I stand in a dark, empty abyss. I am sweating profusely and looking around frantically. I finally make out something in the distance. It becomes more clear over a few seconds.
"Oh my God."I whisper, trying my best not to pass out.
Philadelphia is on fire! I hear and see vertibirds bombing my home city; the Comcast Building collapses into a pile of rubble. I try to run forward, but I can't. I find myself frozen in place.
"It's all over now."says a calm, Southern voice.
"Winters."I spit.
"Thought you wouldn't see me again?"
"That is none of your concern."
He chuckles, circling me before finally looking straight at me."You know,"he says."I cannot wait to get my hands on the Mona Lisa."
"You know that won't happen. The Commonwealth is stronger and better than your little Enclave."I coerce.
"Getting feisty now, are we?"
I clench my fists."Just tell me why you're here!"
He laughs again. He really is a fucking loon. But, he soon stops when he pulls a plasma pistol on me.
"Time for you to see the pearly gates, little missy."
Before I can respond, he pulls the trigger.
I jolt awake from my nightmare. I try to control my breathing so it isn't rapid, however it takes me a full minute. My first thoughts are to see what time it is, so I look to my alarm clock on the nightstand. Four o'clock. Great. I look to the person sleeping next to me, and thank goodness I didn't wake her. Alexis Clark is her name. She's been my girlfriend since we were in the eighth grade. We're both eighteen years old and live in our own house in Bridesburg. I get comfortable again, laying on my right side. I look at Alexis' adorable face before closing my eyes, drifting off into dreamland.
My eyes flutter open to the sound of birds chirping. A bit of sunlight is shining through a small crack in the purple curtains. I sit up, stretching my arms while yawning. I notice that Alexis is already awake, cause she isn't next to me and I smell food. I grab my glasses from the nightstand and put them on. Now, I need to get up to find a good outfit to wear for the day. A bunch of t-shirts and sweat pants are taking over the closet, I notice. I rummage through the endless selection of hanged clothes, and find one of my t-shirts with a cute little kitten on it. I pick out a pair of sweat pants, because why not? The smell of pork roll is enticing me to go like the wind.
I undress from my white and navy blue plaid pajamas, throwing the shirt and bottoms over by the hamper. I change my undergarments as well, knowing that they're a day old. I search the dresser for some deodorant first, since it's important to smell nice.
"Aha!"I nearly shout, having found my deodorant stick.
Our dresser is a mess. No time to get into that right now. I put the stuff under my armpits, placing it back on the dresser when I'm done. I get dressed as fast as I can put the clothes on. I look into the mirror to see how my hair looks. I frown. I definitely need to brush it, so I get my hairbrush and begin the agonizing process. One of my qualities that people seem to love is my long, blonde hair. It reaches the middle of my back, just about. My hair is now not frizzy, so I go pull out a pair of socks. I sit down on the bed to put them on.
Getting dressed is a tedious process, in my opinion. But I guess the time is worth looking well groomed enough to socialize. I go out into the hallway and make a right to go walk down the stairs. This part of Bridesburg is fantastic, I should mention. We live on Richmond street where the houses have small lawns and decent sized backyards. A few minutes away is a park we sometimes walk through. I can now fully smell the aroma of eggs and pork roll as I walk downstairs. I am probably the worst cook to ever exist, so Alexis takes care of our meals. When we don't order out, that is.
"Morning, Lynn."Alexis says from the kitchen.
"I see you're up early."I say, leaning against the kitchen doorway.
"Early bird catches the worm."
I smile at her."That so? Any other wise words of wisdom?"
"Go sit your butt down."she says, still cooking."Brekkie should be done soon."
I go to our dining room table and sit in one of the chairs. The table and chairs are made of mahogany. They're incredibly beautiful. Anyways, Alexis is one of the most important people in my life. She's insanely gorgeous inside and out. She's Caucasian like me, but her skin isn't as pale as mine. Soon enough, Alexis brings in two plates of eggs mixed with pork roll.
"You know,"Alexis says, setting a plate in front of me."I've been hearing you wake up in the middle of the night. Anything you'd like to talk about?"
Of course she already knows. I take a deep breath."I've been having these nightmares lately."I say, nerves starting to kick in.
