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"So, what next?" Jack asked, putting his wallet away.
"We could see more of the city? Also, Erin needs some clothes." Lucy replied.
Erin finished her coffee and stared at the cup; it wasn't enough. "I would love to," she said, "but I feel so tired."
Lucy nodded and said, "I think this is the longest you've been awake for."
"Rest up and we'll talk later." Jack then leaned in and kissed her goodbye.
***
Erin stared out of the window, watching in amazement as the plane climbed higher and higher into the sky. She was with Lucy, driving to a store, which meant going past the airport. She had remembered reading about airships and possible flight. But that was in 1898, now they have gone to the Moon and want to travel to other planets. Looking up at the plane, she was going to be there soon. Either with Jack or by herself, but definitely soon.
In the last couple of days, Erin was eating more, developing actual stamina and didn't need to take frequent naps. With the increase in energy, she craved to be out of the apartment, exploring more of the city and finding out what else had changed. She had gotten lucky as Lucy's apartment was not that far from where Erin lived, and she could see how the neighborhood transformed.
Lucy parked the car in the lot, and they both got out. Erin stared at the store -- Target. Since being flesh and blood again, she had been borrowing Lucy's clothes, and she didn't like it. Erin felt terrible about being a burden on her, and Lucy's clothes didn't really fit her.
"What do we need to get?" Lucy locked the car and said, "Just the basics."
Erin nodded, looking away. Her eyes caught a girl, mid-twenties like her. She wore an overlong emerald sweater and boots that went past her knees. Also, sunglasses. Erin wanted to ask Lucy if this was common but was worried about sounding stupid. The nineteenth-century values of modesty and pureness, and calling chicken bosoms instead of chicken breasts, was still stuck in her. Seeing women her own age dressing so casually, showing off more flesh and wearing form-fitting clothes, Erin wanted to return to Lucy's couch.
There were more changes that Erin had to get used to inside the store. She had thought of Target as a department store but larger. The sheer size of it shocked her. And that all the products, clothes, groceries and electronics were out in the open. There were no large, ornate wooden counters, wall-high glass cabinets, or mustached clerks in smocks. But there are a lot more options, and it's brighter.
"You're like what? Extra small?" Lucy asked.
"I guess." Erin said, taking her word for it. "What should I buy?"
"I don't know, probably jeans, leggings, a couple of t-shirts and some tops. Also socks, bras and panties." Lucy paused, seeing Erin blush and try not to laugh. "Oh yeah, sneakers. How do those Nikes feel?"
"Uncomfortable. I'm sorry."
"No worries, I think you're size bigger."
Erin nodded and asked, "How much did he give you to spend?"
She was in the bathroom when Jack popped over at the apartment in the morning, overhearing them talk about shopping. Erin had to rely on Jack and also Lucy to survive, she accepted that, but it felt uncomfortable.
"He gave me around two hundred."
"Two-two hundred dollars?"
"Yeah?"
"That's impossible. That's more than what I earned in a year. He's given me too much."
"Really?" Lucy pulled out her phone and searched for a dollar inflation calculator.
Erin nodded. She hugged herself and looked away. Her eyes caught a sign, jeans for twenty dollars. That didn't sound right.
"Oh," Lucy said, "He gave you the equivalent of six dollars and some change."
"Still, that was two days of pay for me."
They started shopping, and Lucy instantly took her to the underwear section. It took a while for Erin to get used to buying bras and panties. A store owner would never dream of displaying woman's bloomers. She felt herself going red, which she hated. Shaking her head, Erin took a deep inhale and asked Lucy how many bras she should get without blushing.
Lucy then picked up a couple of hoodies, and Erin nodded, letting her drop them in the cart. Erin was amazed at how soft and comfortable the material felt as she ran her fingers over the fabric. Not stiff or feeling like burlap. Also, how simple it is. No corsets or bustles. No spending an hour dressing yourself or helping the lady of the house.
"Is this what women wear now?" Erin asked. She noticed how everyone dressed so casual like they were going to exercise. "It's very informal," she said, not knowing if it's a good thing or not.
"That's the trend now." Lucy picked up a white t-shirt and raised it to her chest. "And you are going to see models, actresses, influencers wear t-shirts like these that cost thousand dollars."
"A thousand dollars?"
"Yeah," Lucy said, placing a pair of leggings in the cart, "And you're going to need more clothes later. These are cool for chilling in the apartment. But what you going to do later?"
