Peaches

The Palace

Jean woke as they crossed a great concrete bridge, the tires rolling against the pavement as if it were liquid smooth. She rubbed her eyes, trying to coax every remainder of sleep from her body. After yawning long and hard, she propped herself up to look.

It was astounding—rows and rows of cars just like the one she was in, each more and more fantastical and shiny than the last. There were sleek black ones that looked like cats as they slinked across the road, pure white vehicles that were untouched by any trace of dirt, and finally, the one that struck her most, was a canary yellow. The driver looked outright the saddest man she had ever seen.

"It's too damn hot to be stuck in this traffic." James said, his arm hanging out of the window. Still, he looked too cool. She was sure his skin would be ice cold to the touch.

She asked how long they'd been waiting, and when he said twenty minutes, she smiled and walked out of the car. He made a shout of protest as she slammed the door but the heat of the gravel under her feet felt too good for her to turn back. Jean skipped between the automobiles, smiling and waving at the passengers, who only raised their eyebrows if they even noticed her at all.

The edge of the bridge looked upon everything she could ever imagine and more. There were tall crystalline buildings, so tall that she figured could scrape God's feet, and the river below her was a deep murky green. It was so far below her, she wondered for the shortest fraction of a second, how long it would take for her to hit the water. The white capped waves would engulf her and she would feel relief. It would be so nice to swim.

She was pulled out of her fantasy but a sharp pull on her arm, flipping her around. "Just what do you think you're doing?" He snarled, pulling her close. "Get back in the car, now." Any excuses she attempted to give were cut off with a tug on her arm as he dragged her back into the car. "You look like a loon. Do not do that again."

Jean slumped in her seat, pouting out her lips. Just why did he care so much? "You're a reptile of a man." She said, crossing her arms.

He sneered.

There were a few moments of achingly quiet silence, until finally, each car began to creep off the bridge. Before she knew it, she was in the heart of the city, amongst the hustle and bustle of pedestrians and street vendors. A woman was selling peaches off the side of the road for two cents a pop, and Jean could see that nearly half of the bottoms ones were bruised. Still, she was making business, as there was a crowd huddled around her stand, hungrily grabbing fruits and tossing coins into the woman's pockets.

Everything was a blur of colors, everything flickering in and out of her peripherals until everything was still. They had stopped, again, but this time, it seemed to be permanent. James took the key out of the ignition and exited the car, tossing it to a man that was standing just outside. Jean felt him knock on her window and taking her cue, she opened the door and hopped out.

Jean sighed when her bare feet hit velvet. The carpet was blood red and spotless, plush to the touch and was laid out over a grand white marble staircase. At the top of the steps stood two glass doors stood, with one uniformed man standing at heed on each side. The surrounding pillars reached far higher than Jean could ever hope to reach, supporting the building and the great crystal chandelier than hung from up above. Their luminous surface reflected the sun, creating a scattering of light that presented itself in the most beautiful way. Everything—absolutely everything—was dusted in a fine layer of glitz.

"Miss Montgomery," The doormen said simultaneously. They swung open the doors gently and rays of golden light spilled out of the entrance. "Welcome to The Palace, enjoy your stay." They added, giving her a tiny little push into the hotel.