8 She's changed

In a dark, endless space with no walls and no sky, a little girl was suspended in mid-air. She looked down at the inky black water where a young woman with a pale grey face stared soullessly into open space. A crimson red liquid flowed down the mouth of the frozen woman and landed drop by drop into the ocean below.

The little girl screamed, "Don't go! Don't go!" as she struggled to break free from the shackles that bound her to the air. The girl cried and kicked until she had no energy left. Her body hung limp in the air like a puppet with strings attached to her body.

"Don't leave me, please! Don't go!" The girl shouted, her voice hoarse. Tears ran down her cheeks like the current of a fast-flowing river. Her heart pulsed with an agonising pain, making it hard for her to breathe. The throbbing lasted until her sobs became soft, barely audible in the vast, endless space. Bubbles surrounded the woman in the dark ocean and slowly ate away at her body. First her arms, then her legs, then her head and the rest of her body, leaving only her heart to endure the crashing waves of the boundless ocean.

With her eyes full of despair, the little girl murmured, "She's gone, Mother's gone."

Chloe put a hand to her head as she felt a strong headache take over her.

Another dream, she thought.

In a state of half-sleep, Chloe pulled herself out of bed and put on her clothes.

She couldn't remember of the dream vividly, however, she had a faint recollection of something murky and dark stopping her from going where she wanted.

Chloe felt another pang in her head as she moved herself to the bathroom.

Ding!

Surprised, Chloe turned to the source of the sound, her phone. Who would message me? I'm sure I didn't give my number to anyone recently, unless…

She trudged over to her desk and picked up her phone.

On it, she read: Do you want to go shopping with me. I'll buy some clothes for you. (Justin Pan)

Justin? She thought. Why does he want to go shopping with me?

'Alright, I'm coming,' she texted.

…

"Hey. What are you up to?"

"Oh, hey Chloe." The boy smiled. "I just thought that uh… we should meet up and talk since we haven't talked much since you came back."

Chloe teased, "Have you been lonely with me gone?"

"Who would be!" He countered, his cheeks flushing red.

"So why do you want to go to the mall? Don't tell me you really want to buy me clothes." Chloe chuckled.

Justin's heart stopped for a beat; he couldn't help but feel a little guilty. He had called Chloe out because his father told him to keep an eye on her. It felt like his intentions weren't pure and he was just using her.

"Oh, I know. You found a girl that you like, didn't you? And you want to buy her a little something."

Justin shook his head. "That's not it. I just wanted… wanted to catch up with you." He forced a smile. "Just like the old times."

Chloe laughed freely. "Okay, your big sister will accompany you. Whatever you want to buy, I will buy it for you."

Justin followed along with a strained laugh. "I should be paying for you. If you pay for me, then I'm not being gentlemanly enough."

Chloe giggled. "That's real mature, Justin. You're acting like a real man."

"I am a man." Justin refuted. "If I'm not a man, what am I? A woman?"

"Well, with your thin arms, you could easily be mistaken for one." Chloe joked.

The boy glared at her, childish fury dancing in his eyes.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop." Chloe said, wiping away tears of laughter. "Let's go in. I'll take up on your offer, don't regret this. You'll soon have a huge dent in your wallet."

"So what?" Justin retorted. "It's just a little bit of money. I can afford that."

"Yes, yes. Whatever you say is right." Chloe smiled. "It's all my fault that-"

Chloe suddenly stopped, making Justin to bump into her.

"What is it? Why did you stop?" Justin asked, annoyed. He looked to the front, surprised to see three teenage girls standing with their hands on their hips, their malicious glares directed at Chloe.

"Fancy seeing you here," spoke the girl in the middle of the three.

Chloe smiled indifferently. "Yes, what a coincidence. Kitty Bai, right?"

"How do you know my name?"

Chloe chose to keep silent.

"Are you here to buy clothes?" The girl with braids asked scornfully. "You should know that all these clothes are extremely high-end and a country bumpkin like you can't possibly afford them."

"Oh, is that so?" Chloe said gently, twirling her hair with her finger. "Is there any reason for you to stop me at the entrance to the mall? Or perhaps…"

She paused. "Do you own this mall?"

"Yes, that's right." The girl in braids affirmed. "This is the property of Kitty's family."

"Did I ask you?" Chloe said coldly, sending a fierce glare to the girl. Turning around, Chloe faced Kitty. "So it's your family's property, huh? I finally see what kind of people the Bai family are. Accepting and declining guests as you wish and practicing bias and prejudice in front of the public's eyes. Aren't you afraid this will get out?"

Kitty clenched her teeth. "Go in there if you want. But whether the security guards will kick you out for being unruly will be another matter altogether." With a humph, Kitty strutted away, her lackeys hurrying to catch up with her.

"Wow, what a personality." Justin exclaimed. "How did you come to know her?"

"Oh that…" Chloe said. "She goes to the same school as me."

"What? The same school?" Just exclaimed. "Then does she bother you like this all the time? Don't you get angry?"

Chloe smiled. "It's just a trivial matter. It's not worth getting worked up over."

Justin nodded slowly, as if trying to comprehend what Chloe had said.

She's changed, he thought. She used to be more impulsive and assertive. She's mellowed down a lot in her time spent abroad.