Forget-me-not

Cynthia

Fire drills meant no elevators and no elevators meant stairs. The higher you were up above the ground floor, the more stairs you had to climb down to get down. The heating in the stairwells was suffocating from too many bodies packed together like sardines. 

Someone kept stepping on the back of Cynthia's heel. Her sneaker was nearly pulled off her foot multiple times. The only thing that kept her stature was the tight grip she had on the handle off to the side. She kept close to the woman in front of her. 

Snippets of conversation were all around her, but she didn't bother eavesdropping on one. Fearful that she'd slip and fall, she kept her focus on her feet making sure her sneakers didn't skip a step. On the step below her, the woman she talked to acted like this was normal. For her, it was, but for Cynthia, this was a nightmare. 

When they reached the ground level, Cynthia sped up, so she could be beside the woman. It was a bit intimidating being beside her. Her slender limbs and extra inches caused her to tower over Cynthia. The woman was nearly a whole head taller than her. 

Cynthia's shoes crunched in the remaining snow on the ground. The snow was beginning to create puddles from melting due to higher temperatures. The snow left behind squished beneath everyone's shoes and condensed into a mix of watery brown slush. 

The woman weaved through people and Cynthia followed. She had to quicken her pace to keep up with her. When they finally came to a stop, Cynthia let out a sigh of relief. A warm smile appeared on the woman's face and she chuckled. "You must not be used to going down five flights of stairs." 

Cynthia shook her head. "I haven't been here long and I use the elevator." 

The woman nodded, "me too. The stairs can be difficult at this time of year. Some people don't wipe off their feet properly, so they can be slick from the winter weather. Did you just move in?" 

"Yeah, I'm here with my roommate. She's the one that actually rents the place. I'm just taking up space for now, I suppose." Her nervous laughter filled the air. She reached up and lightly tugged on her earlobe. 

"I'm sure you'll get the routine of everything soon. When that alarm sounds, we have to come downstairs and outside. No matter what you're doing, even if you're showering, you have to get dressed and come outside."

"Has the place ever been on fire before?" 

"We've had a few people burn things in their ovens. Someone caught a microwave on fire once, but that's the worst I've seen since I've been here. I've been here a little over a year." 

"That's good to know." Cynthia could finally breathe a sigh of relief. She glanced up at the woman's face. "So what's your name? I'm Cynthia." 

"Hye-soo." 

"Well, it's nice to meet you." 

"It's nice to meet you too. It seems like we live on the same floor. It's nice to know another person. I don't know many people that live in the building." Her cheeks were starting to turn red from the cold air. 

"Oh, it looks like they're allowing us to go back in already. They must have done a quick check because of the weather. We're allowed to go back to our apartments now. Thank goodness, I'm about to turn into a popsicle." 

Hye-soo started to head back towards the building along with everyone else. Cynthia began to follow her. Hye-soo, once again, maneuvered quickly between the flood of people. Cynthia was staying with her pretty well until her foot hit a patch of ice. She yelped and hit the ground. 

Someone from behind helped pull her to her feet. She quickly thanked them and brushed off the back of her jeans. She could feel the wet spot from where she landed. Her eyes went back to the spot where she last saw Hye-soo, but she was gone.  

"Uh-oh." Her mumble came out in a panic as she began looking at all the different people. Hye-soo was the way she planned on getting back to the correct floor. She glanced around thinking that maybe she might be able to find Flora. As the last group of people entered the building, her dread spread. 

Her worst nightmare had just come true. She was outside, in the snowy weather, without a coat. Her jeans were damp, her memory was gone, and she was entirely alone now. She glanced around the parking lot trying to recall what Flora's car looked like, but she couldn't remember.

Her arms wrapped around her body and she ventured further out into the parking lot. She walked the rows of cars lost. There was no way for her to contact Flora. She didn't know anyone. She felt like a lost child. The overwhelming reality of the situation made tears brim her eyes. 

She brushed a chilled arm over them. The last thing she wanted was someone to find her crying. She sucked in a deep breath and continued walking further from the building. Flora never said how far away or where she was working, but maybe she could find her. 

At least, she hoped.