Disguises || REWRITE

Chapter I

The rain was relentless. It crashed down on the treetops with fury, soaking anything in its path. Many civilians were forced indoors, unwilling to brave the storm that raged on. Yet there were a few who still roamed the streets; pushing through the endless pattering of rain on the sidewalk. The storm had come suddenly, nobody had been able to predict it. The dark clouds blotted out the sun, casting a sleepy gloom over the area. Some made the choice to stand beneath the awnings of surrounding buildings, and others were fortunate enough to have an umbrella handy. One of them stood under a flickering streetlight, watching the rain slide off their umbrella. "What a pain," they sighed. Public transit had been shut down due to the unexpected storm, meaning they had to walk home tonight. As the street light glowed green, they took a step onto the crosswalk, and began their long walk back home.

The house was eerily dark. The gloom left from the clouds encased it in a hazy mist. Taking out a set of keys from their pocket, they unlocked the door and stepped inside. Turning on the lights to the living room melted the eeriness almost immediately. Instead of a hazy gray, the house now glowed a warm, homey yellow. Sitting down on the couch, the young adult let their limbs sprawl. Heaving a heavy sigh released all the tension that had built up during the work day, and they were finally ready to turn in for the night. Almost ready to close their eyes, a soft mewing reached their ears. They groaned, not wanting to get up, but as the meowing got louder, they gave in.

"Meow," the cat called. Smiling as its owner entered the room. "Meow," it said again, flicking its tail towards the half-empty food bowl. The owner brought a hand up to their face, sighing. "Mira, there's plenty of food in there still. You're not getting any more," Mira meowed more insistently. "Oh my god.. Mira, can we not do this now please? I'm tired," they begged, but Mira ignored them and started pawing at her food bowl. "Uuhhgg," they groaned, walking towards the food bowl, shaking it a little. The sound of the pellets bouncing around in the tin bowl alerted Mira, and she began to eat excitedly. Exhausted, they wandered off into their bedroom, slipping into a set of jammies and wholeheartedly prepared to fall asleep.

—

The next morning wasn't much better from the night before. Everything was covered in fog and the ground was slippery and soaked. y/n sighed, not wanting to deal with the ugly weather today. They pushed through their unwillingness and left the house, hoping that the buses would be working unlike last night.

They were, and it sent a surge of relief through y/n's body. They did not want to walk in this weather. Once they arrived at the workplace, they pulled out their keys and walked in. They worked at a small bookshop on the corner of a large intersection. Despite being overshadowed by larger businesses, they still managed to get a fair amount of foot traffic. A small chime sounded when the door was opened, echoing through the small shop. "Morning," y/n yawned. A head popped up from behind the counter. "Morning, y/n," a soft voice greeted them back. They walked around the counter and into the back closet, signing in and grabbing their badge. "Did the orders come in yet?" y/n asked. Their coworker sighed. "Yeah. Finally," they jerked their head towards a pile of boxes behind the counter. "I marked them already, you can start putting them on the shelves," "Mmkay," y/n nodded, walking over to the aisles of books that seemed to stretch on for miles. Adjusting their grip on the box, they slowly lowered it to the ground with a soft thwump. The books were neatly packed into the box, spines facing outward. Dragging their fingers across, y/n began putting the books away, one by one.

The day moved onwards, and the sun was high in the sky. y/n's break was right around the corner, but they decided to take it early. Nobody was in the store at the moment, and they were confident their coworker could handle anyone who may come in while they were out. They heaved a sigh of relief when they entered the back room, loosening the belt on their uniform, and sitting down on one of the small chairs scattered around. The silence surrounded them like a peaceful mist, blocking the sounds from the outside world.