The next day Bobby came through for Elliot’s Emporium and was able to donate some free samples for the Grape Grill. Elliot and I left the store and set up a little table by one of the big fountains on the main floor. We had a sign up form ready and made sure to mention the need for models for our fashion show, which was a little more than a week away. 

I could tell that Elliot was pretty nervous about how the recruitment would go, but in the end, there really wasn’t a reason to be. People signed up. They were all around my age. When we had twelve models total, Elliot put away the sign up sheet. She and I both knew that you had to have a minimum of twelve looks to qualify as a complete collection. She had a little more than that, but we both agreed that I would be the one modeling more than one look since I had the most experience on the runway.

Elliot gathered everyone around to give out important information, such as the dates for fitting, adjustments and rehearsals walking the runway. A few of the volunteers admitted that they had never walked a runway before. 

Elliot patted my shoulder. “No worries. That’s why we’ve got Aqua. We’re holding a coaching session in my store later today if you want some practice.”

“It’s pretty fun once you get comfortable with it,” I said. “And Elliot’s got some looks completed, so we can try those on to make it feel like the real thing.”

Everyone present, including myself, liked the idea of playing a little dress up in order to settle the nerves. A handful of the volunteers agreed to stop by later. Right after the free samples ran out, everyone began to leave. That was our cue to start breaking down tables and getting ready for the next phase.

“Hey. You were awesome,” Elliot said, relief in her eyes. She high-fived me and added, “Tell that Bobby kid that I absolutely owe him one.”

“You can tell him yourself because he’ll be at the runway show.”

Elliot’s face lit up. “Sweet! Is Sean going to be there too, or – oh, shoot. I mean…” she trailed off awkwardly.

I shrugged. “It’s okay. He said he would before everything happened, but he’s going through a lot right now, so it’s fine if he doesn’t make it.”

Up until now I had done a pretty good job at hiding how worried I was about Sean. I still had his phone, but I didn’t know how I would return it to him. That little flip phone was all I could think about.

I was up pretty late the night before, sitting on my bed staring at Sean’s cell, going back and forth on whether I should watch that video file or leave it alone. What was so important that the weird guy from the day before would encourage me to invade someone’s privacy?

I went so far as to open the phone, search through the files and look at the thumbnail. My chest felt like it caved in a little when I saw the victim slumped on his side right there on the mall’s speckled tiled floor. The image was fuzzy, probably from Sean’s hands shaking as he was approaching the body.

For a long time, my thumb hovered over the play button. 

But I didn’t watch the video. 

I took a deep inhale, closed the phone and went to sleep.

It was easy to ignore my mounting stress over the cell phone when I had Elliot to distract me. I let her stress about the fast-approaching runway show and all of the looks that she was rushing to get done take me away from my own problems. 

By the time our little coaching session rolled around, I still wasn’t ready to make a decision about what to do with Sean’s phone. 

As I donned Elliot’s most complete look in the fitting room, I let go of everything related to paranormal officials, purple tents, and Sean Mori. If I wanted to build the other models’ confidence in themselves, I couldn’t go before them with a clouded head.

My hair and makeup weren’t runway-ready, but everything else was in place. The look that Elliot had selected for me was cool and kind of funky. My favorite element was the incorporation of knitwear. It draped over my shoulders like a loose vest, adding a layer of coziness without taking away from the summer vibes in the rest of the garment.

Compared to the designs in the now empty Pacifico store, Elliot’s collection had more eclecticism. There was also something that felt more homemade about it, which I liked, but she had expressed doubts about it to me before this.

I rested Sean’s phone on my old pile of clothes, along with my pager. Then, without looking back, I left to meet up with the other models.

Elliot had moved some furniture around in order to give me enough space to walk. My new coworkers complimented the clothes and the styling. Elliot gave them a brief explanation of what kind of client she was aiming to impress and what kind of mentality the others should embody when wearing her clothes.

“This person is living in the moment. They keep up with everything going on around them, but at the same time, they’re free from it all. You might find them at the beach, the local cafe, reading in a nook at the bookstore, or ordering that funky flavor at the ice cream vendor. It’s slice of life meets summer vacay.”

“Oh, I love that,” one of the volunteers whispered to their friend.

I spun slowly on the spot and swished a little from left to right to help the others absorb Elliot’s vision.

“When I’m wearing Elliot’s clothes,” I said, “I just pretend I’m on an endless summer break.”

Our words were clearly having an effect on the volunteers. I could tell that they were starting to relax and get excited to try on clothes themselves.

“Now,” Elliot said brightly, “it’s time for the walk. Aqua, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

I nodded before explaining to the others that I would show them how the walk looked first, then go through it again step by step.

I started at the back of the store. Before taking off, I rolled my shoulders back, angled my chin at the right degree, and let the tension dissolve from my face.

Here we go.

I took my first step and the walls of Elliot’s Emporium slid away like wet paint. The sound of a busy boulevard off the side of a warm coast became my new environment. I walked through this new world, embracing that fictional person who lived there and wore these clothes. A salty breeze kicked up the hem of my flowing skirt and swept back the tassels of my vest. 

There was a soundless rhythm that captured the sway in my hips, propelling me forward to the next destination. The next experience of this cool island life.

And overhead, something took to the sky. At first I thought it was a kite belonging to one of the children I heard giggling in the background.

This kite was huge and made up of swirling dark hues – deep magentas, starry indigos, precious black ores.

But… kites couldn’t sing.

Maybe it was the wind. Because a song followed this dark shadow into the sky. A powerful tailfin swept a gust of air in my direction as a giant orca-shaped kite swam into the clouds.

I had reached the end of my walk. The walls of the store were back before I could even blink. I was suddenly aware of everyone staring at me with wide, enchanted eyes. Even Elliot was looking more amazed than I was used to.

I doubted anyone saw or heard the orca from just a moment ago.

I cleared my throat and said, “Ok, so I’m going to start from the beginning and go through the steps.”

A few volunteers asked me how long I was modeling for and if I’ve ever done a big show. I told them that I was just starting out and was technically still a beginner. But ever since I was little, I had a passion for fashion – both the craft of designing clothes as well as modeling.

“Your passion definitely comes through. Your walk was so good, I thought I was at New York Fashion Week for a minute there.”

To be honest, this wasn’t the first time I had received feedback like this. The difference this time was the ghosts that had somehow found their way into my personal space. 

Was this a sign that I needed to look for Sean?

Somehow, the sight of the killer whale had eased my nerves. It wasn’t like last time when their cacophonous vibrations took over my body. I was in a mode of serenity on the catwalk. The ghosts had been there, but they hadn’t disturbed me.

As I helped the other models find their groove, I decided that I wouldn’t get any more answers here.

After work, I was going to see what was up at the old Pacifico store. 

Back to where everything began.