Scratchy voice of Mr. Radioman: Good morning Deldin Bay! The temperatures are dropping and by today leaves will begin to fall. Be ready for the cold weather coming in about a month or two. Officials say the late fall signals a harsh winter, you are warned.
Debating if he should wait for Panda's wake up call or just get up, Dart finds himself finds himself listening to the radio just a bit longer.
Mr. Radioman from Dart's phone: As for news here, population is starting to slowly decrease due to the homeless either dying out or moving by foot out of this city. No significant actions from the governor yet. So population dwindling, construction and taxes rising.
Not interesting in hearing how messed up the Deldin authority is anymore, the kid forcefully shut off his phone and ignored the fact Pandora will not be calling. There was disappointment, a hint a of depression and maybe frustration. Though in the end, he expected his carelessness to take over. It did. Or at least, it showed. His nonexistent emotions remained with a statue-like figure, he was invisible once again (or so he thought).
Chapter 11
Part 1
Vacant Floor
"Dart?" I hear behind, Phosphora approaching me in the halls. "Please tell what's wrong." The super concerned friend frown shot through my chest like a bullet- it's not very effective… Brushing it off like it was nothing, I sighed and continued off to class. Probably knowing what I would have said, Phosphora stopped me. "I'm not the only one wondering, okay Dart? Everyone in class knows something's up." Then began the listing and novel-length speeches. "Pandora isn't here (probably you guys got in a fight). You're still in your pajamas (you've stopped doing that long ago). Teachers gave up yelling at you by second hour (you are not a rebel). And! You're face!" She received a glare. "You look even more depressed than usual." Then I gave her a you-gotta-kidding-me look. "Honest." Phosph pouted and wanted to ask more but she knew better by my, rolling eyes and turning away gig, she finally decided to leave me alone. Well, for now.
:O :O :O
Great. I left my money back at home once again, bravo Dart. Clapping like a crazy man down the street, maybe I'm just trying to take my mind off of Pandora. Hey, it's my mind, I can say whatever I want to. CRAP, CRAP, CRAP, DAMN, DUNK. I'm going insane just because I don't have Pandora, ya know what, I'm just going to imagine she died… alright, dead. Great, amazing, she's gone… forever, never gonna come back… I sigh, "this isn't healthy. I feel worse." Maybe I need water? A chocolate chip cookie? Haven't had one of those in a while… actually I don't think I ever had one of those. Wait. Why would I want that anyways? No sweets?! No sweets.
And- whoa hello. As I'm walking, I meet up with a tall metal fence blocking my path, it wasn't here in the morning either. So, this is a problem. Nothing giving a care in my whole life, I never really explored alternate routes to my own house. How stupid am I, huh? I can already hear Pandora- I mean Panda laughing at me. I mean she's dead. I mean I'm suppose to think she's dead. So I mean… I mean, let's go. Turning around and trying to find another street that would possibly cross my house somewhere, I end up walking right into another fence. "Well at least the news was accurate. I'm ninety percent sure people just skip that." It felt like I've been walking forever, this way and then that.
If this way goes to the library and that way goes to the park… then this way? It was a empty looking street, cars pass it like it's nothing and no one walks on the sidewalks. This 'new street' seems like a ghost town. Might as well and find out what's there. I begin to mumble to myself, simply crossing to the 'new street' direction. "Maybe someone's haunting this place, oh maybe Pandora." Making my way down the road with few cars and few footsteps, I catch a scent in the air. "Bread?"
