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CHAPTER SEVEN

Sawyer

I was planning on spending quite a few hours in the library, right up until the bookkeeper kicked me out actually. But now I guess I'll be going home early. I still needed food however. By the looks of that sign, the majority of the shops will be closed until the 27th. The town has a little corner shop to get food and cigarettes but outlet stores probably won't open until then. Although the city shops are always open, maybe I could work over there.

I walk back toward the mechanics and see Mr Ferrel leaving the shop, closing the door behind him, I guess he isn't locking up, might come back later or someone's still inside. When you spend as much time in the library as I do, you notice the daily lives of those around you. There's a public bench just outside the library and I generally sit there looking out into the wide street, saying hi to those who walk by.

"Sawyer," he nods toward me.

"Hey Jim, how's Annie going?"

When I first started talking to Jim Ferrel, his wife was pregnant, every now and then I ask for updates.

"Yeah she's good, sleeping a lot better, I'm just heading home now."

"That's good," I smile back. "Hope you have a Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," he finishes with a wave before he hops into his car and I hop into mine.

The underground parking lot is very tight. The shops aren't usually that packed but I guess everyone's doing last minute Christmas shopping, I guess I am too. I walk around the shops in an anticlockwise direction, starting at the frozen yoghurt shop all the way back around to the jewellery store.

Glancing into the windows I imagine a world where I can simply walk in and buy all the things that fascinate me. A silk scarf, a brand new watch, 20% off sneakers. The whole time thinking to myself, 'Vicky would love this' or 'Isla probably already has that dress." I walked into a couple of stores, just looking around, trying on some clothes but not buying anything. All I wanted to be doing was reading a book.

I make my way up the escalator and toward Coles. $2 for bread, $7 for chicken with $2.50 for sauce. I knew we had a bunch of rice at home so I didn't bother buying any. Then I bought $3 worth of milk. That should do me for a while. Plus, if I'm ever in desperate need, I'll either go to the corner shop or knock on Jackson's door. I guess I'll be having butter chicken for the next few days.

I quickly grab some safety tampons and hide then in my basket underneath the bread, then when I put them on the conveyer belt my cheeks blush red. 'I probably wouldn't have gotten them,' I think to the cashier. 'But they were on special and are normally very expensive. Whatever, I don't need to explain myself to you.'

I grab my change from the cashier and fumble around with the bags for a moment before walking back to the car. I unlocked the boot and placed them in, Tetris style. I take a few of the tampons and place them in my purse, in case I'm ever not home and forget them in the grocery bag. It's a nightmare just waiting to happen.

I check my time on my phone and I still have a few hours before the shops close. Considering its nice and warm inside, sitting in my car with the heating in will just waste my battery, plus, at home I don't want to turn on any heating. Back to the shops I go.

I'm conscious of having the chicken and milk in the car, but considering its freezing outside I'm not too concerned.

Walking through the shops again, I'm looking out for any reading material, sometimes places like Kmart sell books. They sell top selling and new books, not the old sort of books I love. Historical Fiction.

We have a Target in the shopping centre, they mostly sell clothes and have a bunch of toys on sale for parents to buy for their children. However, they aren't known to sell books. I walk in, toward the backs and find shelves of books, they don't have many but they have some authors I've heard of and love. My eyes immediately drawn to a Stephen King novel, I have to pick it up otherwise it's just bad luck.

I make a small corner for myself so no one can see me if they walk by. Wedged between two shelves and a poster I put up, I'm alone. Zipping my coat over my legs I get warm, both hands on the book I'm reading intently.

Stephen Kings book are both a gift from the heavens and a curse from hell. Surrounding myself in a well described world, I completely forget about the one I'm currently in. I always turn my phone off when I'm reading, something I need to stop doing. I also haven't slept in a while.

Barely getting in an hour yesterday after all the stress with mum, curling up in a ball was the perfect place to sleep. My heads rested on books and neck supported by the shelving. It's hard to resist. All the problems from this world fade, so do the ones in the book, as I drift off into sleep.