I led Rosalie to one of the major department stores, hoping to find a change of clothes for her. The first floor was filled with men's clothing, so we had to ride the escalator to the second floor. Rosalie rode it the intended way — climbing it as it moved. I let out a small sigh and followed her. No rest for my legs.

  We reached the second floor, where she immediately sauntered off to the business section. She seemed interested in a gray pencil dress, an orange blouse with puffy sleeves, and a pair of khaki pants. Not spending much time looking at them, she grabbed all three before moving to the next section. I quickly ran across the store to grab a cart for her. By the time I returned, she was already holding ten items.

  “Thank you.” She placed them in the cart. I wonder if she’d let me shop… “This should be sufficient.”

  “Don’t you want to try them on?” I asked.

  “If these clothes are meant to help me blend in, then my personal taste won’t matter.”

  “What about size? Are you sure they’ll fit—”

  “They’ll fit.” She narrowed her eyes at me, and I instantly backed away.

  Rosalie paid for everything, getting a few curious stares by both the cashiers and customers. I could've sworn I heard someone mutter about cosplaying in public, and how they didn't recognize the character. We really needed to do something about her ears. Sylvis must have given her a credit card, or maybe she magicked her own! After taking her rather large bag of items, she sprinted across the mall. Where was she going now?! And how could she move that fast holding so many clothes?!

  “Slow down!” I pleaded. I eventually lost sight of her with how many people there were. Who knew it would be super easy to lose track of a girl with bright lilac-colored hair...

  I sighed and sat on one of the benches next to the wall. I pulled out my phone to see if I had gotten any calls while we were shopping. I had left my phone on max volume to ensure I could hear, but maybe I’d missed it.

  No calls.

  My finger hovered above the keypad as I debated calling my dad. I had his phone number memorized, so there was nothing stopping me.

  Nothing except my fear and a lie.

  What would I even tell him? How would I explain why I had disappeared for two months and suddenly ended up in New York? No, I’d just make him worry more.

  Maybe a text? I could tell him that I was all right and immediately block his number.

  No, that would be even crueler.

  A text popped up above the screen.

  Aidan: hello? what’d thos?

  Oh, he figured out how to text.

  Ella: They’re texts. We can send messages to each other to read later in case we can’t talk. Or if you need to relay a quick message or ask a question.

  Finn: Ella says they’re texts.

  Ella: I just said that…

  Maverick: Stop making my ass vibrate every few seconds.

  Ella: Stop making me nauseous every ten seconds.

  Finn: Oh, she just said that.

  Aidan: this is si cool?

  Ella: How did you disable autocorrect? The thing that automatically corrects your words.

  Zephyr: Should we be worried about data?

  Aidan: i dont kbow!

  Ella: We have unlimited. We can text as much as we want.

  Finn: Stop complaining, Maverick, or I’ll make your ass do more than vibrate.

  Maverick: I haven’t complained in five minutes.

  Ella: I think that’s a new record.

  The texting stopped for a while before another message suddenly appeared.

  Finn: Sorry, I’m a slow typer.

  That was an understatement.

  I started walking around, hoping to find one of them. I mentally slapped myself for not installing an app that tracked location. I’d have to do that once we get home.

  Home…

  It certainly was weird sharing a home with four guys. Would Rosalie be joining us? My room wasn’t big enough to fit another bed, and I didn't swing her way. Not that she’d want to be with me anyway.

  I walked past one of those hobby stores that sold board games, figures, and the like, and caught a tuft of blond hair and a red hoodie. I instantly darted in and poked Aidan in the shoulder. He looked up at me, a board game in his hands.

  “M-my sister and I played games like this back home. I-I’m surprised your wor— uh, I’m surprised you guys have these here. I thought everything became digital—is that what it’s called?” he asked; a sheepish smile appeared on his face when he caught his mistake.

  I nodded. “Not everything is digital. Board games will stick around—I hope. Want to get it?” I pointed to the box and smiled. Maybe this would help him feel more at home. He was here by choice, but I imagined it would take a while for him to adjust.

  He nodded quickly and stacked another game on top. I guess he wanted that one too.

  There was just one thing we were forgetting.

  Ella: Hey Maverick, send the sixteen numbers on the front of your credit card, the four numbers next to that, and the three on the back.

  Maverick: What’s my middle name?

  Ella: Huh?

  Maverick: I have to make sure it’s really you. There are a lot of scammers going around lately. You should be more careful, Ella.

  Ella: You don’t have a middle name!

  I got a text directly from Maverick rather than in the group chat. It made me wonder how Aidan figured out how group chats work on his own.

  Maverick: Correct 4583721359044481224456

  Ella: I can’t read it when it’s all scrambled up like that…

  Maverick: It’s in the order you asked.

  I sighed loudly and rolled my eyes as I typed the information into Apple Pay. One swipe of my phone later, the board games were ours.

