So for this one, the beginning's a bit different- and there's actually one major thing I did. Hope you know what I'm trying to do here... (Note, by the way, this is going on the broad range of how the movie was played. I am not doing everything word by word or exactly it was).
Just on a minor note, I gave McPhee a first name (because if there's ANY indicator for a first name for that guy, I didn't see any (or hear for that matter) or the last names for Gus or Reginald. So I just chose the more... plausible names for them.
Chapter 2: The 'Newbie' Interview
The interview was set immediately after he made the call to the museum: around 4 in the afternoon, bring in a resume, his forms of ID, and dress casual since the interview won't be conducted by the curator.
It's going to be decided by one of the night guards.
Larry looks up at the white building that has the banners of the various exhibit photos before walking up the steps.
A night guard position? Why would anyone want to post one up for that?
Possibly, in his mind, a pretty boring wait while trying to prevent a non-existent robber or thief who can steal something in the museum.
...wait, scratch that. After reading the robberies in museums in history, Larry can't help but wonder if the museum security in this one was pretty tight (later on, he realizes that there are cameras, but not at particular areas that he would hope there would be).
Entering inside, Larry can't help but feel a bit nostalgic- it was like entering into his childhood again, only this time for a different reason. He walks up to the reception desk where one of the works was ending a call to someone who was inquiring some things about ticket prices.
"Hey," Larry greets the receptionist, who looks at him, "I'm here for an interview."
"An interview?"
"For the job on the posting board. I'm Larry Daley; I called about a couple of hours ago."
The receptionist blinks before sighing, "...oh. Let me get the curator for you. There've been other people earlier who had interviews for the position."
...the main boss?
"...huh?"
"And well, you're probably the last guy to come in," The receptionist continues, "The other candidates weren't selected."
...really.
He sees the woman tap on the phone and let out a dreading sigh, gently tapping her fingers before there was a response.
"Docter McPhee," The receptionist dryly deadpans, causing Larry to mentally wonder whether she's tired or just ire to hear another interview (as she said there were), "Another night guard interview."
...maybe he's going with the latter.
It wasn't until a few minutes later that a man emerges with a brown-haired woman next to him; they were talking about business or something similar in regards to planning (since there were several photos with the woman) when he sees the receptionist, who indicates Larry as their new arrival.
"Ah," The British curator lets out a warily grumble, "Another candidate. One for the men, I suppose." He nods to the other woman, who talks with the curator a bit more before walking off, mouthing 'Good luck' with her hazel eyes giving her sympathies (as for what, Larry can't help but wonder if it's the curator or to the interview- he makes a note to thank her later), "At least you got in time; we're just about to call in the hour mark before we close for the day."
"...oh," Larry recalls the museum closes absurdly early in the evening before giving a small laugh, "Well, that's good..." He trails off as he sees the other man dryly eye him, daring him to make a joke, "...I guess."
...first impression of Larry on the curator on the museum?
So far, it looks pretty bad.
"Ha." McPhee grumbles, "My wife can personally make better observations than you. And you must be?"
"Larry Daley," The teacher introduces himself.
"Marcus McPhee," The doctor crosses his arms in ire, "Curator of AMNH."
"...AMNH?" Then with a snort, "...I'm sorry, your name also reminds me of Nanny McPhee."
That earns an irritated glare, "The acronym can be pronounced, you know," McPhee stuffily reminds him, "And oh, I know- I actually don't mind that nickname. As long as they know I'm not a freaking nanny."
Larry decides that man has no absolute sense of humor whatsoever. Something must've been shoved up his ass and bothered him, or his wife (...how did this guy get married?) must be a really, really, patient woman.
"So," He can't help but feel a bit out of place as he asks the curator, "...where do I go for the interview?"
"For the night guard position, I presume?" The curator dryly responds, prompting Larry to stare at him, "Despite what you think, being in here isn't exactly a joke, you know," He gestures to the museum floor, which were riddled with people; residents and tourists alike, "It's been like this all day, which is not surprising. But the thing that irritates me is when some people don't appreciate these exhibits and think of them as playground objects!"
Larry sees one of the parents telling their children to stop touching the T-Rex bones- they were precious items; some of them will even disintegrate with one touch.
"I think I might have an idea about how that feels," The teacher can't help but mutter. What he wasn't expecting was McPhee to stare at him with his 'does-it-look-like-I-give-a-crap' look, "...okay, maybe not."
"Well, you certainly are not looking for sympathies if this interview goes wrong," The other man rolls his eyes, "This way, Mister Daley," he leads the way to another section of the museum, "And please don't try to break anything. If you do, I will promise nothing when the lawsuit arrives."
Normally Larry doesn't want to speak ill of the living or powerful - but this very exceptional case, he has the urge to mock after the curator (which he does as he follows McPhee around) before rolling his eyes.
They reach to the security office and now Larry is on the verge of wanting to strangle the curator.
Yes, he knows how powerful this guy is- next to the higher-ups who could possibly handle the museum. But now he's really placing Doctor McPhee next to the aggravating coach who is also teaching the other sets of history classes that has that arrogant uppity personalities that he just really wants to hit (as much as he can tolerate that sort of deal).
