They didn't know what they were going to do with the body. It was starting to stink, but the mall security and retailers were still arguing over it. At least they had the decency to cover up London's form and wall off the area with yellow tape.

As far as London's personal effects, they were being carefully guarded by one of her models. I found this out from Mercedes, who also claimed that this particular model was London's favorite. No surprise, I didn't have the stomach for gossip, but I still felt like it was my duty to gather information on what was going on. Doing so, kept me busy and kept my mind off of the fact that Sean Mori was gone again.

Well, he wasn't that far. If I wanted to see him, all I had to do was take a walk to the second floor and go to the Final Dungeon arcade. The only reason I held myself back was for his protection. Sean wanted to lie low until things calmed down, so the least I could do was let him do that and keep my distance.

Backing up to the moment I woke up, I found my purse by my bedroll with a folded piece of paper sticking out of it. I assumed it was for me because my name was crudely written in what was very clearly the ink of a dying ballpoint pen.

I unfolded the paper and read: Hey, sleeping beauty. Here's your stuff. Didn't know if you'd wake up, so I left you with a kiss just in case. If it worked and you're reading this, you're welcome!

I stifled a laugh, not believing for one second that Bobby kissed me while I was sleeping. Still, I wanted to see him and grill him about it. It was hard to believe that even after everything that had happened, he was still his goofy, playful self.

Thinking of Bobby's upbeat persona made me hug myself and look over to where Elliot was sleeping. Her short blond hair was plastered to her forehead, which told me she had been sweating all night. Judging by the disgruntled look on her unconscious face, her dreams had probably not been kind to her. I rubbed my arms due to the chilly mall air.

I really need a dose of Bobby right now.

Even though Bobby's note was sweet, he hadn't left any clue on where to find him or even an invitation to hang out in the food court. Would looking for him be too much for him right now? What if he was secretly freaking out and trying to keep me at a distance until he got himself together? It would explain why he hadn't stuck around for me to wake up or given me a hint on how to find him.

Maybe I was overthinking this whole thing. I started to dig around in my purse, looking for anything useful for the time being. My medium-sized knock off designer bag didn't hold much. For some damn reason I had three tubes of lip gloss. Cucumber Melon. Papaya Sunrise. And Lavender Dreams. There were also old tickets to a movie from ages ago. An unopened granola bar. Mini hand sanitizer, along with a mini container of vaseline. Eyeliner. Gum. An old hairbrush with several bristles missing. My driver's license and lastly, a little bit of cash.

Well, that's great, I thought darkly. If the mall decides to take my head off, at least they'll have my ID to keep on record.

With my bag reclaimed, I got up and headed in the direction of the nearest restroom. Unsurprisingly, a lot of people were headed in that same direction. There was a long line waiting for me when I got there. This was around the time that Mercedes and I ran into each other. She gave me the gossip that I didn't ask for while we compared hygiene products. When we got our spots at the sink, I let her borrow my vaseline and hairbrush. She lended me her travel-size deodorant.

I splashed my face with hot water for a bit, wondering if I would be okay with wearing this oversized grandma sweater three days in a row if it came to that. There was another girl in the restroom who had extra hair ties. I desperately needed one since I was completely without my regular hair products. With hot water, vaseline, and determination, I twisted and brushed everything into something cute and functional. I saved a little vaseline for my lips and checked myself over one last time.

I smelled like airport deodorant and chewing gum, but it would have to do for now.

"Do you think the security guards will open up one of the vendor huts so we can get our hands on some toothpaste and toothbrushes?" Mercedes asked me and the girl who had lended us the hair ties.

"They should," the girl said, using a bit of floss she found in her purse to clean between her teeth. "Unless they want to deal with people looting. That's what they have to look forward to if they don't stop squabbling over that lady's body and start coming up with a way to help the rest of us."

"Right?" Mercedes groaned. "We are in a crisis!"

I didn't want to get them or myself riled up, so I collected my things and headed for the door. Being alive was better than not having toothpaste. We still didn't know what exactly triggered London Graham's death, but I knew for certain that complaining didn't help her case.

On the way back to where Elliot was, I realized that something about the path I took felt different. I even stopped and looked around for a moment to see if I could put my finger on what felt off.

"There used to be a sports car here."

I turned to see a boy I didn't recognize. At first glance, I thought I was staring at a walking marshmallow. His cozy hoodie and matching shorts were a striking shade of cream, contrasting harshly against his red crew socks and black slides.

"You noticed too," he said, nodding towards the spot where the missing car used to live.

I blinked, realizing that he was right. "Yeah... wasn't it a red mustang or something?"

"A Chevrolet Camaro actually. But yeah, it was red." Then he walked back to me, hands in his pockets. Even though his face was relaxed, he looked like he wore a permanent grin.

