We all walked inside and Liam put me down on the marble floor. My feet scrunched up against it and saw a faint footprint that my feet left. I wiped my feet on the floor and tilted my head at the streak it made before clearing up. Before I could observe anymore, a hand slithered into mine and squeezed it gently. I looked up to see Liam giving a serene smile and I gave him one in return.

Nicole and Donna walked ahead of us and were talking loudly while gesturing to the small shops with bold lights above them. Xavier and Kyle walked in front of us- but they drifted off to the right after briskly browsing some items in a window.

The "mall" wasn't full of people, but there were enough people to cast strange looks as we passed.

Well, as I passed.

I didn't understand what the deal was- but looking around more gave me somewhat of an idea. Some of the little boys that clung to their parents and watched me had short hair- nothing similar to my long, black hair. They also wore shorts and solid color T-shirt; some of them even had writing on the front. Looking down at my attire, I saw the blinding white shirt and cloth shorts that made me stand out like an unused tissue on asphalt. I looked back up at the passing children and saw how they stared at me like I was an anomaly.

"What's wrong Kye? You've stopped walking." Liam looked at me with his head titled. At some point, he took his hair down and it waved in front of his eyes. He pushed some of his hair behind his ears and bent on one knee in front of me.

"How come all the other children are dressed differently than me?" I caught the eyes of one child, but he rubbed his face in his mother's dress. I looked back at Liam. "Is white not allowed?"

Liam laughed and patted my head. "You are so small in size that these clothes were the only things Xavier had that fit you. We are here to get you new clothes and shoes so you won't have to wear these so much." He stood up and arched his back. "Also, white is not a bad color. It's just a trend these days to wear solid color shirts." He gestured to some kids around us that paid me no attention.

Before I could answer, Nicole shouted. "Oi! What are y'all doing? We're finally here!" Her, Donna, and Kyle were looking at us. Xavier was looking at the store that had a white frame and bright lights. Still, plastic bodies stood in the doorway and stared at people while wearing a strange combination of clothing. I tried to get a closer look but the store's lights were more blinding than the others and it hurt my eyes a bit.

Liam looked at the sign and scoffed. "Forever 21? Isn't this a girl store?"

Nicole waved her hand. "Well yes, but actually no."

Xavier looked at her. "That doesn't make any sense."

Donna chimed in. "It does sell girl clothes but it also has a men's section. So, Nicole and I can shop, while y'all help Kye with his clothes. We can meet up at checkout in an hour"

It was Kyle's turn to speak. "How can this store be open? I thought they filed for bankruptcy."

"Who?" I was getting really confused from this conversation.

Kyle shook his head in a dismissive matter. He looked at the girls (who looked like they would burst from excitement) and sighed. "We'll see you in an hour."

They squealed and ran into the store of bright colors. Within seconds, they disappeared and all the guys and I headed upstairs. There was a moving staircase and everyone stepped on easily. I followed but the rings on my bare feet felt uncomfortable and I stepped off. I saw everyone else moving upwards and reached out towards Liam. He noticed me not behind him and swooped me up at the last second. It caught me off guard, but he moved like water and sat me on top of his shoulders. I apologized for my feet being near his face and tried to keep them off to the sides.

Once we got to the top, he put me on the floor and I was in awe of the amount of clothes in the store.

"Wow." There were many sections on the top floor. One section had nothing but shoes and the section next to it had jeans. Next to that was a section with swimsuits and pajamas and then a bunch of stripped T-shirts were next to them. There was clothing all among the wall and in the middle of the room, there were black leather jackets. A bunch of shirts had flashy prints on them and big signs that said "Sale!" on them were plastered everywhere.

"I feel bad for the people who work here." Kyle said as he picked up a pile of clothes off the floor and plopped them on a small table. There were a lot more people on this level than the lower level but they seemed preoccupied with the clothes.

Liam pulled me towards an empty section. It had clothes but they all looked big. A picture of a man in a nice sweater rested on the shelf next to a sign that said 'MENS'. There was a signature at the bottom of the picture but I couldn't read it.

Xavier came behind me and moved my hair aside. He flipped my shirt inside out and sighed. "Well, it says that Kye is a size 'extra small'. I guess let's just start with that." He noticed my feet and pointed at the shoe section. "Kyle, can you get him some shoes? The smallest size they have probably fits him." He nodded and left, while Liam and Xavier began looking through shirts.

I soon followed suit but the sound of shirt hangers scratching metal became unpleasant in my ears rather quickly. I left them and wondered to a small hat rack that was nearby.

I looked in the mirror at my features. My eyes were much more vibrant than they were when I first looked at myself in the mirror. I was much cleaner but I still had dark circles under my eyes. I smiled at myself but noticed something shift behind me.

