Mist

Chapter 4

Olivia slowly raised from her bed, slowly putting her hand against her forehead. She slowly turned over to Ricky's bed, and noticed that it still remained empty, meaning that his death was no dream. Olivia looked to the other side of the bed and saw George, still snuggled up underneath the blankets. She gave him a weak smile and got out of bed. Outside she noticed that there were small little snowflakes falling down from the clouds, and also noticed hundreds of small children rise up from their bunks and marching over to the bathroom to begin brushing their teeth or begin taking showers.

The bathrooms were unexpectedly large. It had a long row of sinks and toilet stalls, with a small doorway with what she had assumed was the shower room. Olivia noticed most of the girls had walked over to a small corner that had a big wood block, filled with small cubby holes. She walked over and saw that they had different names over them, with a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a small cup of water with their name on it in each one. She scanned the small holes for her name, and came across it. Somebody must have already gotten her some stuff ready. She grabbed it, and head over to one of the sinks.

The mirror was covered in a thick mist, mostly from the shower room. Olivia looked at the obscured mirror, and began washing her face, and washing her hands. She wet the fuzz of the toothbrush and started to apply toothpaste. She looked back up at the mirror, and pouted at the mirrors lack of image. She wiped her hand over the glass to clear the mist, and right behind her she saw a thick fog in the shape of a person with piercing white eyes. In shock she stumbled back and shut her eyes tight. She opened up her eyes, to see the figure in the mirror was gone. She also got all the girls in the bathroom to point their attention to her. She blushed and stood back up and began brushing.

After the morning routine she and all the other girls walked out of the bathroom, ready to begin the day. Olivia looked over at her bed, still messy from the tireless sleep she had. She walked over to the bed, and noticed George sitting idly by on the top bunk reading a book. George looked down and smiled.

"Hi Olivia!" he said.

Olivia smiled weakly at him.

"Hello George. Where did you get that book?"

"A lady brought me the book. She said that there was more down the road."

"Well come on." Olivia said, "We're going over there."

The two walked down the stairs to see the kids do their usual routine. Olivia opened up the front door to smell the terrible smoke of a lit cigar. She looked over, and saw the old man sitting against the wall, smoking his life away. In his other hand was a whiskey bottle that had a small hole in it, letting the booze inside slowly drain out. Without a second thought, Olivia led George out of the doorway, and onto the sidewalk.

The town was bustling with life, mainly because of the grand opening of a nearby theater. It's opening act was called "The Great Rotini in: The Great Escape!" It was an incredibly cheesey name, yes, but there was no doubt that Virlin Q. Rotini was a very known man. He had begun his magic career in the small town where our two protagonists recide. After getting a gig in Hollywood, he had become world renowned! But now he was coming back home, ready to dazzle the streets once more.

Cars, motorcycles, and more were speeding on by. Tourists scraped their feet against the concrete, cries of small children echoed through the streets. Olivia held onto George tightly in the fear of losing George in the ocean of pedestrians. People were chattering at coffee shops, mostly local news reporters sharing details about Rotinis return. It was hard to make out what anyone was saying among the busy street, but it was possible.

After a few minutes or so of walking, the two seemed to reach a breaking point of the crowd. As they maneuvered their way closer to the library, the crowds shortened and fewer cars drove by. When they were finally free of the ocean of pedestrians they noticed how eerily quiet it was when separating yourself from the commotion. But this area wasn't really the busy part of town anyway.