Bleach: Goldilocks Ch. 2

Chapter Two: Lost? Just Look

Recommended Song: "Time After Time" by Quietdrive

Mari looked at the man with uncertainty and bent down, whispering in Taro's ear, "Are you…sure this is the right place? Is it even a candy store…?"

He looked up at her with his innocent brown eyes. "Of course onee-chan! I come here all the time to get candy!"

At this Urahara raised his eyebrows. "I'm sorry? I've…never seen you here before, little boy. I think you might have this place mistaken for someplace else."

"No, he's got it right, Kisuke."

He turned around to see Yoruichi lean against the frame of the door, her arms crossed and a mischievous smirk on her face. Mari stared at her with wide eyes at the peculiarity of her silky purple hair and large, round yellow eyes. Hmph! How come she's so pretty?

"Yoru-chan!" Taro exclaimed, running to her, where he wrapped his arms around her leg. Yoruichi just chuckled and patted him on the head. She turned to Kisuke and said, "He comes by here and I give him candy. Is there a problem?"

Kisuke's jaw dropped. "Yoruichi-san! You can't just let customers in when I'm not around! It completely defeats the purpose of me owning this place! You make it look like I don't know what goes on around my shop."

"Apparently, you don't know what goes on around your shop," Marise said. How typical, an incompetent man running his cheap little shop!

The blond-haired man just raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing. He then looked at Yoruichi, and just from one look, he deeply sighed. "Alright, alright…I guess they can go inside…but don't touch anything!" he added, when they hurried inside.

Marise went after Taro and whispered, "Taro, let's hurry up, because I don't like this place at all. And," she raised her voice, "I think that man over there is some kind of pervert!"

"I heard that," he muttered.

"Good! I've got my eye on you, buster!"

"'Buster?' Who says that anymore?"

Her face turned red with rage. "I do, that's who!" she scowled, and went to the back of the store, eying all of the little trinkets, uninterested by what she saw. This place is as cheap on the inside as it looks on the out… Marise neared one of the windows out looking the dark forest behind, and stopped, eyes wide with fear, when she again heard the howl of a Hollow. She turned her head to the window, but couldn't see much. Is that where it is? She frantically turned around, looking at her two younger brothers, who were enraptured by the things they saw, and she silently prayed they would hurry up so that they could leave.

Yoruichi gave Kisuke a look, but he just shrugged, and mouthed, 'Someone else is taking care of it.'

"Onee-chan!" Taro exclaimed, running to her, pulling on her skirt. She looked down to see he was holding an item that looked like a Pez dispenser. "What does this say?"

She took it from him and frowned. "Pupples."

"I want that one!"

Mari strolled up to Kisuke and asked him how much it was. Laughing nervously, Kisuke quickly took the Soul Candy away and said it wasn't on sale.

She put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot on the floor impatiently. "If it's not for sale, then why in the world do you have it on the shelves, dummy?" she snapped.

"I-I told you this wasn't the place you were looking for! Jinta! Ururu! Please show these customers out, will you?"

From behind a paper door, two figures emerged, apparently siblings. The boy looked to be about the Kurosaki sisters' age, bordering the stage of puberty, at an average height, with fiery red hair that flopped around his face, and angry little eyes. The girl, Ururu, looked as melancholic as Ryu, with her bluish-red hair held in two long pigtails that drooped over her shoulders, and deep blue eyes that always seemed cast down.

Mari stomped her foot on the ground. "We're not going until we get what we came here for!"

"But just a few minutes ago you were telling us to hurry it up," Ryunosuke mumbled.

She turned to him. "Well, I'm not going to be forced out of here by some Yankī who doesn't even know how to run a business and who is rude to his customers! Taro, take as long as you need to, and Ryu…why don't you just go and stare at the wall or something if you're so gosh darn [1] bored!"

"Are we…still needed?" asked Ururu, in her small voice.

Kisuke looked at her with a nervous smile. "Uh…I guess…not anymore. Seems these people aren't going to leave!" His expression then changed to a genuine smile as he waved his fan over his face. "In that case, allow me to give you a tour!"

Marise rolled her eyes, seeing that the shop was barely bigger than her bedroom, but Taro clapped delightedly, holding Yoruichi's hand. Mari felt that something was different from these people, as one normally doesn't find someone with purple hair unless they dyed it, and this woman sure didn't look like she dyed her hair. And the items in the store were also…strange; as if when she picked one up she could feel something from it, something…different. It annoyed her yet piqued her interest as well, which annoyed her.

