Cycle 2

Joshua wakes up to a new day, ready to adjust to his new life outside of Monte Peak.

*GASP*

I shot out of bed at the sound of an obnoxious alarm. I really needed to change that. My hand slammed down to silence it, then I soon after regretted doing so as my hand began to throb. Rubbing the pain away, I scooted out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I did my daily business, combed my hair into my usual “emo” fashion, then headed to the closet. I opened the doors as if something grand was within, but it was just my work clothes in a garment bag, as always.

Washed for you, rosy fresh~

I sighed deeply. Hopefully the musk would cover the scent of the rose garden I was about to clothe myself in. Either way, it was still comforting to see those notes when my roommate was gone. I don’t remember setting my alarm either, I guess my roommate did that too. A knocking came at the door, followed by the voice of the lady that stands at the front desk. Quickly throwing my uniform on, I cleared my throat and opened the door for her. “Room service!” She joked in a fit of giggles.

“Ah, thank you!” I smiled, “But, why are you doing this?”

She handed me the tray of breakfast items, “Because, I heard about your...situation, and I thought you’d like to, y’know, be surrounded by people who care.” What bright red lipstick. I’ve never seen her wear this much makeup before, was she seeing somebody? She did look awful nice today, something must be up. I thanked her once more and she took her leave. I needed to hurry so I could get to the mart, but maybe I’ll ask her about it on a day off.

I found that I was smiling when I turned back, and I set my breakfast on the coffee table cheerfully, digging into my morning meal without hesitation.

*BEEP BEEEEEP BEEEEEEEEP*

I flew out of the chair I was in when the alarm clock sounded. That’s right, I hit “snooze”, not “off.” Silly me. I casually walked up to it and flicked it off, but something didn’t feel right. I examined my room carefully...no, nothing looked out of place. Everything looked okay. However...I don’t remember ever setting my alarm. Perhaps that aforementioned specter did it for me. No matter, I still woke up on time, so it’s no big deal.

Then I sniffed the air. What in the...where is that coming from? Is it from...me? Why did I smell like roses? I rushed to the bathroom to musk mask the scent. I put on a ton of it, but the rosy smell faded, so it would be alright, as long as I didn’t smell like a rose garden when I went to work.

What...what was I thinking just now? When I tried to examine the room, the alarm clock caught my eye. S**t...five minutes until my shift! I wolfed down my meal and rushed out the door, sprinting to work and barely arriving on time.

“You’re on the register today, Lancaster.” The manager shouted as I jogged in.

“Yes sir.” I replied, out of breath.

He was walking past, but stopped for a moment to look at me, then started on his path again, “Piercings.”

I groaned and rolled my eyes, “I know, know.” I tapped some of the register keys as I carefully took the four rings out.

Wh...what? Piercings? I didn’t have piercings…. Confused, I stared down into my hand at the cold, black rings with spiked ends. When did I have these? For how long?

“Ahem.” My head shot up to a middle-aged man in a business suit, “I know it isn’t much, but can I please have my change?”

“Uh, right away sir.” My eyes turned back to my open palm to find two quarters, a dime, and a penny. I felt uneasy, but why? It was just change. I handed it to the man, “Here you are, sir.” He nodded to me, heavy bags under his eyes. “I hope you have a good day.” I added, hoping he would feel better soon.

He had already turned to leave, but his head twisted back slightly, “...Thank you.” He exited the mart.

Hours and endless goofing around with Daniel later, it was closing time. The manager, seeming to finally be in a good mood, asked me to stay behind and help him prepare everything for the next day. I waved my farewells to Daniel and did my task as instructed. When everything was said and done, I questioned the manager of something that had been bothering me.

“Hey...can I ask you something?”

He eyed me suspiciously, “...What?”

“I…” I searched for words, “...Why did you give me a job here? After...y’know…”

A sigh escaped his lips, then he flashed me a warm smile I had never remembered seeing before, “Because I know all about your situation. It was only right to let you work here.” He patted me on the back, “I understand. I do. I get what you’re going through. And if you ever need someone to talk with you, or just need someone to be there, you know you have me and the rest of the staff to turn to.”

