I was right on time, because Isa got home 10 minutes after I did. I made it look like I had been there the whole time, of course.

Isa walked into the bedroom. "Hey, Tala!"

"Hi, Isa. How was work?"

"It was good! I like my coworkers. They're all really nice!"

I smile. Isa looked so happy I couldn't help but be happy, too. "That's good. Hey, I wanted to wait until you were home, so you didn't come to an empty house, but we're low on food. Want to come grocery store with me, or would you rather stay here?"

"I'll come with you, but what if someone recognizes you?" Isa says after a moment of thinking.

"I braid my hair. No one besides you has ever seen my face when I was on a job, so if I hide my signature 'mane,' then no one even thinks to suspect me."

Isa nods. "That's smart. So, are we leaving after you braid your hair?"

"Yep."

Isa walks away, and I grab a brush and hair tie, brushing out my tangles, and easily french braiding my hair down my back. I walk out of my bedroom, and see Isa curled up on the couch, still folded out into bed mode, reading. She'd changed out of her work uniform shirt, and into a dark purple t-shirt, with the jeans she had on earlier today. We'd gone out last week to buy her some clothes, so she didn't have to keep borrowing mine. "Ready to go?" I asked as I walked past her, slipping on my sneakers. Isa nods, and slips on her sneakers as well. As we begin the quick walk to the nearest grocery store, really just a glorified corner store, I ask, "What were you reading?"

Isa grins. "It's called Splintered. It's about a twisted Wonderland, and it's really good! I'm not very far, but what I know is that the main character, Alyssa hears the voices of bugs and plants in her head. Her mom does too, and she got admitted to a mental hospital for it. Apparently, her great-something grandmother was supposedly who Alice in Wonderland was based off of, and this is some kind of curse because Alice kind of wrecked Wonderland," Isa says, her eyes alight with excitement. I chuckle.

"So, you like fantasy, huh?"

"Yep! My favorite series are the Harry Potter series and the Lord of the Rings."

"Cool. I always prefered mysteries, especially the old ones, like the Agatha Christies," I reply. Isa turns toward me, a mischievous smirk playing on her lips.

"You would like murder mysteries," she laughs.

"Hey, They were interesting to read," I reply indignantly. Isa just giggles some more. We walk into the store, and I grab a cart.

"Okay, so we need milk, fruit, bread, peanut butter, cereal, vegetables, chicken, and something else for dinner. What do you want?" I ask.

"Well, I'm guessing the chicken will last a few days, if we get the frozen breasts, so how about fish for tonight. I can make pretty good salmon, and I think it's on sale today," Isa replies.

"Fish it is."

We walk silently for a minute, before Isa speaks up. "Hey, we're the only ones in this store besides the workers. How about we have a contest."

"Sure! What would the winner get?"

"The goal is we split up the list evenly, and whoever gets their whole list done first wins. Whoever loses has to do the cinnamon challenge.."

I grin. "It's on!" I've always been competitive, and the contest relight my competitive spirit. I was sure as hell not going to have to do the cinnamon challenge. We split up the list, and run off. I grab the milk, and take it back to the cart, only to find two other items already in it. How did Isa get them so fast? I speed through getting apples and oranges, and the bread and peanut butter are right near each other. Isa had only added one other item to the cart while I was away, so now I was ahead. But by the time I was done with my list, Isa was standing, smiling smugly by the cart.

"How'd you do that that fast?" I ask incredulously.

Isa just grins. "Skills," she says simply. I roll my eyes.

"I just can't believe I lost!" I complain once again when we get home.

Isa smirks. "Well, believe it, because now you have to do the cinnamon challenge."

I groan. "I know, I know, but I hate not winning. I'm super competeive. Just ask Ced."

Isa nods. "Well, doesn't matter, because you lost."

We put away the groceries, and I grab a spoon and the container of cinnamon. I scoop up a spoonful, and swallow it. I start coughing. Isa had milk ready, so I take a drink. "Damn. Remind me not to make bets with you. The risks outwiegh the rewards by a lot."

"I'll try to remind you," Isa says, smirking, and I can tell she doesn't intend to. I smile, though. Today was fun.

___

A/N- Splintered is a real book by A. G. Howard, that I very much recommend. Just wanted to say this to give credit to the book. I read the whole series earlier this year and they were amazing. Also, I'm going on vacation on Sunday, and my phone is broken. It's supposed to get fixed on Friday, but I'm not sure if I'll have it back by Sunday, so from this Sunday to next Sunday, I may or may not be able to keep updating. Sorry in advance, but I wanted to warn you guys.