"You... probably don't remember me, but my mom runs Belaire Botanicals."

I knew that store. It was a family-owned florist shop inside the mall. They also had another store next to the grocery store where everyone in our neighborhood shopped. Before I changed schools, I remember the last name Belaire floating around on the middle school roster.

"Are you related to Hector Belaire?" I asked. I remember Hector being the middle school equivalent to the most popular kid in school. His family's successful florist business made him well known around the town. It also didn't hurt that he was a social butterfly.

"I am Hector," he said, his mouth curving into a more believable smile. I didn't want to be rude, but I know the look on my face was skeptical as I looked this so-called Hector up and down. He had the same stocky build as the Hector I remembered. The same taste in expensive athletic wear. But his face was too different. His jaw was too square. His dimples were too... distracting.

"Oh, yeah. It's been a while. I got my teeth fixed." He adjusted his oversized hoodie with a shrug. "It was supposed to be a normal procedure, but it ended up kind of changing my whole face."

"Oh." I said, feeling like an idiot for staring so hard. "I'm Aqua. I don't think we ever really talked back then. But... are you still friends with Bobby?"

"Yeah, we still keep up," Hector said conversationally. "I was running the shop last night when he showed up asking for flowers. He was acting kind of weird, so I figured he wasn't there on an errand for his abuela."

I felt myself blush at the thought of Bobby being nervous while picking up flowers for me.

"So yeah, I bugged him until he told me that you were going to be in the fashion show. I had to close up the shop for my mom anyway, so I headed to the show when I was done."

"Did you see the part where I almost tanked right into the crowd?" I asked, feeling like this was where the convo was headed anyway.

Hector scoffed. "No, but I saw you swerve an assassination attempt like some kind of top secret agent."

He did his best impression of me, strutting before diving into a ninja pose. I couldn't help but laugh. Then he stood upright and added, "You looked real good up there."

I could feel my face heating up again, but for entirely different reasons.

"Thanks, Hector... So," I cleared my throat, "the car. What do you think happened to it?"

By now, Hector had his back turned slightly away from me. Staring at the empty parking spot, he said with a knowing calmness, "I think whatever emptied out the Pacifico store took it away."

That's when I noticed a thick green mist collecting around Hector's ankles. I looked around. We were completely alone in this cross section of the mall. Where were the people? What was happening?

"Hector, I think we should get out of here."

"It's okay."

Something light brushed against my cheek as it passed me. Another shadow sailed over my head. My orcas? No.

Hector took his hands out of his pockets so he could run them over the backs of the stingrays that undulated in his direction. Like graceful kites, they swirled around the boy, kicking up more mist. It was as if they knew him well, and he them.

"Hector..." I didn't know what to say. Or what to think. Was he like me? Was I going crazy?

My breath caught in my throat as Hector began talking. "When I saw you up on that stage, I almost couldn't believe it. There's two of us. And then the sacrifice happened. That's when I knew that it was really time."

I took a step back, but there was nowhere to run. The green mist had shot up, forming a wall. I saw nothing except Hector, his growing family of stingrays, and the empty space where the model car once stood.

"They're all going to need someone to tell them what to do."

Part of me knew what Hector was getting at. The people in the mall were going to get themselves killed if someone who knew better didn't take charge. Sean had told me not to trust the ghosts, but it looked like Hector had been trusting them for a long time now.

"Hector." I swallowed. "We're just kids. We don't need to do anything except sit and wait."

I noticed Hector's shoulders rise and fall as he sighed. "I wish I knew about you before. I wish I got to you before Sean had. I wish Bobby wasn't such a stubborn dumbass."

He shook his head and looked down at the ground. The stingrays floating around him changed course, switching up the rhythm of their movements. The green mist rolled on, thick and impenetrable about our waists.

"But I won't force anything. Just watch, Aqua. Watch, listen. Keep your device on you at all times. That's how the Mall gives us instructions."

I reached into my pocket and wrapped my hand around my dead pager. So then. It would turn on whenever the Mall wanted to talk to us. That was good to know.

Hector finally turned to face me full on. He reached up to scratch the underbelly of one of his ghosts.

"How do you call them to you?" I asked, knowing he would know what I meant.

Hector's face was back into that easy grin. He glanced away, pretending to be more interested in the silvery sheen of one of his stingrays.

"I'm their leader. I don't have to call anyone. Whenever I just am... there they are."

The mist suddenly chased itself away. The stingrays soared up to the atrium ceiling. Hector gave me his parents' business card and told me where to find him.

I stood there, holding the card, wondering what that whole interaction was even about when Hector shouted to me over his shoulder.

"If you're looking for Bobby, he's working the food court!"

+++

Hey! Thoughts on Hector? Let me know in the comments!