Redbrooke Mall

Ashley jerked back when he moved to poke her cheek, though it only resulted in her hitting her head against the side of the stairwell. Offering an apologetic for her mini freak out, she rubbed at the back of her head with her free hand. Luckily, he began speaking again, which distracted her enough to forget about her head. "Maybe you were just really clumsy as your were growing up, and couldn't quite grasp the concept of how to use a knife," she smirked slightly, though it fell when he asked about the blush. "Well you know, cute boy randomly holds my hand and puts his arm around my shoulders- even if it is just to help him down the stairs -sort of gets a girl a bit flustered."

This time, when Snow attempted to get down the steps, she winced. Seeing his pain was enough to make her physically hurt. Though his look did make her want to say her I told you so's, but she managed to keep her mouth shut. "Thank you, S. Now head back to the room, I'll meet you there."

Without really waiting for a reply, she went down the rest of the stairs and headed quickly towards the shop. Usually she would have been more relaxed, but now she was practically running. Being alone- especially in the basement -freaked her out. After she located and grabbed a cherry pie, utensils and napkins, and two Pepsi's, she headed back towards the steps. Once she was back upstairs, she relaxed, feeling a bit more safe. It took her another minute or two to get back to their room, but once she did she knocked twice on the door before going in. "No injuries while I was gone?", she teased.

Elsy walked a couple steps before she heard someone call her name. Elsy looked around until she saw her roommate, Hazel, who was looking straight at Elsy. Elsy forced a smile and waved back. Elsy walked over to her roommate... She couldn't just avoid her... And it would probably be for the best to get to know her. Elsy walked over towards Hazel. She looked a bit younger than Elsy but she was pretty. Elsy pulled her hair to one side and approached Hazel. "Uh... hi." Elsy said, looking down. She couldn't look up and face who she was talking too. Elsy was just too shy. "So your my roommate right?" Elsy said looking up finally to look at Hazel.

Elsy was nervous as Hazel replied. She watched Hazel quickly dash off to the popcorn and she came back with a bag of it. Elsy licked her lips. She didn't remember the last time she had microwave popcorn, well let alone popcorn at all. Elsy looked back up at Hazel. "So, how are you liking the mall?" Hazel asked Elsy.. "Good I guess... Its better being with company then being alone.." Elsy sighed looking around. Talking to people she barely knew made her nervous. "Are you uh watching a movie or do you just have a popcorn craving?" Elsy whispered quietly as she pointed at the bag of popcorn.

Hazel wiggled the bag in her hand with a smile. "I'm glad that you're enjoying yourself, Elsy." She glanced at the bag then looked back at Elsy. "Both," she shrugged. "My friend, Ade and I were going to go the social area to watch The Titanic. You should join us. It would be fun, besides everyone deserved to a bit of Leonardo DiCaprio. Plus, this popcorn has extra butter, so you cannot refuse this offer."



Snow's lip twitched, almost smirking. "You really have that much faith in me?" He shook his head in slight amusement. "Cute, but I have as much chance with the opposite sex as people in hell receiving cold water." He raised his bronze eyebrows in faux-interest. He pantomimed taking notes and when she was done, he raise his hand like a student in school. "Professor Ashley?" He said. "I believe my happy trail shouldn't be a concern, but thank you for caring. Now, enough about my love affairs. What about you? There is probably one person here that you want to wrap your arms around."

Ashley rolled her eyes, almost completely ignoring his first words. Any of the girls here would have been very pleased to know they had obtained his affections. He was that mysterious and sexy guy, what girl wasn't attracted to that? Though most knew that it would probably end horribly, or he was actually a terrible guy. Still, they all fell at his feet. Not Snow's personally but, the mysterious and sexy guy.

"Professor Ashley? I like that," she smiled, though his question caught her a bit off guard. It probably should have been expected, but she really hadn't thought that he would care. "Well," she started slowly, chewing on her bottom lip a moment, carefully picking out what to say. "The only person here that really can stand me is you." Ash shrugged, lips turning up in a smirk. "Though I suppose if you do have a happy trail, I could settle for wrapping my arms around her," she winked, clearly teasing.

