She's Just a Human | Transformers

51: Two Degrees of Separation

I look down at the now new steps that lead you to the building's door. They used to be concrete steps. Now they're painted white.
I look up at the transparent doors.
The glass is thicker now and the metal edges are now black. They used to be brown.

I pull one door open and slowly step inside, looking around, nostalgic and melancholic. Things are so different now.
I look to the front and find a big new marble desk where the security guy sits behind.
But he's not just the 'security guy'.

"How can I help you, young lady?" He asks, his black eyes looking up at me. I stare at him for a moment. Strains of white start to appear on his greyish-brown hair and on his moustache. Tiredness and experience can be seen in his look.

"Phillip...?" An edge in my voice is heard as I speak. He nods.

"How can I help you?"

"I...I'm Caelyn Dallas, I... I used to live here" I softly say. "I used to... Bake you cookies every Christmas" I smile with pressed lips and watery eyes. "I used to high five you every time I got back from school... And sometimes I even helped you repair something..." I chuckle a bit. "I'm Ryan Dallas' daughter..."

"Rya..-?" he stops and his eyes narrow. "Little Caelyn...?" Now, his eyes widen and a smile appears on his now old face. His eyes sparkle.

"Hi"

He stands up and walks to me, standing right before me, smiling.

"Look at you" he says. "Look how much you've grown, but what happened to you?!" He looks at the scratch on my face, my split lip, my purple nose and my bandaged hand...
I chuckle and look down at myself, swallowing the pain that laughing gives me.
"You look so different now..." He places his hands on my shoulders and his smile fades for a moment.
"You've been through so much..." He whispers, with a distant look, like he was speaking to himself. He then, shakes his head and the smile returns.
"Well, why are you here? How can I help you?"

"Oh! Yeah! I... I was wondering if I could... See my old apartment... Talk to the people who bought it before we... We.... Left." I say, my sight dropping to the ground.

"Of course!" He walks back to the desk and checks something in a notebook. "Oh sure! The Abays! They are really nice people! I can't announce you, for the phone is not working very well right now, but I'm sure they won't mind" he waves his hand.

"Thank you" I smile sweetly.
He smiles back and nods.
I start walking towards the stairs and stop at the bottom.
The stairs I know so well...

I start going step by step. The sun gets reflected on the white walls, giving the place a soft orange light.

As I keep going up, I can imagine my little brother running down the stairs, laughing, he was just like my father, blue eyes, black hair.
I remember how my dad mocked my mom by calling her 'the odd one'. She was the only one with brown eyes. My dad, my brother and me had the same bright blue eyes, yet I have my mother's hair...

I feel a single tear run down my face as I find myself standing at the middle of the stairs, staring into nothingness.
I slowly wipe it away, trying not to press my sleeve too much to the cut on my cheek.
I run a hand to my hair, and keep going up the stairs until I reach the second floor.

I stop for a moment and look at the right side of the hallway horizontally crossing before me. I then turn to the left... And there, at the very end of the hallway, is that door... That door with the metal '26' embedded to the wood.

I slowly start walking towards it, my hands shaking, a lump in my throat stopping me from breathing and gulping correctly.
As I walk, I look at the other apartments' doors at the sides of the hallway. If the neighbours that were here two years ago are still here, I could just knock and know each one of their names... I could just tell over again everything I did with them as a kid and during my early years as a teen.