"And we're doing such a great job so far," Beth deadpanned, adjusting her equally absurd floppy sun hat.
"Okay, okay," I sighed, scanning the crowded sidewalk for Katie and Carol. "Let's just keep moving before we lose her completely."
We continued weaving through the throngs of shoppers and tourists, trying our best to stay on Katie's trail without drawing too much attention to ourselves. It was a delicate balancing act – one that we were clearly ill-equipped to handle.
"Ow!" I cried out, rubbing my shin after accidentally walking into a low-lying bench. Beth stifled her laughter behind me, but she was kind enough not to comment on my latest blunder as we caught up with Carol.
"Katie went down that alley," Carol whispered, pointing to a narrow passageway between two brick buildings. "We need to follow her but be careful not to let her see us."
I squinted into the dimly lit corridor. "This shouldn't be too difficult in these ridiculous disguises."
Beth pressed a finger to her lips as we crept forward.
Despite our many setbacks, and my own personal clumsiness, we managed to make it through the alley without incident.
"We need a new plan," Carol said once we emerged on the other side. "We're never going to find out what's going on with Katie if we keep tripping over ourselves like this."
"Maybe we just need to be more subtle," I suggested, wincing as my stomach growled again. "And also, maybe get something to eat."
"There she is." Beth pointed across the street again.
Geez, this woman got around and quickly.
Perspiration began to form on my forehead as we trailed Katie into a chic clothing store. The store was brightly lit and filled with racks of colorful clothes. It smelled like a mixture of new fabric and some overpowering floral perfume. I glanced around nervously, trying to figure out how to blend in while keeping an eye on her.
"Emma, here," Beth whispered, thrusting something into my hand. I looked down and saw that it was a glove – not an ordinary glove, though. It had a strange shimmer to it, like it was made of some kind of magical material. It was Beth's interrogation glove.
"Uh, what am I supposed to do with this?" I asked, furrowing my brow.
"Put it on and follow her into the dressing room," Beth instructed, nodding toward where Katie had just disappeared behind a curtain.
"Are you serious?" I hissed. "That's insane."
"Emma, we need to see if she's cursed, remember? This glove will help you do that," Beth said, her cheeks flushed with determination.
"Fine." I slid the glove onto my hand and a tingle ran up my arm. I took a deep breath and tried to channel my inner stealthiness as I tiptoed toward the dressing room area.
I managed to weave through the maze of clothing racks without knocking anything over. As I approached the dressing room, I heard the rustle of fabric and Katie humming softly to herself.
I could see the edge of Katie's curtain now, just a few steps away.
"Go, go, go," Beth hissed, shoving me forward. Unfortunately, she pushed me a little too hard, and I stumbled. Arms flailing wildly, I crashed through the curtain into Katie's dressing room, landing in an undignified heap at her feet.
"You again?" Katie screeched, clutching her half-naked body in shock. Her blue eyes widened as she took in my disheveled appearance, clearly questioning my sanity. And honestly, who could blame her?
"Uh, hi," I stammered, grabbing hold of her hand with my gloved one in a desperate attempt to bring myself to my feet. It was awkward holding her hand and coming face-to-face with her, but then there was a moment where I felt magic flow through me… and then, nothing. I didn’t even need to ask Beth to know Katie wasn’t responsible for the curse. "Sorry for, um, this."
"What on earth are you doing?" she demanded, her voice reaching a pitch that would've made any dog within a mile radius whimper in pain.
"Long story," I muttered, not daring to look her in the eye. Instead, my gaze was drawn to the black smoky creature who had materialized around Katie. Its tendrils snaked through the air, twisting and writhing like some kind of demented ballet performance.
"Katie," I whispered, unable to tear my eyes away from the terrifying spectacle. "Can you see that?"
"See what?" she yelled, still more focused on her own partial nudity than the supernatural phenomenon occurring just inches away from her.
"Never mind," I muttered, realizing that the bizarre entity was visible only to me and likely Beth and Carol as well. The creature continued its eerie dance, and I shuddered at the implications. Was this thing responsible for cursing Deva? And if so, why couldn't Katie see it?
"Get out!" Katie yelled, her face turning a furious shade of.