Elsy smiled and nodded at what Hazel was saying. "So... A movie?" Elsy asked. Elsy tried to think... When was the last time she'd seen a movie? It'd been a while.... Back when her mother was still alive. Elsy choked down the urge to cry. She didn't want everybody to know she was weak.. She needed to be strong.. "So Leonardo DiCaprio? I think I heard someone talking about him once... I've never seen the Titanic.. I never had time for movies... I guess I can catch up now?" Elsy grinned. "Its a deal... I will look forward to the uh movie!" Elsy smiled. "What time do you guys plan on watching the movie? I wanna be sure that I have the best seat in the house!" Elsy smiled.

Snow coughed, but it was his version of a chuckle. He stared back at the ceiling, feeling a bit victorious. "You are certainly something, Ashley Stoke." His voice was a tad condescending, but it was all in good fun. "Definitely something." He flexed the muscles in his legs. They were still in pain, but it was duller and not as gruesome now. He sighed, resisting the urge to wince. "God, I'm never pushing myself that hard on the treadmill ever again." He was beginning to get sleepy. A powerful workout would do that to you. He leaned up, pulling off his shirt and throwing it to the other side of the room. He laid back down and groaned in pain.

"Fuck, that hurt. Note to self: when taking off shirt, be careful with the leg." He glanced at Ashley as he pulled his blanket over his waist and a bit over his belly button. "I'm getting tired. Thanks for the pie, by the way." He rested his head on his folded palms as he laid on the pillow.

"Goodnight, Ash...try not to dream about me too much. Though, I hear wet dreams are common among teenage girls." He smirked completely, looking at her eye to eye. "At least that what the media has taught me." He coughed again (laughed) then closed his eyes, letting himself drift to the world of dreams with that 'Half-way there' smile on his face. His back was facing her, revealing the 'With Pleasure Comes Pain' tattoo that resided on his shoulder blades.

Elsy tensed up as Hazel grasped her hand. She'd never touched someone before... Well at least not often. Elsy couldn't exactly say it was unwelcome but it was very odd and new for Elsy. Elsy forced a smile at Hazel. But as Hazel dragged Elsy she had to run to keep up. Elsy was startled when Hazel pulled her along so she ran and tried to compose herself, acting like nothing was wrong.

Elsy stopped at the drink machine... She hadn't had a good soda in a while. Elsy smiled gratefully at Hazel as Hazel handed her the soda. Elsy grinned as Hazel told her about what to expect. "Hmm... I'm thinking I won't cry but by the end of the movie I'll probably be in tears and you'll tell me "I told you so!" so I'm gonna trust you." Elsy laughed.

"C'mon, Elaine. It's just twenty minutes! I'll even do your dishes tomorrow, just let me go early. Leonardo Dicaprio is waiting for me!"

The shift leader, Elaine, sighed wearily. "Stop with the dramatics, Ade. I don't want you anywhere near my dishes--God knows you'll break them all, given half a chance--so just go and try not to drool over Jack too much, okay?"

Ade grinned, lunging forward to give the shift leader a squeeze before taking off. She posted a quick note for someone to check up on Hannah Morgan tomorrow morning, washed up and tossed her scrubs into the hamper before leaving the Infirmary area to make a quick stop at her room. As usual, her roommate was nowhere to be seen, but the bed was neatly made up and items carefully stored away in appropriate places--a complete contrast to Ade's side of the room, which was littered with clothing and crumpled sheets.

She made a beeline for her unmade bed and picked up two large, fluffy pillows (she contemplated 'borrowing' her roommate's pillows too, but then decided against it) for comfort purposes, because watching the Titanic required cuddling, and since she was seriously lacking a boyfriend right now, a pillow would have to do. Ade glanced down at her father's cracked wristwatch and winced; Hazel was probably wondering where she'd gotten to. She grabbed a box of Kleenex from her nightstand and slammed the door behind her, jogging down to the small theater room.

---

The sound of a lone guitar strumming to the tune of 'Hells Bells' echoed down the empty hallway. Christopher sang the accompanying lyrics in a low voice, plucking at the strings of his acoustic skillfully as he did so. His fingers roamed over the body of the guitar with confidence, yet also a startling gentleness that he rarely expressed in his behavior anymore.



A bucket of soapy water rested a few feet away with a damp mop leaning behind the bench where Christopher was sitting. This was a part of the mall that no one really visited because the contents of these stores weren't very useful, but Chris was keenly interested in the small instrument shop located beside the postal office so he returned whenever he had time. It was the only place he felt comfortable enough to play his guitar in solitude, which was why he'd taken a little 'break' in the middle of his shift to play a bit. It wasn't often that he could find such a perfect opportunity; either he was always working, or there was someone patrolling the area so he couldn't play without someone getting curious about it. Now, though...

