FicWad

"Oh, Elene," The man sat behind his desk, his fingers jointing at the tips in a bony steeple, "I'm glad you came," he didn't look glad, in fact he looked down right disgusted.
I stood in silence before him.
My eyes narrowed with the suspicion that I couldn't help but feel about him. My mouth hung a little open as I didn't know how to make him get on with what ever it is he "so urgently" needed to talk to me about.
I didn't know what to expect, but coming from him, it wasn't going to be good.
"I needed to talk to you on a little matter that one of your co-workers has noticed."
I glowered but I did not respond.
That was a mistake.
"Ah I see you know what I am talking about then," a slight smile played on his thin lips, he distractedly began to riffle through a few papers on his desk, most likely complaints that would receive a polite notification that would read something along the lines of, "Dear Patron," you could always tell they had no idea who you are when they refer to you as something so vague, "We were happy to receive your letter and will look into its contents. Thank you for your statements. Sincerely, Grant Shleofer"
I just had to glare at Mr. Shleofer, my boss. He's just such a glare- at-able sort of character. He-of course- did not seem to ever notice, which is surprising because he got that sort of an expression from people a lot. It really aggravated patrons when he just sat there and basked in their anger.
"I regret to inform you that your...ah..."
Just don't even try to be genteel with me, buster, I wanted to say, there's no way you'll win me over.
"That your job has been terminated," he was not even fazed by my clenched fists or angry glare, "You may go now."
I have to admit, that was a pretty short drop off, that surprised me, so I asked, "Your firing me?"
He looked at me like I was some sort of idiot. I half expected him to say, "Your village called, they want their idiot back." Hey, I wouldn't put it past him, Instead he just said, "Yes," then looking at his papers, waved me out of the room. "Good-bye."
Well, that was a little tart, I thought, but he obviously found it to be quite adequate. So that was all; there was nothing I could do. I stood there for a while, almost feeling light headed
I was fired? That was it? The end of my job at the library I had loved since I could walk? It was a fact that didn't want to be grasped. It seemed to stay just an inch or so above my understanding...like math...like the math homework that was waiting to be done.
I turned around and walked out of the room with out another word.
I found my self leaning against the wall just outside my boss'-ex-boss' door. Did that really just happen? I couldn't be sure. Was I really fired?
In a daze, I walked downstairs to the desk where two ladies greeted the rare patron that straggled in. That used to be my job, now another person would have to do it. Another person would have to make shore that the fiction books were still in order.
Staring straight ahead, I picked up my back-pack, slung it over one shoulder and walked in a straight-ish line right out the door.
The sidewalk was crowded, and at first I didn't notice-was I really fired? No more after school working? Would whoever takes my job be as good at it as I was? -Someone shoved me and that brought me back into reality.
I stopped where I was and watched people walk past me. Their shoulders were hunched against the rain that the clouds threatened. I looked up at the sky, it was grey and looming. My gaze dropped once more to the shuffling figures that milled around me. Some of them uttering things at me that I didn't really want to catch.
My bag weighed heavily on my shoulder. Curse whoever made the concept of homework. I shrugged it closer to my neck, it grabbed the neck of my mock-turtle neck and pulled the whole thing that way. I was forced to put it too rights.
The road to wait for the bus suddenly appeared before me. As I clamored up those slick- why are bus steps always wet?-steps I realized that it was Friday, my day to call Alex.
My brother would know what to do...I hoped.
*
On the way home, I looked at the people who sat on the bus around me. There was a woman who looked like I could have been about two-hundred years old. She smiled when she saw me, and waved, her face disappearing into a dried-apple mush of dimples and smiles. she had a sort of far away look about her which startled me at first. It reminded me of the little hedge hog, Ms. Tiggy-Winkle that the children's author, Beatrix Potter, drew smiling at the little girl, Lucy. Only my name was not Lucy and she was not a hedge-hog, but she might have passed as one.
I managed a smile and waved back. She seemed to find that rather funny, but it was not cruel, the way that she giggled. It was quite humorous in it self. she just bounced with all those dimples on her face.
I looked in front of me and saw a middle-aged woman with dark blonde hair. She was absorbed in a book, but she must have felt my gaze. She looked up at the mirror where she saw my reflection. Her eyes were what I would imagine some people to call honey colored. She looked like she could have once been a damsel in distress in the medieval world that I loved so much.
The woman also smiled warmly at me, but she did not wave.
My smile came easier that time. But it didn't last long as I saw my house fly past. I grabbed the wire rope that hung above the window and yanked. The driver jumped and slammed on the brakes. I flew forward, nearly loosing the reading glasses that still perched on my nose. I grumbled and rubbed my cheekbone where it had slammed into the bar that lay hidden under all that leather.
He mumbled an apology as I slowly made my way to those slimy stairs. I mumbled a response, happy to be once more on solid ground. I watched the bus drive past, thinking I would wave to the nice old hedge-hog lady. But when I looked through the windows, she wasn't there. Neither was the honey eyed woman.