  Conveniently, next door was a video game store. I dragged Aidan by the cuff of his sleeve, his attention focused on the pretzel stand, causing him to practically trip over his own two feet.

  "We got some games for you, now we get games for me." I shoved him into the game store and narrowly caught the board game that launched forward with him, before patting him on the head.

  He looked around for a bit, not bothering to move much after stepping foot in the store. He seemed to have already made up his mind that he was bored.

  Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

  I quickly grabbed the handheld console hybrid I had come to know and love, along with a few games I figured the boys might like to play with me. I know Finn had expressed interest in playing before, and I imagine it wouldn’t be hard to convince Aidan.

  I finished checking out and noticed Aidan eyeing some of the plushes and T-shirts. The one he was staring at read: This is a meme, broham. Weird. Probably another AI-generated shirt.

  “Ready?” I asked.

  That seemed to startle him. He quickly nodded and followed me out of the store. Totally didn’t make him carry my purchases, nope. The boy needed muscle anyway. He won’t be able to rely on magic here.

  Next up was... Well, I was getting a bit hungry. We hadn't eaten breakfast since Rosalie practically stared me into the kitchen. Maybe a snack would be helpful. The food court was right in front of us. Of course, it's just me and Aidan, meaning the others would have to starve, but— Wait, wasn't that Finn? And what was he doing eating fries?!

  “How did you buy the fries?” I asked, taking a seat in front of him and helping Aidan unload our stuff on the table, nearly knocking his fries over. Finn quickly swiped them away, using his hands instead of magic, which I was grateful for.

  “I didn’t. Can you believe people throw away perfectly good food?” Finn’s eyes widened at me.

  “You got that from the trash?!” I stood up, knocking my chair backwards.

  “Well, it wasn’t really in the trash…” He trailed off, scratching the back of his head. “I was hungry and Maverick didn’t give us any money—” He paused, glancing at Aidan’s and my many games. Aidan had started peeling the wrapper off one of the board games. I hope he wasn’t planning on setting that up here… “Maverick didn’t send his magical money numbers in the group chat. Speaking of, I hate that thing. Can’t read your guys’ minds, and it takes forever to type.”

  Nerd.

  He crossed his arms. “Anyway, I was hungry and broke. So I may have turned myself invisible and snuck into the kitchen. That’s where I saw them collecting the fries in a container, and I read their minds’ that they were going to throw them out, so I figured what’s the difference if they ended up in my stomach?”

  “Fair enough.” I sighed. Please tell me nobody saw you using magic.

  “Gee, I’m more careful than that.” He frowned at me.

  A tiny blue man landed in front of me. Aidan had started setting up the board game.

  “Don’t do that now, you’re going to lose the pieces.” I turned to Aidan. He was playing with the red and yellow pieces, making them bounce around the board. I couldn’t help but smile and shake my head. It was the little things in life that seemed to make him happy.

  I pulled out my phone and started texting in the group chat again. I hadn’t come across Zephyr or Maverick, and I had no idea where Rosalie dashed off to in such a hurry.

  I turned off the phone and sighed. These guys were causing me more stress than they were worth.

  I took this moment to look around and try to get an idea of where in the mall we were. Definitely somewhere in the middle. There was a pottery shop, jewelry store, and… Oh! A bookstore!

  “Wait here,” I demanded. “If you so much as move an inch, I’ll set both of you on fire when I return. Trust me—I’ll be angry enough.”

  Both nodded their heads stiffly. Good. I scared them into submission.

  “Find anything good?” I asked, breaking Zephyr's gaze from the book in his hands so he could look at me.

  “I think I found the book you were talking about.” He smiled at me and held up the cover for me to see. Sure enough, it was it.

  I nodded. “Are you going to buy it?”

  “If I had money.”

  “Oh, I have money.” I smirked, thinking about Maverick’s credit card. I’m sure this is exactly what Sylvis had in mind when she gave it to him. Books and games, and not French fries.

  Zephyr nodded in acknowledgement, and we walked to check out the book. I hoped Maverick wasn't getting a notification for every purchase. He didn't have his card set up on his phone as far as I knew, so that should have been impossible. I could just picture the look on his face after every purchase.

  While standing in line, I briefly considered getting myself a book to read alongside Zephyr. Would that help him feel more at home? These boys had welcomed me so willingly into their home (minus Maverick) that I felt it was only right to do the same. I glanced at the list of recommendations for the month: Shattered Lives, Selfish, and Unbroken. Don’t those all sound depressing. …Maybe we could bond in the kitchen.

  Once we were set, I led him back to the food court, where Aidan had apparently properly set up the game. He was playing with Finn.

  “You know it’s not winning if you read my mind,” Aidan mumbled.

  “You know I don’t get a choice in whose mind I get to read,” Finn replied as he moved his piece forward. “Just don’t think about your next move.”