Mikayla's tiny eyelashes sputtered open. Hues glanced around the room a moment; forcing her body to roll to one side. Hues then looked upon the door, noticing it was still closed. Lips parted, stretching vertically as far as they could in a long yawn. Lips smacked together afterwards, attempting to moisten her dry sleepy mouth. Sitting up from her bed, she stood upon bare feet. Toes wiggled quickly to gain the strength back in them for the day. Hair was an utter mess; unbrushed, wavy, and sticking in different directions. She paid no mind to this as a hand grasped the knob, twisting it and pulling toward her. Walking through the doorway, she gently pulled the door closed behind her.

Mikayla was adorned in the same dress she had worn for the last few days; a blue corduroy strapped dress hanging just past her knees. Little fake buttons make the straps look similar to that of overalls. Normally she wore a white shirt beneath it but since removing it before slumber the night before, she had never replaced it.

Bare feet carried the child down the long hallway to the main stairs where she descended. Eyes glanced around, seeing people here and there in their own conversations. She chose not to become involved in any of those, she she turned in the opposite direction of them. While walking down the middle of the mall, she looked at the stores with curiosity. Not that she had never done so before, but simply because there was nothing else for the young girl to do. She liked to think something would have changed and she could catch it. Throat began to vibrate gently as she softly hummed along her way. After a moment she decided to swish her hair back and forth with the tune she produced.

While walking near the end of the hallway she thought her little ears began to ring a different tune than she was making. Humming seized as ears began to strain to determine if she was crazy or not. She was not; the sound was far off, but clear enough to know it was music. Lips smeared into a gentle nervous smile. Feet carried her slowly into that direction until she came across a music store. At the store there was a young man picking at a guitar. Lips smeared into a large smile when noticing the male. She continued into the males view where her head bounced from side to side to the beat she had never heard before. Little feet danced upon the floor as well. She giggled slightly, enjoying the music he made.

The notes hung in the air heavily before dissipating, soon replaced by the next ones, and then the ones after those. Christopher wasn't the type to lose himself in his music completely--not because he lacked passion, but because he knew better than to leave himself vulnerable like that--so when little Mikayla came into his field of vision, he stopped playing with an abruptness that left the song hanging heavily in the air, unfinished.

Chris spread his palm over the strings of his guitar to muffle the dying vibrations, looking straight at the girl. Had it been anyone else, the nineteen year old wouldn't have hesitated in rudely dismissing their presence or even snapping a word or two... but this was a child, and contrary to popular belief, he didn't enjoy reducing little girls into sobbing messes. "Wrong direction, kid," He said finally, slipping the guitar strap over his shoulder to signal the end of his little break. He stood up, placing the instrument on the bench lengthwise before grabbing the mop.

---

Punctuality was definitely not one of Adelaide's strong points. She was a bit infamous for being late, actually, something that she cringed to think about but regretfully accepted as a reality she couldn't change. At this point in life, she could only try to be as little late as possible instead of early... but honestly, if anyone was disappointed by her tardiness then it was their fault for expecting too much from her, really.

"Sorry, sorry--" Adelaide dashed into the room, calling out her apologies well in advance as she rounded the corner. "--I made a pit stop for some pillows," she explained breathlessly, waving the two aforementioned objects in the air as peace offerings. "I figured there weren't enough boys to go around, so this was the next best thing." Finally noticing Elsy next to Hazel, Adelaide instantly regretted not 'borrowing' her roommate's pillow after all. Damnit!

"Hey Elsy!" She greeted, walking up to both girls enthusiastically. "How goes it? Ready for some serious waterworks? Here, you can have mine; I'm not much of a crier anyways." She thrust the second pillow at the girl and, without waiting to hear her protests, grabbed a small fistful of popcorn from the bag in Hazel's hand. "You're a blessing, Hazel girl," she said with a happy sigh, popping a kernel in her mouth and chewing it slowly, savoring the taste. Mmmm. "C'mon though, we can't keep Jack waiting!"

Once the melody seized from the guitar, Mikayla paused in a frozen manner; looking quite silly as her arms were stretched out and one leg was lifted in the air. She pouted ever so gently, allowing her arms and legs to return to a normal stance. Head canted as she watched the male, then heard his words. "Wrong direction, kid."Head looked in the direction she came from, eyes watching the hallway for a moment. She returned her focus back to the male and shook her head gently, responding in a soft and slightly squeaky voice.

