"Hey, you, kid! Get the heck out of my computer sets!" a voice full of rage bellowed from the office door, which was labeled with the words "Manager's Office."
The voice was coming from a burly man who was pointing angrily at the lanky figure in a navy blue hoodie and baggy jeans who was standing in front of one of the computer stations.
The man's voice echoed through the mall, causing others to turn and look in his direction. The upcoming tension was evident but the lanky figure remained fixated on the computers, apparently oblivious to the drama unfolding around him.
In the midst of the commotion, a man entered the mall through the grand entrance door, but no one noticed him. He moved silently, as if he didn't want to be noticed.
"You're nothing but a thief!" the man yelled, his voice rising to an even higher pitch. "That's all you kids do these days, isn't it? Skipping school to go around and steal things! Just wait there! I'm calling security!"
He plunged his hands into his pockets, and pulled out a phone. His eyes were narrowed, filled with rage. It was obvious he had been a victim of robbery more than once and frequently.
Slowly, the lanky figure turned to face the man, his back facing the others in the mall. His face was partially hidden by the glasses he wore, making it impossible to tell if he was a man or a woman. But based on his clothing, most assumed he was a young boy.
The glasses he wore were dark, concealing his features, but his eyes seemed to be fixed on the man who was yelling at him.
The mall manager stepped forward, saying, "Do you really think this is a joke? Do you know what happens to kids who steal? They go to jail. Is that what you want?"
Sadly, his words seemed to have fallen on deaf ears, though, as the lanky figure ignored him, reaching for a motherboard on display and picking it up. He then moved on to the mouse section, his hand passing over each one as if he were weighing his options.
There was no fear or urgency in his actions, as if he knew exactly what he was doing.
Suddenly, the previously unnoticed man who had walked in, moved closer to the manager, who now saw him clearly.
"Who's blocking my view?" the manager snapped, but his words died in his throat when he saw the man's face. His eyes widened in shock and his mouth fell open, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
The mall manager started to stutter out an apology, his voice shaking with fear. "Mr. Dangerfield, I'm so sorry. I didn't see you come in. Please forgive me."
He bowed deeply, his forehead almost touching the floor.
The people in the shop had stopped what they were doing and were now focused entirely on the drama unfolding in front of them. They watched with withheld breaths, waiting to see what the mall manager would do.
Would he continue to berate the kid, or forget about the whole situation because of his new visitor?
The man standing in front of the mall manager raised a hand, motioning for him to let it go. He said in a low, calm voice, "You don't need to bow to me. Well, I'm here for the usual."
The mall manager's face broke into a relieved smile, and he responded, "Absolutely, Mr. Dangerfield. Please, excuse me while I deal with this situation," he said, gesturing toward the lanky figure still fussing over the display mouse section.
"What do you want to do?" Mr. Dangerfield asked.
The mall manager replied, "I'm just going to call the security. It'll only take a moment."
He then hurried to the entrance, no doubt to call for the security team to remove the boy from the store.
Mr. Dangerfield looked around at the people staring at him and frowned. He was always uncomfortable with attention on him. But, he figured they'd soon get back to their businesses because he wasn't a celebrity of some sort that they could keep constant tabs on.
To these people, he was just some unknown figure, and this name, Dangerfield, made him seem unimportant. But he knew better.
No one knew, however, that he was Julian, the man who worked closely with Dorian Gray, the best friend of Dorian Gray. Though his true identity was kept secret from everyone. Not even the manager knew. He was just a regular customer and spent much on the store and that's why the manager bowed to him.
He always used aliases, and no one had ever seen his real face. To the people around him, he was just some stranger who went by the name Dangerfield.
Even if he was seen in public, no one would recognize him as Julian. "Mr. Dangerfield" was just a mask he wore, a false name to conceal his true identity. It was a necessary precaution, one he had to take and additionally, it was fun.
Julian approached the boy, who appeared to be completely unaware of the commotion he had caused or was perhaps pretending to not be.
He had heard the mall manager accuse the boy of stealing. If the boy were truly a thief, he would have run. But there he stood, still focusing on the display mouse section as if nothing had happened.
Standing behind him, Julian towered over the boy, his eyes fixed on the boy's actions from behind. He watched him carefully, trying to assess if there was anything unusual like theft.
The boy then reached for an exquisite blue mouse with an icy glaze and an intricate design.
Julian thought to himself, "That must cost a fortune and he looks like he can't afford such fortune."
He continued to watch, wondering what the boy would do next.
The boy, about to leave the store or perhaps take the items he had gathered to the sales counter to pay for them, suddenly turned around, colliding with a figure behind him. As a result, the items in his hands clattered to the floor.
Julian, the person who had been bumped into, stood motionless and silent.
The boy looked up at the figure who towered over him. He realized he had just let go of what he hadn't paid for, and bent down to gather the fallen items, the motherboard and the mouse.
As he rose, he expected an apology from the man who stood motionless in front, for after all, the man had been standing in his way.
When the apology didn't come, the boy spoke up. "I'm sorry, but you were in my way," he said, and then waited. But Julian continued to stare silently at the boy, not uttering a word.
Meanwhile, Julian weighed the situation in his head. Though the person before him looked like a boy, there was something about the way they looked and acted that made him question that assumption.
Their skin seemed smooth and delicate, more like that of a girl, and their facial features had a certain feminine quality. Still, Julian didn't voice his thoughts. Instead, he relied on his instincts and observations to evaluate the situation.
"Tchhh! Frog," the boy huffed in annoyance as he walked past Julian, making his way to the counter.
Without another word, he paid for the items and left the store. He brushed past the security guard and the manager at the door without a word, though he did toss the receipt onto the floor at their feet.
Julian, who had been frozen in place, finally came back to himself. His brain went into overdrive as he mumbled, "That was a girl."
He then sniffed the air, afterwards frowned. "She was wearing a manly perfume. Bisexual, perhaps?" These thoughts ran through his mind, but he didn't speak them out loud.