"What are they about?"she questions, sitting down next to me.
"You of course remember Colonel Winters?"
"How could I forget that slimy coward?"
"Well, I always have the same dream. Him coming back and killing me while Philadelphia burns to the ground."
Alexis crosses her arms."Let's get one thing straight: There's no chance in Hell that he can ever gain enough manpower to take on our military."she turns to stare me in the eyes."Secondly, he'd never get the chance to go near you. You're fine, okay?"
I slowly nod."I don't know why I've been thinking like this recently. Could be the news...or I'm becoming paranoid."
Alexis shrugs."Now, I think we should eat before it gets cold and talk about less depressing things."
"I like the sound of that."I say as I begin to eat.
Alexis' cooking is amazing, even if it is just simple stuff like eggs. We talk about what we should do for the day, and agree that it's been awhile since we last visited the art museum. Last time we went was two years ago with my parents and her dad. After we're finished, I offer to wash the dishes as a sign of my gratitude. It'll only take a few minutes, anyways. Alexis is sitting on the couch with her blue and white high tops on. That's a type of shoe, which I didn't know for awhile. I own a pair of black and white sneakers. Alexis says I should switch up my colors, since I've been getting the same kind for the past six years. Maybe she's right; I don't know. Anyways, I grab my wallet from the coffee table before sitting down next to her to put on my shoes.
"What should we do after the museum?"she asks, looking to me."Wanna go to Geno's?"
"Sure."I reply, craving a cheesesteak."Who's buying?"
"You treated me last time, so I'll cover it."
And with that, we're off. I lock the door behind us. We walk down the street and see old Mr. Kenway in his wife's garden tending to the roses.
"Good morning, sir!"I say as we walk by.
He looks up with a warm smile."Ah hello girls!"he beams, rubbing the dirt off of his hands.
"How's your wife?"Alexis asks.
"She's quite alright. She seems to be getting better everyday."
"That's great. Take care, sir."
"Good bye, girls."He resumes his duty of keeping the flowers alive for his wife.
Alexis and I soon cross the street and wait at the trolley stop. Two businessmen are talking on those bricklike phones that came out three years ago. They've really changed the way people can communicate with each other. It's easy to use and it saves time for people who work in the city. Speaking of Philly, its style is one of my top ten favorite things about the city. Think of...Victorian London with a pinch of modernity. So, like, the roads are made of cobblestone, but there're skyscrapers and ambulances to go along with it. It's unique; every city in our nation has its own identity.
It takes a short amount of time for the trolley to finally show up. We step on after the businessmen. Alexis covers our fare and we take our seats in the front. I take the window seat, as I love looking out at the city as it goes by. I can't help but hear nearby conversations.
"Jimmy, when's the game again?" "Suzy, I told you to sit with your legs closed!" "Donna's a real cunt, if you ask me."
So many people, so many words, and so many points of view. Taking the time to just...stop and listen can show you all of the different types of cultures and perspectives. Alexis, the angel that she is, holds my hand and runs her finger along my palm. I love her.
It takes about a half hour for us to reach our stop. The renovated museum is gorgeous in the morning sunlight; the white marble seems to be shining like a beacon. Alexis and I hold hands as we stroll over to the statue of Rocky, also known as the Italian Stallion, in his boxing outfit and gloves raised in the air.
"Remember how we watched that movie all the time in the vault?"Alexis asks, seeming nostalgic.
"Yeah."I respond."Those were the days."
We make our way up the stairs, still holding hands along the way. Before the doors there is a marble statue of Julius Caesar greeting all those who visit. He is wearing his Roman armor you see him wear in the textbooks, and has his arm half way up. His hand has three fingers open, the pinky and ring finger closed. He is looking at this hand, yearning for something. You could tell by the look in his eyes. Perhaps it was power. Or the thirst for knowledge. Who knows what it was? By the way, it is a recently made statue since the veryold ones are either inside museums or storage in the vault. I look deep within the statue's eyes. I almost immediately snap out of the mini trance and look at Alexis, who was also looking into Caesar's eyes.
"Ready to head inside?"I ask, which makes her to snap back to reality.
"Yepperdoodles."she says. I smile at her.
We head inside knowing what awaits us.