The world changed in a whirlwind of cotton and silk. Drab clothing that middle class parents could scarcely let their daughter indulge in - all of it was gone, along with that ugly gray sweatsuit. After what must have been an hour of trying on skirts, blouses, and whatever else tickled her fancy, Abby found herself standing in front of a tall mirror, admiring the frilly, dark dress that covered her from shoulders to knees. It was so pretty, complimented her dark hair, yet also surprisingly comfortable. Low-heeled Mary Janes and long, dark socks completed her outfit. 

Slowly, her lips curved upward. How long had it last been since she'd [i]genuinely[/i] smiled?  

"And no matter what I do, injuries will always heal?" asked Abby, turning toward the saleswoman - Carol was her name - who had greeted her upon her arrival. The woman beamed and nodded in response to her question. 

"That's right, dearie! Here, nothing is going to hurt you. There's nothing to run from, so you can wear whatever you want!"

Abby put a finger to her mouth thoughtfully, inspecting a longer skirt hanging from a rack. Although Carol's upbeat, squeaky voice made Abby want to press her hands against her ears, she had begrudgingly become a little bit fond of the woman. That would have irritated her if she weren't so absorbed in choosing an outfit.

The gentle chiming of a bell announced the entrance of another customer. Abby glanced upward distractedly, taking in the little girl with curly brown hair before returning to her task. But, as she peered downward at the skirt, examining every inch of it, a pair of bare feet stopped next to her. 

Clearly, the child didn't know not to talk to strangers.

[@Classpet]

"Hi, Adam said you would be a good friend or something about complimenting each other, um. You have nice hair. Would you mind to much if i stuck around with you?"

Abby's first question was 'Who the hell is Adam?', but she didn't ask it aloud. Why on earth would some random kid want to follow her around? Abby was about to tell the kid to go away when she looked over the girl's shoulder, scanned the store for parents. 

Nothing.

Abby's hand twitched. She opened her mouth, then closed it again without speaking a word. A little girl all on her own. Why was that tugging on her heart strings so much? 

Compassion was a sham. In this world - in [i]any[/i] world - you couldn't trust anyone but yourself to watch your back. So what took Abby off guard more than anything was her own response.

"I'm not a nice person, but I guess you can hang around, if you want." 

What was she saying? She didn't even know the girl's name! 

"Who are you, anyway?" she asked, reluctant to take back her initially response. Damn it - was this new world affecting not just the needs of her body, but her very [i]personality[/i]?