“Woah…” Mira looked around in wonder at the food court inside the shopping centre, her eyes sparkling. “So this is the market…”

“What do you think?” Emily placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her from wandering off into the crowd.

“So many people…”

Most people can’t see her, right? I wonder if we look weird, talking to someone invisible…

“Do you know what you want?”

Emily and I turned around to face Melissa, pulling Mira along with us.

“I do!” Emily exclaimed, her dress puffing out slightly as her tail wagged back and forth.

“I’ll… just follow you and find something.” I’m really hungry since I skipped lunch, but I still don’t quite know what my limits are. I don’t wanna make myself sick before we go shopping.

“Alright, here.” Melissa handed out a few banknotes, giving us enough money to cover for our meals.

“I-it’s fine, I can pay for my own food.” I held my arms up, trying to refuse the money she was holding out.

She’s already said on the way here that she was going to pay for the furniture… It’s a little awkward, having her spend so much money on me.

 

During our conversation in her car on the way to the shops, I had tried to refuse her offer, but she wouldn’t budge.

“Think of it this way, then. I’m buying furniture for the house,” she had said.

“But still…”

“Look, just give it up,” Emily interjected, twisting around to face me from the front seat.

“Alright…”

“...Honestly though,” she continued, “if I had it my way, you’d be part of our family, rather than just a house guest.”

...Family?

“Now now, there’s rather a lot of legal issues with that.”

My thoughts were elsewhere as I stared out of the window, only half listening to the conversation between Melissa and Emily.

“Yeah, but… think about it. She’s essentially been disowned, so can’t we adopt her, or something?”

“Look, let’s leave that sort of thing until after we’ve sorted out her documents, okay?”

“Okay…”

 

“Flora?”

Emily’s voice snapped me out of my reminiscence.

“Huh?”

“Just take it, okay? My treat.”

I gave in, receiving the money from Melissa and stashing it in my pocket.

“Alright then, let’s go.” Emily grabbed my hand, pulling me along with her towards the fast food vendors. Mira ducked along behind me, trying to not get lost in the crowd.

Is she… phasing through people? No, not quite… if people can’t see her, then they won’t make room for her in the crowd…

As my mind wandered off towards the technicalities of Mira’s spirit nature, we arrived at the end of one of the lines for fast food.

“Do you know what you want?” Emily asked, turning towards me.

“No, not yet…”

“Um,” Mira tugged on my shirt, “could you get me something too, please?”

“Sure, what do you want?”

She stared up towards the screens, squinting her eyes as she tried to decipher the menu.

“Umm… just something to drink, please?”

“Sure. Do you know what flavour?”

“Uhh,” Mira looked back and forth between me and the cashier that we were getting ever closer to, a little bit of panic in her eyes. “Just pick something for me, please!”

I wonder if there are fizzy drinks in her original world…

“Hi, may I take your order?”

Wait, we’re at the front of the line already? I haven’t decided yet!

 

*****

 

“Are you sure you want to eat all that?”

Emily turned to me as we walked around, watching me miserably carry a tray loaded with way more food than I could handle.

I panicked, okay? I didn’t decide in time, so I just ended up getting what used to be my usual meal…

“I’ll be fine…”

We found a free table, placing our trays down on it and taking a seat. Handing Mira’s drink over to her, I unpacked my meal, staring at the large, multi-layer hamburger that sat in front of me.

This is too much… I could just barely eat all of it before, and my stomach is definitely smaller now, so…

“Want to trade?” Emily held out her significantly smaller burger towards me.

“...Yes please.”

 

“What is this?!”

Mira sat shaking in her chair, glancing between her stomach and the drink in her hands.

“It feels… weird.”

Emily looked up from her food towards Mira, covering her mouth with her hand in an attempt to suppress a giggle.

“It’s good, though… I can’t stop drinking it!”

“What’s going on?” Melissa asked, setting a plastic plate with her own food down on the table and sitting next to Emily.

“Mira’s having her first experience with a fizzy drink.”

Mira coughed and sputtered as she tried to drink more of the fizz.

“Not too fast,” I said, patting her back as she tried to regain her breath. “Take it slowly.”

“I-I got it. Slowly.”

 

“Are you okay?”

I’m completely full.

My tray was still half filled with food, but I had slowed to a crawl, only able to manage a few more chips.

If I eat any more, I think I’m gonna be sick!

“What should I do with the rest of it?” I asked, glancing up towards Emily’s completely empty tray.

“Do you want any more?”

“No, I’m… completely stuffed full.”

I really can’t handle anywhere near as much food as before…

“...Can I have the rest of it?” Emily asked timidly, the back of her hood twitching slightly as her ears wiggled, trapped inside it.

