Contraptions

Chapter 9- New Beginnings

Connor

I rolled around on the small mattress, picking at my sleeves and covering myself with the thin blanket. The smell of this place makes it hard to have a peaceful night's rest. 

I toss and turn, trying to convince myself this whole day was a dream. I look across from me and see Lilah and Blaire sleeping next to each other huddling up with their blankets and breathing heavily, Blaire slightly snoring. 

It was ironic that Blaire was always pestering me about my snoring, yet here she is, snoring away. If my phones wasn't dead, I would take a video and show it to her in the morning. 

I glance around, realizing this guck filled sewer might be my new home. Or at least, that is what I'm told. I can't let myself think that way, though. Gotta stay strong and positive. 

 I get up out of bed to distract my racing thoughts, I walk over to the fire and sit in one of the chairs, throwing more wood into it and rubbing sticks together to try and start a bigger spark, for the fire is dying down. 

I brush them against each other fast, but nothing happens except for a few pieces of shredded wood falling by my feet. 

"That's not how you do it." A defying voice speaks from behind me. It sounded feminine, I turned around and saw a girl, maybe around my age, standing with her hands on her hips, weight shifted to her left side. 

She wears her hair in a high ponytail, it is really dark brown or black, I can't tell. She had wide brown eyes, wearing ripped jeans and a black sweater, with some sort of logo on it. She looked defiant, confident. 

I stare at her blankly as she approaches me and takes the sticks from my hand. She takes something out of her pocket, a match. She lights the match on a piece of wood and it is engulfed in flames, she then adds it to the pile and slightly blows it, causing the fire to rise and glow with orange and yellow hue. 

I stare at the flames, as she dusts off her hands and crosses her arms. "Found this on the floor in own of the tunnels. Just because we live in the sewers doesn't mean we know how to use basic tools." She smirks and stares at me.

 When I look back at her in the eye, she loses her train of thought for a moment and stumbles. She slowly shakes her head and starts back to her own tunnel where she once appeared.

 I yell at her and say, "Wait! Thanks for helping, uh, I didn't catch your name". She stops and turns her body to face me slowly.

"Madison Lawnport." Then she turns back and runs down the tunnel into the darkness. 

That was odd, but that name sounds so familiar. Where have I heard it before?

Blaire

I had a rough night's sleep. Nightmares about my family, my sister, my mom. The ground was rough and wet, and we used our mattresses as our pillows. Not to mention all the snoring and fussing around. It was probably Connor again. 

When I awake, a little bit of light peers through the tunnel entrance, but the lamps and fire make up most of the brightness. I stretch my arms up and yawn, still in my night clothes from the comfort of my own home. 

I see Lilah and Connor's beds are empty, their blankets crumpled and their beds moved a bit from where I saw them last. I hear Lilah and Connors voices around the bend, I rub my eyes softly, take a deep breath, and stand to walk towards them.

 As I walk closer, the voices grow louder, the echo ringing it my ears as their voices bounce off the walls. I clear the corner, seeing John, Rob, Connor and Lilah sitting by the fire, eating some crisp bacon that smelled delicious.