The City of Ionia

"How does this look?"

Owen held a beige button–up shirt to his chest. The sleeves were wrinkly and the collar was uneven. He should've made it look presentable before asking.

Tim rubbed his chin like a detective. "Eeehhh, go for a bolder color. Like green."

"Green? What the hell…"

"Hey, don't put the shirt away. It was just a suggestion."

Owen knocked Tim's flying arms away from his face. "Stop that. And you're given me terrible suggestions. Roger, queue in on this. Help a man find new clothes."

Roger glanced around at the jeans, uninterested in this squabble. I, too, was uninterested and wanted out.

It was the four of us: no Sydney or Kaze. No one was missing from the group. The four outsiders who made their way into Ionia. It's been a while since we've all gone together somewhere. Usually, someone was busy or Kaze came along due to boredom, so it felt refreshing for the four of us to be together.

Owen decided to visit the largest mall in Ionia. Consisting of 16 floors, three of which were dedicated to restaurants and other food, it housed more stores than any market in the outside world. The store itself sold only high–quality clothing. Every time I looked at the price tag, my eyes drifted away. I couldn't afford anything here. This store had everything, from long trench coats that kept you warm in the harsh winters to flexible, lightweight shorts.

I saw a nice pair of white shoes by the back that I really wanted. If only the price were reasonable. I mean, who would pay for shoes worth more than a normal person's paycheck?

"Hey Jill, do you want to check the women's side?"

"Uh, no. I'm good."

Tim shrugged, continuing to look at plain polo shirts.

"Is Owen paying for you?"

Tim answered without looking at me. He held a plain, dark blue shirt up to his level and said, "Kaze gave me money to spend. Plan on buying an outfit or two."

I nodded with a gentle thumbs–up. "N–Nice. I–uh–forgot my money at home, so I'm just window shopping."

"Window shopping?!"

"Ehh!"

Roger popped out from behind. His unexpected presence made me grab my chest, nearly giving me a heart attack.

"Y—Ya. Window shopping. I forgot my money back home. Regardless, I wouldn't spend it here. It's too expensive."

Roger grabbed my hand and looked away, covering his face. "No women should go through the hardship of not being able to shop."

What's up with the dramatics? I came to spend time, not my money.

"Roger… you can let go of me." I slipped my hand from his grasp. "I don't need or want anything. I'm here for… moral support, I guess."

"Hey Roger, why can't you spend your money on me?" Tim said while looking up at him.

"No, no, no. The rich don't spend money on people who have enough to spend. The rich unselfishly shares his or her belongings for those in need."

I heavily blinked and glanced away. I couldn't believe what I heard.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Roger… the rich don't care about anyone under them," I said with a half facepalm.

"Yeah, probably. I got that line from a cool crime series I've been watching. Thought that line sounded cool."

"Hey Roger."

"Hmph?"

"You are the biggest man–child I know."

"Screw you!"

Aaaannndd they were at it again. I silently stepped away. I didn't want to be caught up with a noise complaint or dirty looks. Their childish bickering could be heard from the nearby areas. Knowing them, it would likely continue for a while.

I maneuvered my way through the aisles until I found Owen. He held a pair of round sunglasses up to his eye level. I tapped the back of his shoulder. He didn't jump or get scared, which I thought he would.

"Sunglasses? Isn't it going to be winter soon?"

"They're on clearance for a reason. Thinking about buying and saving them for later. I might forget about them, though. Where are the others?"

I sighed. "The usual, I guess. Bickering over stupid stuff. " My eyes wandered on the shelves filled with sunglasses that looked similar to one another. The only noticeable differences were the tinted shades and their shape. Other than that, they all looked identical. But maybe the shape and tint color were the only relevant differences? I didn't know, and I didn't care. Speaking of caring, there was something I did care about.

"Of course they are," Owen said. "What else—"

"How's the girl?" I asked, not caring if I interrupted him.

"Cameron?" She's well. Oh—! Speaking of Cameron, her birthday is coming up soon, and I still have to get her something. Mind helping me?"

I agreed and followed Owen around the store. I suggested jewelry since you couldn't go wrong with that. We found ourselves looking down at rings behind glass barriers. He pointed to a silver one with a few diamonds, but I insisted it felt too bold.

"I suggest something more casual," I said with a straight face. He asked for my help, knowing I wasn't the type of woman he was looking for. I hardly wore any jewelry, so I wasn't the one anyone should ask.

"Ok then…"

His eyes dashed around each ring. I could tell his brain was moving at record speeds. He didn't examine them carefully. I knew that was an issue too.

While he continued searching for his ideal ring, a thought popped into my head. Something I've wanted to ask Owen for a while, but never had the opportunity to.

"Owen?"

"Yeah?" His eyes still darted around.

"Did you tell her the truth?"

He looked up at me like I asked him something strange. "What?"

"Did you tell her about your origin?"

"Origin—what? Like…" He leaned into my ear and whispered, "outsider?"

"What else?"

"Uh, no. Why would I?"

I brushed his question off and gave him a simple response. "Just wondering."

I didn't want Owen to get too attached to Cameron, in case he accidentally spills critical information about himself and the others. I didn't trust him to keep his mouth shut. I wanted to say something, but lacked courage.

Owen constantly hung out with Cameron. Almost every night, every weekend, every goddamn day. It's either he's at her place or they were out and about. At first, I felt normal. I didn't think much of it.

But then it kept happening. They would always be together.

Over and over.

And now he wanted to buy her a birthday gift.

I never received a gift from him. Granted, I didn't know my birthday, but still, I never got anything except for a few daggers. That wasn't due to a special occurrence like this.

His eyes wandered, lost in thought on what to buy. Owen carefully picked up on small details about each ring, analyzing it to the fullest.

Where was this for me? Did he not care enough about me?

No, that couldn't be it. We lived together for years.

That's right. We lived together for years.

We struggled together. Laughed together. Ate together. Fought together. Hunted together. Cried together. Ran together. For years, that's how it was. Me and boys… just like that.

We shared a special, indestructible, and unbreakable bond.

So why did I feel that our once indestructible bond was withering away? It weakened with every passing minute.

I thought about it, and didn't want to accept it. Soon, Owen, that once stubborn bond would snap.

I had a sickening feeling that Owen would no longer need me.

I had a sickening feeling that the boys would no longer need me.

To be abandoned by the people you care about…

"What about this one?"

Owen pointed at a silver ring with small swirl designs—almost like a gust of wind.

I wished to turn into a gust of wind and disappear from here. However, I kept my smile and gave him the nod of approval.

"It's perfect."

…what an awful feeling.