Chapter 16: A Trip to the Mall

∞

Carol Anne and Blake sat next to each other on the couch, each of them holding the other’s hand as if their life depended on it, each of them with their eyes focused on the grey-skinned woman who was sitting on the chair directly across from them, and each of them at a virtually complete loss for words. Raris Westerhouse stood behind the chair that Jo-Karna was sitting in, serving as her bolainin (seeing companion).

Tommy and Whitney were sitting on either side of their aunt and uncle, patiently waiting for their aunt and uncle to catch up to their new reality.

“So let’s get this straight? You are not from this world at all. You are from a world called Bolimar, and you came here a hundred years ago. Is that what we are supposed to believe?”

“You find this difficult to accept?” Jo-Karna asked. “My skin isn’t convincing,” she added with a smile.

“It’s very nice skin,” Blake blurted, prompting Carol Anne to smack his leg.

“And that brings up another good point. As soon as we get a chance, I’m taking you to the mall to get you some real clothes. I’ll not have you walking around in a nighty all day.”

“It’s not a nighty, mom,” Tommy inputted. “It’s a hospital gown, but only she’s seven feet tall so it fits a little small on her.”

“Well, whatever it is, it has to go!”

“Shopping!” Jo-Karna said with a smile. “You are going to take me out shopping! At a mall?”

“Well, yeah. I don’t like Wal-Mart. You won’t catch me dead in a Wal-Mart.”

“But it wouldn’t bother you to be seen with me at the mall?” Jo-Karna asked her. “I could wear a hooded sweat shirt, scarf and dark glasses. If you want me to?”

“Don’t’ be ridiculous,” Carol Anne replied. “It has to be close to a hundred degrees out there. But we will have to find you something a little more proper to wear than that ... gown.”

“Can we drop the shopping talk and get back to the alternate worlds, giants and the whole end of the world thing?” Blake asked. “Jeez, the subject of the mall comes up and you girls completely forget everything else but that!”

“Well,” Jo-Karna said, “I’ve never been to a mall before. My Earth mother would never let me leave the house. She was ashamed and terrified of what other people would think of me.”

“I thought you said you were born a hundred years ago, and how is that even possible? You don’t look a day over what ... twenty?”

“Prim don’t age like humans. We live for hundreds of years. If we make it to old age, we can live for close to a thousand years. So, probably yes. About twenty in appearance.”

“But they didn’t have malls when you were born,” Tommy said. “They weren’t invented until what? The nineties?”

“Well not exactly, Argimos. Malls were actually invented long before any of us were born. The first mall was built in Ancient Rome. It was called Trajan’s Market and...”

“Wait,” Whitney stopped her. “How do you know all that?”

“They let me have the internet at the bunker. It turns out that I love history,” Jo-Karna answered.

“And you have to quit calling us Jo-Laina and Argimos. Our names are Whitney and Tommy.”

“No,” Jo-Karna said standing up from her seat. “Those names are not fit for either of you. You are Jo-Laina and Argimos. Those are your true names. You,” she added pointing at Whitney, “are the Baran-Dak-Toi. You are the only person in thousands of years who could rejoin the factions of Messolin into one united society again. You,” she emphasized again, “have kept the people of our city from falling victim to the Shooktah, the very race of warriors who will end up in this world, and it is you, Jo-Laina who will prevent devastation. And then there is you, Argimos. You were the one who was able to escape the Shooktah when the rest of the Prectock were killed. You were the one who crossed the vast desert on Bolimar to find Jo-Laina, test her, and help her acquire the Pockets of the Prim. You were the one who inspired enough awe in the minds of the people, making them forget their bias against the Baran-Dak-Toi showing them that you could do so yourself! And it was you who has stood by the Baran-Dak-Toi, when others disagreed with her methods of fighting against the Shooktah. Together you two can accomplish much, but not as Tommy and Whitney. You must accept who you really are! And you will never hear me call to you with those names.”

Whitney stood up, facing Jo-Karna directly. “Not even if I command it?”

Jo-Karna got onto her knees before Whitney, lowering her head, giving Whitney a familiar sense of that very scene, and presented the back of her neck to Whitney.