I turned and noticed a boy similar to my age stare back at me. He had on a hat, that was backwards, a black long sleeve shirt with flames on the arms, khakis shorts, and black high-tops. His eyes were half lidded but I could tell that his iris were burning bright with the color red. He was sucking on a lollipop and had one hand in his pocket. Even though he was standing in front of me, I noticed he had somewhat of a lean.

He took the lollipop out and ran his tongue over his teeth. "You're really skinny." Even with his remark, I noticed canines peck at his bottom lip.

I opened my mouth to speak, but he thrusted his lollipop in my mouth. It caught me off guard but my tongue welcomed it and I swirled it in my mouth. A spicy cinnamon flavor swam around my taste buds and I smiled in contentment.

The boy leaned around me and pointed to my wings that were slowly coming undone. They were showing out from under my shorts and I tightened them so that they hid back under my shirt. I looked at the boy and he noticed my gaze.

The boy raised an eyebrow. "Why are you hiding your wings?"

"Huh?" His question caught me off guard. "What are you talking about?"

He dug another lollipop out of his pants and stuck it in his mouth. He put the wrapper in between some shorts that were laying on the table behind him and continued. "You're obviously dressed as an angel. Dunno why though- Halloween isn't for a few months."

"Hallo-what?" His words made me dizzy.

He gave a laugh and I could've sworn I saw a bit of smoke escape his lips. "I like your style. Dressing up as whatever you want to be despite what people think. I love a good rebel. What's your name?"

I gave a smile. "Kye"

He smiled and some of his black hair showed from underneath his hat. "I'm Ember. Nice to meet you." He held out a hand and I took it with my right hand. He shook it but pressed something into my wrist.

I immediately shot my hand back and held it. I saw a tiny flame etched into my right wrist. It glowed a faint orange color before going completely black.

"What is this?" I ask while trying to rub the mark away. It flashes from red to orange and then back to black.

"It's a form of contact. You tap it three times and say my name. No matter where you are or what you're doing- I'll always show up." He smiled.

"Why three times?" I asked.

He opened his mouth but closed it and waved his hand. "It's a small joke among demons that you wouldn't get."

"Demons? What are you talking about?" He laughed at my questions. "Does it even work?"

Ember stopped laughing and stepped near me. "Well, of course it does. I have to keep my treasures within contact somehow."

"Treasures?" He nodded and licked his lips.

"I've never seen an angel with no halo. That's something I'd like to keep within close quarters." He snickered.

"What if you want to contact me?" I stepped back.

"I'd come to you. That also works as a tracking device." Ember stepped closer.

His body made me shiver with heat. "That sounds creepy."

Ember shrugged. "How so? A Guardian Angel keeps track of whoever their protecting, and they come when they are called. How is what I'm doing any different?"

"Well, are you a Guardian Angel?" I leaned into him. He studied my eyes before huffing smoke in my face. I coughed from the small puffs of smoke that left his nostrils and noticed that he moved to sit on the stack of pants.

"Well, do you accept it? If you don't, then it'll be a painful removal process." He crunched his lollipop.

I did the same and ate the pieces. "Well, I do want to make more friends." I muttered. Ember raised a brow but said nothing as I shook my head at him.

"I accept your friendship- as weird as you make it sound" I shrugged. I took the lollipop stick out of my mouth and held it.

Ember laughed and got off the table. He took his lollipop stick and my stick and tossed them over his shoulder. I tried catching where they'd land so I could put them in the trash later but I couldn't find them. He took off his hat and slammed it on my head. He leaned back and nodded.

"Now, you have my scent." Ember smiled and I saw his canines fully. They were somewhat jagged and I noticed that not only his canines were sharp but so where the rest of his teeth.

"Scent? What are you talking about?" I pulled the hat down a bit further and noticed his grin get wider. He opened his mouth to explain but stopped and looked behind me. I was about to turn and look at what he saw but I heard it instead.

"Kye? Where did you go?" Liam yelled. He rounded the corner and stopped right in front of me. He had a small pile of clothing in his hands and seemed to relax at the sight of me. "What were you doing over here?" He sniffed the air and recoiled. "And what is that awful smell?"

I swear I could've heard a scoff but I shook it off. "I met a boy and he gave me this" I looked around for Ember but he was gone. Shrugging off his disappearance, I showed Liam my wrist. He seemed confused at first but froze when he realized what it was. He dropped the clothes and picked me up bridal style. Once I was close to his face, he bit the hat and threw it on the floor. I reached for it as it fell but it corroded with a wave of fire and turned into ash.

"What-what was that?" I stared at the spot for a minute before looking at Liam. He looked even more furious than when Obsidian choked me and I could feel his anger rush frantically out of him.

"That is a cursed item from a demon, and your wrist shows that just made a pact with one."