Why I'm Indifferent about Malls - Greg (6)

So, as I was saying, Marcus and I got to the mall after a couple more conversational dead ends and started looking for this Ian guy.  Marcus showed me the pic. A kid, blonde, 5' 10', acne troubles.
"Little young, isn't he?" I asked Marcus.  He just shrugged.  That Marcus.
So after some walking we got lucky.  I caught a girl's voice saying "Ian." Followed the noise with my eyes and I saw him.  Also saw her, and she was quite a looker.  Brilliant red hair.
"Look at that, he's got a girl.  Candidates are necessarily single, aren't they?," asked Marcus.
"Look how he's trying not to look at her, not to talk to her.  They're not together.  My guess is she's an ex, and he still loves her, and she's got no idea."
"You got all that out of -"
"Oh c'mon. Let's help him out of a tough spot."
See, Marcus thinks I'm an idiot because I talk too much.  I'm smart, though, I notice things.  My favorite job is picking out the recruitees in the first place.  These recruiting rounds are just depressing.  I motioned to Marcus to start it off.
"Ian Wallace?" he asked.
"Yeah," the kid said, startled, "That's me."
"We'd like to talk to you alone for a few minutes."
He started to say sure, but the girl cut in.
"Don't go with them, Ian.  You don't know who these people are.  Whatever it is they can tell us."
"No, ma'am," I said, "We can't.  Ian has been handpicked for a special mission.  If we allow you to hear anything, you'd have to accompany him."
"Ok," she said.  She just wanted to win.  She didn't know what she was agreeing to.
"It might mean giving up your whole life as you know it, for an indeterminate amount of time."
I remember when I first started, I said "For God knows how long." Boy did I get chewed out for that.
"If Ian here'll do it, I'll do it," she said firmly.
"I'll, um, meet you guys by the Frullati," said the other boy.
Well, Marcus was looking at me questioningly, cause I've got seniority and this was my call.  I knew that if my hunch was right, recruiting her wouldn't make his life any better, but then that's not our job.  Well, it sort of is, but anyway I decided it was my best bet to not try and argue with her, or else I might come off as the bad guy.
"Ian," I asked, "What do you want to do with your life, what's your asperation?"
"I want to be a sculptor.  Of junk," he said uneasily.
"You think there's money in that?" I asked, evenly, emotionlessly.
"Not really. I mean, maybe, if I'm good."
"Are you?" asked Marcus.
The girl again, "He's wonderful!"
"They fall apart," he contradicted, "Even when I hot glue them, they fall apart.  The masters weld, but that's no good for the plastics and cardboard.  I- I see a whole new art form, but unless I can bond it better, no one would buy it."
"We'd like to offer you the opportunity to participate in a mission to protect your country, world, and way of life.  The risk to your life is minimal, but you will be gone for some time.  The position is unpaid."
"Then why would anyone do this?" asked the girl, crossing her arms.
"Ian knows," I replied, "And it's up to him."
The kid had a thoughtful look on his face. We watched and waited for a few seconds.
"C'mon, Ian," she said finally, "Let's go meet Jason."
"No," he said quietly, then louder, "I'll go."
"Here are the time and place of your meeting. Show them to no one, pack only what you need.  We've already sent someone to explain the situation to your parents; no one else needs to know."
"I'll be there," he said, uneasily, but happily.
"So will I," said the girl, glaring at me.
They ran off.  When Ellen got back from talking to Mr. and Mrs. Wallace, I was gonna have to send her to this girl's folks.  I'd also have to explain to her why I'd recruited a non-candidate.  I was in some deep... trouble.