They
spent the next hour wandering through the many aisles of the flea
market, pointing out some of the more interesting wares on display. Cass
took note of what they saw the most - there was a plethora of old
dolls, jewelry and clothing. While Aspen was drawn to the tables selling
miscellaneous items that the vendor was trying to get rid of, Cass'
favorite tables were the ones displaying handcrafted goods. She had
tried countless craft kits when she was a kid, but had never been able
to end up with a creation that satisfied her. Knowing how much hard work
and effort went into making some of the crafts on display made them all
the more appealing. They each found one thing that they wanted: Aspen
got her hands on an old Hardy Boys book and Cass found a little purple
rope bracelet.
The two made sure to stay close together. Even if Cass grew bored by
Aspen's newest discoveries, she would stay beside her - it was easier
than dealing with people she didn't know, and there was always something
that would catch her interest.
But even Aspen eventually grew tired of looking at the tables, and it
was quickly decided that they would head back to the jeep. They'd cover
the tables they didn't already see by heading through those aisles. If
they saw something that interested them, they would stop at that table.
If they had no interest in anything the vendor was selling, they would
simply walk by it. Cass would have been happy if they had just gone back
to the jeep, but Aspen was adamant about the plan. It would be, in her
words, "an absolute nightmare and the worst mistake of her life" if they
overlooked something extraordinary.
Cass wasn't exactly sure what something like that would be, but she
wasn't going to argue. This was what Aspen had chosen to do. If it meant
making her best friend happy, she'd gladly spend the rest of the day
wandering the aisles of the flea market. She was relieved when Aspen
only chose to stop at a handful of tables, and even more relieved when
she came to quick decisions on if she wanted to purchase her newest find
or not. Cass was just happy to linger behind her; she wanted to be done
as soon as they could be.
But as Aspen stopped to chat with a vendor about some of the vintage
games he was selling, Cass caught a glimpse of something out of the
corner of her eyes. It was only a flash - the sun reflecting just right
on something golden in a case of jewelry - but Cass felt inexplicably
drawn to it. She looked at the table they were currently at, then at the
table with the jewelry. She yearned to see it, and the thought of
someone buying it before she could terrified her. It was important,
whatever it was.
"Aspen?" she hesitantly interrupted, seeing that her best friend was
still very much engaged in the conversation with the vendor. "I'm going
to that table over there. I need to see something."
Aspen continued to study the video game she currently had in her hand,
having flipped it over to read the description on the back. "'Kay. Just
give me like a minute to finish here and then we can check out that
table-"
"I'm going to head over now," Cass said.
Aspen popped her head up. "You what? Cassie, did I hear that right? You want to go over there on your own?"
Cass nodded. Whatever that gold thing was, it was calling to her. She
couldn't wait for Aspen to finish, especially when the feeling she had
now was oddly reminiscent of what she had experienced back in the jeep.
Aspen looked between the vendor and Cass.
She carefully placed the video game back on the top of the stack she
had grabbed it from, gave a quick goodbye to the vendor and hurried to
join Cass as she started to head towards to the table. She could see
Aspen giving her a worried look as they came to a stop in front of the
table, but her best friend didn't voice whatever concerns she apparently
had. She remained oddly silent, studying her in the way that she had
back when they first met.
Cass turned her attention away from her best friend to the table itself.
The vendor was a young man. He was in his late twenties at most, but
likely younger. He watched the two of them approach from a camping chair
with a smile on his face. An array of different wares were spread out
across his table, but Cass had eyes only for the jewelry case. She
scanned it for what she had caught a glimpse of, certain that she would
find it in a matter of seconds.
"Hello," the man said.
She momentarily paused her search.
"Hi," she shyly replied, giving an awkward little wave. She wasn't
quite sure how to continue the conversation, not when Aspen was staying
silent.
He gestured at the case. "It looks like you have your eye on something," he guessed, continuing to give her a smile.
She nodded. "I couldn't really see it from where I was standing, but I
think it was gold?" It was hard to find the right words when she knew
how important this was. A casual conversation was always a little
difficult, but was never like a conversation where she was trying to
reach a specific outcome.
He rose from the chair, walking over to the side of the table that the
case of jewelry was on. He studied the case before pointing to the
corner his golden jewelry was in. A flyer from another one of the tables
had flown over and covered it, but he quickly removed it. "Hmm...I have
a couple of golden things. A few bracelets, a ring or two, and a
locket."
Cass looked where he was pointing.
The bracelets and rings looked as if they could have come from a
professional jewelry store, but it was the locket that truly caught her
eye. It was small and simple - just a little heart with black lines
swirling around a small white gem in the center. Cass knew immediately
that this locket was what she had seen, and was just as certain that she
needed to buy it. She was already reaching for her wallet when she
asked the man for the price. She eagerly handed him the amount he
stated, then waited for him to get the locket out of the case. It just
felt right to hold it in her hands.
She traced the lines with her fingers as Aspen and the man started
chatting about the other things he had on display. She noticed Aspen
reaching into her purse for her wallet, but was far too focused with the
locket to notice. She carefully put the locket on. The warm metal heart
rested against her chest as she went to join Aspen.
Aspen's newest purchase was also around her neck: a locket identical to
her own, only made of silver instead of gold. Aspen gave her a large
grin when she saw what Cass was looking at. "I thought we could have
matching lockets, since we never got around to getting friendship
necklaces." Though she was grinning from ear to ear, there was still a
distracted look to her eyes.
It wasn't until they had thanked the man and arrived back at the jeep that Cass found out why.
Aspen waited until both of their doors had been shut. The key was in
the ignition and her hands were on the wheel, but the car remained
exactly where it was. Aspen looked over at her, the worry having spread
from her eyes to even her smile. Her lips had turned down into what was
almost a frown. Cass easily recognized the expression. It was a rare
one, but she had seen it several times before.
Aspen was concerned.
"You've been acting weird," Aspen simply said.
Cass gave her a blank stare.
"I don't want to offend you," she continued, "and I'm really happy that
you felt confident enough to go over to that table. But I don't
know...It just wasn't like you, Cassie. You were terrified back when we
first got here. It's like something came over you, and I just want to
make sure everything's alright."
Cass absentmindedly ran her fingers across the locket. "I felt like I
did when I heard the music, Aspen. I-I had to get this." The look Aspen
had on her face made it clear that the explanation wasn't enough.
"That's the only way I can say it..."
Aspen sighed and started up the car. "Okay."
"Okay?"
Her best friend nodded, looking behind them to make sure no cars were
heading in their direction as she started to pull out. "I'm definitely
unsatisfied, but it's not like I can expect you to explain something
that you don't even get."
The jeep left the parking lot.
They drove down the road in an uncomfortable silence, Cass fingering her locket the entire time.
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