"Uhh...shop'in?" Susie mumbled, looking very guilty.
"AUGH! What have you done with your best sweater?! It's covered in chocolate!" The mother surveyed that brown, sparkling sugary mess smeared all over the tiles, the empty boxes, and her daughter. "What am I going to do with you?!"
"Sell her to the zoo. The monkeys would love her." Cole muttered under his breath, too softly to be heard.
The woman sighed and picked up Susie. "That's the last time I'm bringing you to the mall, young lady! It's not even noon and already you're making a huge mess! Come on! We're going home!"
"I don' wanna go home! I wanna stay here and eat candy! Wah!" Cole watched with amusement as Mrs. Reed hauled little Susie away, kicking and squirming. Random passersby stopped at stared curiously before grinning or scowling and continuing their shopping.
He shook his head and laughed quietly to himself. "Never again shall I play babysitter for any blond-haired kids." He vowed to himself.
"Hey," He turned around to see the cashier gesturing crossly at the mess. "Who going to pay for all this?!" He demanded.
Cole sighed and reached for his wallet. "How much?"
"Uhh...shop'in?" Susie mumbled, looking very guilty.
"AUGH! What have you done with your best sweater?! It's covered in chocolate!" The mother surveyed that brown, sparkling sugary mess smeared all over the tiles, the empty boxes, and her daughter. "What am I going to do with you?!"
"Sell her to the zoo. The monkeys would love her." Cole muttered under his breath, too softly to be heard.
The woman sighed and picked up Susie. "That's the last time I'm bringing you to the mall, young lady! It's not even noon and already you're making a huge mess! Come on! We're going home!"
"I don' wanna go home! I wanna stay here and eat candy! Wah!" Cole watched with amusement as Mrs. Reed hauled little Susie away, kicking and squirming. Random passersby stopped at stared curiously before grinning or scowling and continuing their shopping.
He shook his head and laughed quietly to himself. "Never again shall I play babysitter for any blond-haired kids." He vowed to himself.
"Hey," He turned around to see the cashier gesturing crossly at the mess. "Who going to pay for all this?!" He demanded.
Cole sighed and reached for his wallet. "How much?"
"Uhh...shop'in?" Susie mumbled, looking very guilty.
"AUGH! What have you done with your best sweater?! It's covered in chocolate!" The mother surveyed that brown, sparkling sugary mess smeared all over the tiles, the empty boxes, and her daughter. "What am I going to do with you?!"
"Sell her to the zoo. The monkeys would love her." Cole muttered under his breath, too softly to be heard.
The woman sighed and picked up Susie. "That's the last time I'm bringing you to the mall, young lady! It's not even noon and already you're making a huge mess! Come on! We're going home!"
"I don' wanna go home! I wanna stay here and eat candy! Wah!" Cole watched with amusement as Mrs. Reed hauled little Susie away, kicking and squirming. Random passersby stopped at stared curiously before grinning or scowling and continuing their shopping.
He shook his head and laughed quietly to himself. "Never again shall I play babysitter for any blond-haired kids." He vowed to himself.
"Hey," He turned around to see the cashier gesturing crossly at the mess. "Who going to pay for all this?!" He demanded.
Cole sighed and reached for his wallet. "How much?"
"Uhh...shop'in?" Susie mumbled, looking very guilty.
"AUGH! What have you done with your best sweater?! It's covered in chocolate!" The mother surveyed that brown, sparkling sugary mess smeared all over the tiles, the empty boxes, and her daughter. "What am I going to do with you?!"
"Sell her to the zoo. The monkeys would love her." Cole muttered under his breath, too softly to be heard.
The woman sighed and picked up Susie. "That's the last time I'm bringing you to the mall, young lady! It's not even noon and already you're making a huge mess! Come on! We're going home!"
"I don' wanna go home! I wanna stay here and eat candy! Wah!" Cole watched with amusement as Mrs. Reed hauled little Susie away, kicking and squirming. Random passersby stopped at stared curiously before grinning or scowling and continuing their shopping.
He shook his head and laughed quietly to himself. "Never again shall I play babysitter for any blond-haired kids." He vowed to himself.
