Mariana pushed Axel in his stroller while Elisa held onto one handle and a black Chanel purse. They walked with Leilani who held onto Mateo's hand. They were all going shopping at a mall on a Saturday as a little day out.

"So where should we go first?" Mariana asked, her sweaty hands gripped the handle tightly, as if she was holding on for dear protection. They were in the middle of the mall. The growing number of people made her heartbeat accelerate, as if some enemy of hers was hiding among them, waiting to attack. But still, she was determined to have a good time.

"Hmm... how about clothes?" Leilani suggested. Her hair flowed and dyed glossy black like a raven. It wavered and danced divinely as she held head up high.

"Alright then." Mariana grinned, but it shakily got destroyed as she looked reluctantly towards the clothing store. She quickly checked on Axel who sipped on his sippy cup. Her hands caressed him as Elisa skipped happily beside her.

"Mommy, can we go to McDonald's?" Mateo asked. His voice was faint but pleasant, and his hands were kept tucked in their pockets. He was now incredibly tall and big for his age. He towered over Elisa and Axel when they stood together, with his silky, black locks in full bloom.

"Sure, if your good the whole way then we can go, okay my trésor?"

"Okay!" Mateo exclaimed, with a wide grin spread around his face. He kicked his legs up as Leilani held onto him firmly.

"I'm gonna get burger," Elisa announced.

"I wanna get a toy," Mateo said.

"I want mommy get me big burger," Elisa mumbled like a baby. She giggled as her small hoops jingled around her ears.

"Then I'm gonna take your burger Elisa." Mateo grinned evilly.

"No! My burger!" Elisa quickly punched his arm and then ran into the clothing shop which they approached. Mateo ran after her as the two women followed.

The shop had a rose ceiling, brilliantly lit with gold lights. Stacks of clothes stood in order as they weaved themselves around the store. Mateo and Elisa went and saw some shirts but were still in their sight.

Mariana picked up a decent blouse and held it against her chest. The transparent ends stopped above her waist, and it looked like it would go well with a rose gold necklace. But it looked too plain so she placed it back.

"Hey chérie, what do you think about this?" Leilani called her attention. She had a black velvet skirt that danced in the air. It was lengthy but it looked like someone that loved the night would wear.

"Looks nice. I think that suits you," Mariana replied, glancing over. Her eyes skimmed down the outfit and she could just imagine Leilani wearing it.

"You think?" She looked slightly hesitant as her lips were still developing their opinion.

"Yeah, you should definitely buy it." Mariana then walked over with a supporting smile.

"Hmm, maybe I'll get it." She then tapped her feet. Then her hips swayed to the side a little, as if tasting the waters with how it looked on her waist. She had enough and slumped it on her arm. She then wandered behind and picked up a pair of black jeans.

"I also might get these." Leilani displayed them to her.

"Ooh! They would look so good on you!" Mariana exclaimed, "where did you find them? I want to get a pair myself."

"Just here," Leilani said as she folded the jeans and tucked them under her arm.

Mariana seized some for herself and then turned around. "So how's it like being a nurse?"

"Good! It feels so much more rewarding than working at the lab and I get to raise my son with a good conscience." She smiled along with her words. She no longer worked at the laboratory but instead worked as a nurse at the local hospital.

"Yeah I can imagine it must feel like that," Mariana said, smiling at her friend.

Suddenly Elisa came jumping over, with her bouncing space buns, like she had something urgent to declare.

"Mommy, can I have this pwease?" She held up a white shirt with a pink unicorn.

"Aw, it looks so pretty! Of course I would get them for you my baby."

"Yay!" Elisa put them in the bag Mariana carried.

"Have you seen anything else you liked?"

"Um... not really..."

"Alright, we'll just get this." Mariana shook the bag that had the shirt in.

"Thanks Mommy!" Elisa hugged her legs like they were a teddy bear.

Mariana ruffled her hair and smiled down like a proud mom. She felt happy that she was able to treat her daughter to a little girls day out, especially since she's been good lately.

"You two act like best friends." Leilani said, observing happy atmosphere around them.

"Yeah, she's my little bestie." Mariana looked down at her baby girl who was stretching to the side with a babyish grin.

Elisa shuffled her feet, and got out a lollipop from her pocket and began sucking on it. But her head suddenly whipped back as Mateo came behind her suddenly.

"Mommy, look!" He held up a fluffy ball that had a key ring on it. Leilani bent down to his level and then wrapped it within her manicure.

"You want this?" she asked.

"Mhm!" Mateo nodded while his body moved around on the spot. "I want to sleep with it in my room because its cuddly."

"Okay, I'll get this for you my bébé." She kissed on the cheek and wiggled it onto her finger. She adjusted the clothes, so they wouldn't drop.

Mateo smiled brightly, showing off the two teeth that were missing. He then thrust his arms up and his hands flexed like he wanted to grab the air.

"Carry me!"

"Aw, okay!" Leilani scooped him up, hearing him giggle, as his hand hugged her neck and laid on her shoulder. His fluffy cheeks established their home as they flattened like pancakes. His legs kicked, but he exhaled and concluded it with a tiny smile that he was safe, like her arms were his home.

Leilani glanced over and her face softened as he tightened his grip onto her.

"I'll tell you about one funny evening this boy did." She started chuckling. "See, I was trying to put him to bed, but he wouldn't go to sleep if I wasn't there. So I got inside the bed with him until he eventually fell asleep."

"Aw, that's so cute!" Mariana exclaimed.

"I know! So then I went and watched TV with Miguel in the living room. And he went checking on him. But then he called me and so I went and saw Mateo tapping the space where I was sitting. He was still asleep, but he must have realized I wasn't there anymore so he woke up and ran towards us."

