Chapter 16

(Mandy)

I woke up relatively early on Sunday. Gwen had to work today so I would have to fend for myself. I decided to try out the recipe book and cook dinner for her when she got back.

I checked the fridge for ingredients, there was very little, a few bits and pieces but not enough to do anything I fancied.

I had some money left over from what Gwen had given me yesterday. I looked through the recipe list for something that looked easy and didn't require too many fancy ingredients. I settled on shepherd's pie something that looked relatively straightforward and inexpensive. I made a list of the stuff I would need, grabbed my coat, my new phone, and headed out the door.

I headed over to the nearest supermarket, it was in a street with one or two restaurants and as I was walking past one of them I saw a note in the window.

"Part time help wanted in evenings. Call Angela," the sign said and then listed a phone number.

I wondered if I could apply and maybe earn a little money to help out with the bills. I noted down the phone number, maybe I would give them a call later.

I kept walking to the supermarket a few shops down. I headed in the door and was just getting a basket when I felt a stab of hate flare behind me then a stern voice said, "Oi, animal!"

I turned to look, a middle aged overweight man in a security guard uniform was standing there looking straight at me. I gave him a questioning look not sure if he was talking to me and how to respond to that if he did. I could feel the anger boiling off him. I couldn't tell if it was directed at me, emotions not really being directional (well to my senses at any rate), but it was a good bet it was.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you freak! We don't serve your filthy kind in here, get out!" he shouted.

He looked like he might hurt me, so dropping the basket I backed away and ran out of the shop. I kept running till I was round a corner. When I'd calmed down a bit I took stock of the situation.

'What a bother, ' I thought, 'Where can I go now to get ingredients.'

This wasn't the only food shop I knew, but the other one was a lot further away and I wasn't exactly sure how to get there from here. I sat considering my options, I could try for the other shop, or I could see if one of the smaller shops had what I needed, or I could give up. I thought for a bit, then another option occurred to me, I could use my blue eyed Mandy mask. My problems at school with it, were largely down to duration of use, plus the fact that I was using it around people who saw me every day. Here, I would be in and out 10 minutes tops. While the security guard recognising me was a worry, he had got a pretty close look at me, I suspected all he was focusing on was my scales and irisless eyes, he probably didn't even see the rest of me.

I figured it was worth a go, I could always vanish and do a runner. I switched on my disguise checking if it had worked OK using my reflection in a glass shop front. It had been a few days since I had last used the disguise so I wanted to make sure it still looked right. It looked fine, I gave my blue eyed doppelgänger a wink then headed back into the supermarket.

I was pretty nervous, but I tried not to show it, the guard was standing right inside the doorway. He looked straight at me as I walked in. I was sure he was about to shout at me at any moment.

Instead he smiled and said, "Good morning, welcome to Quick Shop miss."

I did my best to smile mumbling a response back, his radically different response to me in my disguise caught me a little off guard.

I wandered over to get a basket, as I was doing this a woman in a smart suit walked up to the guard and attracted his attention. She was trying to talk to him quietly but my position meant I could hear every word.

"Mr. Brown, I have heard that you verbally abused a potential customer," the woman said, I could feel a sort of restrained anger in her.

"It wasn't the kind of customer you want in here Mrs. Andrews, those animals are filthy," the guard said.

A look of distaste and annoyance crossed Mrs. Andrews face, "You have been warned about these sorts of prejudices before, were you not listening?!" the woman was getting increasingly angry.

The guard snorted, "I heard, lot of stuff and nonsense, it's my job to protect this store from undesirables. Those things are the worst kind!"

"The chain, this store, and the whole management team, including myself, have a zero tolerance approach to this sort of behaviour. You were warned before and you have simply ignored that warning, what's more you seem not to even realise what you have done wrong or show any remorse! I have no alternative but to terminate your employment!" she said sternly.

"What! You can't do that! I've got rights it's discrimination on the grounds of my religion!" he shouted.

"You cannot use your religion as a shield to allow you to discriminate against others. Now give me your pass then please leave the premises, or I will be forced to have you removed!" the woman was practically incandescent with rage now.

The man, perhaps sensing that it would be wise to leave or he would be looking at being arrested, handed over his pass and left, his face dark with anger.