And we leave the mall. 49233

Samantha jumped when her phone beeped and wondered if she would ever get used to having the thing on her then took it out to see what Roger had to say. ‘What are you doing? Just where are you now? You can’t be serous. You must have let Tom photo shop you.’ Samantha laughed and texted him back. ‘We are still in the mall, just in a different store. I need new close for school, and Alice says if I don’t get that shirt she will hide it in the cart so I end up with it. I don’t see how it could be fit. But it is better then the dress she had me try.’ That should get him, likely he would call one of the others to confirming we are in a store. She spotted a sparkly gold shirt and smiled as she took a picture of it, then sent it to him. ‘Think I should?’ She waited a bit then said. ‘Na, the red one next to it is more me. I will try it and leave the gold one.’ Laughing a bit she did move over to the red shirts and find one in her size. She did want to know how it looked on her, for all she was sure it would be set back. It wasn’t long until she was back in the dressing room with her arms full. As she passed her mom, she got winked at, and heard her say. “Yes Rodger we are in a clothing store in the mall. All of us are getting a few, but Samantha needs everything. She has shot up three inches again, and what few items they were able to find almost fall off her. No I have no idea she is looking on her own. Good I was worried she would stay to dark clothes, glad to here she has some color, to bad she put back the gold she needs to sparkle.” Sam laughed. “It was horrible, truly, completely the wrong shade for me. However I found a better one. Here let me set this down.” She did so then fished out the yellow one with small sparking butterfly on it. “I am not sure what it will look like on but thought it worth trying.” Her mom nodded. “Good, glad you did bring back something sparkly after all. Have fun, but I want to see that on you. And the red one as well.” Sam nodded picked up the clothes and went to try them on. A few had her laughing and a number she didn’t bother leavening the changing room in, but more went into the cart then she had expected to. The yellow one looked awful on her and had her mom laughing as well. When she could Samantha said. “It defiantly is not for me, but I had to try it. Now I know that yellow is not my color no matter how pretty it looks on the rack.” The red one she kept even though it was a bit shimmery and slinky, she also put a blue one in the cart that was the same style and the pirate shirt stayed. Sam looked at the cart and shook her head when she realized just how many of the items in it were hers. “I fear I picked out a few to many. I think I have three weeks worth of clothes here. Perhaps I should resort, I have no idea why I need so many, I just got carried away trying them on.” Grant said. “I am glad you did as I was fearing we would have to push you to buy anything. This is a good start and I am sure it won’t be long until you are come out here to hang with kids from school and getting talked into more.” After they had checked out he said. “Now then Lunch or the school supplies? Yes that includes a new school bag Sam, the one you have is more tape then bag.” Sam shook her head, there was to much being spent on her as it was. It wasn’t fair to the others, but it wasn’t for her to say. Olivia said. “I think we can all use some lunch as it isn’t going to be easy to find the right notebooks or backpacks. Will needs a new one as well. And yes you are going to get it this time. That one you are using can’t hold even half of what it needs to. School supplies are our responsibility.” Grant nodded. “Tom you want to help me get the clothes to the car as they wonder the food court and see what looks good?” Tom nodded and so the two of them gathered up the bags and they headed out. When they got to the food court Sam looked around in wonder as the others led her to a table. Olivia said. “We will walk around in a bit and you can see where you want to get your lunch from, but I thought you would like to rest a bit first. Will said. “Tom is working his way around the booths clockwise so he can try them all. I just wonder them until I see something that looks to pass on. Alice looks at them all then decides. I think Dad just goes to which ever Mom does and I am not sure how Seth picks.” Olivia said. “Where so much here is new I would recommend Will’s approach, just stay away from the places that advertize they are healthy choices as they are most likely to have diet foods.” She then hand each of them some money which shocked Sam more, as in the east she never handled cash. “I know it is strange Sam, but you will get used to it. Cash is trusted more then the cards out here. It is harder to track and bug. Pepole out here are more suspicious that the government is listening to them and so do what they can to limit the ways they might use.” Sam said. “That helps explain a few things. I don’t think they need worry to much there is