"Man, we didn't even get to check out half of the rec center," Rib moaned as everyone made their way down the sidewalk.

"Yeah, did you guys see that giant slide thing they had outside?" asked Demeter.

Charlie gulped and glanced at Pace, who was walking a few steps behind the rest of them.

"That looked fun," nodded Apollo. "We should go back sometime... you know, without the stick in the mud," he added in a whisper.

"It is too bad our plan did not work, though," Max frowned.

"Well, at least the day's not a total loss. We still get to go shopping," Demeter pointed ahead.

They had reached the mall; a hip-looking three-story glass building even larger than the rec center. A stone fountain babbled in the courtyard and a long walkway arced high above their heads connecting the west and east wings of the mall.

"Let's go!" Rib sprinted towards the revolving door, followed by the twins and Max.

However, when Charlie entered the empty section between the glass, Rib began to run, causing the doors to spin so quickly that no one could get out.

"Rib! Stop!" Apollo yelled, he and his brother finally toppling out and onto the tiled floor of the mall.

"I think I am going to be sick," Max covered his mouth.

"Whoa!" Charlie stepped out of the doors, but was so dizzy that she stumbled into Apollo just as he was standing back up.

"Look! She's swooning over me!" he grinned, catching her. "I knew it was only a matter of time!"

Regaining her balance, Charlie embarrassedly backed up, but a low scoffing sound made her turn around.

Pace had joined them in the mall and was already climbing an escalator going up.

"Come on, guys. We better get our shopping done before Pace makes us leave here, too," Rib grimaced, leading his dorm across the entrance hall.

~~~

After an hour of test-smelling every cologne with Demeter, suffering through the joke shop with Rib, and trying to avoid underwear shopping with Apollo, Charlie finally found the store she had been wanting to visit most.

Charlie excitedly ran inside, looking around like a kid in a candy shop, and to her greatest delight, she spotted the most beautiful display she had ever seen.

'BLANKETS 50% OFF', read a sign.

"At last!" thought Charlie, rushing over and selecting a fluffy pink blanket. "Now for the rest," she grinned, taking out her shopping list and skipping off happily through the store.

When Charlie had finally found all the items on her list (and then some!), she began to make her way to the register, but a rack of notebooks caught her eye.

"Hmm," she picked up a plain black lined pad and added it to her things before checking out.

~~~

"Did everyone purchase what they wanted?" asked Maxsim when they had reassembled with their shopping bags out by the fountain.

Demeter nodded and spritzed himself with the new cologne Charlie had helped him pick.

"Yep!" Apollo smiled. "These are nice, aren't they?" he passed a folded item to Charlie, who took it before she realized what it was.

"Ew! Don't hand me your underwear!" she squealed, accidentally throwing the animal print fabric into the fountain.

"Hey!" Apollo swiped his undergarment from the water.

"That's a good idea!" said Rib suddenly.

"How is tossing my new underwear in the fountain a good idea?" Apollo frowned, ringing out his undies.

"No! We should toss in coins!" Rib rolled his eyes. "You know, we can make a wish!"

"Yeah! To enter the competition!" agreed Demeter, pulling out a coin from his wallet.

"Let us all throw in our coins at the same time," suggested Max.

"Okay, on three," shouted Rib as everyone held out their coins. "One, two, three!"

Together, Charlie, Max, Rib and the twins all tossed their coins into the fountain, but at that same exact moment, another coin came plummeting down from high above, making a splash.

Charlie and the boys all looked up to see someone leaving the walkway above.

"Was that Pace?" Rib stared up in confusion.

"What do you think he wished for?" wondered Demeter.

~~~