It had been a shitty day at work. 

Charmaine had been bitchier than usual, and her little sucker-up Janice had pointed out that Lianne had taken far too long coming back from her tea-break. That resulted in Charmaine giving Lianne the third degree about how slack she was, she should smarten up her ideas, etc. etc. etc.

All this was enough to give anyone a head-ache. Lianne therefore decided that she would have a convenient head-ache, and asked the boss Michael if she could have the rest of the day off.

When Michael suggested that Lianne had had far too many sick days, Lianne went to her favourite excuse, "But sir, I have my period..." and watched with satisfaction as Mike squirmed and said alright, she could go. She saw the angry looks from the other women in the office, but, frankly, my dear, don't give a shit.

Lianne headed straight for her favourite mall, not far from work, but worth the risk as everyone had another hour before lunch-time. They were not likely to head to the mall in a lunch-break. Too far away and not enough time to shop properly.

She wandered around, exploring the fashion shops, admiring the outfits on the plastic dummy people. In the department store at the end of the mall there was a dummy wearing a lovely blue top and white skirt, sparkly high heel shoes, and glittering costume jewelry. Lianne knew at once that this was a look that would suit her, and annoy the fat office ladies that she worked with. She found the clothes on the rack, substituting a red top for the blue, and a shorter skirt in the same style and material.

She admired her reflection in the wall to floor mirror of the changing room. Perfect. Sassy and sexy. But the price tag was well above her lowly junior office wage. 

No matter. Lianne was a master shop-lifter. First she located the security tags, carefully cut them away with some scissors she kept in her handbag. She carefully put her old skirt back on over the short one, put her old top on the coat hanger, and waited until she heard the shop assisstant talk to an older customer, a rather fussy sounding woman.

"Yes, of course I can find a top more your size," the shop assisstant was saying.

"I usually take an XL," the woman was saying. "But these Asian sizes are far too small for the average European woman."

"Oh, I know what you mean," the shop assisstant said. "Give me a moment..."

Lianne took her chance. She snuck out whilst the shop woman was distracted. The other assisstant was also engaged with a customer and gave her a quick glance. Lianne made a big show of putting the top back in the right place, keeping her body between the rack and the shop assisstant's line of sight. "Not the right size," she said.

She quickly left the store. Hopefully it would take a while before anyone noticed. She ducked into the bathroom, locked the cubicle door. She swapped the stolen clothes for an old top and leggings that folded nicely into her handbag, took out a folded up plastic bag, put the new clothes in that. She put her old skirt on top. 

She checked her appearance in the mirror. She looked different enough to get away with it. She strode out with confidence. She went down to the bottom floor.

She was checking out shoes, when, horror!

It was her boss, Michael, and Charmaine. They were walking towards her, hand in hand.

Lianne hid behind a marble pillar and watched with amusement.

Well, well well.

Did Michael's wife know about this?

Maybe she could blackmail the boss into giving her more days off, or more money?

But that was not her concern right now. Right now, she had to make herself scarce, and there was no way she could exit the mall from here.

There was a shop selling furniture right behind her, and she ducked in there.

Ah! Micheal and Charmaine went in there too.

Lianne desperately looked around. There was a bed on display. She hid behind it.

Damn. It seemed a new bed was what they were looking for!

Nothing for it but to squirm under the bed.

It was dusty and dark and such a small space. Good job she was slim. She drew the fancy quilt down to floor level as much as she could.

She couldn't believe it! They were lying on the bed, giggling away like a couple of virgin school-girls.

The floor was hard and cold and she was pressed right into it.

They stayed, sitting on the bed and talking to the sales-man, for what seemed like hours. Apparently they had also taken the rest of the day off.

Finally they left.

Lianne tried to wriggle out of her ridiculous hiding place, but there was another customer, and another. Lianne did not want to emerge, looking foolish, with cob-webs in her hair and dust all over her clothes, so her vanity kept her firmly in her uncomfortable spot.

The activity and noise of the mall started to subside. It must be near closing time. There did not seem to be anyone by the bed any more. Lianne ventured a look from behind the quilt.

She could see a pair of black men's shoes. The sales-man was sitting on the bed!

He finally left, but she heard him rolling down the store door and locking up.

It was O.K. Fire regulations meant that they legally had to let a door be able to be opened from the inside.

All she had to do was leave when everyone had left, and pretend that she was with one of the cleaning crew.

She crawled out of the space under the bed, feeling stupid and dirty and stiff.

She let herself out. She wandered the big, empty space of the mall. It was dimly lit and eeiry feeling. The dummy models stared at her with their empty, accusing eyes.

"Oh, stop being so rightious," she said to one, as if it could hear her.

It was a different shop. Yet the dummy was wearing the same top and skirt that Lianne had stolen earlier. It also had the sparkly shoes she hadn't managed to acquire, and some nice costume jewelry. 

It was worth a try. Lianne tried the store handle.

To her surprise, the door swung open. The shop assisstant couldn't have shut it properly.

Gleefully, Lianne started to explore the racks. This was a very up-market shop, judging by the prices. There was no-one around, so Lianne started to try things on. She flung clothes into heaps as she grabbed the next item. Someone else could clean up. She planned to be long gone by the time they opened tomorrow.

A noise. Lianne hid behind a model.

But the model reached out and held her in a bear-hug.

"Let me go, you freak!" Lianne yelled in fright.

"You like our fashion clothes," the dummy said. "You should work with us."

"Let me go!"

"Shush. You will work with us. You will like it here. Much better than that office job you loathe."

"Let me go!"

"I like what you are wearing. Everyone should see. Come to the window."

"Let me go! Stop pushing me!"

"No. This is for your own good, Lianne. Work with us."

Lianne felt herself getting stiff. It was hard to move. "Let me go," she pleaded.

"You are one of us now."

In the morning, Lucy thought there was a new dummy in the store window. The boss must have brought one in late in the day.

She was struck how sad this one looked. 

She studied the face.

No. She was mistaken. This dummy looked just as haughty as all the others. Superior. Conceited.

She really should stop reading emotions into the dummies. They were just moulded plastic.

Someone had left an untidy mess on the floor. Lucy sighed. She hung and folded and put away clothes.

Lucy set up the till and opened the doors.

Time for another day.