But he keeps his calm (barely) as he's forced to grin when the curator talks to him while guiding him to the office.
"At least you're here," McPhee huffs, "Though I am really starting to suspect something about those three guards since they first worked here. They are- may I say this in the most polite manner- a bit eccentric when I came here a couple of years ago."
So... the guy who's going to employ him is a bit over his head.
Awesome.
"Eh... I wouldn't say anything since I just came here," One glare from the other man and Larry decides that being silent is a good idea at the moment before managing to utter, "Soo... why are they hiring an extra night guard?"
"An extra night guard?" McPhee rolls his eyes, "In actuality, Mister Daley, those three are bound for retirement. Their ages are past what we were hoping for them to be at."
Larry blinks before frowning, "...wait, you're cutting them off?" He knows how it feels to be axed- too many times, in fact, "Can't you give them some other opportunities in the musem or something?"
The British curator glares at him, "Does it look like I'm the Fairy Godmother, who can just magically create more jobs out of the air?" Then he turns on his heels, muttering something about some people and how idiotically wistful they are. Larry rolls his eyes as he keeps going, his patience wearing thin by every sentence the curator complains about before reaching towards a double-open door.
"Any sort of advice?" Larry asks, making sure his needed items were ready.
"Well, here's one." McPhee deadpans, "Normally, I would wish you for the best of luck for this interview, but I have a feeling that I'd be dreading the day I would have to hand your uniform over, which normally would likely be the case. But in all seriousness, I'd wish you the best of luck. And try not to be dull-headed."
Larry calmly and mentally counts to ten, trying his best to restrain himself from developing a headache over the annoying curator, "Anything... else, I'd like to know, Doctor McPhee?"
"Just try not to do anything so stupid that I'd regret meeting you in the mornings," McPhee dryly responds before turning and walking back to the museum, just to turn a slight 180 when meeting with the visitors in the museum.
"Bite me," Larry grumbles out of earshot before mocking McPhee's last remark before slowly turning to the door, "'Try not to do anything so stupid...'. Just what the hell in the museum would I even do be considered as stupid out of all things?"
If it considers not having to deal with McPhee every single day (he wonders whoever married that man must've been a brave soul- there was a wedding ring on the man's finger), then Larry should be fine with it.
Letting out a silent (and dreading as to how this interview is going to go), Larry knocks on the door, hard enough to get anyone's attention from the other side. It doesn't take long for the eye slots to open, surprising Larry as he comes back to face with light blue eyes.
"...um, hi?" He was hesitant- who the heck is that guy?
"Cecil Fredericks," The eyes narrow, seeing Larry, "You don't look like you belong here."
"No..." Larry frowns, "But I am here for an interview for the night guard position. McPhee told me it'll be here?"
"Oh- for the night guard position!" Well, that must've cheered that man up as the eye slot closes. Then the door opens to reveal a white-haired tall man with the bluest of eyes. Larry can't help but note that for an old man, this guy is actually well-built.
"You must be Larry Daley," Cecil chuckles, outstretching his hand, "Let me reintroduce myself. Cecil Fredericks, night-guard. Nice to meet you."
For once, Larry can't help but grin, "Nice to meet you, Cecil."
Cecil Fredericks is an elderly man, yet he looks so active and robust; his white hair is neatly combed over, his body is a bit well built, and he looks like a person capable of taking whatever comes to him, despite his age and current looks.
Larry can see why he's a capable night guard.
"So," Cecil grins, "Tell me a few things about yourself."
"Well," Larry can't help but grin back, that man's an easy going person, "I'm around twenty-nine. I've been employed several times, but it's..." He trails off, wanting a more professional way of stating that he's been let go several times.
"Oh come on," Cecil rolls his eyes, gently patting Larry's shoulder, "Here's one thing you need to know about me. I'm not prone to wishy-washiness nor am I up for any sort of flowery language. Just say the truth about your situation."
"But I thought you're supposed to be a professional in an interview," Larry frowns, "...or are you just getting a bit tired of hearing people say that all day?"
"Eh, more of both," Cecil leans back in the wheely chair, "So, what's going on your life? That's what I really want to know."
The teacher can't help but draw in his breath before sighing, "So my resume's actually long- this is just a trimmed version- because I've been taking some jobs on the side. But they either kick me off because I'm not that they were hoping for... or that they thought I wasn't working out to their favor. To put it lightly. I do some business venture on the side, I'm a divorced dad, and I'm just someone who wants a stable job just to keep myself at hand."
Cecil chuckles, his eyes crinkling, "A dad, you say? At your age?"
"My ex-wife and I married at... a pretty young age," If nineteen was pretty young, Larry would probably consider himself as one of those who married 'too quick, too soon', "We divorced when I was around twenty-four."
"Ow, my sympathies," The older man sighs, "Well, we've been there at some point in life- your experience as a father might make a good person for the job though."
"Huh?"
