When the girls finally returned to the store, the picketers had, much to their relief, found something to do. Possibly picket another store, protest a movie, burn some books, or just have lunch.

Chrissy was the first in the store, surprised at the crowd it had drawn after the threat of being preached at had disappeared. Tara looked around at the sort of clientele it drew. There was an elderly woman of who she was half sure that she had been picketing not much earlier. The table with the arguing boys had drawn several more boys and several more arguments, led by a balding man in his late twenties to early thirties that probably should know better than to argue with boys half his age, but their conversation was animated and apparently hilarious as they laughed almost every time the word ‘orc’ fell. An elderly man was discussing something with, Tara assumed, his grandson and Mrs Brigman was just writing down her last sale in a large ledger.

“Got your lunch, mom!” Chrissy yelled as she entered, drawing the attention of two patrons. One, the thirty year old, gave her a look that bordered on disdain. The second was a black girl that Tara hadn’t noticed as she had been hiding in a book. When she looked up, she still seemed hidden, though now behind the overly large glasses she wore.

Tara offered her a slight smile. The girl returned it with a nod of her head, then returned to her book.

“About time,” was all Mrs Brigman had to say to that, gratefully took the burger and gestured Chrissy to take over the register so she could eat.

It was quiet for a moment, aside from the store’s sounds, then suddenly Chrissy grabbed Tara’s wrist and dragged her behind the counter to take her place.

Mrs Brigman arched a brow at her daughter.

“I have to get some stuff,” she said to her mom and disappeared into the staff room.

“Some stuff…?”

Tara was left at the register, blankly staring at the customers, wondering if she wasn’t forgetting something. She shrugged it off, then spotted book she had wanted to buy. She reached into her bag to get the money.

“Looks like you’re getting the employee discount,” Mrs Brigman observed from over her burger.

“I don’t work here?” Tara said, a bit confused, “And won’t that cost you money?”

“’Course not,” was the simple reply. Though an explanation didn’t follow until her daughter returned to the store, “I’ll take it out of Chrissy’s allowance.”

Chrissy stopped dead in her tracks.

“What? Why?!”

“Because I told you to man the register,” Mrs Brigman said calmly, hiding her smile behind the half eaten burger.

Chrissy stuck her tongue out at her mother, “It’s not like you pay me.”

“I feed and clothe you.”

“You signed up for that,” Chrissy threw back.

“And I signed you up to help me out sometimes, but fine. You can keep your allowance … for now.”

Chrissy’s only response to that was once again sticking her tongue out before dropping a book on the counter with a soft thud. It was the same the picketers outside had shown Tara, featuring the thing she had mistaken for a rotten orange. Now that she saw it clearly, it was obviously an idol. Maybe some sort of demon. It mostly reminded her of her PE teacher.

“All we need to know is in here,” Chrissy said, “But before we start. Do you have any idea for a character?”

“A human barbarian,” Tara said, having long decided to make A’rat for whatever this game entailed.

Chrissy’s face fell, “We’ll need another book, but I left mine at home….”

“Oh…”

“Hey, Tara…”

“Yes, Mrs Brigman?”

“Weren’t you supposed to be somewhere at two?”

“Yeah?”

Tara looked at her watch, turned pale and immediately rushed for the door, flying past the customers that looked at her with some annoyance.

“I’ll drop by tonight?” Chrissy called after.

It wasn’t that the hospital was an exceptionally long walk, but Tara still flew across the pavement. It was ten to two and her father drilled the importance of being on time in her head often enough. In fact, he had once pretended to leave her stranded in a school parking lot for fifteen minutes just to prove a point.

She couldn’t imagine her mother doing the same, but she also wasn’t planning to risk it.

She ducked under a man’s arm, hopped over a sleeping dog, tripped over her own feet and finally was stopped in stride by somebody blocking her way.

“Tara!” the girl in front of her said, folding her arms.

“Sophie!” Tara said, mirroring her energy.

Sophie was her eldest brother’s girlfriend, who she normally only saw dressed in skimpy leathers, sunglasses and huge hair. This time, standing in front of The Goulding Bakery, she was dressed more conservatively in the store’s uniform, an apron and her hair tied back. The only usual thing was the incessant need to chew gum with her mouth open, which she was currently doing with some venom.

“Tell your brother,” she said in a voice that rose as she spoke, “To call me something. Or he can get his kicks with that fucking donkey he like so much.”

Tara had never liked Sophie’s voice, it was annoying high pitched and she was convinced the girl was part dolphin. She simply nodded, making sure not to have any protracted conversation with her, then kept walking.

“Sorry,” she called over her shoulder, “I’m late!”

She heard a frustrated gum pop, then focused on making sure she didn’t run into anyone.

It was ten past two when she arrived hospital, ran up the stairs and found her mother waiting in the room that existed for that specific purpose.

“I thought your grandfather gave you a watch,” Mrs Brooks said, said something else to the lady at the reception desk, then gestured for her daughter to follow her.

“Sorry, mom,” Tara panted, leaning on her knees, “I ran into Sophie and she kept me talking.”

This technically wasn’t true, but Tara didn’t mind Sophie taking the blame for this.

“Goulding?”

“Sawyer’s girl, yeah.”

“What did she want?”

“For Sawyer to call her. She was really angry.”

“Ah, well. Don’t forget to tell him,” Mrs Brooks said as her daughter fell into step with her, “Oh! Did you get a good book?”

Tara felt her bag, then very clearly pictured the counter in the Mage’s Pages.

“Shit,” she whispered to herself.