STELLALIN CLOTHING

I knew it was going to sound awkward, but I had to ask my sister what to wear to a school dance, as she was the "fashion type."

I mustered courage and quietly walked into Emma's room. She was lying on the bed, reading one of those boring books on werewolf mythology. I stood before her, playing with my fingers, appearing as though I had nothing reasonable to do. She observed the unusual silence in the room and said, "Okay, what do you want?"

"Can we talk?" I whispered.

"The hot kid has finally asked you to be his girlfriend?" she teased, sitting on the bed with her feet on the ground.

I sat on the bed and said, "Keep dreaming; it will never happen. I need your help with something."

"Hope it's not about helping you escape Math class?"

"You've never helped me escape any class in my entire life."

"That's good. So, what do you want?"

"I want to get a dress," I slightly opened my teeth. "For a school dance."

"School dance?" She questioned, expressing her shock by raising her eyebrows. "You have a date? Who's the lucky guy?"

"Can you just find me a dress or something?"

"Oh, it's that guy," she winked. "We gotta go shopping then."

"Shopping?" I asked, startled. "Why?"

"Cause you can't wear my clothes," She tilted her head slightly. "Dohh."

I slapped my face and said, "This is going to be a disaster."

"Let's go," my sister said, walking out of the house.

I joined her in her car, a BMW two series. Taking my seat in the passenger's seat in front and my sister in the driver's seat, Emma started the engine, and we began our journey to town. I can't believe I didn't have any dress that was "date-worthy."

"The full moon is next week, you know," Emma said. "You've got to be ready."

I sighed and replied, "Yeah."

While every normal kid was waiting for Santa to come share presents in their rooms or go to an amusement park, I was looking forward to a wolf hunt. "That's so normal," I thought, sarcastically.

My sister parked her car in front of her favorite clothing store - the one she visited every time she wanted to go out for an outing. So sad, that was ages ago. Now, I couldn't just wait for the "Oh, we haven't seen you in a long time" conversation.

The storefront, made of glass, was tempered and had a revolving main entrance. The transparent glass windows revealed a good portion of the clothes sold by "Stellalin Clothing." The store's name was written boldly, on the concrete, at the top of the building. The walls were painted grey, almost quite similar to the paved ground. Mini stairs led to the storefront.

My entrance with my sister was greeted with a beautiful sight - sumptuous garments that cut across different cultures. Here, you can find British attire, American clothes, African fabrics, Indian sarongs, and many more. The male and female mannequins did a good job displaying the clothes in grand style. The walls had wooden structures that harbored shoes of different kinds. Amongst others were heels, loafers, Oxford, sneakers, and a lot more. One couldn't get enough view as the store was very large. I could tell things here were very expensive.

My sister and I walked to the cashier who stood at the right far end of the store. She was wearing a crisp blue suit. Her black hair was tied to form a ponytail, and her face was adorned with spectacles, which I suppose were recommended. She was seated on a revolving chair, working on a desktop when we approached her.

The cashier turned to my sister and me and asked, "Emma, where have you been?"

"I've been around," my sister answered.

"I thought you traveled out of the country."

My sister chuckled and said, "Amanda, I need a dress. Better still, dresses for my sister." Emma gestured towards me with her right hand.

"Never knew you had a sister," Amanda revealed.

"Yeah, she just rose from the dead," my sister retorted.

"Hello," Amanda waved toward me.

"Hi," I responded.

"What do you love wearing?" Amanda inquired.

"I wear anything," I answered. "I just need something suitable for a date."

"Well, I've got something perfect for you," Amanda rolled her chair backward and walked toward the gown segments. My sister and I followed suit.

Amanda took a red gown from the hanger and told me to go try it out. I went into the dressing room and returned. I looked at the knee-length gown and said, "I love it."

"She looks like an old lady, doesn't she?" Emma asked.

"She does," Amanda replied.

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. At this point, I knew I was not going to leave till evening. These "fashion freaks" were going to make me try on every piece of clothing in the whole building.

My sister recommended a black trousers, a white shirt, and a black jacket for me. I returned from the dressing room wearing Emma's pick.

"She looks like an assassin," Amanda remarked, placing her index fingers on her lips.

"You couldn't have said it better," my sister agreed.

I went back into the dressing room, and Amanda found a black floor-length gown for me. When I returned, my sister remarked, "You look like Cinderella; a princess in distress." I sighed and exclaimed, "What!"

After trying out over a million dresses, the fashion freaks picked a slim blue sleeveless knee-length gown. To complement the outfit was a blue jacket and blue heels. I loved the outfit; it made me look like a princess.

"This is perfect," Amanda remarked.

"Wish I could say that again," Emma said.

My sister bought a few other elegant dresses for me, hoping that I'll go out on more dates. And yes, she took an outfit that made her look like a hired killer - a blue trouser, white shirt, and a blue jacket. She also got herself some expensive boots.

I took my sister's car keys and took the package to the car while my sister discussed some other boring matters with her friend. She didn't let me see the payment slip, but I knew it cost a couple of thousand dollars.

After placing our shopping package in the trunk, I sat in the driver's seat, waiting for my sister to return. Emma returned a few minutes later, sat in the driver's seat, and let out a loud sigh.

"I miss the days I used to come here," she started the engine.

"How much did you spend on everything?" I inquired.

"Does it matter?" she asked. "My sister going out on a date is all that matters to me."

Our journey home began the moment my sister was able to navigate her way back to the main road.

I wondered what Henry would wear. Probably a green shirt and blue knickerbockers.