Throughout the entire 'tour,' Marise remained bored, with her arms crossed and dramatically yawning at everything Kisuke showed to them. However, when he had come to a particular item, Mari raised her eyebrows.

"A dream catcher? Does it really work?" she asked, remembering that her Native American friend, Honovi, owned one.

"But of course! Any nightmare you may have, just hang this over your bed at night, and by the next morning, ta da! No more nightmares!"

Ryu rolled his eyes. "Come on, onee-san, you don't really believe that this will work, do you? This guy is just a con artist." Kisuke frowned at this. He's not a con artist! He's just a handsome man trying to run a business! What was so wrong about that?

"Well, even so," Mari said haughtily, "Honovi told me that these really work, so I'm taking one!"

"She believes in every superstition," Ryu muttered to Yoruichi and Kisuke, as a means of explanation. Yoruichi raised her eyebrows at this, her face slowly breaking out into a strange smile, and excused herself to the restroom. Kisuke eyed her with a look of disapproval, but she swiftly avoided his gaze with an impish grin.

Taro had taken Kisuke by the hand and led him to the glass display where an assortment of candy laid, and Ryu took this opportunity to speak with his sister, who was examining the dream catcher.

"Onee-san," he said under his breath, "Out there…there are…"

"Hush, Ryunosuke."

"But, onee-san!"

"I said hush!" she scolded. "Don't you think I know what's out there? If you're really so worried we'll leave in a minute, but for now…just go stare at the wall again!"

He angrily sighed, and went over to the corner, and sat down sulkily, hiding his face in his arms, his knees pulled up to his chest. Maybe she likes the thrill of putting her blood in danger…

She looked at him, her blue eyes sad. Don't you think I can protect you?

The two hadn't even noticed that Kisuke had been watching from the corner of his eyes, and from his sharp ears had heard every word of it. He smiled, congratulating himself in his quick wit in that his assumption of this peculiar family was correct.

His smile then turned into a frown when he heard the wracking of chainsaws from next door of the shop. He grumbled in his mind, and silently cursed the people who were causing the ruckus. Kisuke then turned around in confusion when he heard screaming…that was coming from inside his own shop!

Ryunosuke wailed in agony, his hands immediately going to his head to try and block out the sound. He bent over and fell against one of the shelves, knocking over some of the items.

"Ryu!" Mari cried. "What's wrong?" She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him gently, but he continued to yell. By now Taro had whimpered and retreated into the back room where Jinta and Ururu were.

Kisuke rushed over and bent down to see what was wrong, and ignored the dirty look Marise had given him. Mari again asked her brother what was wrong, but even if she had screamed it, no one could hear it over the wailing of the chainsaws and Ryu.

After a few moments the sound had subsided, and with it, Ryu's screams, as he now began to breathe heavily, his face pale and beads of sweat forming at his forehead, his sleek black hair damp, clinging to his face and neck.

"Are you okay?" asked Mari softly, her hand on his shoulder. He just gulped and nodded, his eyes closed. T-they were…cutting down those trees…I could feel every bit of pain they felt…why? Why couldn't it have been me?

"What happened, Ryu?" Kisuke asked.

Mari again shot him a furious look. "Don't talk to him like he's your friend! Just leave us alone! We're leaving!" She abruptly got up and headed for the door, but shrieked when she saw that there was a black cat blocking her way.

"Goodness," Kisuke mumbled, rubbing his head. "Any more of this commotion and I just might go deaf! Now what is your dilemma, huh?"

"W-w-why…do you have a black cat in here?"

Kisuke looked over and glared at Yoruichi, but the cat just purred delightedly, and walked over and rubbed its soft fur against Marise's leg.

Mari shrieked again and backed away, knocking into a shelf, where a small mirror fell on the floor and shattered. She screamed, "Oh no, now I have seven years of bad luck!"

Kisuke quickly picked up Yoruichi and said to Mari, "Alright, alright! I've got the cat right here, see? Now, I'm just gonna throw her into this room. See? Everything's just fine. So calm down, before you break any more of my merchandise!"

"Don't you dare put the blame on me you boogerface! We're leaving. Now! Taro!" she called out, though nothing came out of the room. "Where is he…?"

"Yoruichi-san! Bring out the little boy!"

Yoruichi poked her head out and said, "Hmm? He's not in here, Kisuke."