"Nut uh. You make the pretty music, so I came. I mean to come here."

She smiled, watching him pick up the mop. Mikayla looked around a moment to find a cloth, then dipped it in the bucket to dampen it. She wringed it out and walked over to the nearest item to the male. She began washing it and hummed the tune the male was just plucking out. Her lips were still within a smile, her head bouncing from side to side with the melody she now created. Hair flew in either direction as she did so, creating what looked like a sideways hand-banging; making her hair even more messy than it was before.

All of a sudden, the melody seized from her throat and she let out a gasp. She looked back to the male and smiled a bit larger toward him. The little girl realized she had not introduced herself. There were few to none she had spoken to, but she figured since it was just this guy and her, it would be polite to catch his name.

"I'm Mikayla. What's your name?"

Head was canted to the side, eyes dancing along his face. Her little brain began attempting to decide what a good name was for the male. More or less, she was attempting to guess what it was before he said it. A simple little game, but it entertained her so.

Hazel shook her head fondly, allowing Ade to steal a kernel or two without protest. Sharing was caring, after all. She turned her head back to Elsy. "That sounds interesting. I would share some info about myself, but the Titanic calls." She ushered Elsy to the media area. She took a seat beside Ade, offering her pillow to share. Before popping some popcorn into her mouth, Hazel glanced at Elsy then patted the spot beside her. "Okay, I am mentally prepared to fall in love with Jack. Let's do this! Ade, turn on the movie."

She chewed her popcorn and sipped her soda, with her gray eyes glued to the blank screen. She turned back to the rest of the people that were present in the room. How could she have been so rude? She could practically feel her mother scolding her from Heaven. She waved them over. "Hey, guys," she beamed like the sun. "If you want to watch the movie with us then feel free."



Snow turned in his sleep, groaning and mumbling.

"Run! Sam!" he screamed as he fought off a Crank. He thrust kicked the beast away before turning to the person beside him. "What the hell are you doing here? I said go! I'll hold them off, just get out of here." There stood, a blond hair boy with wide brown eyes and a freckled face. He was shivering with fear on the pavement of the dark parking lot.

"I'm not leaving you!" The boy cried.

"This is not a democracy, Sam. GO!" Snow slammed his shovel against the Cranks head, causing the senseless monster to fall to its death. Another ran towards him, but he held his ground, planting his feet and readying himself to swing.

He heard the cry before he was able to turn his head. "SAM!"

Snow didn't realize that he was really screaming the name until he was on the brink of tears. He shivered in his bed, clutching his sheets as if they were going to save him somehow. His bright eyes were wide and his skin was clammy, but he didn't care. The only thing on his mind was the little blond boy that haunted his dream. "Sam..." he breathed.

Snow's hairs were sticking up at the back of his neck. He closed his eyes when he felt the warmth of Ashley's hand on his clenched one. He didn't want her to see him like this...so vulnerable...weak. Still, he couldn't wipe the dread from his face. He took a deep breath before finally looking at her through the haze of tears. He wasn't crying, but he was damn near close. He held it back though as he let go of the sheets and held onto Ashley's hand.

There was silence for a good minute or two before had the strength to finally speak. "I..." his voice was deep, but shaky. "I remember..." His chest ached and he couldn't stop himself. He cried. Tears flowed down his cheek and hit his sheets. His tears were silent, but they were filled with sorrow. "Sam...he wouldn't listen. I-I told him to run, they were surrounding us. There were about six maybe seven, but they had us cornered...I told him to leave me. He wouldn't listen...wouldn't listen. They got to him. I should have given him a weapon. I should fucking protected him. I-I..." He fell silent, staring blankly at his and Ashley's interlocked hands. His tears were still quietly flowing. "Why am I still alive," he whispered softly. "I should have died that night. Not him. He was just a kid."

Elsy stood waiting patiently for everybody to arrive to the Social Room and get the movie started. Elsy watched as a girl ran into the room saying apologies and mentioning pillows? Elsy curiously watched the girl walk into the room. Elsy suddenly was ambushed with a pillow and she was taken aback that she almost fell over but she steadied herself quickly and she clutched the pillow gratefully, smiling at the girl who had just entered.