  Aidan scrunched his eyebrows and squinted at the board, moving his piece forward.

  “…That’s against the rules.”

  “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking about the rules.” Aidan pouted before moving his piece back to where it originally was.

  Zephyr pulled out a seat next to the two and began reading his book. I gently tapped his shoulder. “Watch them,” I ordered, and motioned with my head to the other two boys. Finn faked a frown, and I took off in search of Maverick. Realizing he could be anywhere, I decided to call him.

  “Where are you?” I asked.

  “Wouldn’t you like to know?” I could practically hear him smirk through the phone.

  “We’re waiting for you at the food court. Are you nearby?”

  “Maybe. Maybe not.”

  He was really driving me crazy. My hands began burning up, and I realized my left hand had started creating embers. My right hand, which was holding the phone, seemed to remain unaffected, outside of the unusual warmth.

  “You’re making me cause a scene,” I replied, hoping he’d get the picture.

  “Oh? And how am I doing that?” He chuckled lowly.

  “Just tell me where you are!” I shouted into the phone that I was now holding out in front of me.

  “Turn around.”

  I did as he said and noticed him standing in the doorway of an outdoor supplies store.

  I had completely passed him up in my rage.

  “Buy anything?” I asked sharply, my arms crossed.

  “No. Just looked around. Where’s Rosalie?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. She ditched me!”

  “First time?” He smirked, and I had a feeling he was alluding to his breakup.

  “We can’t exactly leave without her. Maybe we should call her?”

  “You do it. If she sees it’s me, she won’t answer.” He leaned his back against the window, earning the ire of an employee. He didn’t seem to care, and the employee continued his muffled shouts while repeatedly wiping the window with a cloth, right behind Maverick's back.

  “Fine.” I pulled out my phone again and dialed Rosalie’s number.

  Why was I so nervous? It was just Rosalie...

  She answered, and my eyes widened when I heard where she was before even asking.

  I grabbed the cuff of Maverick’s jacket and dashed off in the direction of the food court. Just as I had expected, she was there with the others. She had also joined Aidan and Finn in their board game. Zephyr also seemed to be playing—moving his piece in between paragraphs.

  “Ella! Join us!” Finn beamed at me. There was only one piece left, meaning it was between me and Maverick.

  “Didn’t you know? Black’s my color.” Maverick said, snatching the piece before I had the chance.

  Finn stood up, the motion knocking several pieces over. Rosalie scrambled to collect all the pieces and put them back in place.

  “I didn’t ask you.” Finn narrowed his eyes at the jerk.

  “And I didn’t ask you to come here.” Maverick studied the board game piece balanced between his thumb and index finger.

  Finn clenched his fists as he had done so many times since arriving here. “How about at least letting her answer before taking her place? It’s the least you can do after what you’ve done to her.”

  “H-huh?” My hands immediately iced over, and the only quick solution was to hide them under the table. Aidan noticed and took off his hoodie, wrapping it around my hands. Underneath, he wore a plain white T-shirt, which I don't think I had ever seen before.

  “And just what have I done to her?” Maverick smirked with amusement. There was something in his voice—sincere curiosity. He didn’t seem to be bluffing.

  Finn released his clenched fists before sitting back down. “Never mind,” he mumbled.

  Maverick remained wary for a moment before also taking a seat. With everyone calm again, I decided to ask for their phones. They handed them over unquestioningly, except for Maverick.

  “Why?” He asked.

  “Just do it.” I held my hand out, eagerly awaiting his phone.

  “Tell me first.”

  “You don’t have to be an ass every time someone asks you to do something.” Rosalie snatched the phone from Maverick and handed it to me.

  “You better not be doing anything funny with it,” he warned me.

  “Yeah, yeah.” I rolled my eyes.

  I quickly started downloading a tracking app on everyone’s phones and uploaded our locations. I then downloaded another app on Maverick’s phone specifically to hide the app. I sure hoped he didn’t have any interest in podcasts. I also hoped he wouldn't try to delete it.

  I looked up at the table while getting everything set up and saw Finn making over-exaggerated frowns at me. Haha. Very funny.

  “Where did you go earlier?” I decided to ask Rosalie after finishing everything on the phones.

  “I went to place the clothes in the car so we wouldn’t have to carry them around. Was that not appropriate behavior here?” she asked, moving her piece across the board.

  “…No, that’s fine. You could’ve told me first.” I sighed. I should have known.

  “Hm. I will remember this next time. Though I don’t imagine we will be clothes shopping together again. Perhaps we should. You could use some new attire. Sylvis has….interesting taste.”

  I blinked before looking down at my outfit that I was quite fond of. Admittedly, I would need more clothes eventually. And a purse. And some shoes…. And…

  “I’ll take you!” Finn beamed at me before grabbing my hand and pulling me in the direction of one of the large department stores.

  “H-huh?!”