too much space here. Yes I think Will’s idea will work best for me. I don’t think I could make a full circuit and make it back to the one I wanted, so it is safest just to go with the first one that looks to good to pass. I need to rest a bit more first though. So who all did Roger ask if I was really in a store?” Olivia said. “The picture of the gold shirt pretty much convinced him you were, but he had to check that you were trying on clothes and wanted me to say we were watching what you were doing.” Will said. “What gold shirt? Why didn’t I see it? I did find a pirate one of my own and can’t wait to wear it one Friday.” That caused some laughter. Sam got her phone out. “Tell me how to find the pictures on this and I will show it to you. It was hideous, but I did get the red one I told him I was going to try instead.” Smiling a bit he showed her how to find them. He shook his head. “That is bad sis, but I am glad you sent it to him. You need to tease them more, it will help them see you. Now I am going to go see what I find this time.” He stood up and headed out. Sam sat there until Seth was back with his food then went after hers. It wasn’t long after she got back that the others were there. Same looked at the food she had and shook her head. “I wanted the sweet and sour chicken, they gave me a sample and I had to have more. I didn’t know it came with all this, what ever it is. I am temped to send a picture to Roger and ask him he doesn’t wish he was here. Think it would scare him too badly? After all this is another twenty laws I am breaking.” In answer Tom and Seth took there phones out and took a picture of her and the food, that showed they were not alone. Seth said. “Who cares, it will do them good, and to late it is sent.” Tome said. “Well then they got double as I sent it as well! They need to see what they are missing. Now just don’t look at it.” Sam laughed and started eating. It wasn’t long until Grant’s phone rang he shook his head and answered it. “Hello dad.” “Well right now we are having lunch, then we have a bit more shopping to do.” “No, clothes are done it is school supplies and then a last stop at a book store.” He smiled. “Oh I expect that she will be taking the bus here by the end of the month. I am sure the kids at her school will see to it.” He held the phone out. “What? You can mean you are going to let her run around unsupervised! That is.” Grant said. “It is safe here Dad, the kids start riding the buses alone when they are younger than she is. The first few times I am sure Will or one of the kids from school will be with her. The school id’s double as bus passes and I expect that all of them will be making use of the buses before long.” He shook his head. “Yes Dad we are safe out here, yes the food is different but it is good. I look forward to taking you out when you come to visit. Talk to you latter.” He hung up. “Come on and eat, we don’t want Wind getting worried that I forgot to take you to see him. It might be best to drop you at the stables then go and unload before I come back for whoever stays there. I am sure a few of the others want to see Windsong.” Will and Tom nodded, so it seemed they did at least. It wasn’t long until they were back in the mall and at the station store then it was the book store, which delighted Samantha, and it took them a few hours to settle on there two books and head home. When they reached the stables Will and Tom did get out with her and the others went on to the house. Samantha waved at the stableman and started in. He said. “Wind is in the ring out back, he wanted kept tugging on the saddle so Jack took him out to try it. Just go on though the stable and you will be there Lass.” Sam smiled. “Thank you. I had best go let him see me then I take Miss. Nelly her carrot.” He laughed. “You are going to have them all spoiled.” He waved them on and Sam led the other two though the stable. She walked over to fence but before she could say anything Windsong saw her and whinnied. ‘You made it! You are here! Was it good day? What did you do you? You are late. See I have it on. We will run soon’ He was tossing his head and prancing as he come over to where she was and nosed here, then neighed again. ‘Com on in here. I don’t like that wire there.’ He pawed the ground a bit. Sam laughed. “My dad said he would bring me, but we things to get this morning and it took a while. I am sorry you thought I was lost. Yes see your saddle. However it will be a bit before I can go for a ride. You need to go with experienced riders first.” Windsong hung his head a bit and pawed the ground some more then looked back at the fence. ‘I can jump it and get to you if you can’t come in. not right to keep you out. We will run together. I will take man first if you insist but don’t see why.’ Jack laughed. “The gate is right over there Sam, and you best get in here before he jumps the fence to get to you. He has been looking for you all morning.” Laughing a bit Sam headed to the gate. “I am sure we can get you on one of the others when we take Wind out so you can be with us, and it wont take long tell you are riding him.” Windsong ran to the gate and started pushing on her even as he was demanding she get in there so she could see better. Jack laughed. “Get back boy and let her in, then you can show her how well the saddle fits and see if she thinks we should try the other one.” Windsong moved back and so Sam made it in she looked at her brothers, to see they were standing back a ways. “Come on, he won’t hurt you, he is just happy I am here. You could at least come up to the fence, you said you wanted to meet him.” Will said. “We didn’t want to upset him so weren’t sure how close to get. He is biger then I thought.” He moved on and so did Tom. Tom said. “Windsong, if it is all right I want to get a picture of you. This is my phone and so not as good as if I had my camera with me but it should help a bit. If you don’t mind?” It felt a bit silly, but Sam seemed to talk to him and he didn’t want to upset him. Stallions could be mean and this one was big. The hores nodded startling him a bit but he took his phone out. “I can’t wait until grandma sees you, but I think I will wait until I can get a picture of Sam riding you. I just want to start getting you used to me taking them so it doesn’t spook you.” Samantha smiled. “It is fine, he doesn’t care about the phone. Now let me see here. You’re sure this doesn’t pinch? It looks a bit tight here to me, but this isn’t a type I am used to.” Jack said. “Here, why don’t you trade it for this one and see if it look better to you. He wanted you to see him and wouldn’t let me change them, but like you I think that one would irate him on a long ride.” He handed her a different saddle. “I think he will stand and let me undo this one now that you are here and agreed with me.” Sam laughed. “Windsong, you are a bit silly, Jack is the one who knows the most you need to listen to him. It is important that the saddle fits right and that you learn the right way to behave with a rider as you need to be able to help your rider.” Wind song ducked his head a bit. ‘But you need to see I had one. You need to see me learning. I want you to know we will run soon. It will be good for us to run together. I will try and listen to him more, but better when you are here. I don’t like it when you are not. You should be with me not them.’ Samantha laughed and started putting the new saddle on him. “I can’t be here all the time, so you need to work with Jack when I am not here. I have lessons of my own I have to take. I will come by every day, but some of those might be shorter then we will like, and I will have to spend time with the others. I need to get better at riding, so that means I need to ride some of the older horses so they can teach me. Some times you will be able to walk with us, but sometimes you are going to have to trust them with me. Jack is this right?” Jack was watching her brothers, and wondering when they would ask, they clearly could tell that she was responded to something. He looked over and smiled. She had it on right, just a bit loss. He should see of the boss would higher her she could help with the evening feedings and excising. He could use an extra hand then, but best wait a bit then bring it up once she saw she could help. “Yes lass that looks fine, but check that it doesn’t slip, not that I think it will, but you always want to give a saddle a few tugs.” Sam nodded and did what she was told, then said. “I think that looks better, now I have to go sit down a bit.” Windsong snorted. ‘You are not leavening me yet.’ Samantha laughed. “I can sit on the hay bale there and rest.” Will start over to her but Windsong moved next to her and guided her to the hay bale, her brothers shook their heads a bit. Samantha did notice them as she was watching the horse. “You need to walk around the field so I can see how that saddle moves with you. If it looks good then you can show me how fast you can run, but we need to see it at a walk first. All right Windsong?” Jack nodded, smiling yes she would work out fine, and it would be a help. “Take it slow at fist boy then you can pick up the pace if the saddle isn’t rubbing. I am just going to walk next to you so I can watch it.” Will said. “Um, I thought they were led when you were training them.” He was watching Windsong a bit nervously, still not to sure if he was alright with them being in there. He hadn’t followed Sam to the stables that often, but he didn’t recall them just being let run with the tack on. It didn’t look to safe to him. Man was that a big horse. Jack smiled at the boy. “Generally yes, but Windsong doesn’t like the rains and having me hold them just upset him more. I am hoping he will let me once he is used to them, but right now your sister is the only one that can lead him. I will have to get her involved in train him when she isn’t wore out from shopping, as she is now.” Sam smiled. “It was just a bit more walking then I am used to, I didn’t think I looked that tired. It was interesting but a bit stressful for me.” Windsong looked at her. ‘Just why was it so long? You do look tired. Bird said you slept well.’ He kept walking, but did dance a bit. Jack said, think he best help a bit before she alarmed the boys to much. “So what did you think of the mall?” Samantha said. “It was a bit spooky for me at first and I still can’t believe what all was there. Back east there was very few stores I could enter legally as it was thought best for public safety to limit the places that those would Adsons could go as some out there fear it a bit to much. So this was the first time I have seen a mall. Then there is so much there that would be in violation of dress codes out east for any class. It is just a lot to get used to. A dew of my relatives are going to be upset as we have items in colors the were reserved for the higher classes out east. Not to mention that I have new clothes not third or fourth handed. It was just so odd not to see a guard or to be yelled at for being in the wrong place.” Wind song snorted and tosses his head. ‘That sounds silly. I am glad you don’t live there now, to many rules. Would they let you ride even?’ Samantha laughed. “It was different out there, but I didn’t realize how restricted I was as I knew nothing different. Now though I wonder how I didn’t feel upset about getting in trouble fore being on the wrong side of the road when I failed to notice the gang tag had changed. The cities limit animals and mostly try to keep it to engineered ones that are sure to stay in there place and not interfere with the order of the city. Not that they don’t get a few untamed ones in, but they do what they can to keep it down and see that all times are announced so they can be avoided. They have to let it happen sometimes as the engineered animals and plants need some contact with the wild ones.” Jack said something soft to Windsong and the horse looked at Sam. “Yes boy you can speed up a bit now.” Jack shook his head. “I would never make it out there. I can’t imagine being unable to enter a store or walk wherever I want to. Just why are they so scared of Adsons?” Will said. “It wasn’t just the Adsons, though that added to it. The east places everyone in certain classes that are related to jobs not income. Those class set limits on where you can go. You can always go into lower class places but you do not enter any place that is rated for those higher then you, that includes traffic lanes ore walkways. Sometimes you could fool the monitors, but if you were caught you would be fined, or worse depending oh how big the jump and where you were. That is for those without Adsons. Those with it trying to pass for not having it would be jailed. They do not things that can not stay in bounds, that acts in ways that they can’t classify and so the changes that Adsons cause are terrifying as they are unpredictable and not fully understood. Some fear it is contagious and nothing is done to correct that assumption. They push confinement for those that have it. Try to convince parents that a care center is the best place for the child.” He looked at his sister and then said. “The changes here are a bit hard to get used to and likely more so for Sam as she could never get away with breaking any of the rules. Yet here it is expected she forget them.” Samantha said. “It is an adjustment and it is going to take time, but I will get there, and I will be able to scare Roger by taking him to the mall should he make the trip out in December.” Windsong looked at her. “Yes we will be running way before then, but I can’t be sure he will agree to go riding. He knows how, but it will depend on who is here and how it will look. However I will.” She jumped as her phone sent out a blast of classic music. Windsong came running over to her. ‘What is that for? Are you all right? That thing made you frown. I don’t like it.’ Samantha said. “I don’t know though that I will get used to having this thing.” She got her phone out, and hit talk. “Hi Aunt Grace, just a minute. Windsong this is just a phone like the one Tom was taking pictures with. The noise just meant someone wanted to talk to me. It is not a monster, I just am not used to have it yet. Sorry Aunt Grace, but the phone scared me as I forgot I had it, and I alarmed Wind by jumping so he thought it was some monster that was attacking me, but he has relaxed now. I am going to have to play the different rings for him so he can get used to them. It might help me as well. I have this on speaker I think, so I hope you can hear me all right.” Grace said. “I can hear you fine. So they did get you a phone, about time. It will be a big help out there I am sure. Now can you tell me why I received a picture of you in a shirt with a skull on it? Just what was that?” Windsong whinnied, and looked at Sam, causing her to laugh. “Yes boy, that saddle is staying good, go run and work off some of that restlessness, but stay in the fence, so I can see you. I can’t say just why you received it, I just sent it to Roger and Will to see what they thought of the