I have come to a decision which I hope will speed up my writing for the end of this story.
I had become too focused on making each chapter action packed and full of revelations. But as we are in the dip before the climax of the tale, I have realized this wont work. All it is doing is majorly slowing me down, as I spend days upon days worrying that the chapter wont be good enough for all of you.
If I am to complete this story, I must admit to myself that there are going to be a few slower chapters until the final story ark. A long novel like this can't be all action all the time. If I can build my confidence enough, my writing speed will dramatically increase.
Another confidence booster is reviews from all of you, which I absolutely appreciate. Especially now while i am so very ill and low on oxygen. Please be sure to leave your feedback. Thank you all so much. You have been nothing but amazing this entire time.
Remember to follow me on tumblr (coffeefueledauthor) for more updates on stories and my life. And feel free to ask me your questions anytime. On with the story!
Chapter 37: Remember to Smile
Riley stood in front of the hall closet cutting two squares from the already mangled insulation foam, making what would be the last of the tiny makeshift beds. Since Joy had basically taken over Anger's bed in the chaos, she had to make one to replace his as well as a bed for Sadness. Finishing with the scissors and admiring her foam cut handiwork, she plucked several cotton balls and tissues from the shelves before returning to her room.
As she entered her bedroom, she could see that the five figures on the floor had already prepped themselves for bed, removing their shoes and more cumbersome clothing. Fear and Disgust had seated themselves on their beds beside Joy's, and Anger and Sadness waited patiently for their own. All five had been carrying on a conversation while waiting for their hosts return that continued even after her arrival.
"So, tomorrow's gonna be all about staying happy..?" Fear asked, re positioning himself beneath his tissue covers.
"Pretty much." Sadness watched as Riley assembled her new hodgepodge bed beside her. "It's our only shot at Joy getting well."
Anger growled, folding his thick arms across his chest. "This better work." He grumbled. "Or else we'll have wasted a whole day on 'being happy'."
"That is the opposite of the attitude we need right now." Disgust snipped, settling into her cotton ball pillow. "We've already seen that it helps. It's going to take all five of us to make sure we get her fixed in time."
Listening closely to the conversation yet offering no opinions of her own, Riley deftly finished the last of the sleeping stations before standing up to prepare herself for sleep. Her mind still swirled with the uncertainty of the day ahead, but she had decided that dwelling on the situation would be no help to anyone, especially Joy. Feeling much more at ease in the soft fleece of her pajamas, she climbed into her own bed with a mind cleansing sigh.
From below, Joy studied Riley's every movement through shimmering blue eyes. The emotions had been so wrapped up in their conversation that they had neglected to include their human host. It was still hard for them to remember that Riley was now an active participant in that they could communicate with at will, rather than a vessel they inhabited. So Joy made an attempt to reach out and include the young girl in their thoughts.
"What... what do you think... Riley..?" She struggled to maintain a steady air flow in her speech.
The young girl, slightly surprised at the sudden inclusion, snapped her focus to the weakened emotion on the floor. "What do I think?" She parroted.
Joy weakly nodded in response.
Delving into her muted mind, Riley rolled to face the ceiling, folding her hands behind her head. "Well... I think there's only one thing we can do that seems to help." She thought aloud, visually tracing the plastic stars above. "Tomorrow, we're gonna do everything that we like to do. We'll focus a whole day on all of our favorite things, eat only our favorite foods, and watch our favorite movie at night." Her speaking volume increased with her excitement. "And we'll start it off with our favorite breakfast!"
With a bright smile, she turned to face the small creatures below, expecting them to return her grin with their own excited expressions. But she was met not with smiles, but with four tiny grimaces, as the emotions squeezed their bodies in response to overwhelming pain. All except Joy, whose face seemed to have fallen when she realized that she wasn't experiencing the same feeling.
Riley hadn't realized how late it had become, but knew before she even looked that her clock was at 10:59. She held her breath and waited, knowing what was to follow.
After an agonizing minute of the burning pain, four of the five creatures finally produced their glowing colored rings. Since they had been in such close proximity, the rings collided almost immediately. With the power of four pulses merged into one, the ring shined in an almost blinding white light, producing a hum not unlike a tuning fork as it shot through the room in an instant, leaving behind a glittering trail that slowly faded out.
"It just needs one more." Disgust panted as the pain subsided, laying back into her foam mattress. "And then we can go home."
