Breathless Mannequins

Chapter 2

Leslie Cove was situated in the downtown area of Dullston city. A suburb that had once upon a time been one of the most promising areas, had eventually been reduced to a breeding place for poverty, drugs, and some of the biggest rats that you had ever seen. There were few streets left that were still inhabitable and where civilized people resided.

The taxi pulled up to the red brick building on the corner of West and Maple street.  Before the car could come to a stop, Leigh impatiently and blindly unbuckled her safety belt, careful not to break her gaze from the building. She was afraid that if she looked away for only a second, she would wake up and it would have all been a dream. 

The second that the wheels came to a complete standstill she leapt out onto the sidewalk. She stood, arms by her sides, breathing in the air and memorising every fragment of the scene before her.

A golden carpet of leaves lay so densely that she couldn’t see the cement walkway, pieces of green grass stuck out only here and there. The only thing separating Leigh from the building was the petite, black, waist-high fence. 
“Excuse me miss, I need to leave, could you maybe…” – The taxi driver interrupted her whilst nodding his head to the side where Leigh’s suitcases occupied the trunk.
“Oh, off course, I am so sorry! I had completely forgotten about you!” – she said embarrassed, rushing to the back of the taxi to collect her belongings. He helped her unload her belongings, the moving truck would only be coming with the rest of her boxes the day after and she had tried to take as many things with her as she could manage.

She had the slightest feeling of abandonment as the taxi driver got in his car and drove away. It was after all the last memory she still had of Clarenside, and in that moment, for the first time in her life she had truly felt what it was like to be on her own. It was both invigorating and frightening. For a few minutes, she stood motionless, not sure how to proceed, not sure if she could. She eyed the block letters above the apartment building’s entrance reading, “Noxton Corner” and wondered how she was going to get all three suitcases and the box that was standing next to her, upstairs, without leaving one of them behind. There was not a soul in sight to ask for a hand, she wondered if it was always that quiet and abandoned on a Sunday afternoon.

She hooked both her hands in each of the two handles and started rolling them toward the building. Even though the building had an old English school look to it, with the red brick walls and broad white window frames, it seemed homey. She pushed with her side against the glass entry door in order for it to open and half slide in, keeping it open while she dragged her luggage through.

Two, wide mahogany wooden staircases on each side of the corridor welcomed her. The wood panelled walls were covered in all sorts of old painting with thick, golden frames. The chess board tiles were in an immaculate condition and looked like someone had just varnished the entire floor. One of the portraits showcasing an older, bold man wearing military formals, reminded Leigh of her dad. She walked toward the portrait and traced her fingers along the border of the frame, not taking her eyes off the familiar face. She sighed and felt comforted by the portrait. She already missed her parents.

“Can I help you Miss?” – A deep voice asked behind her. She turned around to see the security guard sitting in the corner of the room on an old leather wingback chair.

“Uhm, yes actually you can. I am moving in today, apartment number 7.”

“Oh yes, Miss Heathon. Welcome to Noxton Corner. You can collect your key from Mrs Dobson, she lives in number 3. If you take the staircase to your left, second door on your right. Do you have any luggage that I could assist you with?”

Leigh abruptly remembered about the suitcase and box still waiting on the sidewalk. “Oh shoot, The rest of my stuff!”

“Thanks mister…?” – Leigh looked at him, waiting for him to interrupt with his name.