She'd seen her around before earlier on in the week but she'd never learned her name... Or wait... She thought hard. Wasn't it Adelaide? Elsy remembered Hazel mentioning her name. Elsy walked with Hazel to the media room and sat down on the ground and she wrapped her arms around the fluffy pillow as she waited for the movie to start. Hazel chatted with Ade and motioned for Elsy to come sit with her so Elsy got up and sat with them. Elsy smiled as they waited for the movie to start.

"... I hate myself," Adelaide said glumly, stuffing a fistful of popcorn into her mouth and chewing morosely. "Why else would I suggest watching Titanic if I didn't hate myself?"

The movie wasn't even finished, yet Adelaide was already in the middle of her waterworks. A small cluster of discarded tissues lay at her feet as a testament to her emotional state right now. "I can't believe Leonardo DiCaprio never won an Oscar," she said mournfully. "Look at him! Look!" She pointed at the screen accusingly, where Jack wooed Rose with his kindness. "Oh my God. He's so perfect. I need a Jack of my own, honestly."

The idea that her commentary would disturb Elsy and Hazel hadn't occurred to her yet. It was a quirk: she tended to comment on everything during a movie, voicing her opinions quite vocally to the annoyance of others. She just couldn't help herself. Many people found it irritating, which was why she usually torrented movies on her laptop and watched them by herself so as not to disturb anyone else... and chances were that the two girls sharing the couch with her right now had learned their lesson, and would never make the same mistake twice.

---

"Nut uh. You make the pretty music, so I came. I mean to come here."

"Haven't you heard about how curiosity killed the cat?"Chris asked impassively, dipping his mop into the soapy water. Did kids like this even exist anymore? It just figured that he'd be stuck under the same roof as the last of the Brady bunch, wouldn't it? He exhaled and brought the mop up again, slapping it onto the floor and pushing it downwards. Wet streaks trailed behind him as he moved steadily towards the right, further and further away from the girl. Kids scared him--they were too fragile, and he never knew what to say or do around them so he just tried to... scare them off, usually.

"I'm Mikayla. What's your name?"

He suppressed a wince. Damn, this one was insistent. "Dean," he lied, moving his mop under the bench to wipe the floor underneath it.

A small young girl toddle-walks through the door of the mall. She looks curiously at all the people here. A man, a girl, a woman, and more women. The girl was talking to the man. The women were talking to each other. The little girl picks up names. Mikayla,Dean, Ade. She keeps walking until she bumps into the other girl. "Haze." Haze says, picking up pieces of the conversation before she came. "I am Haze. You are Mikayla. You said Mikayla."

Elsy smiled as her friends started to cry. Elsy understood it was sad but the tears just weren't coming... Was something wrong with Elsy? No. She'd just experienced things way worse than this... She didn't need to waste her tears on a movie... She had real life problems... Like her father... And her mother... And the cranks... Without knowing Elsy started to cry... But it was okay because Ade and Hazel would assume its from the movie.. But Elsy was crying because she missed her mom... Elsy hoped they wouldn't mind and grabbed a bunch of tissues from their stock pile. She wiped her eyes but the tears wouldn't stop. She began to hiccup and no one cried this much during this movie... "Its just so sad!" she cried hoping they would believe she was crying because of the movie. Elsy didn't want to cry anymore though so she tried to force herself not to cry but it was hard. She wiped her eyes again. Her vision was blurry from the tears and she could barely see. Soon her breathing began to slow and she became slightly calmer. She hiccuped every now and then but it was better. "I wish I had a guy like that..." she gave her friends a smile. "This is fun... We should do this more often." she said.

As Elsy continued to watch the movie, it got more depressing. Elsy almost couldn't help it. She looked over to her friends who were sitting on the couch. "I'm going to go for a walk." She whispered as she got up. She didn't feel particularly well leaving her friends but she needed a walk.. And after her breakdown, she didn't think it was best to continue watching the tragic movie. She walked out of the social area and down the hall. She still had no idea where she was headed... But anywhere from that sob fest in the social area. She decided to go to the food court... She needed some fresh air... But that couldn't happen since the cranks were out there... So the food court would probably have windows so that was the next big thing... A window. She could just imagine she was outside... And she blushed, thinking of how crazy she sounded.