The man shakes his head, a small smile appearing on his face.
"Hey, Cecil," That makes Larry slightly jump as the other man turns casually around to see two other men who were sitting at the couch, watching something on the television; one African-American and the other is a short man who has a grumpy look on his face, "Aren't you going to introduce us to him?"
"Yeah, that whippersnapper needs to get our attention!" The other man grunts.
The teacher stares at Cecil.
"Oh! The other two guys I work with," Cecil then pauses, "Reginald Fields."
"A pleasure," The African-American man salutes Larry, in which the teacher responds with a smile and a nod.
"...and Gus Harrison."
"Hey," Larry grins.
"Hmph, he looks like a lunch box."
Aaaand Cecil can't help but laugh as Larry's smile changes in an instant to a frown.
"Don't mind him," Cecil turns back to the teacher, "Gus's always like that."
Larry can't help but stare at the night guard he's supposed to replace, "...so you and you two," He cringed at the way one of them (the short, balding pudgy guard) was glaring at him, "...are the night guards of the museum."
"Well," Cecil beams, "We are." Then he pauses, "At least for the next few days before we're forced to retire. But if you are interested in taking this postion, then we're more than happy to help you prepare for the job, Larry."
The teacher can't help but wonder if he's making one of those horrendous mistake (next to the other ones he's made beginning from the last ten years of his life) signing on for the interview.
But at the same time, it seems fun. (At the time.)
"Your resume?"
"Oh," Larry hands over the stapled paper to the older man, who gingerly takes it before reading it over.
"So, you're... a self-made millionaire?" Cecil glances over at the resume before arching an eyebrow over the other jobs.
"Eh, not really," Larry shrugs, "Actually, I really don't consider myself as one. People see the things I've done for other businesses and think I'm successful from it. " That earns a look of surprise from the three elderly men, "I'm actually a teacher."
"A teacher?" Cecil blinks before looking at the first page. His eyes scan before slightly widening before chuckling, "Well, a high school teacher! Why I'll be..."
"A pug, like him?" Gus snorts and suddenly, Larry can't help but stare back at the other man with an incredulous look, "Yeah right! I took down John L. Sullivan nine times!"
"Gus," Reginald, the African-American guard, glares at his companion before shooting a slight apologetic grin at the teacher, "Sorry, Gus has this temper thing. And no, you didn't take him down nine times! You didn't even meet that guy!"
"Ha!"
"It's... okay, I guess," Larry grins back, hoping that the shorter man can just calm down and maybe he isn't a bad guy-
"Hmph, still a punk," Gus grumps.
Larry takes that back as his grin instantly snaps into a scowl.
Cecil just rolls his eyes in response before glancing back at Larry, "I'm sorry about that. It's just we knew the museum's been trying to sack us for a while and-"
"Those morons don't know what they're getting!"
"...and some of us aren't too happy about it," Cecil turns to glare at Gus, who just silences himself before grumbling something else that doesn't have any insult to any inhabitants in the room, "Sorry about that."
"It's okay," Larry really has nothing else to say except for the fact that while he's liking two of them (he can get along with Cecil and Reginald easily) one of them was just plain rude (much ruder than Larry was giving credit for), "I've gotten used to situations like that."
Egotistical and annoying teachers and ire parents are frightening when they want their dreams live through their children (that one parent who threatened to sue the school over a B in his child's test just took the cake for WTF-ery that goes on in the school). But nothing is as bad as... well, Gus, who Larry wonders if he has Tourette's Syndrome.
"But going back to your... interview," Cecil and Reginald glance at the resume again before the white-haired man grins, "You said you're a teacher?"
"I teach two classes to sophomores and juniors," Larry can't help but sigh, "The school board's been harsh on cutting classes recently. They said it was better to save on costs."
"Ow," Reginald winces, "What school do you teach?"
"The high school that's a couple of blocks from here," Larry shrugs, "I live around this area, so walking from there to work isn't that bad. But the reason why I had to do the interview at a later time was because of exams and reports. It's crunch time for us before we get our break."
"Ah, the toils of being a teacher," Cecil nods, "By any chance, say you are interested in taking this job- what're going to do about the teaching job?"
"Well..." Larry then pauses before sighing, "To be honest, the two classes I teach take place in the mornings. So it's actually not too bad of an issue. But for now, winter break's coming, so I think I have time to get used to the night guard position."
"Ah, so you want the job?" Cecil grins at Larry's slight enthusiasm, "Well, guess what? You got it!"
"I- say what?" The teacher blinks, a bit stunned to hear.
"You got it," Reginald smiles, "Congrats, boy."
"I-" Larry is stunned that despite that resume and his answers, he gets the job? "...really?"
"You want the job or not, snack shak?" Gus shoots a glare at Larry.
This time, Cecil, Reginald, and Larry stare at the third old man.
"...yeah, I want it," The teacher can't help but respond, knowing that if the teaching job falls through for the next year, he at least has a second one to fall on.
"Well, congrats," Cecil nods approvingly, "You got the job, Larry."
