Shopping Trip

Auralia watched as various students exited the steel school gates of Marison Private Academy, quietly hoping that Madison would arrive soon. She was a little nervous about the surprise and with some of the students staring at her, Auralia began to wonder if it was a good idea.

Maybe I should have come-

"Auralia!" A voice suddenly called out, pulling Auralia away from the tornado of thoughts that was starting to cloud her mind.

She turned to find Madison a few meters away standing with four other girls. They were all wearing a white button-up t-shirt and a green, plaited skirt with long, gray socks and black shoes. 

Seeing the uniform brought about a wave of nostalgia as Auralia remembered her school days hanging out with friends and prepping for tests.

Madison quickly waved upon noticing Auralia's gaze. She then turned back to her friends and spoke to them. A few seconds later, the five girls walked over to where Auralia was standing.

 "What happened to the car?" Madison asked as she looked over Auralia's shoulder to see a black and green Kawasaki. "I thought we were taking it."

"Well, I was organizing the car but Aunt Mary was using it for the day. So, she said it would be okay if I took you on my bike." Auralia replied a little awkwardly. "Of course if we buy anything, we can call her to pick the stuff up since she'll be in the same area."

"Really!?" Madison said with excitement. "Mom said it was okay?"

"Um yeah. You just have to promise you'll wear a helmet and I can't speed or anything like that." Auralia explained quickly.

"Yes!" Madison pumped a fist in the air. "I finally get to ride a bike."

Auralia smiled at her cousin's excitement, glad that the surprise was a success. Of course, her Aunt's quick agreement had come as a great surprise, especially considering Madison's reaction last night. 

But Aunt Mary cleared that up too by explaining that it was more about her trusting Auralia to be responsible.

"Ahem…" One of the girls suddenly coughed.

Auralia and Madison turned to look at the other four girls, suddenly remembering that they were there too. Auralia felt a wave of embarrassment hit her as her cousin looked at the four girls with a sheepish expression on her face.

"Oh right…I should do introductions. Auralia these are my friends, Olivia, Hazel, Cora and Lena. Guys, this is my cousin, Auralia." Madison said, quickly introducing everyone to each other.

"Nice to meet you all." Auralia greeted.

"It's nice to meet you too." One of the girls, Cora, smiled.

The other three nodded their heads in agreement before another girl, Olivia, asked, "By the way, Maddy, I didn't know you had a cousin."

"Oh well…" Madison started but Auralia interrupted knowing she wasn't sure how to respond.

"I recently reunited with Madison and the rest of the Davidson family." Auralia answered. "My father lost contact with the family when he went overseas, so I was unaware of my family here. It's probably why you haven't hear about me."

"Oh…" Olivia sighed, looking a little disappointed.

It made Auralia wonder if she was looking for a more dramatic story. Of course, the real story was a little more dramatic but they didn't need to know about it. It was best to keep that story within the family.

"Anyway, Madison do you want to get going?" Auralia asked, deciding to change the subject quickly. "We only have three hours to do everything."

"Um yeah sure." Madison nodded before turning to her friends. "See you guys on Monday?"

"Yeah!" The four answered in unison.

Madison waved at them as they walked off, heading to their respective cars. Once they were gone, Madison turned back to Auralia and grinned madly.

"Let's get going!" The younger girl exclaimed quickly.

"Sure but put on a helmet first." Auralia replied handing her a purple helmet.

***

As Auralia pulled her Kawasaki to a stop, Madison immediately jumped off, scaring Auralia. But before Auralia could scold the girl for doing something dangerous, the younger girl pulled her helmet off quickly, a smile still plastered on her face.

"That was the best ride ever!" Madison cried out. "We have to do that again!"

"Okay sure but you have to promise to never jump off the bike like that again. Wait until I've come to a complete stop." Auralia replied in a serious tone. 

"Okay…" Madison pouted as she handed the helmet to Auralia.

Auralia placed the helmet in the trunk on the back of her bike. It only had place for one helmet so Auralia had to keep her helmet with her.

Afterwards, the two made their way through the parking lot to the mall. It wasn't as fancy as the one Mrs. Davidson had taken her to but it did still reek of wealth and privilege. The modern building was a few stories high and was filled to the brim with famous brands.

The two girls spent most of their time going to clothing shops with Madison making Auralia try on various outfits. Auralia enjoyed it but after two hours, she decided it was time to take a break.

So they headed to a small, cozy café where Auralia got some coffee and a few pastries while Madison kept to a chocolate milkshake.

"For your date tomorrow you should wear those ripped blue jeans with that purple blouse. You know the off the shoulder one." Madison said as she sipped on her milkshake.

"You think that's okay? Isn't it a little too casual?" Auralia asked, secretly wondering if she should be getting advice from her younger cousin.

"It is a little casual sure but one thing I've noticed about your style is that you like wearing comfortable clothes. Besides, you're going to an art gallery and an informal lunch date. Semi causal totally works." 

Madison paused for a second to grab one of Auralia's mini tarts. After eating a bit of it she continued, "Of course, if you want to make it look a bit more formal, those black high heel boots and that heart shaped necklace will do the trick."

Maybe she had judged her cousin a little too soon. The conversation had made her recall the past two hours, making Auralia realize that most of the clothes her cousin had picked for her were ones she would have liked herself.

Her cousin seemed to have a great understanding for fashion, just like her mother it seemed. Auralia smiled at the thought.

"That sounds good." Auralia said. "By the way Madison, you seem to have a great understanding of fashion."

"You think so…" Madison asked bashfully. 

"Yeah, you-" Auralia started when Madison suddenly got up. Shock with a hint of fear spread across her younger cousin's face as she stared at something behind Auralia

"No way…It can't be…"