*
I unlocked the door to my house and tossed my back-pack on the sofa. Now I feel that I should give you a little bit of my history. Maybe it's just a weird fantasy of mine, but this might make more sense if I give you a bit of my background.
I am-was- a senior in high school. When I was a freshman, my parents got in an accident and...neither one of them survived. Lucky for me, I had already been guaranteed a position at the library-not by Mr. Schleofer, that CRABBY OLD FOGEY!!!! -when I was old enough to work and my brother already had a job. Our house, thank goodness, had already been paid off by our parents. When my brother went to college, I just began to live by myself. I have been thoroughly independent for two years now.
Okay, sorry about that, back to the story.
The kitchen was a mess, as I hadn't had-now that's a weird phrase-time to do my dishes that morning. Right now, I didn't really care about the dishes though, I just needed food.
Looking in the freezer, I found a few mystery-meat won-tons already made.
"Thank you, Kuri," I mumbled. she's a friend, half-Japanese, and gorgeous to boot. It was her that showed me how to make them.
Putting them in the microwave, I hit the start button. My eyes traveled to the photograph on the fridge. It showed me and my four best friends.
Kuri sat in the middle, her hands hidden under her crossed legs and a big grin on her gorgeous face. She had short thick black hair that curved around her high cheekbones and almond shaped eyes. She never had to fix it in any way, which made me supremely jealous.
Amunet sat behind her, ever regal-unless you got her mad, that wasn't so nice. She had moved to Egypt a week ago. Her mid-back blue black-try to say that one ten time's fast-hair fell casually over her shoulder. Ever the supermodel, she looked like she belonged in one of those clothes magazines. Her Egyptian face was the color of hot cocoa and her smiling eyes were the color of pure chocolate, the strange thing was that no matter how much she ate, she always managed to have that figure that a girl would kill for.
Damaris leaned in on the other side, a playful smile dancing in her doe's eyes that always spoke the words "Yes, I am beautiful." Her brown hair had been twisted into tons of tiny braids that varied all the way from one millimeter to maybe half-a centimeter. She would have a fro when those came out, I couldn't help but smile at that thought, and I nearly laughed as I pictured my playful friend bobbing her head up and down just to watch her hair flop sluggishly back and forth.
Imari was laying comfortably in the front of the group. A slight blush was on her cheeks as it was my brother who had taken the picture-she used to have the biggest crush on him- her mid-length light brown hair had been pulled into a loose and comfortable ponytail. She had the coolest fashion sense. Her parents, like mine, had been killed in an accident, but they had been on their way to get a divorce when it happened. Unfortunately for her, their house was taken. She had to move into an apartment complex.
I was in the back of the picture, my arms around the rest them. Perhaps I should describe myself, I never liked books where the narrator is some nebulous being watching everything happen, or having everything happen which is my case. I have pale green eyes, so does my brother. We both had the same shade of hair, I call it brown-black, but if you picture poetry better (here goes nothing.) It's the color of fire darkened wood (hey! That was pretty good, if I do say so myself.) I'm tall, that much I know, but I couldn't tell you if I have a very good figure or no.
The microwave beeped at me, announcing that reality was once more to take over and that my dinner was done.
As I pulled the won-tons out of the oven, I picked up the phone and dialed my brother. As the other end rang, I looked at that picture and began to feel sorry for myself. That had been taken when I had a job...it was just too cruel to do to me. I began to sniffle as I picked up my dinner. It burned me as if to prove yet another point to me, what point that is I have no idea.
"Hello?" Alex tried to stifle a yawn with the word but it was still very evident that he was tired.
"Hi, Alex, this is E'" I sniffled back the remains of a runny nose.
He was alert at once, "Who has hurt my sis? Who do I need to pommel?"
"No-No, nothing like that."
"What then? Did a guy turn you down or something?"
"Heck no! What kind of a weirdo do you think I am?!"
"I don't know! You tell me."
I poked my dinner, trying to remember what kind of meat we had put in it, "Maybe when I meet a guy with nice eyebrows who can paint jesters really well."
"What is it with you and jesters? It's like your going to fall in love with one or something...or maybe you already have..." he trailed off suggestively.
I only laughed. My brother was so bizarre sometimes, " Um, hi, they are, like, hundreds of years ago. I only wish that were possible."
"Well what is it then?"
He had always had the ability to cheer people up, that's one of the reasons that I loved my brother so much, not to mention he was the only family I really had left.
I had to concentrate on remembering, "I just got fired...I thought you could help."
He was silent for a little while, "you got fired?"
"Yeah," I took a bite then tried to speak around it without much success, tasting the little things didn't help in identifying them, I chewed thoughtfully, swallowing with some difficulty, "It seems there was someone who was determined to get me fired and they told the boss something."
He went very serious, "What did they tell him."
"I don't know, he didn't say, he just told me my job was terminated."
"He said your job was terminated? What kind of a boss would say something like that?"
"Obviously a boss like mine," I sloshed some milk through my mouth
"I figured that much, I am at college you know, I must have some common sense to have gotten through high school. Why didn't he just get to the point and just tell you you're fired?"
"Thanks a lot," I said sarcastically, "You should probably get back to studying...or whatever it is you were doing."