"What?" Marise pushed past her, with Ryu right behind her. She saw the two kids from before, and a tall, burly man with a mustache and glasses, who didn't look very friendly. She looked around and saw that another sliding paper door was partially open, that seemed to lead outside. With her eyes wide with fear, she pushed it open and winced, seeing the dark forest in front of her.

"He…he must be in there!" Without thinking, Mari rushed into the forest.

Kisuke burst through and yelled, "Wait, miss! Don't go in there!" I still sense the Hollows!

However, Marise paid him no attention and continued running, trying her hardest to see past all of the foliage and darkness that surrounded her. She saw a clearing up ahead where there was a little light, and headed toward it. "Oh, I think I see him Ryu!"

She was correct in that she saw him, but her face turned into an expression of horror when she saw that he wasn't alone…there were gargantuan black monsters towering over him, as he shook in fear. She was also unhappy to see that familiar shoulder-length hair and unmistakable tongue piercing. Her eyes went to the object in his hand, a long, gleaming, silver sword that was held up, prepared for battle.

"TARO!" she screamed. The little boy looked up, and cried his sister's name, but not before he shrieked at the red beam that flashed toward him. Mari's jaw dropped in horror, but when the smoke had clear, Shinji had shielded Taro with his Zanpakutō.

"Hurry Ryu!" she said, grabbing his hand and bursting through at full speed until she had reached the clearing.

"Hey there, Goldilocks, nice of ya to drop by. This one here yours?"

Marise ignored him and extended her hand. "Come on Taro, let's go. It's okay, everything's fine now. It's over."

"Do you really have to leave so soon?" a smooth, velvety voice asked.

Mari and Shinji looked around in confusion, all of the Hollows were gone, and when they turned to where the voice had come from there was only a beautiful girl standing, wearing traditional Native American dress, silky black hair almost reaching the ground and vibrant green eyes gleaming from underneath long black lashes.

"Honovi?" asked Mari. Am I seeing things…again?

What the hell? Shinji thought. Where did she come from?

"Come here, Mari-chan," the girl said sweetly. "I have a secret to tell you. Oh, you won't believe the gossip I've stirred up! Come, come!"

Marise found herself walking to Honovi and taking the girls smooth brown hands in her own, and leaning in to hear what her friend had to say.

Honovi's lips brushed her ear, and she whispered with a giggle, "I'm not your friend."

Mari's curious face turned into confusion and then slowly, into horror. She tried to pull her hands away, but the girl wouldn't let go, and with a shrill cackle, its form began to shape into a grotesque Hollow, its mask ugly and its screams terrifying.

She turned and shrieked, "Ryu! Taro! RUN!"

But Ryu remained in place, frozen in fear, so out of it that he didn't even hear his little brother's breathing turn into sobs. He just stood there, and stared at the monster that held his sister's hands.

It wasn't unlike others who had held her hands.

Shinji looked at her siblings and then back at the Hollow, not knowing what expression his face should take, confusion, anger? The fuck…? He ran over and pulled out his katana again, lifted it up and brought it down, and with one swift gesture, cut off the Hollow's hands, releasing Marise.

She fell back and gasped, trying to un-claw the fingers, where the hands were dripping blood onto the grass from where it had been cut off. When she had finally gotten them off, there were deep cuts in her wrists from where the nails had dug in.

Mari looked up at Shinji with terror in her eyes, and he said to her, "The Hollow…Kisuke told me of one like it before… Its name was Grand Fisher. This one shape shifts."

"Shape…shifting?" she whispered, as though she couldn't even comprehend.

Shinji just nodded, he didn't look at her, as his eyes and focus were on the enemy before him. The Hollow had shrieked in pain when it was cut, its arms thrashing about, but when it had recovered, it fired a cero, the red beam shooting out, though Shinji was able to block it again by using his Zankpakutō. Finally, not wanting to waste any more time, he jumped up and brought down his sword, cutting straight through the Hollow's mask, where black liquid spurted out, and it jerked a few times before its entire form dispersed into particles before finally disappearing.

He turned around to see Mari's reaction, though she just stared blankly at his face. Then, with a queer look in her eyes and a nervous laugh, she said, "You're like a little god, aren't you?"

He quirked an eyebrow, confused. Well, I used ta be. Without an explanation, Mari stood up and took Taro in her arms, and grabbed Ryu's head, and prepared to head home.