"Great!" Larry can't help but wonder if that was a little too simple of an interview (with that stupidly long resume and despite having one solid job- and when he does think about it, at that time, he had the right to be suspicious), but nevertheless, he has another job... at least, "So... when do I actually start?"
That makes Cecil grin a bit wider, "Well, seeing as how busy you were and you explained about the exams... what do you do say about tomorrow night? That way we can do our last rounds tonight before you take over?"
Tomorrow night... yeah, he can do that. He's obviously have to pick up Nick Saturday morning (which was fine by both of them). And he's done grading most of the exams and began his reports before the due date.
So... he's in relatively good shape.
"Sure," Larry nods, "Tomorrow night. I'll be here."
By the time Cecil sees the young man leave, his eyes shift from being a warming person to someone who has a part of something calculated in his head. He faces the other two men, who look at him in anticipation as if they are about to ask him something.
Then Cecil smirks, knowing pretty well the answer to it.
"Oh yes. He's the one."
"So, you finally took the job?"
If there's any consolation in this current conversation he's having with Erica right about now, it's that he's actually talking to her... and not to the three hellspawns he's called his students that practically shoved this job in his face.
Though her way of saying finally really didn't help.
"Yeah," Larry can't help but sigh, knowing that the other woman's relieved, " I secured it; it was surprising, seeing that nobody's gotten the job before I came in."
"Well, you did put in the effort to try something outside of your expertise."
It wasn't exactly the best time to point out he's taken the job at the Museum out of all places- the very same one that has sparked a high fuel of interest in history for Larry. But would Erica really understand that?
Perhaps not.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," The teacher deadpans in ire, "I think I could do a lot than where I was before."
He hears her sigh before mumbling something about not ruining his shot at a new job before murmuring, "Look. I'm sorry for saying that. It's just I wasn't... well, a security job?" Then she pauses, "Doesn't that require you to be an officer of some sorts?"
That was a bit unusual, but when he had asked McPhee and other employees about that after he got hired, all he got was "Just don't screw up."
Whatever the hell that means, Larry takes it as somewhat of an... actually, after he rereads the qualifications of the job, he can't help but smack his head over the fact that there really wasn't a requirement for an officer license (which actually begs the question- why did they hire him again?).
"I don't know, it really doesn't say for this one," The teacher can't help but look over the list again; he's actually surprised that despite his impressive track record, Cecil hires him on the spot. While he's pretty happy about that, it's also nagging him that they would want him on the job the next day in such a quick time.
Something's up and for some reason, Larry doesn't like it.
"But regardless," Larry sets the paper down, shoving that thought for another time, "I'm starting tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have a clear idea as to what I'm supposed to do."
"I'll let Nick know, in case he asks," Erica muses, "Oh, and Don says hi."
"Tell him I said hi and... don't worry about Nicky, I'll let him know," The teacher can't help but wonder how his son will react; maybe with a bit of disappointment? The fact this is taking place in the night was one thing he knows his son will not like.
"Hmm... I'll leave you to it to tell Nick." And then this time, "Oh... and Larry?"
"Yeah?"
"Good luck." And for once, Larry can't help but smile back- despite her being his ex-wife, Erica's still his good friend. That's the one other good thing that came out from the divorce.
At least the next day there wasn't a boot on the tires of his car.
But knowing how close his home was the museum (it was within walking distance, he realized), Larry can just walk over there and be fine with it; it'll take a couple of minutes due to the traffic lights, but he can deal with it.
Earlier, though, he had to finish grading a few more exams before finalizing the reports for the school board to review at the school, so that ate up most of his mornings before going on his lunch- which was actually something the school gladly provided for the teachers who actually came to the school and took their times to finish their necessities before closing for break.
And by the time he left the school, it was around three and he has to make his way to his apartment and drop the stuff off before heading out for the museum.
By the time he's there, most of the observers were leaving the museum; Cecil must've been waiting for him, looking at the T-Rex skeleton wistfully.
"Hey," Larry walks up to Cecil, "Going to miss some of the things you've been guarding?"
"Hmm, yeah, just thinking... about a couple of things," The older man admits before chuckling, "So, ready for tonight, Larry?"
"Eh, yeah..." He stretches his arms, causing Cecil to chuckle, "Just got out from the school, grading and what not... not too long ago."
"So it has been a long day, I'll be easy on the tour." The older man grins as he motions Larry, "So, the basics of the exhibits; there are a couple of floors in the museum, the second floor is the main entrance. The exhibits are the ones you need to watch out for- I'll show you the more important ones to look out for." Then he pauses, "Though you should stop by the security desk for your clothing so they'd get your things ready for it."
"Oh-" Larry blinks before sighing, "...ah. Uniform."
Cecil nods, "I'll meet you at the Natives area."
It didn't take Larry long to give his measurements to the person handling his uniform- they told him to come back after thirty minutes to get his information so they can register him in.
That time he thinks it'll be a good idea to take the tour with Cecil.
...speaking of-
"...Cecil?"
He's at the Natives' exhibit and he's been waiting for five minutes for Cecil to show up.