clothes. We went to the mall early so I could get some clothes that fit me. The pirate shirt was to good not to tease them about, as I knew it would horrify Roger. What did you think of it? It took me a few tries to get the size right. It is so odd to being buying new clothes and then they use different sizes on the clothes here as well.” Will was fighting not to laugh, and nodded at her glad she was trying to tease her. Grace said. “What was that noise and what was that about a saddle? Just where are you now? That must have been some store. I didn’t know they had such places. So did you find some fitting clothes then? I can see why he would be upset about that shirt, it was shocking. Do they really wear things like that?” Sam smiled. “That was just Windsong asking if he could run yet. He is trying to get used to having a saddle on, but we wanted to make sure it fit right before letting him run in it. He has just come to the stables here. Oh I should add that he is a horse, it does sound a bit strange when you don’t know that. Dad dropped Will, Tom and I at Mr. Robbles’ stables on the way home as I am to come by for a bit each day. I have permission to take one of the horses out for a ride, but it will be a few more days before I can, and then I will be staying close the first few times. Though as I get used to riding again there are some good trails here I can explore.” Grace coughed a bit. “I don’t see why it would be surprising that there were clothes stores here. If anything I think there is a wider range of stores out here then there were there, but then I only saw a small number of them out there so I might be wrong. Yes people we are all kinds of odd things, I even saw some with purple hair! I ended up with a shopping basket full of clothes. I wanted to go though them again as I am sure I have way more then I need but dad said it was good start, but he was sure I would be adding more.” Tom winked at her. “Sis I think Aunt Grace thought the store somehow sold clothes only for those with Adsons. She likely hasn’t heard that there is no separations out here, and that is why she was so confused. It was a normal mall Aunt and I can say she did indeed get some clothes that will fit her. I didn’t see much of them, but there is a nice looking red shirt, as well as the one in the picture, though we had to tell her we would put it in the cart if she dared put it back. Will found one with a skull on it as well. I didn’t like it, but found a nice flaming dragon one instead. “ Grace said. “It is not nice to joke like that. I can see the lack of separation, but to advertise myth on clothing. That is to wild even for that uncivilized place!” Will said. “It is a bit hard to believe, but he really did find and get a shirt with a dragon on it.” Grace said. “And you are alone with a wild horse.” Samantha said. “No, Aunt Grace, the stable manager is here, it is just that Windsong trust me a bit more right now. He is not to sure about men and so needs more time before he can feel full safe with Jack.” Jack said. “Sam if you can see if he will let lead him around a few times to cool off then we had best get him into his supper, for all he isn’t tired yet. He is going want you to take some long rides.” Samantha nodded, thinking of the pack she had seen. If she could get it then a weekend camping trip might be possible. However that would wait until she was more used to the area and besides she needed to get the money first. “Dad did say that he expected us to do some exploring. However long rides will not be happening until you are sure I know what I am doing and agree I am riding well enough to be out all day.” she didn’t think about the phone until her Aunt coughed. Grace said. “I will let you go as it is clear you are busy. I do hope you all are being carful out there. Have a nice evening.” Samantha was a bit flushed. “You to Aunt Grace.” She wasn’t sure if her Aunt herd her as the call ended. “I bet she is calling Mom right now demanding to know just what is going on and who will be watching me. I didn’t even think of her. Alright wind, what you say are you read to let me walk you around a bit? Say Moonstone, will you land on the saddle for a bit?” The boys jumped as the bird dived in and landed on the saddle. “We will have to see if there is someway to fix it so you have a place to ride, should it get stormy when we are out, as I know you will have to come. You two didn’t see him? He has been with us since we got here. I was a bit surprised he didn’t chime in on the phone call. Likely he didn’t think it would be noticed enough.” He chirped and nodded. ‘Birds outside they expect so no point. Now indoors. Then I can get involved. That thing is noisy, but will help them not worry about you. We can go further as you have it. but slow so they and you get used to it.’ Windsong nodded. ‘Yes we will walk, but soon we will run, and then we can show you more. It will be fun. Yes bird will ride some to. Can’t wait, so do you think it be fun to run? Moon tell me more of that box that scared her.’