"What do you mean?"
"Like your plans. You going to get a job? You said you want to go to college, what you going to major in? And are you going to stay in Portland?"
Erin shook her head. She hadn't given that much thought.
"Hey," Lucy said, "You can still stay with me. But I don't know what that sofa is going to do to your back. If Jack comes through with a social and ID, you can get a job."
Erin nodded. But then she thought about what type of jobs could she really do.
"I'm guessing you don't want to be a maid again."
"I was not a maid."
"No?"
"No. A maid would live in the house with the family. I had my own room. I was a charwoman." Erin said. She picked up a sweater, liking the pattern and dropped it in the cart. "I cleaned houses because I had to. I'm not going to go back to that. I just need to think about what to do next. I want a real job."
"I mean there is an obvious answer."
"What?"
"You go to college. You can major in nineteenth century U.S history. It will be a breeze for you."
"Wouldn't that be cheating?"
"Fuck no." Lucy stopped the cart and smiled. "You went through all this trauma and now you're in a time where you can go to college and be who you want to be. Used any advantage you can."
Erin nodded, and they went back to shopping. She liked the sound of going to college, something that was impossible the first time around. Studying history didn't really appeal to her, but Erin could see Lucy's point.
It took them another hour to get to the checkout line. Looking at the cart, Erin hoped that they had gotten everything. Two pairs of jeans, in black & blue, leggings, four t-shirts, hoodies, sweaters, socks, a pair of white sneakers and underwear; Erin really hoped that was enough for her to live on.
She caught herself staring at other women and then glancing back to the cart. Something didn't feel right. Last night, she and Jack had a long conversation over the phone. Now she could leave the apartment more often and didn't need to nap all the time; Jack said he would love to take her out. They then agreed on dinner tomorrow night.
"Sorry to ask again. But you said that these clothes are okay to wear all the time? Like in the evening?"
"Maybe." Lucy shrugged. Her eyes then narrowed, knowing that was something more. "Like in the evening? Like for a date?"
Erin paused, remembering how the definition had changed. She nodded her head and said, "Yes."
"Tonight?"
Erin shook her head and replied with a small smile.
Lucy looked at the pile of clothes and paused for a moment; she was working something in her head, Erin could tell. "Not for date night. Let's go to the mall."
She quickly paid and grabbed Erin out of the store. They didn't drive long, maybe five minutes at most. Lucy told her about date nights and the need to dress up. It shocked her. She didn't see Lucy as a type of woman who would wear an evening gown for a dance. Erin told her what Jack had been thinking of, a simple dinner at a restaurant, maybe a quick stopover at a bar.
Lucy drove to a mall, which Erin roughly knew as a building with lots of stores. It was quieter than she expected and hoped. She wanted more interaction with regular people, learning to talk to them and seeing if she could successfully fool them.
Lucy dragged Erin into an H&M store and told her that it's a step above Target.
Flipping through a rack, Lucy then said, "What you need is a really good dress."
"Okay?"
"But also, it's like 30 degrees outside. So probably something like a sweater dress." Lucy said, staring at the clothes. She pulled out a navy dress and pressed it against Erin's body. "Try this on."
"I don't think this is necessary. We don't know what we are going to do."
"This is your first date, like ever. Don't you want to dress hot?"
Erin chuckled this time, still focused on the definition of date. She saw Lucy give her a curious look and replied, "Dating meant something different in my time. Having a date meant you would have paid a whore for the night."
"Now you don't have to be a whore to dress sexy and fuck your boyfriend."
Erin smirked and took the dress, slowly walking to the dressing room. Inside the stall, she quickly stripped Lucy's clothes and folded them neatly on the table. It was something that she had found herself doing a lot, muscle memory from over a hundred years ago.
She slipped into the dress, remarking how comfortable the fabric felt against her skin. There were positives to the changes in fashion, she slowly understood. Erin remembered how her old clothes were stiff and heavy, realizing how much she hated wearing them.
Zipping up the back, Erin then turned and faced the full-length mirror. Seeing her reflection there, she just moaned, a navy-blue dress fitted to her slender body, with long sleeves and a cowl neck. It was scandalous how the dress ended above her knees. But seeing herself, Erin praised Lucy's choice. She really looked sexy.