And now it's about to borderline to seven and for Larry, he's too used to tardiness for his students that he's not patient for anything being late.
Where is Cecil?
Larry blinks before looking around in confusion, not noticing one of the natives with the huge masks walking up to him. Letting out a huff, the young man turns around and screams when he sees the native slightly dancing, shouting "Boo!"
"Gnahh!" Larry jumps a bit back before the native shakes in laughter, removing the large mask before revealing Cecil, "Seriously!? God you scared me!"
"And a pretty good one at that," The older man grins before clearing his throat, gently placing the items on the exhibit, "Jokes and everything else aside, lemme give you the tour around this floor. The museum's going to close in a few minutes and I don't think most people would like it if I stuck around."
By that, Larry can't help but wonder if that meant McPhee.
He's shown Larry a more detailed version of the security room- there was a television, the desks for him to place anything electronically for charging, the couch which actually is more comfortable than it looks (it's a pullout) lockers, and the items and forms needed in case things do get missing or stolen or... any incident happening.
Then the floors- he shows him via elevator.
There was a basement floor along with an upstairs (for other floors) and the main floor. What Cecil was showing him was the floor with the mammals- for some reason, there was that nostalgia look on his face again.
When they hit one of the floors, Larry frowns, letting a gulp escape him as soon as he sees how real-like the lions look.
"Oh, don't let them go near you," Cecil warns Larry, "Despite what you think, they are a bit more vicious then you think."
"...really," The teacher frowns, "I don't see them moving anytime soon."
"You'll see," The night-guard shrugs before walking over to the other side of the exhibit, "Down there's the other few mammals exhibit- (Larry thinks about this later and realizes that Cecil is actually mentioning this to him as some cautionary thing about some of these exhibits) -and across from there are the other exhibits before you reach the diorama room with the miniature figures."
"Ah," Larry recalls looking at those and admiring at how small they were, "Oh yeah, those. Those were cute."
He decided that earlier on, he's keep the information that he's taught history from Cecil and his men; and that this museum could be a certain area in his expertise.
"And this," Cecil stops in front of the capuchin exhibit, "This... is the area for the capuchin."
"...isn't that a small monkey?" Larry can't help but mutter as he looks up to see the white and black haired monkey reaching for a tree, "Huh. Okay. He looks adorable."
"Oh, he is... he's also a ball of fun. Aren't you something, Dexter..." Cecil murmurs, a bit of nostalgia in his voice as he gazes at the trees where the stuffed capuchin stands.
"...Dexter?" Larry can't help but mouth to himself, confused before shaking his head, wondering if something really is wrong with Cecil before seeing the older man walking towards another exhibit, Larry following him behind.
Who the hell is Dexter?
The last few walks around the museum that Larry has walked though (pretty much a couple of times in his life- though he doesn't tell Cecil since he's gotten a bad feeling about that night guard already) with Cecil was just a brief tour of the museum, along with where the facilities were, along with the janitor's closet, the break room, various other important areas that were actually necessary for Larry to know.
That is, before he was given his crisp new uniform (fitted to his size, which Larry can't help but admit was a bit too snug after wearing it), the maglite, the ring of keys (there are far too many yet they are coded with tape around it), a walkie-talkie (which Cecil points out is going to be pretty much useless in the line of work he's about to do), and his ID badge along with another card to swipe at the more secure areas.
As Larry was placing his clothing in his assigned locker, he can't help but spy a worn-out black notebook that's sitting at the top shelf of his locker. He knows the three men were waiting at the lobby of the museum near the entrance, so Larry just pockets the notebook to look at it later and try to find the owner.
When he does meet Cecil, Gus, and Reginald, the two were already outside; Reginald indicated where Cecil is (the other man just glares and grumps at Larry); it was just Cecil waiting for him inside the main lobby.
"So are you all set?" Cecil grins, seeing how Larry nods, "Good. Just make sure everything stays the way they are in the museum."
"Yeah, I just hope nothing happens on my first night," The teacher then pauses to glance at the shaking (with laughter) night guard, who is chuckling, "...what?"
"Oh, you say that now..." The older guard smirks before looking up, "But before we get to the more important areas and handing your materials from us to you, I'd like you to meet Rexy."
"...Rexy," Larry looks up to see where Cecil was pointing at; he can't help but see the dinosaur skeleton. "...you named the skeleton?"
"It's what he goes by," Cecil chuckles before seeing Larry staring at him with a confusing look, "Ah, you will see later on why."
Again with that.
"So," Cecil nods to Larry as they turn towards the exit where Gus and Reginald are waiting for their fellow guard, "You got everything?"
"Keys, torch, ID, codes, map, locations to everything- yeah, I think I'm set," Larry nods, a reassuring smile to them, "Anything else?"
"Ah, we left a few things for you to look at," Reginald nods, "But you might want to utilize them- they're going to be useful."
The teacher is slightly confused at this, "Okay...?"
"And make sure to keep the lights on, it's going to be a pretty bad idea to turn some lights off," Cecil cautions him.
