Chapter 11

"Look at all the lights, Tom! The sky's so black but it's like in the middle of the day in here! And the buildings! The people!", Linnea laughs as she and Thomas walk around the open area near the King's Street Station. She jumps from one sett to another as if she's playing hopscotch, asking for her brother to join her.

"Come on, Tom! Please!".

"No! We're too old for that kind of stuff!", Thomas shouts, stamping the ground with his foot.

"Fine, fine! One more jump", Linnea yells from across the pavement. She skips once, and as she turns back towards her brother she notices a convenience store behind him.

"Let's go there!", she points towards the store as she hurries to Thomas, "Let's get some ice cream!".

"Is it even real?".

"Well, everything else we've seen in the books has been real so far. It shouldn't hurt to ask".

As they step through the store doors they're greeted with smells they've never experienced before. Walking through the aisles after picking up a basket they pick up anything that seems tasty while staying in the bounds of what they have left.

Their basket is full of different juices and candies once they finally find the ice cream section. They almost start crying as they see how many different flavors there are in the freezer and it's hard for them to resist the urge to just grab everything and run. They pick half a dozen different types of ice cream that they think are the best though they're slightly disappointed that they can't have them all.

Linnea opens the freezer lid but takes a step back as the cold air blows over her.

"Whoa, that's cold", she tells Thomas while stepping back to the freezer. She grabs one ice cream after another and puts them into the basket.

"I think we're ready".

They walk to the cashier  and start unloading the basket.

"Excuse me", she asks the cashier, "if you were to go to an internet cafe how much would you pay for three hours?".

"... Huh? What kind of a question is that?". The cashier thinks for a bit while checking their purchases, "Twenty, thirty bucks at most".

"And what if they'd ask for fifty dollars?".

"I'd call them a fraud and leave, kid. Don't tell me, you paid fifty bucks for three hours?".  Linnea nods.

The cashier starts laughing as he gives them their change, "I guess you could bring them the check and ask for a refund? Maybe? Anyways, good night and thank you for your purchases".

Once they get outside and take their first ice creams Linnea squats and buries her face to her legs.

"What's the matter, Nea?", Thomas asks as he licks his ice cream the first time, "wow, this is really good. Want some?".

Linnea pulls his hand closer and takes a lick, then turns her face back to her legs.

"The guy in the cafe didn't even give us a check. We paid so much money, Tom, we had no idea and he just used us".

"It's just money, Nea".

"It's not just money, Tom. Don't you get it? Do you have any idea how many ice creams you could get with fifty dollars?".

"I guess so. Anyways, the person who gave us the note should be here quite soon so let's eat these fast".