Just then, a soft knocking appeared at the other side of the closed bedroom door. As the six within sat up, but before they could utter a response, the door slowly opened, revealing Riley's cousin wearing an expression of equal parts fatigue and concern.
She ran a hand through her unkempt blond hair. "Riley?" She yawned. "Are you alright? I saw a light flash from your room..."
"Yeah." The young girl nodded. She saw out of the corner of her eye as the five emotions acknowledged the intruder posed no threat and layed back down. "We're all fine."
The older girl smiled, and began to tiptoe closer to her young cousin, carefully dodging the beds with the black bugs beneath. With gentle hands, she helped to smooth Riley's somewhat tangled bed sheets and tucked her into a warm blanket cocoon.
"I have to go back to work tomorrow." She whispered. "Are you gonna be okay?"
Riley beamed a sleepy smile. "Uh-huh. We're gonna focus on staying happy, starting with a good breakfast."
The older girl chuckled as she began to head back to the door. "Alright. I'll help you set it up. Good Night, Riley." She grinned. As she passed over the little foam beds a second time, she paused, leaning down slightly to get a closer look at the strange creatures nestled inside. After a brief moment of silence, she breathed a quiet laugh. "Good night, you weird little things..."
After receiving a collective hiss as a response, the older girl turned and exited, quietly shutting the door behind, blanketing the group in the dark night. Riley, warm and snug thanks to her cousin's masterful tuck-in, nuzzled into her pillow, the bright smile still lingering on her lips.
"Goodnight, you guys." She chirped.
As the six slowly slipped into slumber, a flash of light replaced another sizable chunk of Joy's particles.
"Turn the eggs over! They're gonna burn!"
"Alright, give me a sec..." Riley's cousin mumbled, laying a final strip of bacon into the sizzling pan. Switching her focus to the next pan beside her, she plucked the silver spatula from her younger relatives hand and gracefully flipped the three crackling eggs in an instant. Satisfied, Riley crossed the kitchen and returned to her station just in front of the toaster oven, watching closely as the bread began to brown. She wanted everything about this breakfast to be perfect, from how cooked everything was to the amount of butter on each toast slice.
Atop the kitchen table, the five emotions watched the women, pacing across the wood as they waited for the food. It was hard to stay patient with the enticing aroma flowing through the room. They could feel their mouths watering, their stomachs growling. But they maintained their composure for the sake of the golden emotion still seated in her makeshift bed, now placed on the table for breakfast. Riley had been sure to give Joy a dose of aspirin first thing in the morning so that the glowing creature would be well enough to join the others in the meal.
Finally deciding the toast had reached the perfect shade of brown, Riley popped open the toaster oven. As she prepped the toast with a predetermined amount of butter, she could hear her cousin kill the heat of the burners and slide the perfectly cooked meats onto a nearby plate.
"Alright, Riley." The older girl muttered, flinging open a cupboard overhead. "I'm running a little late, so I gotta get going." She retrieved a small Tupperware container from the shelf, popped the plastic lid, then threw an egg and a few of the bacon strips inside, along with a slice of toast that Riley had finished buttering. "I'll have to wait and eat this at work..."
"You mean you're not eating breakfast with us?" Riley asked, mildly disappointing, as she grabbed her fully assembled plate from the counter.
"I'm sorry." Her cousin sighed. She sealed the plastic container and dropped it into the vast depths of her purse, along with her phone and wallet. Flinging the hefty bag over a shoulder, she quickly rinsed her hands and made her way to the front door. "I'll grab pizza on my way home tonight, okay?"
Riley's eyes immediately lit up at the idea, and she could tell from the excited peeps emanating from the kitchen table that the emotions were looking forward to it as well. "That'd be great!"
The older girl smiled. "Be sure to call me if anything happens while I'm gone. I'll be back tonight!"
As the heavy front door shut with click and she heard the old car rumble to life and roll into the street, the young girl quickly skipped to the table with the breakfast in hand. The emotions waited with eager gazes, watching the girl portion each part of the meal into 5 tiny sections.
"So." Riley began, serving the miniature meals to the little creatures all around her. "What are some things you guys want to do today? What are some of your favorite activities?"
Disgust daintily wiped her hands on her dress before picking up some of the food offered to her. "We could do our nails? I haven't gotten a chance to in forever."
Anger grunted as he swallowed what was in his mouth. "Number one, we don't have nails. Number two, I am NOT painting my fingers."