Erin ran her hands up her sides, posing against the mirror. Something then felt off. Erin felt her heart thud in her chest. Sweat dampened her forehead. She had to get away. This was too much for her. She wanted the attic again. Her knees buckled, and she fell to the side. Instinctively, Erin raised a hand up to steady herself. But she phased through the stall, her forearm disappearing.
"OH SHIT" A female voice screamed.
The other stall door crashed open, and Erin could hear footsteps pounding away from her. She pulled her arm back and grabbed her chest. Breathing was hard. But Erin calmed herself down. It happened again. This was getting annoying and getting more frequent.
Changing back to her regular clothes, Erin walked back to the shop floor. There was no one near her, no scared woman or guards. She found Lucy, holding a black dress. It was more revealing than the blue one she picked, but it made Erin smile. It looked cute.
"You should get this also."
"Yeah," Erin said. Her eyes wandered, trying to find a frightened woman. "It happened again."
"Yeah. I figured. Saw some lady run out, screaming about a ghost arm." Lucy shrugged her shoulders, "I'm going to ask around. Just don't think about it." She turned her head and pointed at the intimate section. "You need to pick out some date night lingerie. Something revealing."
"You are really invested."
"After getting kinda fucked by Jack but hearing your voice, I'm definitely invested. It was a hot show." Lucy grinned. "Let's get you some lace bra and panties and some boots then we can go."
"Do we have enough? I think we spent nearly all the money Jack gave us."
Lucy paused and then said, "I still have the cash that Jack gave me. You know? From the first time. When you tried to possess me and kiss him?"
A teenager walked past them and gave them a long stare. Both Erin and Lucy replied back with indifferent looks.
Turning back to Lucy, Erin said, "I can't ask you spend your earnings on me. It's not--"
"It doesn't matter. It's cool. I'll buy it for you. Call it a thank-you present for getting rid of that stain in the kitchen."
"Thank you." Erin smiled. "I want to say that I really appreciate your support and friendship." She wrapped her arms around the medium and gave her a long hug.
Lucy stayed still, tight and emotionless. She then gave Erin a very short hug back. "I like you too," she quickly said after they broke apart, "I'm not so great with the mushy stuff. But I like you and want to help. And when I meet the other psychics, mediums or warlocks, I'm never going to have to pick up a bar tab again."
***
Jack found the door open for him and climbed the stairs to Lucy's apartment. He took a deep breath before pushing it open. It was weird to Jack that he felt so nervous for what was essentially a regular date. He was just here to pick up his girlfriend and go to a restaurant, maybe a bar later. They could have sex later; that would be nice. He just needed to forget about magic rituals, ID forgers from Russia and his suspicious family.
He pushed open the door and poked his head through. Lucy was there, on the couch and looking at her phone. Jack opened his mouth, but she quickly looked up and greeted him, asking him to come in.
"Hey," Jack said before closing the door. She was wearing a white shirt and black pants. "Are you working?"
"Yeah. About to start my shift soon." Lucy sighed and said, "I really hate late night shifts."
Jack nodded. He turned his head, hearing some movement from Lucy's bedroom. He guessed that Erin was in there, getting ready. He tried to think of what she was going to wear.
Lucy caught him glancing at her bedroom door and leaned in. "There's something you need to know."
"Yeah?"
"Erin is really nervous about tonight. She's freaking out. When she freaks out... she... she starts phasing through stuff."
"What?"
"It's okay. She's done it a couple of times. Nothing major."
"Is there something we need to do?"
Lucy shrugged her shoulders and mumbled something, trying to be uncommitted to any particular plan. "I'm speaking to someone. She's a witch -- gave me the idea of the grimoire."
"Another sex magic ritual?"
Jack watched Lucy's expression change, not major, but eyes gave away a weary mood, with an annoyed half-smile. She was sick of magic as well. "Maybe?"
"Should we cancel our date?"
"No. Definitely no. She's been thinking about this all day. Just keep the night low-key. Nowhere too busy."
That was Jack's plan. He picked a restaurant that he knew was going to be quiet. And if they do go to a bar, there were a couple of places in the city that had a cozier vibe, perfect for Erin. Even the clothes Jack picked out for tonight stressed understated, chinos, a button-down and a sweatshirt.
"Don't worry. I got it."