I couldn’t help but smile, “Th-...thank you sir.” It was nice, having someone to turn to. After everything that happened, that’s all I needed, was someone. Anyone. But a thought struck me, “Sir, did...did you go through something similar, too?”

He gave a hearty laugh, “Of course! I was your age once, you know.” I chuckled along with him. “Though, with my constantly barking at you guys, I’m sure you don’t think so. After all, I’m just the crotchety old man going senile that doesn’t pay you enough.” I froze. Curious if he heard us, I remembered a conversation, that day even, I had with Daniel that mentioned something along those lines about the manager. He noticed the panic on my face and just gave me some rough pats on the back to reassure me I was okay.

The walk back to the apartment was a lively one. It was a lot busier than the day before, cars and people bustling about. There were more lights than I thought there were, but at least I could still see the stars.

There was a cafe I always passed by on the way home. It was packed, the line to order stretching outside of the building. There were so many people, but it was still quiet. A nice, comfortable coffee shop. If I ever get the time, I need to come here for coffee one day. I think I’d really like the atmosphere inside.

Those thoughts were interrupted by a breaking of metal bars, and the sound of a young woman screaming. Other people followed, numerous frightened cries that erupted around me. I lifted my head. A pink blur was coming right for me, so I instinctively threw out my arms and it landed within them. My body lurched forward from the unbalance of weight, but I regained it with little effort. I lifted the figure closer to me, “Hey, you’re that woman. From before.” She took a moment to look into my eyes, then smiled, “That customer from yesterday.”

“Fancy meeting you here.” She giggled, “Thank you for saving me. They really should support those bars.” She wrapped her arms around my neck, “I guess that’ll teach me not to lean up against them again, huh?” I thought I saw a blush cross her face, but it could have been the light. The woman was mildly tan, after all. I kept her in my arms, enjoying the feeling of her body snuggled against mine and lost in her beautiful navy eyes.

Until I heard the chuckles, then realized I was still standing in the middle of a public, extremely crowded area holding and staring at this girl I just met. “Oh! I, uh, sorry….” I let her down to her feet, embarrassed and ready to walk away. Everyone, mischievous smiles on their faces, slowly turned away. “Uh, you’re welcome, for, uh, catching you. Um, yeah.”

I turned and sped off when I felt a tug on my arm, “Mind if I tag along?”

“So, what’s your name?” The woman asked, shuffling beside me beneath the streetlights.

“Joshua Lancaster.” I told her, examining her closely. She was wearing a light pink puffy shirt and white shorts, along with brown leather boots. She also had metal cuffs on her wrists, which was strange, but I didn’t care. Her eyes swept me away like the sea and her smile melted the ice around my heart. She was lovely, she was beautiful. Is this what people refer to as “love at first sight”? “What about you? What’s your name?”

“Hm?” She peeked up at me, “What’s my name? ...I don’t know.”

“What? You don’t know?” I stopped her, baffled.

“Yeah, I don’t know.” She looked around, then back to me, “Do you know?”

I shook my head, “Of course not. But, how do you not know your own name?”

“You know.” She smirked, “Right?”

I stared at her with wide eyes. What in the world was she saying? “What...I don’t-”

“Turn around.”

I did so, “What-” and my apartment door stood behind me. My heart skipped a few beats. Did...did that conversation really happen? Was I so attracted to that stranger that I started daydreaming about her? I shook my head, trying to rid myself of those thoughts. Wow, I really am screwed up.

I entered the room with haste, ready to get myself to bed and put that weird daydream behind me. I showered as fast as I could and threw myself under the covers, only dressed in my bath towel, desperate to dream and not about that woman either.

Sweet dreams

Forget about it...forget about it…go to sleep...and forget….

Author's Note

Once again, there may some inconsistencies here and there, but I'll touch on that the further the story goes. By the end, it will (hopefully) make sense.