"Anatomy."
"Yeah that..."
"K', well, Love you, E',"
"You too Alex," I knew exactly what he was going to say and I couldn't suppress the smile that came to me.
"I love me too?"
I breathed a laugh, "I love you too Alex."
"Right then, see you in the summer!"
"You got it."
As soon as I got off the phone, it began to ring again.
"Good Gracious girl," it was Damaris, "What have you been doing?"
"I was just talking to Alex."
"Oh hey, how's Mr. You-Looking-At-My-Sister-Funny?" she said it with the sort of mock-gangster tone.
I smiled at the name, mostly because it was so fitting, "He's fine."
"That's good; Imari still wants a date with him, by the way."
"Yeah," I nodded and began picking at the pieces of vegetables and meat that sparsely littered my plate, "I know."
"Hey, you know how I hate calls that have no purpose, so I get right to it."
I leaned back, "Thank you."
"Well, we were going to a movie and thought you might like to come, seeming you just had that run in with your boss and all."
"Whose we? And what's the category?"
"I already called Kuri and Imari, it's fine with them. And the category," her voice lowered with conspiracy, "Gladiators."
I had sort of unofficially started a history club in middle school. There were only four members-used to be five-, but, hey, it worked. I studied Medieval Germany- is there anything else? - Kuri: Ancient Japan, Imari- weaponry in history-she couldn't think of any one that she loved more than anything-, and Damaris: the Romans.
"Yeah alright," I said after a pause, "I'll have to finish dinner and I really need to clean my kitchen."
"Yeah, whatever, Dude, it starts at six and we have to be there at least a half an hour before hand to get good seats."
"Got it."
"Right, see you at my house?"
"Gram and Grampy there?"
"No, they said Samoa had their names all over it."
"They just got back!"
"Yeah I know, but hey, their old, their retired and well, they travel."
I had to smile when she said that. It brought back memories of the picture of Damaris' adopted grandparents in baggy Hawaiian shirts of bright pink and orange that sat in the living room.
"See you then."
"You too."
*
Damaris was glowering as we left the theater. "That movie was grossly inaccurate," She said as her lip curled.
She had been obsessed with Rome and its philosophies for as long I had known her.
I did not feel like saying very much. I looked at all of those teenagers, contentedly at work in the theater and I had just lost one of the best jobs ever.
When Kuri decided that Damaris needed a hug, I couldn't help but join in. We have this thing that Amunet called a glump. It's pretty much where we tackle said-sad-person and squeeze as tight as we possibly can. It's really quite fun...unless you are the one declared as the intended victim
When she realized what we planned on doing, Damaris looked like she could take down anyone who dared, "No!" she was too late. We had attacked at the same time and there was no way to prevent the inevitable.
When we had finally retreated, Kuri took Damaris' cheeks in her hands squashing her lips together, "Does Damaris feel better?"
The teenager muttered something inarticulate as her angry reply.
*
While heading down the street, Damaris pointed down an alleyway, "short-cut," she explained succinctly.
"Short-cut to what? Our deaths?" Imari's face contorted in distaste.
"Uncle Mike's Ice Cream Parlor," I pushed past them in silent anticipation of the best blackberry milkshake in existence. Uncle Mike was Damaris' uncle and he gave us all discounts, "Come on you guys, last one there's a blood-pudding!"
All three of the teenager's looked like they were about to throw-up what ever popcorn hadn't already been thrown at each other- Let me explain that one a little. Kuri and I kept on teasing Damaris about the movie, which was...pretty cheesy. She had finally gotten so aggravated with us that she threw her popcorn on us. I swear some of that stuff is still in my hair. Any way, back to the story.
They followed me less hastily. Then I stopped dead, There was something strange about this particular alley tonight that I couldn't -at the time- put my finger on. They came to a stop behind me and as soon as we were all together a strange thing happened.
Letters flared out of no where on the sidewalk. They read in an eerily beautiful handwriting
Now let it begin.
I had time to shrug and look my companions for some sort of answer to what this was all about. They seemed as confused as I was.
You know what it looks like when some one shakes out a big piece of fabric? That is what the world did to my knowledge, then everything went white.
*
Silence echoed in the darkness around me-boy that's poetic. When I tried to look through the black, it would confess nothing.
"Kuri? Damaris? Imari?" there was no answer, "Anyone?"
There was nothing that answered me, but I had no time to think of that now.
Whatever had been holding me up had seemingly decided that it didn't like me anymore. I felt something like what happens to your backside in a porta-potty only up the scale about two-hundred and eighty-seven points. It was then that I realized that I was falling. Into what, there was no way of knowing.
Finally, there was a little light that filtered in with the wind. With the light came a smell. Oh man, what ever was under me stunk .I squinted to get a better look.
But my gaze was drawn downward when I heard something that sounded vaguely like rain on a tin roof. I could barely make out the movements of several little creatures. They were a long way away.
When I saw that, I was too stupefied to really do anything but my brain, at least, could still function. It notified me that, "Oh man, that's going to really hurt." Yeah, thanks for the input.