Looking around, there was a yellow legal pad lying on the coffee table, and it quickly pulled Jack's attention. Scanning it, Friends, Avengers, Spielberg, Beyonce, yoga, the Super Bowl were some things written down. There was also an explanation of podcasts and the word avocado underlined.
He saw Lucy smile at him. "It's a list that Erin made."
"Really?"
"Erin was on YouTube and there's this video. It was arguing that Die Hard isn't a Christmas movie. Which it definitely is."
"Hundred percent," Jack said quickly.
"Yeah. So, Erin asked what that meant and I explained it to her. Then we started making a list of all the stuff she needs to experience. Pop culture stuff. She needs to know that as well as history."
"Keeping up with the Kardashians?"
"Uh. She needs to know the bad shit to differentiate from the good."
The door opened, and they both turned. Erin walked out, wearing the blue dress, tights and black boots that Lucy picked out. Jack was immediately impressed. He still hadn't gotten used to her wearing modern clothes and became amazed at how hot she looked. The tight dress looked a lot better than the baggy sweats he had seen her in the last couple of days.
"Erin. You look amazing."
She blushed and covered her face with her hand, but Jack could tell she was grinning. "You too. You look really handsome."
"Let me book an Uber." Turning around, Jack pulled out his phone and booked a ride. It was five minutes away. He spun back to Erin; Lucy was standing next to her and whispered in her ear. The blonde had this big grin, probably telling his girlfriend something dirty. Erin just smiled nervously and went even redder.
Jack decided to leave that alone and stay quiet, waiting for the Uber to arrive.
He had asked Erin what kind of food she wanted to try, and she said something new, with lots of flavor. Walking into the orange glow of the Thai restaurant and getting the scent of the food, Jack knew he had picked the right place. Erin looked so excited, her eyes darting to every plate as they got seated.
"So, Siam is now Thailand?" Erin asked as soon as the waiter poured the waters and left the menus.
"Yeah." Jack nodded. "I'm sorry, but I have to ask... are you okay?"
"What? Why?" She lowered the menu, and her eyes widened.
"Just want to make sure that you're not gonna fall asleep on me."
Erin smiled and said, "I'm getting my eight hours. Can you help me with this menu?"
Jack leaned over and tried his best to explain everything to Erin. He remembered her telling him that the food she used to eat in the 1880s was bland and boring. He got the idea she wanted something spicy but didn't want to scare her. He suggested Pad Thai, and picked something hotter for himself, a couple of appetizers and wine.
"So, what did you do all day?" Erin asked as soon as they were alone again.
"Nothing really. Replied to some emails, watched TV with my sisters, argued with my parents about politics -- a typical holiday."
"What would you be doing if you were back in Boston?"
"Don't know. Maybe watch basketball, gym, go on the PlayStation, hit a couple of bars with friends."
"PlayStation -- that's the machine that you can play computer cartoons."
"Close enough," Jack smiled, "What about you? How did you used to spend your free time?"
"Working for the Franklins took up most of my time. I would be in that house for hours, sometimes the whole day. Any time I had to myself, I'd read or maybe go for a walk. Not really that entertaining. But now I can't wait to experience new things."
"I know, I saw your list. What about today?"
"Me and Lucy watched more movies. We watched some ones with a lot of action, which was terrifying. But I got through it."
Jack wanted to quickly interject and ask what film that she saw, but let her carry on.
"I tried to use Lucy's computer. But it was so hard and nothing worked. It looked so easier when you were using yours. I kept on forgetting about the Start button."
"And I got this." Erin reached into her jacket pocket and showed Jack a red cellphone. It looked a little small compared to most modern phones and had some scratches around the sides. "I got from a store nearby and a prepaid plan. We can talk to each other now."
"That's awesome," Jack said. He knew that there was something that he had forgotten to do for Erin.
"Lucy helped me take a couple of selfies. I guess that's what girls like me do now. I created a Spotify account and I'm trying to find my taste in music. But I'm not joining Instagram or Facebook yet. Lucy said it's too early."
"Yeah." Jack nodded, thinking if he should tell her the horror stories of social media. "Also, I know Beth is going to be trawling for your account and will immediately follow you."
The food then arrived, and Erin's attention was drawn instantly to the plate set in front of her.
Jack watched her, a mix of confusion and excitement at the various plates. He should probably try to explain everything. "These are the appetizers, that's pork gyozas -- dough wrapped around a filling. Those are chicken satays -- grilled chicken with sauce."
