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                                                              CHAPTER 12:

                         "Shopping is really complicated if you are a girl."

                                                            ― Helen Salter

A FEW DAYS later, Helene was bored out of her mind. She needed to go out and explore. She was idling around when she was hit with the most amazing idea of all time.

Stepping out of the castle with Cas, Helene bit her tongue from the excitement. "We're going shopping!" she squealed.

Cas looked in her direction, wiping his sweaty palms on the front of his pants. "Woohoo," he said blandly.

She ignored him. He wasn't going to ruin her day with his useless talking and jokes. She was going out to buy some important things, starting off with a new phone. She would need it for the trip coming up closer and closer with every passing day. Helene was excited to be going on a top secret mission, specifically given from the Queen and King themselves.

"What do you want to buy first?" she asked nicely. These days, she was trying her best to be the nicest person ever, even if it seemed fake. When she had first started, Cas stared at her as if she had gone mad. She acted as if she had no idea what he was talking about.

"How about some ice cream?" he drawled tightly as if the mere word 'shopping' bothered him.

Helene glared at him. "Did you say a new phone for Helene? Good idea. Let's go to the main square."

He glared right back. "I miss old you."

"You like me? That's very sweet." She gave him an innocent smile.

He didn't reply and instead waved his hand, asking her to lead the way. Triumphantly, she walked down the sidewalk, glancing around on both sides to make sure no cars were coming before crossing the road, a very grumpy Cas behind her.

She had told Cas that she was going on a walk, and had asked if he wanted to join. He had said yes, never missing a moment to hang out with her. As soon as they were outside, Helene had broken the news to him. In the beginning, he was going to leave, but Helene had managed to coax him to stay, calling him a pussy many times before he agreed.

"I'm hot," he muttered in a very flat voice.

Helene waved her fingers at him. "Blah blah blah."

He scowled adorably. Helene squeezed his cheeks.

"You're so cute!" she laughed.

He peered up at her through his lashes. "I'm handsome, not cute."

"Whatever," she shrugged, feeling very happy.

The malls appeared ahead, bulletin boards hung up with bright advertisements stuck tightly together. Cars whizzed past, honking at the slower ones to hurry. Helene squinted at the names of the malls, searching for any shops or stores selling electronics. The place buzzed with bodies, moving about, holding large shopping bags. A large cluster of girls walked by, giggling and laughing as one applied dark lipstick to her bottom lip, all the while looking inside her hot pink phone.

Helene mentally gagged.

"There's one over there," Cas pointed with his right index finger, shaking it in the direction of a freshly yellow painted store. On the top of it hung a large bulletin board that said '50% PERCENT OFF ON ELECTRONICS' and beneath it with bold red letters it said, 'BUY NOW.' Helene looked at him in surprise.

"Okay. Let's go there."

They pushed passed a large mass of bodies, trying to reach the shop which was in the distance, a few feet away. Helene pushed back a lock of golden hair behind her ear and pushed open the door.

Cas held in his breath as they walked in and Helene heard him let it out when they were a few feet away from the entrance. She scratched her hand nervously, excited to get herself another new phone.

"You'll have fun," she reassured him quietly.

He gave her a look. "While searching for a phone for Helene? How fun."

"We'll get ice cream after." She gave him the brightest smile she could muster.

He gave her another look. "How exciting."

"And go watch a movie. Your pick."

His eyes glistened at that.

Helene flipped her hair back, walking to the stand of phones displayed and added, "That is after we go shopping for some clothes, a little something for our family back home. Oh and if you want to get anything, feel free because today is shopping day."

The previous glisten in his eye vanished. "I hate you so much right now."

Helene smiled at him. "Whoops?"

They made their way around the display stand as Helene examined every phone, picking it up and reading all the labels. They were written neatly and in order, talking about the many characteristics each phone had. She flipped them around, thinking and pondering over which one to buy. Cas had disappeared a long time ago, walking away like a ghost with his silent footsteps. Helene had pretended not to hear him walk away, and acted as if she was engrossed in reading the labels on the boxes.

Finally, after what seemed like ages of standing, walking and asking for loads of help, Helene lined up behind the counter after finding Cas in the endless shop.

He had been sulking, holding his favorite video game in his hand. "I want this," he had muttered, then grabbed another one off the shelf. "This one too."

"Sure, let's go," Helene had replied.

Then there they were Helene, paying for the phone and the two DVD's Cas badly wanted. He didn't say anything when she whipped the DVD's out of his hand and paid for them.

They walked out of the store, Helene holding the bag and Cas trudging after her with his hands in his pockets. Normally, Helene would have snapped at him and told him to stop acting like a pussy. But this time, Helene used his sulkiness and powered it into her niceness. She used it to her advantage.

They crossed the road alongside the other pedestrians, Helene swinging the bag and Cas walking behind her. As she was about to turn the corner, she bumped into a dark hooded figure who was trying to pass her in a hurry. Ignoring him, they finally arrived near the more shopping area, making Helene turn around and Cas halt in his footsteps.

