The Honoway Mall, one of the popular standout places in the whole commercial district. As Quad Four described, it was a hangout for all ages, young and old, to completely let themselves be loose and comforted after dealing with everyday, ordinary anxieties.
After the terrible news involving a potential kidnapping and murder of several people, all committed by a single suspect, Jed Sampson. It was talked about all through town, and especially in the community college that Nacy used to attend before she dropped out.
Nowadays, after the news of some kid kidnapping people and a crazy attempt to attack a cop, there have been more mall cops stationed around every corner of Honoway Mall, even one right next to the bathrooms. It was totally creepy for her. Not to mention the rigid rules and implementation of metal detectors and additional security cameras to cover up previous blind spots.
But like any other dangerous events, even the green smoke that flourished in the sky that night, towering over even the tallest buildings in the Standart City, there was simply a returning phase for people to go back to the life of the ordinary, pretending that nothing happened and that they should continue with their everyday lives in fear if they disrupted the peace instead.
* * *
Nacy sat behind the counter with a dreamy-looking face, drooping eyelids making her seem sleepier than she already was. Her dark, auburn hair on the outside and the bluish tint painted on the inside. Her tight, yellow shirt cupping her light skin was the only thing without any wet spots.
She owned the whole store, called Nacy's Cosmetics, in Honoway Mall. Proud of how it had grown from only a few unopened boxes and empty shelves into a variety of local high-quality brands and luxury imports.
If there was one thing in her life that she was proud of, then it would have to be complete ownership of a whole store in Standart City's most popular buildings. Despite being in the far corner of Honoway Mall, with the front of the store literally facing a brick wall, the store had gotten plenty of visitors.
She hoped that her own brands would get recognized and would be able to become international with the products. Maybe at the top of her luxurious dream space in her mind, Nacy would be able to meet her idol, Ultisa Ibruction, a woman known worldwide for beauty care wouldn't be the same without her ideas and fabulous innovations.
An idea formed in her mind, and that idea alone made her snatch her cellphone and dial her close friend's number.
After a few continuous rings and vibrations, someone finally picked up.
"Hey, Jami, am I not bothering you? Is it not the time? I'm just gonna assume you're not in the middle of something because I gotta an idea that I can't hold it to myself any damn longer!" Nacy said with exhilaration.
Jami, on the other side of the phone, chuckled at her beaming words. As one of the few people she would trust with her life, Nacy would confide everything she experienced in life to Jami, noting his expressions and reactions looking funny as she talked.
Like Nacy, he works at Honoway Mall. Unlike the owner of Nacy's Cosmetics, Jami works at Tasty Pasty as a waiter. Who knew that, for a fast-food restaurant, the service for customers was being carried out solely by Jami, making Nacy fill with immense pride over his work ethic.
"Nice to see you up in spirits, best friend in the whole world, who nobody can replace," Nacy's best friend replied.
"Oh, please, you think too highly of me; it is just me being a stand-out star, especially in Standart where being ordinary is the norm," Nacy exclaimed.
"You could say that again, so what is on your mind? Do we finally have enough money to move out? Because I know a few people in Primsept City who said that there are places with affordable rent."
There it was: Jami talking about having to move to Primsept City for a better life compared to Standart. Even Nacy had to agree with that sentiment, because in the future, Mayor Jerome Whitford's policies on strict control of what goes in and out of the city would become so overwhelming that her store wouldn't survive in the long run at all.
"I've got an idea, something that will blow the world away with this type of product. With common things like skincare, makeup equipment, hair care, or even natural fragrances being everywhere, it was bound for dozens of people to look for something new... something that nobody else thought of in a hundred years," she gleefully announced.
"No way?!" Jami exclaimed, sounding like he was trying to hype up his voice more to effectively cheer on her. "Even more than Ultisa's mystical anti-aging cream, rumored to be infused with the magic waters of an imperfect fountain of youth? Is that what this is about?! Well, speak it up, sister! What's this grand idea of those that we cannot stand to wait for much longer?!"
"It is... It's called... u-um... What was the idea that I've been thinking about? Hold on, let me think.