That, Larry understands completely, "I know," Larry nods, "To prevent anything happening in the dark. I got it covered."
That earns a confusing look from the three men.
"Are you cracking wise stuff? I ought to punch you in the nose, hopscotch-" Gus cracks his knuckles, causing Larry to realize this man's a freaking fighter-
"Gus..." Cecil warns him, causing the other man to silence himself before grumbling at how 'wise' Larry is being.
"Well, make sure you gets all of the jobs done quick," Reginald nods as he and Gus exits the door.
"...well, if the job involves me watching and making my rounds, then I should be good," Larry shrugs to himself as he walks Cecil out to the door, "Okay, now I'm ready."
"Good lu- one last thing to remember, Larry," Cecil's face looks serious as Larry glances at the older man, waiting to hear his last advice before shutting the doors for the night, "Don't let anything in... or out."
"Don't let anything in or out?" Larry echoes the advice to himself in the locked museum in confusion.
It has been an hour after the three men left and the museum was locked- every door (and window) were sealed shut. It leaves Larry with his stuff (which was in his locker- he doesn't even bother taking it out... it was just reading material in case he wants to pass his time) along with the old notebook that he just happened to find in the desk (He looks into the first page and realizes it belongs to someone with the name Fredericks on it- could it be Cecil's? He makes a mental note to ask the older guard about it tomorrow... if he sees him, that is. For now, it's another reading material for Larry).
But for now, he's left the lights on (all of it- there's just no question about it). And then there's that advice that bothers the ever living hell out of him.
Larry knows about constructing rules- he's a teacher for crying out loud. He's had to make some of them bend for his students or reinforce some of them just to make sure they behave (they do... with hilarious result that makes Larry either elated or wants to wants to smack his head, thanking or cursing whatever deity have stuck him with the students in his classes). Which is why he's looking over the manual (about the exhibits and how to clean them) the former guards have prepared- and they are absolutely ridiculous to the point Larry has to question if these guards were even sane to begin with.
"I don't get it," He mutters before looking down at his desk and sees a letter addressed to him; the note reads READ- IMPORTANT.
"Um..." He blinks before taking the envelope and opens it to reveal a pretty old paper, handwritten (most likely worn from time) before sitting down and slouching back, reading the list since he has nothing better to do. There's only five things on there, so... it shouldn't be that bad, right?
"Number one, Throw the bone," The teacher grumbles to himself, scanning to the rest of the list, "Two, Lock up the lions or they will eat you...? Okay..." He arches an eyebrow, keep going to the list, "Three, double-check your belt; the... monkey probably stole your keys?"
He sits up, staring at the list before reading the last two items on the list.
"Four... the horses are attached to the stage coach." He blinks before frowning, "...really? Since when do we have horses in the museum? And five, last but not least... Go to the Tomb of Ahkmenrah and muffle the mummy," His eyes narrow, this one making the least amount of sense out of all things, "He scares the others- Okay, what the hell is up with this list!? This is just insane!"
It's official. Cecil, Gus, and Reginald are crazy old coots who have absolutely nothing better to do except to try and pass the time by making these rules, instructions, or whatever asinine bullet points they are. And then they give this to him, trying to do the following and haze the teacher at the first night on the job by giving him that list.
Larry just wants to smack himself; whatever purpose that stupid note serves, it's complete BS to him. He frowns when he doesn't see the trashcan in the are; the sky's still pretty bright- what time was it again? He just pockets the paper in case he needs to reread it.
"Oh right," Larry mutters, looking at his cellphone, "It's around five-thirty."
Maybe he should look around the museum just so he can get used to his surroundings.
When he reaches to the main lobby, he shudders at the sight of the T-Rex dinosaur skeleton looming before the main desk; the wax statue of Theodore Roosevelt with his sword drawn out and on a horse pretty much says a lot about the president (and for once, when Larry looks back on it, he's actually pretty relieved about listening though American History aside teaching it).
Walking further into the first floor of the museum (after walking down the stairs), he sees the various exhibits that were standing still; the Natives, forests, ocean hall, mammals, and the theaters were in tact. Second floor (the main one, thank God) were more mammals (he shudders at seeing the lions standing at the savannah exhibit earlier); birds, peoples from all over the world from America to Asia were there (along with a couple miniature dioramas out of all things which Larry thought was pretty impressive); the Civil War exhibit was not too bad (despite the faceless men and the glaring uniform differences) along with the Neanderthals.
Entering into the last part of the area he walks into (the Egyptian one, out of all places), he stops, seeing a large slab of stone sitting on top of a glass exhibit of a sarcophagus.
Larry's been on some fair shares of history trips while he was in college and he was fortunate at the time to travel throughout some important museums in Washington DC, Atlanta, other parts of New York aside the ones he's familiar with, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Spain, France, and Italy (though for finances, his professors have actually been delighted at the first chance to travel and deliver lectures for their students, which Larry thought was a pretty big deal then). And he knows that in other exhibits that present mummies and anything with a sarcophagus, there shouldn't be anything that blocks the top of the glass case.