“Draw your swords and take my life if you must, but no. Not even if you command it.”

“Oh don’t be ridiculous, you two,” Carol Anne said as she got up from the couch. “She can have a nick-name for you if she wants. What harm would it be if she called you Jo-Laina? It is kind of a neat name. Now let’s quit all of this non-sense serious talk, and go get ready for the mall.”

“The mall?” Jo-Karna said, piping up. “You guys are really going to buy me new clothes?”

“That’s some warrior,” Tommy commented. “She’ll kill you in a heartbeat if you stand in her way, but when it comes to the mall, she’s like a puppy dog!”

“Look who’s calling who a puppy dog!” Jo-Karna replied. “Maybe we should buy you a collar for when you grow fur and start lifting your leg to pee!”

“Grow fur?” Blake asked.

“Never mind,” Tommy replied. “Nobody is going to be growing any fur!”

“Yay,” Whitney said joining in. “I’ve always wanted my own puppy!”

“Shut up, Whit,” Tommy spat.

∞

It didn’t dawn on Whitney until the five of them got out of Blake’s car, they were making a type of full circle. It hadn’t been more than twelve hours ago they had walked down the center of another mall, but for an entirely different purpose. As they began to walk toward the entrance to their hometown mall, an eerie feeling crept up Whitney’s spine. She had to convince herself to keep going forward.

Blake had opted out of the mall trip, choosing instead to take a little nap and let the rest of the family take their new guest to get some real clothes. Tommy had been enthusiastic about it, but not because he wanted to be helpful with Jo-Karna’s wardrobe selection. He wanted to see the reactions of people, as if seeing the way people would treat her was a game. Whitney couldn’t deny she was also a little curious about how that would go, but she hardly thought it would be funny. She was surprised; however, that Jo-Karna didn’t seem the slightest bit shy of her differences, nor did she seem bothered by the idea others may not accept her for her differences.

“You sure you want to go through with this?” Whitney asked as they started to get closer to the mall doors.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?” Jo-Karna responded.

The reason was already becoming apparent as an older couple exited the mall as they were about to walk in. Jo-Karna had their attention the instant they came out of the mall and they nervously made their way around her.

“Hi,” Jo-Karna called out to them. “It’s a beautiful day isn’t it?”

Neither of the two responded to Jo-Karna. Their eyes quickly darted away and the pace of their steps quickened as they made their way into the parking lot.

“People like that wouldn’t last five seconds on Bolimar!” Jo-Karna replied as she reached for the door. “They’d be shriek bengoi meat for certain.”

“Shriek bengoi?” Whitney asked.

“Don’t tell me you don’t remember them! Gods, you were the best cat hunter I’ve ever seen, Jo-Laina. Even as a little runt I’ve seen you take on three at one time, without a scratch!”

“What are they?” Tommy inquired.

“Think of a Bengal tiger, but only black and crazily fierce, like a dog with rabies. When they attack they shriek, and their noise is ear piercing, which isn’t an issue for a Prim, but for a human it’s mind numbing. Or a Prectock. Gods, Argimos. You used to hate them with a passion. I guess it was the canine in you, but you used to chase those damned things relentlessly when we came across them. The shrieks never ran from anything, but they did from you ... and your brother of course!”

“Brother,” Tommy and Whitney both said at the same time.

“Belimos! Don’t tell me you don’t remember your own brother!”

Then he did. Sort of. For years, he dreamt of the girl, who he thought was his sister, dreaming of her death. Of course, that girl, and her death, turned out to be a premonition of what was going to become of Jo-Vanna, and not Jo-Laina, but the animal that was in his dreams must have been his own brother, Belimos?

“I guess I’ve been dreaming about his death for half of my life,” Tommy replied half under his breath.

“If that is so, then you are dreaming of it so you can keep it from happening. Nothing is written in stone.” Jo-Karna said.

The mall wasn’t extremely busy. Not nearly as crowded as the other mall, but there were plenty of people soaking in the strange grey-skinned woman who was suddenly marching her way down the open hall of their shopping center.

“I think we should start with shoes,” Carol Anne announced. “I don’t think Blake’s flip flops are your style.”