Disclaimer: I don't own TDI or AIW. I think you know that by now, right?
Lindsay walked easily behind the two giant flowers. They followed a well-worn path. "Stay away from the other flowers," Gwen advised Lindsay.
"Why?" Lindsay asked. "They're so pretty!" She bent down to get a closer look at the large pink and green bud near her feet. The bud shot open and sent two tentacles at Lindsay. They wrapped around her neck and dragged her head into the flower bud. Lindsay waved her arms and legs frantically, hitting the bud.
Gwen and Leshawna sighed. "Hitting it won't do any good," Gwen said. "Brace yourself and pull your head out."
Lindsay's flailing arms calmed, and she pushed herself out of the flower. "Ewwww," she said, wiping green goo off her face. Her face and hair were completely covered in the gunk.
"We've got to get you to a pond or something," Leshawna said wearily.
"That's why I said to stay away from the flowers," Gwen told her.
"Sorry, sorry!" Lindsay apologized. The three started off again, with Lindsay following close behind the other two.
"We should just go straight to the shop," Gwen said. "They have a shower there."
"Sounds good," Leshawna agreed.
Lindsay kept quiet, and the three traveled in silence for some time. Lindsay managed to get the worst of the gunk off in the meantime. Finally, they entered a clearing.
"Oh my gosh, is that a mall?" Lindsay squealed.
"Wonderland's Wonderful Shoppe," Gwen said derisively.
"Is that the name?" Lindsay asked.
Gwen rolled her eyes and nodded. Lindsay looked at the building with excitement. It was a tall building that resembled a traditional mall. However, it could never be mistaken for a normal mall, as it was made of sweets. The walls were gingerbread, the signs were graham crackers, and it was held together with spun sugar. The path up to the building was lined with gumdrops. Lindsay gazed up at the sign that read, "Wonderland's Wonderful Shoppe."
"The king named it," Leshawna commented.
"Sadly," Gwen added.
They started towards the door, and Lindsay practically skipped in happiness. She pulled open the door and hurried inside. Inside, Lindsay sighed in content as she was met with fluorescent lighting and air-conditioning. Gwen rang the bell by the door and after a minute, Lindsay heard feet scampering across the floor.
A girl with blonde hair in a ponytail and a blue apron slid to a stop in front of them. She tripped on her feet, dipped close to the ground, and popped up, all in one movement. "Hello, and welcome to Wonderland's Wonderful Shoppe," she said breathlessly. She blinked a few times. "Oh, it's you guys. I thought the Card Guard had come to inspect again."
"They might be here soon," Leshawna informed her. "We saw Duncan in the woods."
The girl frowned. "Let's just hope he's only here for the party." She noticed Lindsay, and her expression lightened. "Who's this?"
"Bridge, this is Lindsay," Gwen introduced them. "Lindsay, Bridgette."
"Hi!" Lindsay said chipperly.
"Hey," Bridgette said. "You're new?"
"Yup!" Lindsay responded. "I got here yesterday!" Bridgette smiled at her kindly.
"Maybe she'll get assigned to help you," Leshawna said.
"I could use it. Justin was useless. He was too busy whispering in the queen's ear," Bridgette said disdainfully.
"Well, we need stuff for the party tomorrow," Leshawna said.
"Oh, I picked something out for you!" Bridgette said excitedly. She trotted off and Lindsay, Gwen, and Leshawna followed. Lindsay looked around, drinking in the sights of the shop.
They walked through a shoe section, make-up counters, and a juniors department. Bridgette stopped in front of a door with the words "Fitting Rooms" written on it. She pulled a ring of keys out of her apron and opened the door. All three girls followed her into the fitting rooms, and Bridgette pulled out a bunch of different dresses.
"This is for you," Bridgette said, holding a yellow sundress in front of Gwen.
Gwen looked at her incredulously. "Yellow?"
"Think about it?" Bridgette pleaded.
Gwen made a face, and pretended to think about it. "Ummmm…. No."
Bridgette pouted. "I wish you'd wear something other than black."
"You try this every time. It has never, and will never work!" Gwen retorted playfully.
"I'll wear you down!" Bridgette said. She turned to Leshawna and held up a tight black dress with thick straps. "What do you think?"
"You suggest black for her!" Gwen protested.
"I've seen her in other colors!" Bridgette replied.
Leshawna chuckled. "I'll take that one. And could we get one for Lindsay? I'm pretty sure she'll be coming to the party."
"A party?" Lindsay inquired cheerfully.
"The Full Moons Party," Gwen explained. "Every year, both moons are only full at the same time once. We hold a party every year."
"It's a magical night," Bridgette said.
"We get to have feet!" Leshawna said joyfully.
"The queen's powers are at their lowest during the full moon, so when both moons are full, her spell on us wears off," Gwen told Lindsay happily. "Thank god for that curse Be-"
"Don't say that! The queen!" Bridgette interrupted her sharply.
"It's not like she can do anything else to us! We're already flowers, for gods sake!" Gwen said, irritated.
"You know she can do much worse," Bridgette said darkly. "And I have a lot to lose."
"Why is everyone so worried about the queen?" Lindsay asked.
"She's always watching," Leshawna said.
"Does she have some sort of magic crystal ball?" Lindsay said jokily.
"Exactly," Bridgette said, a dead serious look on her face.
The jingling of a bell cut through the conversation and Bridgette sprinted off towards the entrance. Lindsay walked out of the fitting room behind her.
"Welcome to Wonderland's Wonderful Shoppe!" they heard Bridgette say brightly. "How can I help you?"
A gruff voice rang out. "We need to inspect the premises."
Lindsay stood on her tip-toes and saw a four guys with cards for bodies. The Ace had a green Mohawk, the Two had shaggy black hair, the Three wore a red headband, and the Jack was a black man with a chef's hat. She went down flat on her feet and happened to catch a bit of movement out of the corner of her eye. A boy crept into an air duct with a girl holding it open for him. The girl saw Lindsay looking at her and held a finger up to her lips. She crawled into the air duct behind the boy and pulled it shut.
"Why are they hiding?" Lindsay thought.
A/N: Mysterious! Sorry about the slower update. I'm trying to write Beautiful Geek simultaneously. I wrote about six or seven decent legnth chapters for that story, so my absense from this story is justified! Kind of.....
Review please! PWETTY PWEASE?