I immediately opened my eyes and covered my mouth to keep from gasping. I thought that girl did not realize that I was in there. I wanted to hear more, so I relaxed and stayed quiet. My heart pounded. My breath caught in my throat. I uncovered my mouth and bent down. I wanted to see the pair of legs. My heart sank.

Yes, there was a pair of legs. And yes, a pair of feet. But you know how feet are supposed to be on the floor? All feet are supposed to be on the dang floor. Guess what? The girl's feet were not touching the floor. I rubbed my eyes and stared. Stared at the hovering feet.

What made it scarier - and more suspicious - was what was on her feet. Boots. Shiny, black boots that you spot witches with.

"Are you a witch?" I said.

Big mistake. I covered my mouth again and rose. I had never been so scared in my life. I backed away, praying that she did not hear me. Maybe she will just go away.

"Mom," the witch said. "Mom, I need to go. Yes, yes. It is morning, and those humans are invading the mall. I have my shopping bags and my broom."

She must be a witch. She must be!

I know that I should not have, however, I could not let her leave. Not until she told me herself. She needed to confirm that she was a witch. I had to hear the words.

"I will see you at home. Love you, Mom." The monster hung up - assuming that she was on a phone.

I heard a click! sound and jumped in front of the door. I balled my fists and held my breath. I had been ready for this day. I knew that I would be face-to-face with a monster sooner or later.

"You can do this, Carly," I said to myself. "This witch is on your property. She is on human property. The witch is no match for a monster believer like me!"

The door to the stall opened, and the witch stepped out and dusted off her clothes. Except that the girl was not a witch. At least, she was not dressed like one. And the boots that she wore had vanished. Now she wore these tennis shoes. Normal shoes. I examined her as my eyes widened. She...she was human. She looked like one.

Everything about her was normal. Her long and brown hair was in a ponytail. She had on white shoes and this dark pink, short-sleeved shirt with beige shorts. In one hand, she had two shopping bags. They were from that clothing shop in the mall. In the other, she was holding a tennis racket. It resembled one from the sports store.

"I am sorry," the girl apologized. "I am so sorry."

I was confused and quirked an eyebrow. "What are you sorry for?"

"I was chatting with a person on the phone and did not hear you come in. I was talking loud, huh?"

I pushed myself away from the door and scratched the back of my head. "I do not think that you were chatting loudly."

"So I was not bothering you?"

"No. Not at all."

"Phew! What a relief to hear. Now I have to get going." She started walking past me.

I glared at her. "What is the rush? This mall opened. It just opened its doors."

"I know. I love how this mall operates. It is impressive. I wish that I could stay and shop for the rest of my life. 'Cause my life back at home stinks."

Now I was interested. "Oh? How so?"

"You do not want to know."

I rested my hands on my waist. "I am sure that I would like to know...because I already know who you are."

The girl stared at me - and then burst out laughing. "It is funny when folks pretend like that they know others. I am not that famous. I do not know how to use basics, but I will when the time is right."

I rubbed my chin. "So what basics are you referring to? You mean like sports - or magic?"

Her laughs died down as she put her hand on her belly. "Do not be silly. Of course, I am talking about sports. I have been practicing tennis for over a year, so the only magic that I have is winning matches."

"Cut the act...what is your name?"

She narrowed her eyebrows. "Why must I tell you? We do not know each other."

"We do now." I pointed at her. "So cut the act."

Sweat poured down her face. "You are crazy."

I raised my voice. "Why does everyone think that?"

"Maybe because you are. I can see it in your eyes. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go home before my dad and mom worry." She strolled to the door and grabbed the knob. "You do not want them to worry, do you?"

I wrapped a hand around her wrist. "You are not going anywhere."

I must have tugged on the girl's wrist too hard because her skin came right off. That is correct. Her entire skin peeled off. So did her hair and clothes. I gasped and let go of the skin. It was not real. It was a disguise!

"I knew it!" I proclaimed. "I knew that you were a...uh, monster."

The witch growled and faced me, still holding the bags and the tennis racket. Her skin was green, and she was wearing witch clothes. She glanced at me as if she were sucking out my soul.

"You." She pointed a bony finger at me. "You know my secret. You know that I am a witch. So you know what I am going to do now?"

"Let me go?"

"Nope." She grabbed me - and pulled me into a hug. "I am so happy!"

"Huh?"