All the way at the end of the street there was a small shop, the door propped wide open. All around was deserted and quiet. Next to the shop was a dirty hill and road, thick trees sided with a six foot brick fence longing the pavement. That explains why this place is so empty, that road probably leaves the city (wow I'm this far?) and because of the crappy government no one would visit this ditch. Deldin Bay, greatest city to no one but rats. Walking into the warm bakery, the clerk instantly looks up from a book and smiles. She looked nice, early twenties maybe even younger, long brown hair, matching eyes, and a pink apron. The place is small and I noticed there was only one other customer. Call me crazy again but I think I seen this lady before. She seemed older, not by too much though, mid-thirties? Anyways this lady has long green hair and a kind, pale face. Some jewelry hung from her neck and wrists, but hold up... she has an earring. An earring that looks exactly like mine? Okay, I'm confused. Should I ask? "Um excuse me but," looking at the lady, she stares right back as if stunned. Quicker than I can breath, the lady blinks and couple times and runs out the door. "...strange."
"Hey you, kid, don't harass my customers." The clerk scolds me from behind the counter. I feel my eyebrows sinking and she starts talking again, "well? Are you just gonna stand there or are you going to buy something?"
Studying the goods around me, I don't really find anything worth buying. There's poopchip cookies, whatever bread, rottenfruit cake, butt cupcakes and yeah... basically crap on crap (Cheft note: I rather you not listen to Dart when he has his, 'judging food he doesn't like' rant). Oh but Pandora might like some of this stuff, my eyes lit up, she does like eating... a lot and I'm pretty sure she has a sweets addiction. "Lady. What do you have that's sweet but good for you."
"That's like asking for world peace, kid." The clerk snickered a bit and set down her book. "Look if it's for a girl-"
"She's a friend."
"Alright. If it's for your girlFRIEND, love is good for anyone so a sweet cookie made by the one and only is your uproar." I don't know why, but this lady is good at comebacks and she's pretty smart. Nice. Standing up, she pulls a pink apron from the shelf within the counter. Wait, what? "If you want help baking, you gotta be prepped." Finding myself obeying, I snatch the apron and the bandanna, putting both on. "Good kid oh and name's Ashe." She smiles
I give out a thumbs-up with my mad face. "Dart."
I ended up doing pretty well. All that Ashe showed me, sounded like common sense and the quick lesson flew by like nothing. The so called simple cookie, finished into a triple layered checkered cake. Heh, I, the one and only design everything and tasted the flavors that would go best together. Oh hey Dart, what's it mean for a cake to be checkered? And you're awesome... why thank you, mysterious and fantastic mind. A checkered caked means, when you cut a slice into the cake, the insides will be checkered. Boosh.
"Believe me when I say, I didn't expect that." The clerk viewed my masterpiece and tried a bite. "It's... eh, average. The flavors taste too alike." She then walked out the kitchen and came back with a plate of her signature cookies. "Try this."
Taking a treat and eating a bite, I think carefully absorbing the flavor. It made me cringe just a bit for the sweetness... but, it was a good sweet.
"See what I mean?" Ashe smirks. I nod. Guess who forgot about forgetting their wallet? This stupid guy. It was silent by the paying counter, the clerk tapping her foot, "so... you forgot your wallet?"
I had nothing else to say but, "yup. Thanks for the lessons." And with that, I begin to walk out the store.
"Uh nope. You better come back here to work. Got it kid? Hey!"
I wave as the bell over the door rings and I'm out.
:O :O :O
I sigh heavily, the tall metal fence before me. Here I am back at square one, "you know what? Screw the police." I wait for the cars to pass behind me and take one last glance over my shoulders. Then, I simply begin to climb the fence up and over. Landing, my kicks stomp over the sidewalk and I walk forward. With the silence, I feel like they completely blocked off this section of the neighborhood. Now that'd be crazy. I walk up those rusty steps and find myself at a wide open door. "The hell?" A burst of wind and a blood red flier falls from the door, I hold it up.
ATTENTION
PUBLIC NOTICE OF DEMOLITION
Address: Roebelle Crook, 6 arp. 2nd floor
Owner: Dyson P. Icarus
Description: Vacant
License Demolition contractor: O & No corp.
Under the Deldin Bay officalist
WARNING - UNSAFE ZONE
And like that, my whole world shuts down.
End
"Dad?" I called. "Dad?!" I yell.
