I look around, blocking out the commotion behind, as I cradle some non-alcoholic beer in a glass mug. More people seemed to be coming into the already crowded place, and the stench of sweat and alcohol was undeniable. I heard men laughing, and footsteps approaching towards the bar counter, where I was now sitting. I see them out of the corner of my eyes, tall, handsome, and probably important.
I start to take a sip as one of them takes notice of me and confidently greets me. I acknowledge his greeting with a nod as the corners of my lips go up a tad bit. I gulp down my whole drink, slide off of the stool, and walk to the entrance, meeting his eyes for a mere millisecond as I turn back, him staring at me with amazement. Probably because I chugged down a full glass of beer, which he didn't know was non-alcoholic.
I tug on my scarf a little, irritated by how warm it already was outside. Some people looked at me as I strutted by, them wearing clothes that actually suited the weather. I ignored them, for I knew what kind of effect I had on people if I showed more than my eyes. I smirk at that, and my scarf annoyingly brushes the underside of my nose. Even my eyes seem to captivate attention.
I walk up the two stories of stairs as I come to the door of my apartment, taking out a key and jiggling it into the lock. Stupid old door. I hang my jacket, scarf, and hat, tossing my boots at the ugly striped rug by the bed. I plop myself onto a chair, checking the time on the small wind-up clock that I found outside one day. I looked around, and finding nothing better to do, I started cleaning up the place.
After an hour of categorizing the random junk that I found throughout my life, I got bored and came out on the small balcony, not daring to lean against the unsturdy rail. One of these days I am sure to make the mistake and fall off.
I peek out from behind the clothline hanging in front of me to see a tent made from colorful yet worn down fabrics in the square, and saw the crowd in front of it. I craned my neck to see the entrance, but the bodies of people stood directly in front of it, blocking the view.
I looked back towards the apartment, and knowing that I might as well waste my time as much as possible, I tugged on my jacket and boots, leaving my scarf behind and locking the door behind me. I got to the crowd, and tried to get a peek from the side, but no luck, it seems that everyone cornered the stupid tent. What was in there, anyway? For all I knew it could be royalty, since these people seemed to be so thrilled and joyous.
I marched up to an elderly man in a black cap and breathed in, trying to find my voice to speak.
"What is in there?" I ask in a soft voice, as he turns happily to me and replies.
"In there?" He points to the tent, and I nod. "A magician, a fortune teller. He appeared not too long ago, announcing who he was."
I nod again, bewildered that this crowd of people believed in such nonsense. I thanked him quietly, starting to walk back to my apartment when a voice of a male roared my name.
I turn around, my feet seeming to be frozen as my eyes widened in shock. Nobody here knew my name, which meant that they--
"NIKKI VANJETTA!" A man roared in front of the crowd, by the entrance.
I slowly started pushing through the crowd, until a pathway was made for me and I saw a man in his thirties looking as buff as ever.
"That's me," I stutter as I look up at him, and he nods towards the tent.
I stand there a moment, wondering what he wanted me to do when I suddenly understood. I looked around, slightly embarrased, and knowing that everyone's eyes were on me, I shuffled my way into the tent, noticing the sign that says 'Mystica'.