"Hey…wait!" Shinji said. "What the hell? I saved yer fuckin' life and yer just walkin' away? No thank you? No nothin'? That's what goddamn cowards do."

Mari squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head furiously, before she began to run, leaving Shinji baffled.

They were running down the road still when she said bitterly, "If people who run away are cowards, then I'm the greatest coward that ever lived."

Ryu looked down at the concrete his shoes ran over, unsure of what to say. He then said, "…there's nothing cowardly about wanting to protect your family." Taro whimpered and curled himself into Mari's warmth.

Marise glanced at Ryunosuke, though he didn't look at her.

"Oh…just hush, Ryu."

---

"RYU!"

The thin adolescent went into the kitchen, and saw his sister bent over into the fridge, her golden curls falling down her back.

"What?"

"Keep your yucky vegetarian crud in your own fridge or something! This is the third time this week I've had to suffer eating tofu, or that soymilk, or that other disgusting stuff!"

Ryu rolled his eyes. "It's not vegetarian…it's vegan. There's a fundamental difference."

She rolled her eyes. "Please, tell me more."

"Oh, well you see…"

She slammed the milk carton on the counter. "Not. Really."

Ryunosuke scowled.

"Anyway," Mari continued, "you should become a hippie like Honovi, since you're both into the weirdest things. But then again, you have that emo-look to you, so you'd have to change your entire appearance to become a hippie, and even then you would look strange! Anyway, just keep your junk on one side of the fridge, or put your name on them! I can't stand it!"

"Then don't eat at all."

"Are you calling me fat you little twit?"

"Ow! Onee-san! Stop!"

Mari stopped her pinching and rolled her eyes. She liked her Saturday mornings as they usually were, with her waking up at 11 PM, because she did oh so much and needed the rest, and a bowl of cereal, with milk that came from a cow, not a plant. Really, she believed her brother should become a hippie, though it would be pretty strange to see him wearing rainbow colors and peace signs…actually, it would be quite hilarious.

She shrugged and trotted up the stairs, leaving Ryu to take out his soy milk and pour it into a tall glass, where he took it into the dining room, and sat down in one of the mahogany chairs. He was the only one there, as the rest of the family liked to sleep in (really late) on Saturdays, and he had always been an early bird.

He still couldn't really get yesterday out of his head…in fact, he couldn't even remember a time where he had been as scared then on that day. And who was that guy…? Ryu doubted that he could have been a friend of Mari, as…she didn't really have any friends. And he definitely couldn't have been her lover, because, well…she wasn't one to date the intelligent type. The men she always brought home were muscular and without a brain…Ryu knew it was so that Mari could feel smarter and take advantage of them.

He was still in deep thought when he was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing. Wondering who it could be, he went and opened the door, and his eyebrows shot up in surprise in seeing Kurosaki Yuzu standing outside, looking as chipper as ever…though she wasn't even looking up.

She cleared her throat, and squinted at a small note card in her hand. "Good morning! Um…sir or madam…I am a girl scout who is selling cookies, to raise money for those less fortunate. Would you like to purchase a box?" She looked up and her brown eyes grew wide, and her face broke out into a smile. "Hi, Asahina-kun! I didn't know you lived here."

Ryunosuke tried to clear the lump in his throat but found himself unable to. Yuzu looked even cuter in her girls' scout uniform…and he noticed the numerous badges on her sash…pretty, smart, and generous? There was nothing special about himself…he had absolutely no chance with such a wonderful girl.

But then he remembered the words his sister said to him…he couldn't be afraid of women! So, gathering all courage, he opened his mouth to speak when…

"Who is this, Ryu?" his mother said, coming into the living room. She was a tall woman in her late thirties, but could pass for much younger, as she had a curvaceous body, silky blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. She had just come out of the shower, her hair still damp, wearing a soft red sweater and gray slacks. Lucy was completely surprised in seeing someone near Ryu's age coming to their home, as she had never met any of his friends before…and thought that he might not even have any. And to see a girl…! She became all giddy inside, as though she were a teenage girl, instead of a mother of three.

Ryu turned to his mother, his eyes fearful, trying to send out a silent signal that said, Please, whatever you do Mama, don't embarrass me…!

"Hi, I'm Lucy, Ryunosuke's mom, and who might you be? A friend?"

"U-uh, hello," Yuzu stammered, suddenly shy. "I'm Yuzu…a friend of Ryu's."

"Well, he never told me about you!"