"Are you serious?" The teacher mutters to himself before mustering enough strength and lunges to push the large stone slab away before it falls with a thud on the ground. Looking at the actual coffin, Larry can't help but be entranced at seeing the intricate markings. After looking around to make sure there are no cameras watching, he unlocks the pin to the glass case and opens the door (gently), and manages to lean over to the artifact before carefully placing his hand on the funerary coffin, slowly tracing the signs that are painted and carved on the golden funerary coffin.
Something about it makes Larry want to learn about it more- to try and decipher the enigma behind the sarcophagus.
"Wow..." He softly admires to himself, "Why would anyone even try to place something like... that," He glances back at the heavy stone, "-over something like this? That... shouldn't even be there. Glad I got that out of the way so people can see."
Then he sighs, shutting the glass door back in the case but didn't put the pins back in, "Maybe I shouldn't touch it. But..." He frowns before shaking his head, looking at the stone slab again, "No. Uh uh. I don't even want to lift that stupid slab. That was way too heavy."
Then he sighs, glancing back down before muttering, "Glad I got you free from that; it must've been heavy." He gives a thin smile, seriously doubting that anyone would even care that he did that.
He walks away from the exhibit, pocketing the pins as he makes his way back to the lobby.
By the time he reaches over at the security desk at the first floor, he sees that the sun is beginning to set, which is shining brilliantly before him as he takes the seat on the desk.
Grimacing at the sun's rays, Larry can't help but grimace as he takes his seat and begins to scribble his to-do list for the next couple of hours he's going to be here. But by the time he's got the fourth part of the list (Make at least three rounds at museum), Larry is beginning to feel sleepy- not only as the result of a slight all-nighter he pulled just to get the rest of the exams graded and input the final grades in, but also from preparing for this shift... and from the beginnings of a coffee crash.
He looks around before yawning, taking off his jacket and making it into a small bundle before placing his head and arms around it.
Maybe... a small fifteen minute nap wouldn't hurt.
By the time said fifteen minutes pass, Larry was lightly breathing- sleeping from the events that overwhelmed him.
At that time, sunset has passed and night begins to blanket the skies of New York...
-00000-
A smack to the ground wakes him up.
Larry grimaces, now feeling what some of his sleeping students feel when he stands in front of them and slightly bonk their heads with his book, grabbing their attention.
...only this book being heavier and much more painful than the last; along with him crash-landing on the ground.
"Owwww..." he groans, trying to sit up as he realizes he's probably dozed off a bit longer than he's given credit for before seeing that his seat has managed to slip off- it was one of those rolling seats, "Okay, that hurts." He manages to get up and stretch his muscles before looking at the slight... mess (it's just a few sheets of paper along with the one he's managed to scribble on, nothing more) on the front desk.
So, would he be blamed if he realizes how tired he was and just dozed off?
...probably.
"Guess..." He checks the time- five to eleven, which makes his eyes slightly widen at the wide gap of time- before bending his neck to try, popping a few bones along the way, "...argh, time to see if anyone's done anything to the museum."
If there's actually anything happening to it, in reality.
It wasn't until after a few tunes he's managed to memorize and whistle just for the sake of having any noise (while whirling the maglite in his right hand, the keys secure on his belt- he's been swiped a few times by some students which did make Larry really happy about learning a few things in terms of having a retractable keychain attached to it) that Larry finally decides to check further into the museum- or rather, the main lobby (where he knows a huge dino skeleton resides).
Then he'll make his rounds the entire three floors of the museum, just to be sure.
So, in a way, this job's actually... pretty easy. Just walk around, make sure everything's set in place, and then go back and just maybe sleep off for a few hours.
"I could get used to this," Larry quietly muses before returning to his whistling (it was a song one of his students was blaring from his mp3 player- he can't help but admit hearing Earth, Wind and Fire really was... catchy) before glancing quickly over to the main lobby, mentally checking it as 'fine' as he moves on, knowing that those two large exhibits were there, sitting on their pedestals.
Where as in reality, that's what he thought since instead of two exhibits, there stood absolutely nothing (two gaps to be more precise) on their stands.
It wasn't until a couple steps in that Larry's whistling trails off as it occurs to him that he's actually misses something back there.
"...wait," He mutters to himself before swiftly turning on his heels, quickly backtracking to the main lobby to that area where he had just looked. A second look made the Larry pale as he realizes in an instant that something was wrong. A feeling of dread replaces the teacher as he realizes three things that heshould've caught moments ago.
One: The T-Rex skeleton is not there.
Two: So is the wax statue of Theodore Roosevelt on the horse.
Three: It's actually eleven at night. Which means about seven more hours to go until daylight.
"...I'm screwed." Larry wants to bash his head against the wall, but he can't (since he's practically stuck in this area and really doesn't want a terrible impression by making a hole in the wall in the shape of his head).
Was this what McPhee meant when he didn't want Larry to do anything stupid? Because he's pretty sure the curator hasn't gotten into this...
...would it be terrible to state how extremely bad this predicament is?
