking to get some of all sizes up to Triple Ds if you've got it!"

The clerk's jaw went slack, dropping open to gawk at this girl. How could she be asking for such things so easily?! And why would she even need such garments in the first place?! This wasn't a shop for little kids to just buy frivolously!

"Um... uh... aren't you a little... young to be wearing these?" Yvette was pretty sure that the girl hadn't even physically matured enough yet to need such an undergarment.

The silver-haired girl didn't seem to notice the discomfort of the clerk. "Oh, these aren't for me, these are for my mom! We're running errands today and she needed more of these for work! She had to hit up the make-up counter, so we figured I could hit up over here for her. Save time!" With that she held the brassiere only a couple inches from the clerk's red-red face. "So... more of these in back... or do I need to go digging some more?"

The shy clerk's mind couldn't help but try and figure out what sort of business would require vast amounts of make-up and lingerie of all things! Her mind went to the worst sorts of industries possible, but she quickly tried to shoo such thoughts away, since what sort of mother would expose their daughter to such filth at such a young age?! She didn't want to think poorly of a stranger's mother, really, she didn't! "...h-how old are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Eleven years old! How old are you?" she asked back immediately.

"Oh, um! I'm 21 years old now!" she flustered a bit, shoving the pair of underwear she had been holding into the bin finally.

"Oh, legal drinking age! Niftricular*! Anyways... about those bras...?"

The dark haired girl's eyes widened a bit as she realized how she had still not answered the girl's questions yet. "Oh, right! W-we have more in the back... you were looking for D, Double, and Triple Ds, r-right?"

The child nodded her head, but then asked something completely unrelated. "Why are you talking so quiet?"

"Oh... I... I um... it's... it'sjusthowInormallytalk... that'sall..."

The child blinked her golden touched eyes widely. "Do you also always stutter? Do you have a speech impediment?"

At this rate, poor Yvette was going to collapse from all the blood that was rushing to her face out of embarrassment. However, that was when a saving grace appeared in the form of a pale-haired woman with heavy make-up and relatively hip clothing stepped up beside the child and planted a hand firmly upon the child's head.

"Is Mystery giving you a hard time, Miss?"

"M-mystery?" the clerk repeated.

The child beamed, raising a hand and waving it at the girl with the proclamation "Hullofericerous!" Apparently that was the eleven year old's name. Eagerly the child turned to the woman and held the white lacy thing in the woman's face. "Look Mom! See, these ones are nice! She's going to go in the back and get more! Did you know she's legally able to drink?! I think she has a speech impediment!"

The woman thoughtfully put her fingers to her lips, contemplating the information genuinely as her daughter offered it. "That's interesting... very cool! Good to know she's legal too!" In a cool manner, she reached into her purse, pulling out from a side pocket what seemed to be a business card.

For a few seconds, Yvette's face felt like it was going to burst from embarrassment! Whatever shady business this woman was into, she was now giving Yvette a card for it now?!

However, when she actually read the words on the business card, some of the blood flow resumed the normal flow.

Wylde Photography Studios

With a knowing tone, the woman introduced herself. "I'm Carolynn... and we are in a specialty photography industry. I promise you, it isn't as scandalous... as I am guessing you are thinking it is!" Carolynn gave Yvette a look up and down. "...I honestly think you should set up an appointment with me... I think you'd look good at our set!"

Yvette was pretty sure that it was a ploy that the woman used on any young girl. Compliment them until they spend their money to take pictures. Carolynn couldn't be sincere about her compliments, the clerk knew it! "...I... should check on that stock for you..."

The photographer gestured loosely to what her daughter had already grabbed. "I don't need to check them out... go ahead and wrap them up... I'll buy all the sizes as Mystery had requested."

The child seemed to beam before she suddenly started to fuss with the bags her Mom got at the make-up counter. Yvette managed to find the various brassieres, and soon enough the woman and her child were on their way to their next errands.

The dark haired girl sighed before wandering into the back of the shop, setting the business card upon a filing cabinet.

"...I couldn't ever do something like that..." she murmured before abandoning the card and going back out front. She still had underwear to fold!