THE DEAL
The toy store was just starting to open their doors when we got there.
The crowd made a sort of circle around the entryway that was still gated. Could all of those people fit into the shop? I supposed around Christmas, most people were shopping for children.
As we waited, store employees were passing around sale flyers that included what was going to be put on sale.
There were also several security guards, directing people to stand back.
I was about to tell the boys that maybe we should wait, when the doors opened.
Gabriel and Luke grabbed my hands.
“Hang on,” Gabriel said.
Luke tugged me along, closer to him. “Don’t let go,” he said. “Just stay with us.”
There was a rush, and the boys dove in, pulling me with them. They weaved their way around the group trying to get in.
My heart was in my throat as I stayed very close to them, gripping them for dear life. What were we doing? Why were we rushing?
Once the boys got inside, the crowd seemed to disperse. People ran for displays, grabbing items off a shelf and then rushing for the registers.
Thankfully, the boys had stopped just inside the doors and looked around.
“What should we get?” Luke asked. He went to one display that wasn’t particularly popular. “Kinetic sand? Do you think Kota would like it?”
“Too messy,” Gabriel said, his eyes scanning the area. He dodged a couple that was trying to get around the crowds to get to a wall display of video games. Gabriel turned, caught a Nerf display and then gasped. “Holy shit fuck, let’s get swords!”
I followed his gaze toward a huge display of various Nerf guns, foam bullets, and a lineup of various styles of swords.
There was a large barrel full of blue-handled, foam-padded swords and Gabriel pulled two out, holding them up. Then he pointed one in my direction. “Sang, check out what we’re getting for Nathan.”
I smirked. “We’re getting him foam swords? Do you think he’ll like them?”
“Of course he will,” Gabriel said. “Are you kidding? We’ll spend a week wearing these things out.”
Luke pulled two more out. “If we get them, we have to get four. Remember what Kota said about buying toys?”
“Are we buying for Nathan or us?” I asked with a small smile.
Luke and Gabriel shrugged, but tucked the swords under their arms, seemingly sure of this purchase.
I pulled one out, just to look at it. The foam was thick. Wouldn’t it hurt if we were battling things out? “Shouldn’t we get something like a gun?” I thought it’d be better to have the Nerf guns; the bullets were light, and I imagined getting shot at would be better than being beaten by a sword.
The boys paused at the same time and then looked at the row of guns.
“Kota wouldn’t like it,” Luke said. “The bullets would get all over the place and the dog would eat them. We could play at my house, but Sprinkles might drag them all into his house.”
“I’ll never understand how you two picked up a pet skunk.” Gabriel turned toward a hand gun. “We don’t have to play at Kota’s or your house. We’ll play at Nathan’s. Maybe we should get the small handheld ones…wait.” He moved to a row of bows and arrows. The arrows were foam-tipped. “These are new.” He gazed at them and frowned. “But they’re all pink. Why are they all pink?”
“I want one anyway,” Luke said.
I sighed, feeling like they were forgetting why we were here. The bows did look cool, though. I picked one up, touching the handle. There was a button on one side. When I pressed it, the handle glowed.
The boys looked at mine, and then their eyes brightened.
“Fuck me,” Gabriel said. “The girls get all the cool shit.”
“Let’s get three.”
“Four. We’re forgetting Nathan.”
“Five. Kota might like these. He plays archer a lot in his games. Maybe he’ll like the real thing…the toy version at least.”
In the end, they did pick up the swords, the bows, a collection of science kits for Kota, a bubble gum machine for Dr. Green, and a Wiffle Ball bat with a bag of a hundred Wiffle balls and a stand, plus, for Silas, a net you set up in the yard to collect them.
“Do you guys get everyone toys?” I asked.
“We get stuff they get to play with in one of the yards or in the street or wherever,” Luke said.
“Yeah, Sang,” Gabriel said. “Every year, everyone gets other stuff that’s just boring. We get them the cool shit.”
I looked at the stuff we were buying and then at the stuff other shoppers were getting: game systems and games and some rare collectables. “Why did we come now for Nerf guns and bats? Is this a good sale?”
“Sang,” Luke said, hooking his arm over my neck. “It’s not about the sale. It’s the rush. Everyone’s buying now.”
I wasn’t sure I understood why they delighted in being out with everyone else. I guess it was a bit of a rush. Maybe it was like the football games they watched with the people earlier. Maybe they weren’t really into what was going on. They just liked participating.
We stood in the long line, looking at different displays and discussing what would be good to get everyone else. Some shoppers had moved on to other stores. Others were still looking at shelves that were starting to empty. I was amazed at how many people were buying carts full of things.
“Where should we go next?” Luke asked.
“I was thinking about Victor,” Gabriel said. “Maybe we should get him a little toy piano.”
“We got him that last year.”
“Some sort of really big puzzle thing?” Gabriel suggested.
Luke shook his head. “Hmm. Any ideas, Sang?”
I shrugged, dazing out at that point. Now that we weren’t moving, my eyes were drawn to the movement of other people. The boys continued to talk about options while I looked out the front window display of the shop.
A person in a white mask passed by.
I blinked, sure I was seeing things.
No one was there.
I checked the other window.
Nothing. No one passed by.
I turned toward the exit. Had I really just seen that? I was too tired. Maybe I was just delusional from the long day, lack of sleep and all the sugar.
Still, I didn’t want to ignore anything. My radar was up and I suddenly felt alert. There had been too many times when I’d ignored subtle signs and I’d been wrong to do so. I dropped what I was carrying, and headed for the door.
“Sang?” Luke asked. “Did you see something you wanted?”
I ignored him, stepping out into the hallway and looking at all the people. Was I sure of what I’d seen? Maybe it was a particularly pale person. I looked around but there wasn’t anyone wearing all black, like Volto usually did. It wasn’t that terribly crowded now that everyone was in the various stores, so I wouldn’t have missed him if he’d been there.
“Sang?” Luke said. He’d followed me out, looking up and down as I did. “What’s wrong? Did you see something?”
“I might be paranoid, but I thought I saw someone wearing a white mask,” I said. I still wasn’t sure, but I reached for his elbow. “We should stick together.”
He kept his head up, gazing around us. “I want to say you might be paranoid, but still…”
I searched the groups of people with him, scooting out of the way when people tried to get past us into the toy store.
I hung onto Luke’s arm tightly. “I’m probably wrong,” I said after a few minutes of fruitless searching.
Luke relaxed his shoulders and his brown eyes met with mine. “Don’t let him scare you, okay?”
I looked at him, suddenly thinking of the masks on the windows. I thought of what he’d said to me when he kissed me. I checked over my shoulder. I couldn’t see Gabriel directly, but the line hadn’t appeared to have moved much. “Luke?”
“It could have been anyone,” he said, although his eyes remained on the people around us. His expression was grim.
“I know,” I said, turning to him. “But…”
“Let’s get back to Gabriel,” he said, interrupting me as he pulled away and headed toward the store again. “And you’re right. You should stay close to me.”