For once in his life as a teacher and now night-guard, Larry would much prefer teaching a class of hooligans for a day than... having missing exhibits.
Seething over that already a few hours in and it's looking horrendous for his job on his first night alone, Larry manages to muster up enough courage to at least try and attempt to look for two huge missing exhibits.
"...still can't believe I'm actually doing this just to cover whatever's going on with my job," The night guard grumbles under his breath, mentally hoping (to God) that it was just something he's overlooked or that the museum (or Cecil and those other two- Gus and Reginald) hasn't told him about.
Or it could be those three guards who are playing a prank on him.
He decides to look for those two exhibits, in any case they're walking around the museum ("As if those things can walk," Larry grumbles to himself, "Dinosaurs are extinct, Theodore Roosevelt's actually dead...") as he marches down one of the very few desolate halls of the museum.
Now the teacher-turned-night guard wants to call one of those night guards and demand him to ask what to do.
But, recalling that the three old men have a retirement party to go to (Cecil told him earlier while they were touring around one of the floors- not the one with the animals), he honestly thinks that him calling Cecil, Gus, or Reginald would just be a sign of rudeness.
After all, despite him being a pretty young adult (well, in accordance to most of the people that stare at him in surprise as Larry sheepishly explains he's a teacher who has taught for six years in high school since he was twenty-three), he knows the meaning of respect your elders (compared to some idiotic students he's taught...) and knowing when not to pry into peoples' business (Which reminds him- Larry makes a mental note to have a talk with those three students who have set him up for this).
Instead, Larry just decides to make another round for the hallway for one last round to see if he can try and find either one of them, "Searched the hallways couple of times, I'm pretty sure a freaking huge T-Rex skeleton wouldn't be caught running around in the museum..." He lets out a sigh to try and calm himself down from a rising panic before walking slow, "And whoever's decided to steal that said T-Rex must've been either bored of just greedy for some fame."
He knows that the museum would rather be dead then having one of them try some publicity prank with the theft of a huge fossil. Besides, aren't they supposed to be frigging heavy!?
Larry grimaces before heaving out a sigh, feeling a bit parched, "...where's the water fountain?"
Maybe he should've also grabbed the water bottle that's sitting on the desk.
Sighing, he turns back around, recalling that he did pass through a water fountain a couple of minutes ago (while he was fuming and trying not to panic). Maybe something cold would help him calm down. But then again, it seriously doesn't help about how cold it's about to get- this is New York where things can go to high hell from several feet of ice and snow.
(Though he really can't say much for the Southern states or anywhere else that has no experience in dealing with snow- the fact that they freak out over an inch of ice was just sad and hilarious to him since he's been in New York in most parts of his life.)
He was nearing the hallway with the water fountain when he pauses, swearing when he hears a trickle coming from that hallway-
-oh God. Did the water fountain leak?
Great, another thing to add to 'things-that-could-fuck-up-his-night' list.
"...At least I know how to fix a leak, but from a water fountain?" Larry groans as he walks (a bit more rapidly to try and prevent a water spot on the first floor of the museum) towards that area, "That's it. I'm going to call Cecil and ask how to fix the fountain. Then I'm going back to search for those two."
The fact he's also seeing something in front of the fountain made him even more ire. Grimacing and barely making out the figure (along with that slightly creepy rattling sound like wooden wind chimes) that's blocking the fountain, Larry turns on his maglite to at least tell the intruder to go away-
He stops, finally seeing what is causing that fountain to make that trickling noise... before paling, seeing what he was hoping to God he was imagining (he wasn't as soon as he pinches himself).
It was that Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton- Rexy, as Cecil called it much earlier- all in its fossil-like glory (cleaned, brushed, and carefully preserved).
It was alive, breathing, and drinking out of the freaking water fountain like it has no care in the world.
Larry, on the other hand, is frozen, obviously horrified, and hoping to God he's in a really terrible dream or that his head's causing him to see things that really shouldn't be there. The teacher can't help but take a quiet step back, another one, and then-
-trips on his own two feet, forcing him to utter a yelp before falling on the ground for the second time tonight.
"Owwww..." Larry winces before hearing bones clacking against each other. Then he looks up and instantly regrets meeting face to face with an actual T-Rex skeleton, who is clearly keen on observing the new night guard, as if it's either a foreign object that just crash-landed into its territory-
"...oh hell." He can't help but mutter to himself when he sees a slight smirk on the skeleton.
-or new prey.
-00000-
TBC
So, already... see some differences?
Preview of next chapter:
"Holy..." Larry can't help but gawk in awe as he looks around at the newly reinvigorated museum. He then glances over to the other man, who just grins at how amazed the night guard is, "...oh my God. I'm not dreaming this, right?"
A hearty laugh before he can feel a clamp on his right shoulder; it was coming from the other man, "You aren't. Welcome... to the Museum of Natural History, my boy." Then with that smile there, he holds out his hand to Larry, "Theodore Roosevelt, Twenty-Sixth President of the United States of America. Former historian, soldier, and explorer, at your service."