"Hey," He turned around to see the cashier gesturing crossly at the mess. "Who going to pay for all this?!" He demanded.
Cole sighed and reached for his wallet. "How much?"
Cole spent the rest of that day wandering through Yokaiville, enjoying the sunshine while it lasted and wondering about what he should do. It was true what his dad had said; he had no idea what he wanted to do...and yet he felt there was something out there, a purpose for him. He felt like he needed to roam the vast wilderness, explore the world, climb mountains, swim rivers, experience the thrill of danger. He needed to test his abilities, test his strength, test his limits. There was so much he could do, the world was at his hands!
You're just like your mother. Lou's voice echoed in his head again, hard and bitter. He wondered...if she was still around, would his mom had approved? If she hadn't--
He shook his head. Don't think about that. He told himself. Nothing could be gained by remembering old wounds.
"Uhh...shop'in?" Susie mumbled, looking very guilty.
"AUGH! What have you done with your best sweater?! It's covered in chocolate!" The mother surveyed that brown, sparkling sugary mess smeared all over the tiles, the empty boxes, and her daughter. "What am I going to do with you?!"
"Sell her to the zoo. The monkeys would love her." Cole muttered under his breath, too softly to be heard.
The woman sighed and picked up Susie. "That's the last time I'm bringing you to the mall, young lady! It's not even noon and already you're making a huge mess! Come on! We're going home!"
"I don' wanna go home! I wanna stay here and eat candy! Wah!" Cole watched with amusement as Mrs. Reed hauled little Susie away, kicking and squirming. Random passersby stopped at stared curiously before grinning or scowling and continuing their shopping.
He shook his head and laughed quietly to himself. "Never again shall I play babysitter for any blond-haired kids." He vowed to himself.
"Hey," He turned around to see the cashier gesturing crossly at the mess. "Who going to pay for all this?!" He demanded.
Cole sighed and reached for his wallet. "How much?"
* * *
I've heard red-heads are worse.
Especially a certain redhead only a little younger than him with a mouth as fast as lightning... (Do any of the other Ninja make an appearance, by the way? LordTigress)
Especially a certain redhead only a little younger than him with a mouth as fast as lightning... (Do any of the other Ninja make an appearance, by the way? LordTigress )
(At one point there's a sort of Easter Egg scene featuring two of the other ninja, and then later we see the future in which all the ninja are together. That's all I'll say for now. )
Evening eventually fell on Yokaiville, and Cole realized in order to eat, he would have to buy something cheap, for the damage done at the mall had snatched up much of his money, and he couldn't afford anything pricey.
He found a bar in the dirty dregs of town, where shady characters usually hung out in the shadows. Men in ratty jackets gave him dark stares as he walked by, and he tried to shake off the hostile heat of their glares on his shoulders. The bar he entered was a stinking, run-down joint, with only a few customers eating in dusty booths and drinking at the soda-stained bar, while a group of men played pool at the other end of the room. Faint country music played from an old stereo on a counter behind the surly barman, and people muttered in small groups, sharing stories or stale jokes.
Cole ordered a drink and a small meal, then seated himself in a booth off in the corner, trying not to draw attention to himself. After tasting the food, he wondered if he would have been better off eating a bag of trail mix for dinner.
A hand as strong as iron suddenly gripped his shoulder. "You lost, little girl?" He whipped around to see a huge, muscle-bound, dark bearded man leering down at him. He wore shaggy jeans, a leather jacket, a red baseball cap on his shaggy hair, and an unpleasant smirk on his face.
Annoyed at being caught by surprise, Cole shrugged off the hairy hand and snapped. "Go play in traffic, Tarzan."
The man swiftly grabbed Cole's shoulders and smashed him against the wall, sending a jolt of pain down his back. "Who do you think you're playing with, boy?" Cole grimaced at the smell of his breath.
"Buzz off, nobody needs to get hurt over this." He growled, trying to shake off a tremor of fear.
The dude's buddies at the pool table were watching eagerly by this time, grinning and jeering. One shouted. "Show that pup who's boss, Rick!"
Rick sneered, revealing yellow teeth. "I'll teach you!" With that, he swung at Cole.
That's all I'll say for now.