Elsy finally made it to the food court. Old Stands were getting dusty from not being used. She carefully went through the maze of tables and stands and made it to the far end of the food court and sure enough there were windows. She looked outside and gasped. The street was deserted, the sky a purple, predicting a coming storm. Elsy sighed.. She missed the sunny days that her mother would take her to the outdoor pool. But those days were long behind her. Elsy felt like she'd cry. But no. She was better than this.

"Haven't you heard about how curiosity killed the cat?"

She pouted ever so slightly at that, shaking her head. " No." Her tiny voice seemed rather upset , but she quickly changed moods when he returned to mopping. She took the rag in hand and began to follow behind him. Not that she was ever in the way, but she was close enough to watch the mop swish along the floor, as if attempting to learn from it.

Lips spread into a quick smile when he stated his name. "Dean." he said. She thought a moment and chuckled. " You don't look like a Dean, but that's okay because I don't look like a Mikayla. " Again she chuckled. Then she decided to press further. " What are you doin' way over here?" Head canted in question.

Mikayla decided to use the rag and pretend to wipe at the wall nearest Him, that way she could still talk and listen, but look useful. It made her proud to think she was being useful, even if she was just pretending.

Haze frowned when the girl wouldn't pay attention to her. Haze walks to the man, the one named Dean. Haze pulls on his shirt. "Daddy?" Haze says curiously. "Dean! Listen! I need food!" She says, her belly rumbling. "Listen now, please, someone! I am Haze and I just came. I did not eat for a day! Please help!"Haze looks at the people around her to see if they heard. "Please." Haze whispers. Haze sits on the ground. All this walking was hard. She stares at the place where her mom bit her pinky finger off. It has dried blood on it and a hard scab is forming. "I just want food." She says softly.

"Why do the good die young?" Ade mumbled something unintelligible in agreement, grabbing another tissue and nearly honking into it as she blew her nose. God damn, why had she suggested the Titanic? "I hate myself," she muttered glumly, watching the TV screen with red rimmed eyes.

"I wish I had a guy like that..." She glanced over at Elsy, offering her the half-empty bowl of popcorn. "Face it, Else. Guys like Jack just don't exist anymore... at least not in this mall. All the good ones probably got eaten up." And then she winced, realizing how harsh that probably sounded. Yeah, that was the last thing they needed--a reminder that the world outside their little fortress was filled with zombie cannibals. Nice going, Ade, she thought to herself.

When Elsy stood up to leave, Adelaide opened her mouth to apologize, thinking it had been her remarks that had driven away the girl, but Elsy was too fast. "Rats," Ade sighed, slumping back against her pillows and looking over at Hazel. "Was it something I said?"

---

Chris pushed the mop more aggressively than he probably needed to. Frick. She wasn't going to give up, was she? "Persistent little kid," he muttered under his breath, lifting the mop and dunking it back into the soapy solution. He watched as Mikayla began washing the walls with that rag. A part of him wanted to point out that she'd missed like a hundred spots in her little attempt... but she was just a kid, so he sighed and walked over, plucking the dirty clock from her small hands. "Go sit on the bench," he ordered. Kids weren't supposed to do chores like this--clean up their room and put away their toys, yeah, but not clean like an adult.

He went back to his own mop, straining the stings and then slapping it back on the patterned floor. He hadn't taken but three steps when another little brat wandered in, startling him enough to make him lose his grip on the handle. He caught it just before it hit the ground, and then whirled around in exasperation. Yeah, he'd always been popular with girls (against his will) but this was just ridiculous. He'd be known as a cradle robber if this continued!

"What?" He snapped irritably, watching Haze wearily as she approached.--but then she called him "Daddy" and he just about facepalmed. He was not cut out to babysit. "I'm not your dad, kid," he clarified, resuming his chore of moving the wet mop across the floor. "You're gonna need to go to the foodcourt for food" he said impatiently, "or ask Hazel."

Obviously the girl was too young to navigate around the mall without help, but there was no way Chris was going to play 'follow the leader'. But then something occurred to him and he turned around to look at Mikayla--she was old enough to know her way around, right? "Hey kid," he called. "Make yourself useful and take her to Hazel, would you?"

Haze looks at Mikayla. "You take me? That is okay." Haze, shorter than Mikayla, grabs her hand. "You get food? I want... fries. You have fries here? If you don't I can eat other things. My name is Haze. I do not know you, but I know we are going to Hazel." Haze says, slightly emphasizing the E in Hazel. "Let's go get eats, and on the way, tell me your name!" She say gleefully.