"Aw, poor Mateo must've been so scared." Mariana chuckled, her cheeks blooming with pink.

"Yeah, he's scared of the dark, so we have this nightlight for him."

"Aw I do the same. Even in my own bedroom sometimes we have the lamp dim because I don't feel comfortable sleeping in pitch darkness."

"Such a baby you are." Leilani smirked.

Mariana whacked her slightly and laughed a little. She was definitely not a baby.

"How have they been anyway?" Leilani asked, jerking her head in reference to Elisa and Axel.

"They've been alright. Nothing new," Mariana responded as she continued walking around. Axel kept leaning forward and pulled at the clothing like he wanted to take it, but Mariana dragged him away in the stroller as he cried out in protest.

"It's okay Axel. It'll soon be your turn," Mariana reassured him, but laughed when he glared at her from his cup. He folded his hands like he was saying 'not fair.'

They took the elevator to the next floor. Mateo got put down and started making faces with Elisa in the mirror. They tried to see who can make the biggest silly face. Their mouths stretched out wide as their tongues lolled out, making their mothers laugh.

When they reached the next floor, Mariana picked up some rings and necklaces that had good pendants and some letters. They picked up some other stuff, including red sparkling lingerie she knew it would drive Micah crazy.

When they had their hands full, they decided to go and try them on in the changing rooms. They disappeared into other doors. Mariana happily placed her bags down in relief. Her arms were weary of holding them all day.

She started to undress and tried on the jeans. They fitted her perfectly and were snug around her legs.

"Oh these are actually so nice," she muttered to herself and turned around to look at her bum through the mirror. She captured some pictures but then caught Axel wandering around in the back.

He rummaged through her bags and picked up the red panties.

"Sparles!" He exclaimed and hurled it over his head and started laughing.

Mariana saw him from the corner of her eye and unexpectedly dropped her phone.

"No Axel!" she said and then quickly took it off him. She flung it back into the bag, making sure it was out of sight. She was embarrassed that he had picked it up and started playing with like it was a toy.

"Aw." He pouted and stared up at her like he had been hurt. "I wanna play."

"It's not a toy," she firmly said.

(A/N: Nah but its a toy for daddy😈😈‼️‼️Okay sorry)

She picked up her phone and then rubbed his head to cheer him up. Her fingers crept around his cheeks to tickle him as she swiped through her photos.

Everything was alright until there was something bizarre in one. In the corner of the flash, she thought there was a hidden figure peeking through the curtain that concealed her.

She gasped briefly before her head instantly whipped around, but there was no one there and only the gentle breeze shimmered the curtains around, whistling quietly. Her face flushed with nervousness, and suddenly the air around her became hot with a silent and unsettling hum sizzling through.

The lights above blinked briefly and she suddenly out her phone away. Her whole body burned like it was on fire and the walls seemed like they were closing in on her. Her eyes watered with fear, and her throat tightened as she saw a shadow pass through her changing room.

She screamed and then Leilani popped her head around.

"Hey Mariana, are you okay?"

Mariana nodded and let out a breath before getting up from the floor. Elisa and Axel stared in bewilderment, but she didn't want to alarm them, so she gathered all her clothes and grabbed the stroller.

"Yeah come on, let's go get McDonald's." Mariana placed Axel back in his seat and beckoned Elisa to follow.

They all left the shop and went to purchase something for their sons before going to McDonald's. Mariana and Leilani ordered a happy meal for their kids while they had a burger, fries and a milkshake. They sat on one of the tables that faced the external world and started eating.

Mariana slurped on her milkshake while her eyes gazed at all the people that passed by. She occasionally took a bite while her wrist trembled because her mind was somewhere else.

"We did some good shopping, don't you think Mariana?" Leilani said, nudging her.

"Yeah we did," Mariana mumbled, since her mind was somewhere else. Her eyes bore into the windows of the restaurant that was on the other side of where they were. Her brain daydreamed as nothing could break her attention. The only thing that did was when she realized someone stared back like an owl. A cold shudder shriveled down her spine as she blinked herself back into reality.

"Are you alright?" Leilani asked, her voice laced with concern.

"Yeah fine..." Mariana sighed and stroked her head. She thought she was going crazy and tried to reassure herself that it was nothing.

"Mommy, can Aunty Mariana come to our house so that I can play soccer with Elisa and Axel?" Mateo asked as he munched deep into his burger.

"Yeah, I'm more than happy to have them over, but you have to check if that's okay with Aunty Mariana."

"Please?" Mateo turned to Mariana who nibbled her lip.

"Um... maybe." Mariana stuttered.

"I wanna play soccer!" Elisa exclaimed.

"My daddy got me a new ball, and we play outside with it!" Mateo said.

"Yeah, he really loves it." Leilani chuckled.

Mariana laughed along but there was still this warmth creeping up her back, and not in a good way. She felt a lump rising in her throat and made an uncomfortable seat that blocked her food. She adjusted the collar of her sweater to give her more room, but it didn't make any difference.

She sighed and then started packing all the food into the disposable bag. If there was one thing she learned of the past six years, is that when she got an unpleasant feeling, she should go with her gut instinct.

"Um can we go? I feel like I want to go home now," she begged.

"But Mariana, we just got here," Leilani said.

"I know, but I really just want to go home now. Sorry."

"Aw alright, if that's what you want." Leilani got up and then gathered the food she wanted to take home. Mariana had thrown away the leftovers before they scurried out holding tightly onto their kids hands.

A/N: Hey I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Is it bad my 2yr old character has better style than me? 🥲🥲