"We still have the newest book in that Dark Heart series to read..." Sadness mumbled almost to herself. "We could read it aloud?"
Fear huffed with an exaggerated roll of his huge eyes. "Please. The plots of those stories have more holes than swiss cheese."
"Don't snip at her!" Disgust hissed, gesturing at her lavender coworker with a piece of toast. "The only thing you find fun is wearing knee pads!"
"That's not true!" Fear shouted, a hint of embarrassment in his voice. "Besides, what's wrong with being safe? All of hot-heads ideas of fun involve risking life and limb!"
Anger retaliated with a sharp glare and low growl. Fear yelped and hid his long face behind a piece of bacon. But before Anger could do anything further, he was interrupted by Riley lightly slapping the wooden surface of the table.
"Hey hey!" She commanded, being sure not to raise her voice. "We're trying to stay happy! We have to do things that we all like. I was thinking things like going for a walk, listening to music and coloring something, watching a movie when my cousin comes back. Things we can all enjoy!"
The emotions, still contentedly chewing the last bites of their meals, nodded. It would take concentration to get through their withdrawal symptoms, which crept up on them and clouded their judgement. But with their ever resourceful and intelligent host, they were confident they could make it through. Each of the colorful creatures shared a look of eager determination.
All but one.
Disgust, whose face had curled into a sickened sneer, sniffed at the air and retched. "What..." She gagged, covering her nose with petite green hands. "What is that stench?"
Confused, Riley sniffed the air as well. A foul odor flooded her senses, and though her sense of disgust was not within her head, she managed to wince in response. Now beginning to become slightly alarmed, she slowly rose from her chair and approached the counter top where the smell had originated.
With a few more sniffs here and there, Riley pinpointed the source; the toaster oven. She had accidentally left the appliance on, and something within was emitting a retched stench in response to the constant heat. The young girl opened the toasters door to get a better look.
As the oven flooded with fresh oxygen, the super heated food stuffs ignited, producing a tiny but bright red flame. Startled and with the smell of smoke quickly replacing the previous odor, Riley yelped and quickly blew out the fire with a sharp puff of air.
Sighing, Riley changed her mind. This was something her cousin could figure out. She slammed the door shut again, turned off the oven and, just to be safe, unplugged the cord from the wall. With a shake of her head, she turned back to the kitchen table.
To her horror, a familiar look had made it's way to Fear's face, triggered by the terrible smell of smoke. He sat up perfectly straight, his antennae like appendage raising and twisting on itself. His eyes were like white marbles with black needle points, his mouth slightly agape, his breathing heavy and uneven. The other emotions looked at him with puzzled expressions.
Riley wasn't about to let another screaming incident begin. "Fear!" She shouted, bolting to the table. "You're okay! It's okay! The fire's gone!"
"Th-th-the... F-f-f-fire..?" He stuttered, beginning to tremble uncontrollably.
"Shh. No no... You're alright..." Riley quickly scooped the small creature into her hands, his horrified stiffness making it easy to pick him up. "You're safe... We're all gonna be fine."
Moving almost in slow motion, Fear slowly turned his head to face Riley's pure blue eyes, alight with a kindness he had known all his life. He struggled, but slowly managed to bring his focus back to what was here and now, and away from the traumatic memory from the past. As his thoughts began to steady, his breathing began to regulate and his pupils grew to their normal size.
Exhaling in shuddering sighs, Fear curled into a tight ball within the warmth of Riley's hands, wrapping his long thin arms around his knees and shivering. He had successfully avoided a full blown panic, saved by the quick thinking Riley.
The young girl finally relaxed and sat back in her chair with the terrified creature in hand. She looked to the other four emotions, who had all been watching the dramatic scene play out without comment.
"Why is he so afraid of fire?" Riley shrugged.
Anger immediately turned away, ashamed.
"When we were ejected." Sadness explained. "There was a terrible fire. Worse than any we've ever had."
The young girl closed nodded. "I know. Anger told me it was an accident, though. How did it start, and how did it force you guys out anyway..?"
The miniature creatures all turned and looked away, no longer able to look their host in the eyes. Their heads were heavy with guilt; tears began to trail from Sadness's eyes.
"You mean..." Joy wheezed. "No one... ever told you..?"
Riley only shook her head.
The golden emotion looked to her coworkers, who all gazed back with pleading expressions. But she chose to ignore them, sighed, and propped herself further up on her cotton pillows.
"Riley..." She began. "I think it's time... you learned how this all began."