Hi there, I think I need to redefine the word "sooner." I'm sorry that I keep putting things off, but at least I can give you this chapter for Christmas. Thankfully, things are looking up a bit in my life, so I want to get on with the story. It won't be in this chapter, but going forward, the story's going to get darker (though I'm trying to keep things PG). Anyway, next chapter!
Chapter 5: What the night hides
It was a wonder Awful Alvin even slept that night, considering what he had discovered. How could this girl have limbs?! Where did she even have gotten that stuff?! Even when he finally drifted off, Alvin couldn't get the scene out of his head: the shock of seeing Mira's arm; the sting of her kick; not to mention the look of utter rage and fear contorting her features. Though if anyone would have asked if he felt any internal tugging that night, he would have denied it in a heartbeat.
The next morning, Alvin was met with a silent apartment. Cringing slightly at the cracked plates piled by the wall, Alvin noticed the bag of candy Mira had left on the counter. It was filled with a wide variety of sweets from chocolates to gummy creatures to…
"Sour Dollars!" Alvin exclaimed, grabbing ahold of three coin shaped light green sweets. Each wrapping bore a picture of a puckered veggie face. Unwrapping and popping all three into his mouth, Alvin couldn't help the childlike moan of pleasure, nor the genuine smile that split his pale face. "You remember how we used to try to find these whenever we could, don't you Lampy?" Alvin reminisced as he grabbed some more Sour Dollars, along with some chocolates, and plopped back down on the couch. "They always managed to make our nights a little bit happier."
As the day went on however, the onion villain's euphoria began to fade. As unsubstantial as the candy was, he couldn't cook, so trying to make Mira's pasta was out of the question. Being constantly hungry had always been one of the toughest aspects of his life. He tried listening to the Vpod, only to grow bored not ten minutes later. In the end, Alvin finally noticed a pencil and some notebook paper lying on the counter, and proceeded to sketch out some plans for future inventions. At five p.m., Alvin put his plan into action. Switching off the lights in the apartment, Alvin joined a snoozing Alysha on the couch and waited.
He was surprised when he heard the lock click not twenty minutes later and felt Alysha leap off the couch to greet Mira. The girl gasped at the darkened room, but he didn't respond when she whispered his name. He quickly closed his eyes when he heard her move closer, then silence, then movement again towards her room. It wasn't until she locked the door that Alvin let himself breathe. Even then, he didn't dare move from the couch. He couldn't hear her voice due to the thick walls, but at midnight, he went to work.
Reaching under Lampy's shade, Alvin flipped a miniscule switch in the top, instantly bathing the room in bright light. He adjusted the light to a low glow, like a small lantern. A few years back, Alvin had realized that Lampy needing to be plugged in was too inconvenient. After a bit of "surgery," he was able to remove the cord, and install a bulb powered by a battery of his own invention. He was never more thankful for this brilliant idea until now. Grabbing his cape, Alvin extracted a small sewing needle stuck in the fabric and began work on Mira's door. For an admittedly clever girl, she was rather naïve to think that a locked door would keep him out. Hearing a click, Alvin grabbed Lampy, and slowly opened the door.
In the middle of the room was a small mattress. What was on top however, made Alvin muffle a shocked gasp. It was hair! Platinum blonde in color, it completely covered the sleeping girl, and moved in a lazy, wave-like pattern. Too shocked to notice anything else, Alvin moved closer to the mattress. Sitting on the floor, he hesitantly reached out a hand towards the moving tendrils, pushing them away to see her face. Curled up on her side, the rhubarb quietly slept. She was not quite smiling, but she did look peaceful; further covered by a patchwork quilt similar to her coats. For a moment, Alvin watched her. He couldn't understand why, but he did it all the same. He looked down when he felt something soft and noticed one her strands curling around his hand. Studying it, he estimated that it must nearly reach the floor, given the way it covered Mira. But there was one other thing he wished to see.
Dragging his attention towards her quilt, the onion couldn't help pausing as he reached out again. There was that annoying tugging again! As if he were about to do something. But that was ridiculous. He was a criminal for crying out loud! So lost in thought was Alvin, that when he finally touched the quilt, he failed to notice the small body moving, until he was met with a pair of terrified young eyes.
I don't mean to look like I'm dragging out the mystery, but I wanted to get this chapter out sooner rather than later. I'm sorry if the formatting turns out weird, but I am out of practice. I've spent most of this year obsessing over Star Wars, so I might consider writing for that fandom next. Anyway, I know this year has been difficult for everyone, but there has been some good. For example, not only was I finally hired for a job in one of my chosen career fields, but I also completed classes at another college (online). I just hope 2021 will be an improvement. Merry Christmas, dear readers! I await your thoughts.
2 Timothy 4:7