"Mama!"

"Oh, now sweetie, don't think I'm trying to embarrass you! So, Yuzu-chan, where are you from, who are your parents, and what do you hope to gain from being friends with my son, hmm…?"

"MAMA!"

"Uh…uh…" Yuzu's face turned red, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

Ryunosuke felt like smacking his hand with his face, and thought that the situation couldn't get any worse, until…

"Nee-chan! Nee-chan!" Taro came up running, grabbing onto his brother's leg, looking up at Yuzu with his large brown eyes. "Who is this girl, nee-chan? Who is she? Who is she?"

"Sweetie, why don't you come inside and have breakfast with us?" Lucy asked, already pulling on the poor girl's arm.

"Mama, it's almost noon!" Ryu protested.

"Ah, you should know we sleep in," she explained to Yuzu, who just nodded nervously in return.

Ryunosuke felt like crawling under a rock when his father, Soichiro, stepped into the room.

The man…was shirtless.

"What's all the hub-bub, chubs?" he questioned, stepping into the room, his chest completely bare, revealing his muscular body. Ryu sneaked a glance and saw the Yuzu was completely red in the face. He wondered if he could move to a different city. Or country…anything to escape the embarrassment he felt now.

Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse…

…his sister comes in. Singing. At the top of her lungs. Terribly.

She was dancing down the stairs, still in her pajamas, a small white t-shirt with a Hello Kitty face on it and hot pink boy shorts and lighter pink thigh-high socks. Mari held a brush in her hands and was using it as a microphone, singing as if the whole world wanted to hear her, her headphones in her ears with the volume turned up to the max, so she could conveniently drown at any voices that told her she should stop singing or any other unreasonable request.

"The phone rings, in the middle of the night, my father yells, what'cha gonna do with your life!' Oh daddy dear, you know you're still number one, but girls, they wanna have fu-un…ohhhh girls just wanna have…" She jumped over and threw her arm around Ryu's shoulders, and sang, off-key as always, "That's all they really waaaant…some fuuun…oh, when the work and day is done oh girls, they wanna have fu-un, ohhh girls just wanna have fun!" [2]

Ryu felt like kicking himself (for having such an embarrassing family), and his sister (for being one of those family members), and he again snuck a glance at Yuzu's face. He inwardly winced at her shocked expression, as she didn't even blink, but only stared at the entire family with wide brown eyes.

She then exclaimed, "Wow Ryu, I didn't know your sister could speak English! [3] That's so cool!"

"Hmm?" Mari looked at Yuzu, and then said nonchalantly, "Well, I am pretty cool."

She didn't even notice how terribly onee-san sung… Ryu thought, though he didn't question any further, as he was just grateful that Yuzu didn't think him to be a complete idiot with a whacko family.

Taro noticed the boxes of cookies Yuzu held and said, "I want one! I want the fudgy peanut butter wingnuts [4]!"

After the merchandise had been purchased, Yuzu happily requested that the entire Asahina family come over for dinner some time. Ryunosuke, too happy for words and blushing like a maniac, couldn't even answer and so Marise had to come to his rescue, replying that they would be happy to oblige. (Despite her dislike for her older brother Ichigo, but if it was to help her younger one…)

All but Mari and Ryu went into the dining room while their mother prepared breakfast, and the two stood there awkwardly.

"I…I thought you were trying to embarrass me," Ryu said sheepishly, "but it seems that what you did impressed her."

Mari looked at him with an air of dismissal. "Well, of course! I am that incredible after all. But then again, I guess I have to save you every now and again. You know, time after time" She gave him a wink and smiled, her dimples showing. Ryu looked down at the ground, unsure of how to respond. He and his sister were not incredibly close…but they did love each other, even though they showed it most of the time through their arguments.

Taro skipped into the room and turned on the TV, ready to watch his favorite television show, Doraemon, only to be on a channel where Journey to Bust Ghosts on Hallowed Ground was on, with the host Kanonji Don making his trademark pose.

Mari's face twisted into one of disgust. She took the remote from Taro and said, "Ugh, I hate this show! I don't know why everyone is so obsessed with it." When she had changed the channel, a commercial of a well-known band came on, advertising when their next concert would be.

Lucy, wearing an apron and holding a pan, came into the living room and exclaimed, "Well, is that Ringo? He sure has changed!"

