Zap! (M. Clifford/5SOS)

Chapter 2: End Up Here

"Bye, Mum, bye, Dad," I call out, waving to them as I open the door. Thankfully, the rain has stopped, but that doesn't mean the gray clouds have disappeared.

"Bye! Have fun," they respond.

"Well, hello, Monica," Michael greets, looking at me almost as if he's smirking.

"Hey," I reply. "Um, I don't mean to be rude, but I can't hang out with you today." I begin to step down my driveway and he follows.

"What do you mean?" he asks.

"I have to do 'service' to make up for performing the Execution Spell," I explain. "For the next two weeks, for two hours after training, I have to fix up the dummies, without magic."

"Oh, damn, that sucks," Michael comments, walking with me.

"Yeah, it does. Especially since my birthday's in two weeks, too."

"So's mine," he smiles. "Well, more like a week."

"You planning anything?" I ask.

"I don't know yet. I want to have a party, but..."

"Do it! It'll be fun!" I plead.

"I'll talk to my mum and see," he gives in. I smile up at him and we say our goodbyes as I enter in the gigantic building.

I walk through the large hallways to get to the repair room, an eery feeling creeping through me because nobody is around. I'm so used to everybody running in every direction and spells flying everywhere that it's unusually quiet as I proceed through the building. I finally reach the repair room and I'm greeted by Calypso the second I step in.

"Glad you could make it on time, Monica. Here's what you have to do. The plates covering the body are secured by screws, usually on the edges or corners. If they are damaged, just simply unscrew them, put on a new plate, and screw them back in. The new plates are all stacked on these shelves," he explains, pointing to the large shelves filled with the plates. "Any damaged metal parts on the inside you will also have to fix. The new parts will be found over here. This poster will help you figure out how to reassemble it. Any wiring issues, slide them through this chute and they will go to the electricians. Basically, all you have to do is fix up the outside parts. Any questions?" 

"No," I reply, sighing.

"Good. Now, I will be back here in two hours to release you. Before I leave, I need your wand," Calypso instructs. I dig through my bag and pull out my wand, pressing it into the palm of his hand. "Alright. You know what to do," he says, and exits the room.

Sighing again, I set my bag on an open shelf and get to work, loosening the screws and putting on new plates and metal parts. The pile of damaged dummies never seems to be decreasing in size and I've lost count of how many I've fixed. This is torture. Who would want to do this for two hours straight, anyways? Or more than two hours, depending on if it's their job. Then again, if it is their job, they're probably able to use magic and BOOM! The dummy would be brand new in three seconds. 

The two hours surprisingly fly by fast and before I know it, Calypso is standing in front of the table with my wand. I stand up, grab it, and walk around him to seize my bag.

"See you tomorrow," he calls after me as I walk out of the room. I don't even bother responding because this is so stupid. 

Since I started at around noon, it's about 2:00 when I exit the building, walking on the usual path to get home. The sun is trying to shine through the clouds, bringing patches of sunlight to the earth. At least I won't get rained on.

The rest of the day isn't very exciting. Michael's  at band rehearsal, Tatiana has a family outing, and honestly, I really don't have many other friends besides them. Wow, I seem lame now. I'm not a huge sociable person, I guess. I mean, I'm always shy when I meet new people and it takes me a while to fully open up to them.