Lost In Time

Just Another Day

I woke up the next day, thankful that I got a full night's sleep with no interruptions or rifts. I was sore, weariness set deep into my bones. I laid there, staring at the freckles on my spotted ceiling until my alarm went off. Today was Friday, and I had work today. It was the only reason I seemed to get up nowadays. I took a quick shower, going through the motions of my routine like I did every day, until I was staring at the reflection of the person everyone saw as a Defect. The same brown eyes and thin wire glasses that I hated were the only things keeping me and my secrets safe. I grabbed my bag and the dirty dish from last night's dinner and went downstairs. I was dressed in an Assassin's Creed: Unity T shirt, faded out grey jeans with a fraying tear on the left thigh, and black and white Nike sneakers. My brown locks were pulled up into a messy bun. Paired with my geeky glasses, it was a rather convincing picture. All in all, I looked like a school nerd ready for a day of reading at the library, instead of my real task for the day, which was cleaning up and dusting the Vault with my co-worker, elderly Rosalinda, who was a kind old witch with an affinity for the wind and who was a mean cleaning machine.

Ready for the day, I hopped quickly down the stairs, stopping by the kitchen at my grandmother's steely-eyed stare, and I meekly poked my head through the doorway. She was making egg omelets for breakfast, and she was humming merrily under her breath while she stirred and tended to the frying pan. My mother and Trevor were up and about. I didn't know exactly what Trevor did, but he was some sort of executive down on Wall Street, and today he was all dressed up in a spiffy grey suit that complimented his tan features. My mother was in her bathrobe, sharing a cup of coffee with him before he left for the day. My eyes once again landed on my grandmother at her curt throat-clearing, and I was pleasantly surprised at the brown paper bag she held out for me. I took it gently and examined the contents that had heat seeping from the bag. It was a breakfast sandwich, freshly made.

"Uh, thanks...Gran." I had to change my tone of voice at the end, because I was still trying to figure out what to call her without making it sound like a question. I had only met her a year before, when I had first moved here. We didn't really hang out much. She nodded down at the pan, once again merrily humming. I took that as my queue to leave, and I took it, with a renewed fervor in my step. Happily I ate the gooey egg-filled, cheesy goodness, that had just the right amount of crispy bacon and melting cheese, paired with a toasted ciabatta bun. I finished it just before I entered the madness that was the crowds surrounding the elevators, but I had a smile on my face today, so the wait didn't seem nearly as long as it was. Maybe things were looking up.

I still had the smile on my face when I walked into the office ten minutes later, three minutes shy of seven a.m. Rosa looked up from her morning cup of Earl Grey tea, and smiled warmly at me.

"Good morning dearie! Are you ready to fix the mess the boys always seem to leave for us to fix today?" She accompanied me into my office, sitting primly in one of the chairs as I took off my glasses and contacts.

"Uh yeah, just let me figure out what needs to be catalogued and stuff." As I said this I turned around and booted up my computer, and grabbed the papers that were waiting for me in my tray, courtesy of Simon no doubt. "Where was everyone yesterday? I was the only one here for a good while."

Rosa's eyes gleamed with happiness. "Well, I don't know where the others were, but I took the day off. My beloved Andre and I celebrated yesterday. My retirement papers came in. In one year, I will be a retired woman, happily bathing in the glowing rays of the Caribbean, drinking mimosas on the beach!" She let out a happy sigh, then did a butt wiggle in the chair. I grinned at her, happy for her and her success.

"You had better send me pictures, and lots of souvenirs if you are gonna leave me with all of these boys!" I paused, sadness seeping through me, but I hid it for her sake. I would miss her. "Oh, what will I EVER do without you!?" I rolled my eyes and grinned at her, now examining the papers in my hands. Something was off...maybe Simon had forgotten to give the rest to me. Eh, I'll get to it later.