Marise looked at her mother and then back at the television, and squinted. Her eyes then grew wide in surprise. "Wha…that is King Arthur's Court! And that's Ringo…? Why in the world did he dye his hair? And are those colored contacts he's wearing? And what's with all those piercings?" She continued to stare at the man who used to be her lover, who before had plain blond hair and brown eyes, but now had dark shaggy blue hair and bright orange eyes, with a silver piercing protruding from his nose to his lip, one on his left eyebrow and many more along his right ear. He definitely wasn't the same guy she had known before!

"You have a real nice taste in men, onee-san," Ryu snickered.

She gave him a ferocious glare. "This guy looks like a complete Yankī! And look! He's brining his stupid band here to Karakura! He thinks just because he's famous he can do whatever the heck he wants! Well, I'll show him! Hmph!"

There was a knock at the door, and Lucy went and opened it, to find her own mother behind, with a smile on her wrinkled face, holding their mail in her hand. "I took the liberty of brining your mail! Aren't I a sweetheart?"

"Obaa-san!" her grandchildren cried.

Their grandmother grinned, her perfect white teeth (her dentures), gleaming. She walked in, elegantly as always, having been born in a very rich family, living the lavish life in France. Even on a normal day she would dress as though she were going to a ball, wearing a dark blue dress with a plain white shawl over her shoulders.

"I decided to drop by after I went to visit Fifi, you know her sticky buns just keep getting better and better? I can't get enough of them! I tell myself I should stop otherwise I'll get fat, but then I think, 'well, too late!'" she laughed.

Lucy took the mail from her mother and frowned as she fingered through them. She glared at Coco. "Mama, you opened all of these! I know I'm your daughter, but I'm not five, can't I have any privacy?"

"What, I was just curious," Coco said with a pout. For a woman who was in her mid sixties, she could often act like a child. "It was all just bills anyway, boooring! Oh," she then added, "but there was one that piqued my interest, and it's for Mari!"

"What is it?" asked Mari, taking the envelope and pulling out the letter. As she did so, a number of tickets fell onto the floor, orange and shiny.

"Ohh, just from a certain Tsuchiya Ringo," she giggled, wiggling her eyebrows. "I won't say any more! Now, what have you got to eat Lucille, I'm famished!"

After the rest had gone into the kitchen, Marise opened the letter, and began reading.

Hey Mari-chan, (or am I allowed to call you that?) we started off on the wrong foot and ended on an even worse I guess. It's one of the parts of my life that I regret most. I hope you're doing okay. Say hi to the family for me. I'd tell you how my life has been, but I'm sure you don't really care. (And you've probably seen my life on TV anyway.) I'm not asking you to worship me or anything, but…well, you probably already know by now that the band has a gig in your town…and you probably wouldn't even give a second's thought to going, but…will you? I want to see you again. (And no, not because I'm madly in love with you, don't give yourself that much credit, babe.) But I do care. Even if I didn't show it much before. I know the "just be friends" thing is lame and all…but hey, I thought we might give it a shot. In the envelope are tickets, more than one in case you want to bring some friends.* I hope to see you there. Take care. - Ringo

*P.S. That is…if you've gotten any friends yet.

For a few moments Mari just stood there, unsure of what to make of the letter, holding it in her hand awkwardly, staring at it. She bit her bottom lip, confusion in her eyes. Then, shaking her head furiously, she ripped the letter in half, then in fourths, and then into little tiny pieces, to the point where they could never be put back together.

What a blockhead! A stupid face! A…a…well, he's every horrible thing in this world combined into one…idiot person! I have friends! Tons of them! They're…they're just not here, that's all. She cast her eyes down, forlorn. They're not anywhere.

She squatted down on the balls of her feet and picked up the ticket, counting them. There were four of them. Where would she find three other friends? Wait, she wasn't thinking of going, was she?

Why would she go?

Marise looked sadly at the tickets she held in her hand. Who do I go to? Who would want to go with me…? Her face then slowly shifted into an expression of contemplation, and then, into a devious smile.

Oh...I know who'd want to go with me.

To Be Continued

Footnotes:

[1]
Strangely enough, Marise doesn't curse, never saying even damn or "Oh
my God." So in order to avoid insulting people with curse words she'll
come up with some peculiar insults.

[2] "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper (As if we don't know that…)

[3] Mari can only speak formal English. (So…she doesn't understand phrases like "what's up, lost your marbles, etc.")

[4] Yeah…I completely pulled that cookie flavor out of nowhere…