Torren's Magic Palace

Chapter Five: Do-ri-tos.

Chapter 5

I sighed and grabbed my coat off of the rack before exiting my apartment. Last night seemed almost like a dream. A weird, tricked out, similar to an acid trip dream. Or at least what I assumed an acid trip would be like. I threw my coat over my shoulder and stared up into the sky as I strolled across the parking lot to where I had parked my car. The sun was low in the sky, but had not quite set yet.

"What the-!" I exclaimed as I felt my knee slam into something when I wasn't paying attention. It wasn't so much the pain that made me yell out loud, but the shock of it. I looked down to see whatever it was that I had walked into, but could only stand there with my mouth gaping open. Nothing was there. Absolutely nothing. I glanced around nonchalantly, trying not to make a scene in the middle of the parking lot. I wanted to at least pretend my life was normal while in the apartment complex, but life apparently wanted me to look like a fool even when I wasn't at work. I could care less about not knowing something that happened in some mystical fairy court where pacifist kitty ghosts dance and make merry, but walking was something I thought I had at least mastered after about ninteen years of it. What happened to practice makes perfect?

I shook my head and cotinued onto my car, this time keeping careful watch of my feet. I really needed to invest in new shoes if I would have to start staring at them all the time. I pushed a stray brown hair that had escaped my ponytail back behind my ear and flopped into my claustrophobic car. The engined whined slightly as I turned the key, but begrudgingly sputtered to a start.

"Weird," I whispered as I patted the steering wheel and pulled out of the parking lot. This was a new car and I never had problems like this with it before. I fiddled with the stereo, even though I hardly had enough time to listen to more than two songs before I got to work. I popped in one of my mix CD's and skipped to track four; Me Muerto. I had memorized every note, every lyric, and was doing as much of a dance as I could without crashing my car, not even caring that my windows were not the slightest bit tinted.

Just as the song was hitting the second chorus, I saw a large dark creature, about the size of a dog sprinted out in front of my car. Instinctively, I swerved out of the way of hitting whatever the animal was, and ended up slightly off the road with my back and still in the shoulder of the road. For some reason, I couldn't let go of the wheel for a few moments, and just sat there as if I were trying to drive without using the pedals.

"What the hell was that?" I yelled, throwing up my hands angrily. I tried to start my car back up, but it only whined pathetically and refused to start. I slammed my face onto the steering wheel and groaned. Life hated me today. I guess I could walk to work and get someone to help me out at the general store across the street. I don't think Chester drives, and small children aren't allowed to drive, so I doubt I'll find any help at the shoppe. I kicked open my door and began to trek the next two blocks over to the store, muttering angrily to myself as I went. So much for pretending to be normal.

Instead of turning into Torren's parking lot, I decided I didn't want to leave my car on the side of the street the entire night, and headed up to the general store instead. I had to lift up my arms to sheild my eyes from being burned by the bright lights of the store. I was so used to the candle lighting in Torren's that I wasn't used to the flourescent lights anymore. Now that I was here, I had no idea how, or better yet who, I was going to ask help me get my car off of the middle of the street. I sighed and strolled around the store for a while, analyzing each person I passed and trying to find someone who looked least like a serial killer.

"Era?" called a suprised voice behind me. I was just as suprised to see who it was. It was the blonde boy from last night. I stared at him incredulously. What is an incubus doing in the middle of a general store? And... doesn't he know what a cart is? His arms were filled with random chip bags and other various junk food. I'm pretty sure that if I tried to pull the wrong one out, all of his goodies would go crashing to the floor, kinda like an unhealthy version of that game Jenga.