let a girl cry in less than ten minutes?" Ira said, red sparks sizzling around him.

"It's me," she shrugged as she stepped away from the sparks," it was easy to do."

"Isn't she supposed to be the conniving one in this situation?" Ari said.

"No, I am the conniving one in each situation," Jasmina corrected her, before adding," but you're right. She won't transfer."

"What? But she said -"

"She followed me around for years," she said as she applied lipstick," you think she doesn't know that was fake? There's a reason I kept her around, you know. You think those tears were real? The girl is faker than my faux fur designer bag."

"Do I need to do something?" Daichi said, orange wisps of smoke dancing around him as he looked at her.

"No," Jasmina said," I can handle myself. I provoked her on purpose."

"Okay, wait," Ira frowned," I can't follow it anymore. What's going on?"

Jasmina rolled her eyes, before placing a hand on his cheek as she spoke.

"This was a plan, doll," she said," do you think anyone would transfer just out of guilt? And especially not our dear sneaky Lena here - no, the fact that I lied to her probably let all self-righteous guilt she had disappear. The girl will try to ruin me at the nearest social event."

She smiled then. "It's only good then that that girl's party is this Thursday. I bet she's planning something already."

"You look quite happy for someone who just told us your ex-friend is going to ruin you," Ari said.

"That's because it's all part of my plan," Jasmina said with a pleased smile," you'll see it Thursday."

"You're telling me your whole act to her until now was just a plan?" Ira said slowly.

"When did you even start planning that?" Lucy chuckled," in hell?"

"Right after," Jasmina said," but just imagine, you're a person filled with a mix of shame and selfishness and the girl you betrayed came back to life. There were only two options left now, either she'd befriend me again and it would be the fakest friendship ever or she'd avoid me but talk behind my back. Both scenarios weren't ideal."

Jasmina's smile curled up into something more devilish as she continued. "No, I wanted to cause more permanent damage. So I acted angry at her - and then, when I was forced to confront her and put on the fakest act ever to get her to leave, all shame vanished out of her mind."

"She's going to cause a scene at the party," Jasmina chuckled," because I pushed her to this point and when she does, I'll make sure she'll never be able to show her face anywhere again. Her and Alan both."

"You couldn't have known whether she'd be here," Lucy said with a frown," or whether I'd stop the elevator."

"You think I picked out this mall on this hour for nothing?" Jasmina said," Lena always shops here around this time. There's a reason I asked Ari to come along, because the girl would definitely ask you and you are somehow dead set on making me a better person. If Lena was in the same mall as me and you spotted her, you would force us to spend time together."

"You're the most manipulative person I've ever met, Jasmina," Lucy said with an impressed chuckle," and that's a huge compliment coming from me."

"Why'd you assume I'd immediately invite Luxuria?" Ari said.

"Because we're close," Lucy smiled at her as she placed her arm around her shoulder and pushed Ari close," aren't we?"

Ari's cheeks flamed bright red and Daichi and Lucy smiled. Ira's eyes were still focussed in wonder on Jasmina though, red sparks flying around him like moons around a planet.

"Let the girl live," Daichi chuckled, before looking at Jasmina," can we help in some way?"

"Oh, you all have a role in this," Jasmina smiled," it'll come. Now let's donate to a charity and shop for a dress for Thursday."

Five hours later they were done and exhausted, except for Jasmina, who Ira forcibly took along again when she entered another shop.

"No," he just said.

"Put me down or I'll blind you," she said.

He didn't listen and without skipping a beat she sprayed perfume in his face, only stopping when he put her down.

"You should be glad I'm immortal," he groaned as he placed his hands over his eyes.

"No," she said," I'm glad it hurts. I managed to get the point across, didn't I?"

"Come on, gorgeous," Daichi pleaded," I'm exhausted."

"You all head back with the stuff," Lucy said then," I'll stay behind with Jasmina, I've got some things to buy anyway."

"I can stay behind too," Ari offered.

Jasmina glanced at Lucy, catching something in her gaze as she shook her head.

"You know what," Jasmina said," I think only Lucy should stay behind, I need her expertise anyway."

Ari looked disappointed as she nodded, but Ira folded his arms over each other.

"I'm staying," he said.

"No, you're not," Jasmina said, before looking over his shoulder at Daichi, who had run off and was looting candy from a booth in the distance," you're going to catch him and go home. And if you don't, you don't get to go to the party Thursday."

"Why should I want to come that badly?" he said.

"Because I'm going to ruin two lives," she said with a pleasant smile.

He hesitated, before giving in, groaning as he and Ari went after Daichi.

"Now," Jasmina said as Lucy hooked her arm through hers and pulled her along," why do I get the feeling that you're up to something?"

"Me? Never," Lucy said with an innocent smile," I just have someone I want you to talk to."

"No."

"You've already manipulated me today," Lucy said," so please listen to my request. Let it be your good deed of the day."

"I donated to charity," Jasmina said.

"And you managed to set up the grandest, most manipulative scheme ever for the pettiest reason."

Jasmina blinked, before sighing. "Fine. But if you're introducing me to some health guru, I'm out."

"No, don't worry," Lucy chuckled," I have found the most no-nonsense person who was at this mall today and I'm going to let us three talk, just to get you to see a different perspective."

"You're worse than the therapist my mother forced me to see because it was trending at the moment."

"If I had a heart, I would cry."

They stepped into the elevator then and when the doors closed, suspicion filled Jasmina's gaze.

"Don't tell me -" she began.

"Elevators are good spaces to talk," Lucy smiled.

"Who told you that?"

And then the elevator stopped again.

Jasmina turned around slowly to the other person standing in the lift with them, only to be surprised when it was a pretty, Hispanic girl instead of some hippie. She was clad in a leather jacket, her dark eyes unbothered as she looked out of the elevator, seemingly not to care that much that it had stopped.

Jasmina followed her eyes out of the glass wall down to the first floor as she waved casually, only to see it was directed at three somehow familiar guys there, who were screaming and waving at her.

"Seems we're stuck, huh," she said.

"Seems so," Jasmina said as she looked at her.

"Might as well get to know each other while we wait for help to come," Lucy smiled," I'm Lucy and this is Jasmina. What's your name?"

The girl smiled at them, all unkept promises and spontaneous decisions.

"It's Ella."