“Sure.”

“Sweet!” She reached across for my tray, stacking it on top of hers and rapidly wolfing down all of the leftover food.

...Now I’m worried about her being sick! Although, she was fine before, when she skipped lunch…

Her tail thumped against the side of the chair as she finished the rest of the food, leaning back with a satisfied look on her face as she reached up to cover a burp.

Did she say that her sense of smell got better? I know her hearing improved, and she talked about how good dinner smelled a few days ago, so it wouldn’t surprise me if it did.

I glanced around the food court, taking in all the sights and sounds. The nearby tables were all occupied, filled with families, co-workers, and people of various ages eating and talking.

It’s a Friday night, so it’s really crowded here. Plus, since we’re in the middle of the food court, all the different smells of food are mingling together. Is she alright?

Turning back towards Emily, I watched her chatting animatedly with her mother and Mira.

She seems fine… no, I think her shoulders are a little tense. And she’s starting to slow down a bit. We should probably leave soon, before it gets any louder.

I stood up, scooting my chair back slightly to get everyone’s attention. Emily flinched slightly at the sound.

“Should we go?”

She brightened up at my suggestion, deftly picking up our empty trays as she stood up.

“Are you two done? I’ll take our rubbish to the bin.”

“Yep, thanks.” Melissa slid her plastic plate on top of the trays, before looping her arm through the strap of her bag and lifting herself upright. Mira followed suit soon after, reluctantly placing her empty cup on the tray as well. A small amount of steam was emerging from the top of her head.

She did try to eat the ice, before… and she’s a fire spirit. Should I have gotten her something that wasn’t as cold?

Emily quickly walked off towards the bins, weaving through the crowd as she carried the tray.

 

“Shall we head out, then?” Melissa asked, pushing her chair in as Emily arrived back at the table.

“Ah, um,” Mira spoke up, suddenly, “I’m… gonna head off here. I wanted to go exploring a little.”

“Will you be alright?” A concerned look sprung onto Melissa’s face as she looked at the small red-headed girl in front of her.

“Mum, she’s a spirit.” Emily hopped around the table, standing behind Mira and placing her hands on her shoulders. “No one else can see her.”

“How long will you be gone?” I asked. I… think I’ll actually miss her a bit, while she’s out exploring. It’s been nice having her and Aeriel around, as embarrassing as it is to constantly be called “Queen”!

“I don’t know.” She ducked down, twisting her body slightly to escape Emily grasp, before rushing forwards and hugging me. “Don’t worry about me getting lost, though. I’d be able to find you anywhere, Queen.”

I quickly turned away, my face red.

 

After a few moments of clinging to me, she detached herself, taking a few steps away.

“I’ll… see you in a few days, then,” she said, waving to us.

“See ya.”

“Bye, Mira. Stay safe.”

I stayed silent, watching Mira as she launched into a graceful flight, gliding over the crowds and moving deeper into the shopping centre.

She’ll be fine… right? What if someone… who am I kidding, no one else can see her.

“That looks so surreal.” Melissa glanced around at the crowd of people in the food court, none of whom had reacted to Mira suddenly taking flight.

“I know, right? She just looks, like… normal, so you kinda forget that we're the only ones who can see her.”

Emily fiddled around with her clothes, reaching inside her hoodie to adjust her ears.

“Still,” she continued, “she’s a spirit. She can take care of herself. I don’t think we need to worry about her.”

 

We were here for quite a while. How long is it until the shop closes?

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I flipped the screen open to check the time.

7PM…

“We should probably get going,” I said, holding my phone up to show them the time. “Doesn’t the store close at 9?”

“Let’s go then.” Melissa lifted her bag strap further up her shoulder, glancing back at the table we were just sitting at before. “Have either of you forgotten anything?”

Emily and I patted our pockets in sync, checking to make sure we had everything.

“Nope.”

“Don’t think so.”

“Alright then. Let’s go.”

 

*****

 

As we walked along to the furniture store, I dropped back a little, tugging on Emily’s sleeve.

“Hmm? What’s up?” She slowed her walking pace to match mine, standing next to me.

“How are you holding up?” I asked.

“What do you mean?”

“It was really loud back there.”

She flinched slightly as I spoke.

“I thought, since your hearing is a lot better now, that it might've been unpleasant.”

Emily averted eye contact, her face turning slightly pale.

“Y-you noticed?”

“You were really tense during dinner, and you were talking a lot more than usual, like you were trying to distract yourself or something, so I thought…”

She slumped her shoulders, reaching up inside her hood to scratch her head.

“Honestly… yeah, it was crazy loud in there. I’m glad we’ve left, ‘cause it’s so much quieter here.”