Nacy tried to snap her fingers to recall her memories. She realized that the repeated finger snaps only dug a hole in her mind, forgetting even the most basic details of her newfound product idea to her. "No way! I can't believe I forgot the most important thing that will change my life! Jami, I'm so sorry, I completely failed you! Now we can't invent the product for ourselves to sell it or even trade the rights to a major company! Now we won't ever earn enough to move out of the city together. Maybe we should call it quits while we're ahead. No, actually, go ahead yourself. Jami, you've got enough to move out on your own from that minimum wage job in Tasty Pasty."
She went headfirst into her own palms, burying her head so she wouldn't look at the failure that she was, forgetting even the simplest ideas that were important to her.
"Whoa, hey, hey, Nacy! Take deep breaths! One, two, three... Breathe in... Breathe out... Breathe in... Breathe out... Do it repeatedly until you feel better. You are feeling much better after a few seconds, right?"
Nacy looked up into the sky; the ceiling looked like it was fun to stare at for quite a while. She giggled uncontrollably at the area around her, waving her now empty hands into the sky, and then spinning smoothly in her rolling chair as she turned her giggles to light chuckles.
"Haaaahhh," she finally breathed out. "Thanks for that, Jay-Jay. I feeeeeeeeeeellll muuuuuuuuuccchhhhh better. Also, I finally remembered I'd written it down somewhere in the shop, so don't worry, with my keen smartness, I'll find it in no time."
"Uh, no worries?" Jami said, sounding unsure. "You're not currently having tho—?"
Nacy lightly chuckled, as though she'd seen someone fall to the floor next to her. But with the way she was acting, it was no different if that actually happened in real life.
"So, uh, Nacy?" Jami began to ask. "Say you heard about the tight security around this place? I swear, I can't go a few feet without a mall cop in the way. It's honestly scary and depressing how that incident from before, with people running away, remained in my mind. That boy with a knife... even he was so young..."
Nacy solemnly frowned at what he said.
"I saw in the news that the kid was from Standart High. I think his name was Jerry? Jason? N-no, it was more like Jed... Jed Sampson, I think."
"Yeah, you're right, it was Jed Sampson. A sophomore student at Standart High," Jami assured. "And get this, I saw him talking with some other people at a table right in Tasty Pasty. It's crazy how, in the same day, this guy would be committing crimes right under our noses. Crazy, right?"
Garbled words trickled from Jami's end of the call, startling him with a gasp and was trying to explain something to the other person. Nacy couldn't hear what the exact words were, but probably guessed it was his boss arguing with him.
After a few minutes of background noise from her phone, Jami finally returned with a couple of sounds of falling dishes and baskets.
"Sorry, Nace, busy shift right now, can't really stick around for much longer. I'll call you back if I have the time. Good luck on your store, though. Also, for the record, I would've been your employee at Nacy's Cosmetics if I could, but the fragrances in there really flare up my allergies, you know. It might be dangerous to be in the—Yeah! I got it, I got it, I'll be there! See ya—!"
The call abruptly ended; only the music playing in the shop acted as the background noise. Nacy could only smile at the conversation she had with her best friend, as he must be working hard to earn enough money, maneuvering any obstacles that might be in his way. If he was working to the bone by himself within his job, then it was only understandable for her to focus on her job too. Although her affected mind still couldn't shake off the stress and happiness mixing into a cocktail together, flavors that couldn't even be in reality.
The door entrance swung open, activating the bell to signal potential customers. Nacy tried her best to present herself as easy-going and professional as possible. She sat up straight and patted the creases away from her slightly ordinary shirt, trying her best not to freeze from fear itself. The store owner was sure that the air conditioning unit was cranked up to the max with how cold it was.
She saw an orange-haired high school girl with a pink dress coming in with her own homemade-looking bag. A double red symbol of two vertical lines was etched on the chest, and her red-ruby shoes with buckles fit tightly on her feet. Nacy gasped in awe in her mind at how cute and beautiful her dress was; it was simple, but something just clicked in her mind about how the colors from her hair complemented it so well. Regardless of how blown away she was, Nacy smiled with drooping eyes to greet the customer.
