The Guardians (The Highest Order, Book One)

CHAPTER 5

'Have you got a colour scheme in mind?'

The first thing I learned about shopping with Maia is that no matter what either of us need, she'll drag us into every single shop she saw. We'd been in town for at least two hour by now. Now we were looking through a small looking store, filled with rows of random bits and pieces, for the last half an hour she'd been holding up various samples of cloth to be bought into curtains for my room.

It had been decided, mostly on Maia's behalf, that if i was going to buy drapes, i need to buy the whole collection - so with every curtain sample came a pack of nicely decorated bedding to match. She had taste, I had to admit.

'How about this one?' She held up a royal blue and silver pack of bedding with a quizzical look, she didn't look even remotely as bored as I felt. Eyeing the pack, a curtain pair of eyes come to mind. I hadn't spoken a word to the guy but already I knew I didn't want to center my room around him.

I shudder in disdain at the thought.

As if reading my mind, she puts the pack abc on the shelf and lifts up another, this time she ditches the blue. Pulling her flowing blonde hair to one side, she lifts it up, covering half her face. This one was grey and white. Plain and simple, yet elegant. I didn't have a specific colour scheme in mind, it wasn't really something I'd thought deeply about. My room back in Miami was pink - really pink, I didn't want to remake it. It made the simple colour scheme of gray and white all the more appealing, it would go perfectly with my plain white wall and cream carpet and I could already envision the drapes to match.

At the look on my face, Maia beams, 'Oh thank god' the relief in her voice is evident, proving her poker face is well rehearsed, 'You are nightmare to shop with, let me tell you' she jokes

I laugh at the antics, 'it's really not my thing' I laugh at her, 'Honestly, I wouldn't know where to even start if it wasn't for you'

'Then I guess it's a good thing I know the perfect shades as well' She says, picking up another package without even looking. This chick knew what she was doing. In her hand she held a plastic wrapped pair of mesh drapes to cover the window, door really, I shared with her brother.

I can practically feel the eyes on us as we laugh, there was something almost threatening about it. One thing I'd noticed about the people in this town is that they quickly cowered away from us once they'd gotten over the sight of a new face in town. It was as if they feared us, why? I didn't have a clue.

Joining the queue leading to the check out,the weirdest thing happened. People literally shifted away from us, some even joined another queue. I'm apprehensive at first but I don't question it. Maybe this was normal in a small town?

It isn't until we get to the check out that I really start to wonder. Having taken the items from Maia's hands, I placed them in front of the lady behind the counter offering her a smile but the moment I lifted my eyes to her face, her looks were glued to Maia. I wasn't familiar with the look in her eyes but it resembled something close to fear. Turning to look at Maia, she seemed oblivious to the stares.

This can not be normal.

'Excuse me' I say politely to the cleric who looked to be in her early twenties. Placing my hand on the counter, I continue with a smile, 'We're sort of in a hurry.'

That seemed to be enough to snap her out of whatever daze she was in because she quickly scans the items and all but announces the total before rushing us out of the store.

'That was weird, right?' I'm standing in front of Maia, walking slightly backwards as I try to find some sort of understanding in her eyes. She doesn't seem to understand what I'm talking about, so i elaborate, 'The way they were staring at us, the way that girl was staring at you, that was weird.' I don't form it as a question this time because there is no way that was normal. It might not be Miami but I'm pretty sure staring is rude in all 50 states of America.