Family Story - 007

Two days after I went over to Tayla's place to have dinner with her family, I did my grocery shopping at the mall across the road from the restaurant I work at.

I don't have a specific day for grocery shopping, I just go to the supermarket when I start to notice that my pantry is looking even more empty than usual.

Frozen pizza, fizzy drink, potato chips.

Looking at everything I've got in my basket; I can only think about just how unhealthy I must be at the moment. It might be a good idea to learn how to cook. Whilst there is a kitchen, Tayla is the only one who's used most of the appliances. The one appliance I have used, is the microwave.

Well, maybe after the new year. I've been saving up to buy a phone, not to mention I have to get a present for Tayla, and ingredients are expensive.

Since I'm doing my shopping after work, it's quite late. Nine to be precise. But at this time of the year, the sun doesn't go down for another half-hour, and it's still light for another hour beyond that.

It's because Christchurch is so far south of the equator.

Well, next year. I'll learn how to cook after the new year begins. Maybe I'll get Tayla to teach me.

After finishing my shopping, I exit the supermarket, and make my way to the farthest exit from the mall, as it's the closest one to my place. That means crossing the entire mall, however. It's about closing time, so even though this place is normally bustling with people going about their daily business, right now it's almost dead quiet. There's practically no one around. It almost feels unnerving being in here. It's strange being in a place that's usually so busy, and yet now is so quiet. I pick up my pace as I walk across the empty mall court.

Just as I step out into the low red light of the late evening, and feel a summer breeze on my face, I hear something unusual for outside at this time of day. Voices.

Couldn't you just go inside, and stop messing with my perspectives?

In any case, I would usually just ignore the voices, especially given that they're coming from the opposite side of the exit than I'm planning to walk, but I recognise one of them.

That voice belongs to one of my co-workers. AJ.

AJ, probably short for something, doesn't talk much, but she has a distinctive voice. Her strong accent makes it easy to place her as being from Britain, though I can't really tell what part.

"You did it again, didn't you? I can tell from the look on your face."

It sounded like she was telling someone off. I couldn't see their face. I could tell that they were male, and taller than her too.

"What's the problem with that? It isn't like you've never done it."

"But that's different…"

"How is it different? You can't just treat me like a kid all the time!"

The boy, from his voice he seemed about my age, maybe younger.

"Well, that's… I just don't want you to get addicted to meth. I'm just worried. And you're getting it from that dodgy guy, the one that

"Who cares where I get it from? I'm not addicted either."

"Really? It seems like you are from the amount of times I've found it in your room. You should do a better job of hiding it."

"Shut up! It's none of your business anyway."

Upon saying that, the boy then turned around and began walking away at a furious pace.

"Hey, come back!" AJ called out, though he didn't show any sign that he heard her.

As she watched the boy's back while he walked away, she sighed loudly.

Just as I was thinking that perhaps I should leave before I was noticed, AJ turned around, spotting me in the process.

This is bad. I've never gotten the impression that AJ particularly likes me. I think it might be that she's just not very talkative, but she sometimes doesn't reply even when I talk to her.

In any case, it isn't a good thing that she noticed I was here.

"H-hey."

Just like usual, she doesn't reply to me.

"Umm… uh… what were you talking about?"

"None of your business. It's family stuff."

"Family stuff… is he your brother?"

"Yes."

…

"Is he doing meth?"

She sighed, "so you did hear our conversation. Just keep out of it. It has nothing to do with you. And…"

"And?"

"… did you never learn that it's bad to eavesdrop?!"

As she spoke, AJ lunged forward with her fingers splayed out, as if they were claws. She wasn't particularly fast, and I managed to mostly dodge her, but she still caught my arm with her fingernails. She dug in hard.

I didn't have to look at them to realise that she'd drawn blood.

What was she? She's insane.

Who lunges at someone like that, attacking them?

"Ow. What are you trying to do?"

"Ch. You're not supposed to move out of the way."

"What else did you expect me to do there?! Are you trying to kill me?"

"No, just scare you off."

What is she? A wild animal, defending its' territory?

"Don't say that, I'm a human being."

Huh, did I say that out loud?

"Well, it's not like I meant to eavesdrop, anyway."

"Really?"

"No… I was just walking past. I stayed at the mall after work to do my grocery shopping, see?"

I held up the supermarket bags in both my hands.

"Hmm… do you do the shopping for your family or something."

"Uh… yeah, something like that."

She sighed, "why are we even talking? Scram already."

"Wait, I was thinking that maybe we could talk. About your brother."

"Huh? Why would I want to talk to you about that?"

"I know we don't really know each other, but I'm concerned. If there's something dangerous happening around here, I want to know. I need to know so that I can keep the ones that I care about safe."

What if Tayla or Arthur, or even Massimo or Elis, got mixed up in something like that? If I can do something about it to stop that from happening, to keep the people I love safe, then there's no choice but to do it, is there?

Or at least that's what I believe.

AJ looks at me with a strange gaze in her eyes.

"You really are strange, you know that?"

"A lot of people tell me that."

"No wonder," she smiled, "fine, if that'll satisfy you, I'll tell you what I know."