Nuisance: Short Stories

Nuisance - Part 15

"Hey," Haylee called from the open doorway, "you almost finished?"
"Not yet," Princey sighed, hunched over a half-full box. "All this-" he gestured to the messy room "-still needs to be packed."
"Yikes. You'd think two people would've been enough to clear it out."
"Hey!" Fern called out from somewhere further inside. "I'm trying! It's not my fault this room is a bottomless pit!"
"Fern? Where the hell are you?"
"Down here!"
Haylee stepped into the room and tried to follow the sound of Fern's voice, Princey following behind her. They struggled to find their friend in the labyrinth of boxes, but eventually spotted Fern's head behind a smaller pile. They stood on their tiptoes to look over the edge and found him playing with a small pile of Legos. Princey raised an eyebrow.
"Really Fern? You're supposed to be helping me pack."
"My bad, I got sidetracked. But look! I found Legos!"
"We can see that," Haylee said. "C'mon, put them in your pocket or something and help us finish up."
They gave a small pout. "Ok."
He reluctantly tucked the Legos away in his pockets and got up to help them finish packing, for today was moving day. Half the group, including Fern, was moving down to Earth, while the other half would be staying behind to keep an eye on things. The other people leaving were Princey, Haylee, and Bri.
This would be the groups first time apart in centuries, but they'd all agreed more space had become necessary. Haylee had been able to find decent apartments for them in the same building and compelled the landlord not to charge them rent.
The perks of being Satan.
"All right," Haylee sighed, "I think that's pretty much everything." She taped up the last box and gave the room a quick look over. Hands on her hips, she decided it was satisfactory.
"That's it then," Princey said. "Now to get everything to our apartments."
With a snap of her fingers, the boxes vanished, leaving Haylee and her friends in an empty, dark green room. They stood there in silence for some time, really taking it all in. They would no longer be living in the Realms or seeing their friends every day for some time. It was the end of an era, and a really good one at that.
Princey was first to break the silence.
"I'm gonna miss this place," he said. "Lotta good memories here."
"Yeah," Fern added quietly. "Remember that time Gema and Tiff made a mess in the kitchen with glitter? Took us weeks to clean that up."
Haylee laughed. "Oh my God, or that time we had a water gun fight? Bri really thought she did something with that holy water."
"Oh, oh, the fair!" Princey shouted. "I remember Fern got lost in the Hall of Mirrors and it took us hours to find them."
"Ehehehe."
Haylee shook her head and smiled. "Yeah, we had some really good times here. I just hope we'll still have them on Earth."
"Me too."
"Me three."
Suddenly, Bri came barreling into the room. They watched as she took a minute to catch her breath.
"You guys done yet?" she said, panting. "I'm like itching to go already."
"Yeah, we're done. C'mon, let's go say bye to the others before you pass out," Princey teased.
He led her back out of the room with Fern, but Haylee stayed behind.
"You guys go ahead. I'll finish up here."
"Ok, see you in a bit."
The sound of their footsteps gradually faded as they walked further away, leaving Haylee alone in the empty hallway. She turned back to the room and smiled fondly as the memories flooded her brain. It seemed so strange to be leaving it all behind, but she knew it wouldn't be forever. Eventually they'd come back; they always did.
Finally, she flipped the light switch, covering the room in darkness. And then she closed the door.