"Okay, stop. You don't get to sulk like that. We are going to go shopping and you have to be as happy as possible. I'm trying to be nice and therefore you must try to be happy. Deal?"

He studied her for a long time, both of them standing on the busy sidewalk. "Okay," he told her slowly.

"Good!" Helene smiled in fake cheerfulness, making sure it bothered Cas. "Then let's go."

They both walk into a fancy store, showcasing men and women's clothing. Helene walked straight to the fancy armor and tight leggings. Picking some up, she handed the plastic bag to Cas who watched her closely. Then she put it against herself, turning around to look at Cas.

"I'm going to try some things on. Wait for me here. Then it'll gonna be your turn!"

Without waiting for his reply, Helene marched inside the changing room. They ended up staying around the shopping stores for about four hours. Shopping for Helene and Cas.

She tried on at least fifty clothing and made Cas try on a couple as well. They had stopped at an antique store to buy things for their family back home, buying the rarest and coolest items on the shelves. When they finally walked out of the sixteenth store, hands full of bags, Helene turned to Cas.

"Ice cream first or movie?"

He grinned, his mood had gotten better after they both had tried out many funny outfits, making them collapse in laughter. "Ice cream."

She gave him a firm nod, clutching the bags tightly. They maneuvered themselves through the main square which was full of shoppers just like Helene herself, carrying many overfilled bags in their arms, some walking alone while others walked in large clusters. They searched for an ice cream shop amongst the many stores lined up alongside each other in neat rows. Big banners were lit up, with tall poles and wires, lighting them up in bright fluorescent colors.

Helene squinted at the small shop between two bookstores. In bold creamy letters, it said 'ICE CREAM' with a cone full of different flavors stuck on top. She licked her lips.

"Found it," she murmured, more to herself then Cas.

The small sidewalk on the right led straight to the store, with a few chairs and tables outside for people to sit and enjoy. Cas stopped her near a clean black table, and shiny chairs, pulling out his wallet and he smiling down at her. "You've paid enough. I'll get one ice cream cone for you and vanilla and ice cream for me, yeah?"

Helene nodded, sitting down to wait for him to come back. "Thanks."

He nodded back at her, giving his head a little tip as a salute as he disappeared into the shop. She hung the bags onto an empty chair beside her, gazing at the people walking past her, ignoring her presence completely. Some people turned to look at her with interest as if her merely sitting there was very intriguing. That probably had something to do with her newfound popularity as a guest with the Top Ten. Helene tried not to smile smugly at this.

Helene turned to look at her left just as someone jostled her arm as they walked passed. The person wore a dark hoodie, covering their face from view, but it was clear that it was a male from the way his broad shoulders drooped slightly and from the bulk of his body. Helene squinted at the figure as he stopped a few feet away from her. She blinked. Hadn't she bumped into him a while back? She burned holes into his back. His posture seemed familiar, one she saw everyday...

"Hey." Cas stopped in front of her, blocking her view of the man in the hood. "Here's your ice cream."

He handed her a cone wrapped in tissue. She took it from him, murmuring a small thank you. She waited for him to move so she could once again get a clear view of the man. As soon as Cas sat down, Helene's eyes widened in anticipation, but the guy was long gone, not a single trace in the crowd.

How did the person disappear in a second?

She blinked rapidly as if she was getting stuck eyelash out of her eye.

"You okay?" Cas asked curiously.

Helene nodded and lied, "Haven't been better."

He nodded. Licked his ice cream. She licked hers. They sat in awkward silence as Helene continued to peer over his shoulder to find the man, but there no one in sight.

"Why don't we head to the movie theater and eat on the way? I have a feeling if we stay out for too long, the people at the castle are going to start wondering where we went."

He licked his ice cream again, twirling it with his tongue. Helene watched, scrunching up her features. "Sure thing. Let's go."

Again they weaved through the large crowds, which had lessened drastically as the day went, both eating away at their ice creams.

Helene spotted the same familiar figure in the crowd, a few feet ahead of them once again. She gritted her teeth, walking on her tippy toes to get a better glance at him. Cas looked at her weirdly.

"If you need to go pee, we can stop you know."

She shot him an incredulous look. "No thanks. I'm fine."

He shrugged, throwing the tissue of his ice cream cone away. Helene followed, licking her sticky lips, moisturizing them. She looked again, turning her head left and right wildly, looking for the same hooded man. But he was long gone once again. It was as if he appeared only when he wanted to.

Where was he now?

She closed her eyes briefly, letting them flutter for a second and then opening them again. She felt a strong tingling on her back as if there was a presence behind her. She whipped around, her hair flying in her face. There he was, his hood down and his hands in his pockets, clenched into tight fists. Helene opened her mouth to yell at him when she tripped. Cas caught her, and she whipped backward to face him.

She muttered an apology. She turned around again and was met with fog and emptiness. She cursed under her breath.

Helene knew she was being followed.

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