“You could have said something if it was painful.”

“I know, but…” She looked down as we walked along, staring at the ground with a sullen expression. “I didn’t want to ruin the mood. It was meant to be, like, a welcome party for you.”

“That doesn’t matter.” Glancing up, I saw that we had nearly reached the furniture store. “If you’re in actual pain, that takes priority over some party.”

“I guess…”

She probably can’t do a lot of the things she used to, now that her hearing is so much more sensitive. Concerts, crowded parties, anything that’s too noisy…

“Flora,” Melissa called out as we entered the shop, “do you know what you need?”

“Huh? Um.” I rushed forward, catching up to and standing next to her. “I… think I need a chair for that desk that's in my room, and somewhere to put my clothes. That’s all.”

“Alright, then, let’s go and pick them out.”

 

We spent the next hour or so browsing through the various pieces of furniture sprawled throughout the store. Emily rushed forward as we arrived at the couches, quickly sitting down in one, before yelping and leaping back upright.

“Ow…”

She sounded a little miserable as she walked behind us, gently rubbing her lower back as she tried to ease the pain of sitting on her tail. Melissa dropped back slightly, leaving me to browse through the desk chairs as she made sure that Emily was okay.

 

“This one works.” I fiddled around with the chair I was sitting on, trying to find the tag.

Not too expensive, too…

“You happy with that?” Melissa pulled out a notebook and pen, writing down the name of the chair as I held the tag out towards her.

“Yep. It’s comfy, and it should fit with that desk.”

“What else do we need… You’ve already got a desk... we've got a chair, and a chest of drawers…”

“How about a mirror?” Emily asked, standing on the balls of her feet as she peered at Melissa’s notebook.

Wait, a mirror?

“That’s true. You need a mirror so you can check your clothes, or in case you want to tie your hair up.”

“Do I really need one?” I asked, hesitant to go to the section of the store that had the mirrors.

“Yes, you do,” Emily insisted. “You don’t want to mess up your clothes somewhere, right?”

I know, but…

Emily grabbed my hand, dragging me along towards the mirrors as I tried to resist.

“Wait-”

I’m still not used to seeing myself!

Pulling me in front of a full-length mirror, she stood behind me, grabbing my shoulders so that I couldn’t escape.

“Something like this would work fine, right?”

I stubbornly turned my head away, trying to find somewhere I could look where I wouldn’t see my reflection.

“Hey, Flora.” Emily rested her chin on my shoulder for a moment, before pulling away. “While you were asleep, I… asked Zoey about the conversation you two had earlier today.”

I stiffened, recalling the way I had unloaded all of my worries onto her.

“She didn’t tell me much, but… she said that you were having a bit of a rough time, mentally dealing with everything. I… I’m here for you, if you need to talk about it.”

Reluctantly, I looked forward into the mirror, taking in the image of Emily and I reflected inside it.

...I just need to get used to it. I’m fine with the whole… “being a girl” thing, it’s just… weird, seeing myself in the mirror now. It still doesn’t quite feel like it’s "me".

Honestly, though… isn’t Emily having it just as bad? She has to hide her ears and tail, as well as dealing with… 

“What about-” As I ducked out of Emily’s grasp, spinning around to face her directly, I was interrupted by Melissa catching up with us.

“Did you find a good mirror?”

“Oh, um… yes.” This one is fine, right?

“Cool. It’s getting pretty late, so we need to wrap this up before the store closes.” She reached into her pocket, pulling out the notepad from earlier and writing down the name of the mirror.

I missed my chance… It feels like she’s spent so much time recently fussing over me. I’m worried that she isn’t focusing on herself enough.

“I don’t think all of this will fit in the car, so we’ll get it delivered. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait too long.”

Both her and Zoey have it rough, too, but they’re still setting aside time for me…

“Flora?” Emily grabbed my shoulders, startling me slightly as she gently shook me from side to side.

“...huh?”

“We’ll…” Emily turned to Melissa, who was just about to reach the checkouts. “We’ll wait outside for you.”

 

“You alright?”

We leaned against the wall just outside of the furniture store, glancing around at the shopping centre, slowly emptying as people began to head home for the night.

“Yeah… I’m fine,” I replied, fiddling with my hair absent-mindedly. I'm just worried about you and Zoey... though if I said that to either of you directly, you'd just tell me to focus on myself.

Actually, come to think of it…

“By the way, where is Zoey?”

She was there before I went to sleep, so she must’ve gone home. I thought Emily would’ve tried to invite her to come with us, or something.

“Oh, she went home.” Emily reached her right hand up inside her hood, scratching her fox ears.

“Did she have something to do?”

“She said that she wanted to talk to her parents about how she turned into a fairy.”