* * *
Cloey Taffel entered the shop, where the name of the place was plastered all over the window outside, not even a spot where she could look through the glass. She could tell that it would be worth it to check out the different cosmetic products on the shelves.
Her face and body didn't need many products. Her family developed their own body care items, making it very special to her. Cloey was there to get a birthday gift in case she didn't have time to browse through Honoway Mall or any other shopping center in the future, as she would definitely feel bad if she didn't arrive with something to show that they care about the birthday person.
The young adult-looking woman with an apron stood up from her chair behind the counter.
"Hello," she greeted with a professional tone. "Welcome to Nacy's Cosmetics store. Here, the place where you can find all sorts of materials to help brighten your day, or your skin if you prefer."
"Hi there. My name is Cloey Taffel, and I hope our days stay better, or even get better than ever before. Because I don't want any negativity to affect me, and I just want the positive things in life!"
For Cloey, she usually announced her name every time she met a person for the first time. She always does this just in case the person she met before didn't realize her before it was too late, so Cloey had to help close the gap so as to not to let embarrassment flourish in their minds. This type of quirk made her feel as though she was friends with everybody in the whole world, and she wished that this wasn't a whole exaggeration.
Noticing the sign at the top of the aisle, signaling moisturizers and creams for this specific section, Cloey went to the first thing she saw upon entering and found discounts on some already cheap sunscreen. She thought about her friends, specifically Sam Davis, and noticed that they were usually outside playing together as a group rather than they were studying inside.
"Hehehe," she chuckled to herself. "This makes me feel like a child for saying 'playing' instead of 'hanging out'. Oh, well, it wouldn't hurt to say it like that for a few more years."
If she bought the sunscreen, then Quad Four wouldn't have to get hurt from the burns caused by Mister Sun in the blue sky and the sea from up above. With his fiery-red fire hurting her friends, Cloey would never allow that to happen, so she decided to put it in her tote bag for a purchase later.
When she thought about Sheila, Cloey wondered what type of gift she would like at Nacy's Cosmetics—having a hard time picking what would suit her best. Ultimately, she decided to buy her some books about Ultisa's official autobiographical stories. Sheila liked books the most out of anything, and Cloey thought she was beautiful on her own without adding products.
Manson, though, was too much of a meanie to give him any gifts, but if she decided to give him one right now, it would be a broken pencil from her third-period class at school. Then finally, Nate.
"Nate? What does he like? No matter how much I imagine putting on things that would make him more handsome, he always looks so plain-looking afterwards in my mind."
Cloey shivered as she hugged herself to prevent the cold air from hitting her skin. Her arms felt clammy, and she felt goosebumps rising. It was expected that the upcoming months of autumn would feel chilly, but it should be common sense to at least turn the heater to the upper levels of the floor.
But it was rumored back in school that the people who operated the mall specifically designed the place so that only the lower floors of Honoway Mall would have things people would actually want, leaving only the very high levels of the Mall to suffer from the lack of people visiting that section, because people aren't too keen on traveling a lot upwards, even when using escalators.
Cloey's teeth started to chatter, and she swore that she could see the wind freezing up in the air, forming ice crystals like it was in the middle of a heavy winter blizzard. The whole thing felt unnatural to her as she struggled to drag her rigid body.
She attempted to make her way to the front counter of the cosmetics store, her walking position even more robotic as the shaking became much fiercer. Her mouth stiffened as she attempted to announce herself to the clerk from around the corner.
"Excuse me, ma'am," Cloey managed to let out from her blueberry-tinted mouth. She tried to pat her hair away, but felt something powdery and cold. When she looked at her hand, there was actually pure white snow, unmelted even though they were still inside Honoway Mall. "What is going on? Excuse me, but is there a way to increase the heat from some—"
Cloey froze, not from the cold but rather from the icy fear that made her stop from motioning anything at all. If she were to list three things that were incredibly weird from this week, it would be fear looming over the whole school, the deal with the Trickcycle Faden at the mechanic garage, and now this situation.
And that situation was that the person behind the desk next to the front door was completely frozen, encased in a block of ice.