A Firefly's Glow

Chapter Six: Part Four

I slid my hand over the phone, and the receiver vibrated against my palm. Wrapping my fingers around the receiver, I lifted the phone onto my ear.

The gentle noise the phone emanated stopped as I held the phone against my ear. Silence droned from the other line, so I inferred this as an invitation for me to start the conversation.

“Hello?” I spoke, focusing my gaze towards the corner of the wall in anxiety.

“Hello? Hotaru?”

I immediately recognized the voice that uttered from the opposite line and I felt my back stiffen. “Amanatsu!”

“Hotaru! I’m glad you answered the phone.”

“What is it? How did you get this number?”

“I looked at my phone’s memory and I redialed the number you used a couple of nights ago.”

“Dude, I don’t even know the number of this phone.”

I heard a dim voice in the background of the opposing line.

“Amanatsu! Hurry and get to the point!” Mikan’s familiar, ecstatic cheer screeched.

“Alright, alright!” Amanatsu retorted. His voice faded as I guess he was leaning away from the receiver. His voice returned to clarity less than a second later. “I found a way for you to get to the café.”

“Amanatsu, do you know where I’m at right now?”

“No, but this route will lead you to the cafe wherever you are right now.”

I hopped excitedly in place. “That’s great! Tell me, tell me!”

“Alright, calm down.” I pictured Amanatsu cheerfully giving me an optimistic smile that reflected through his voice. “There’s a small beltway that runs through the area we’re in. It’s specifically made to lead people to many different routes, so running through the millions of pathways isn’t necessary. If you find the beltway, follow it. You should be able to find your usual route this way. You have to head to the west. If you make the wrong turn to the east, you’ll end up circling the area and it’ll take you forever to get here.”

“How do I know where my west is?”

“Watch the sunset. That’s especially why you should hurry. The sun’s already setting. If you’re too late, the sun will disappear and you’ll have to take your luckiest guess.”

“Amanatsu, there are chauffeurs, maids, and security men all over the place! I’ll get caught! Plus, there’s a really confusing hallway right outside my bedroom door that’s nearly impossible to get through without help! It’ll take me forever just to get out of the house!”

“You have to be optimistic, Hotaru. And besides, it’s simple to slip past security guards. If they look at you and you’re standing completely still, they won’t see you.”

“Amanatsu, that’s silly!”

“Well they’ll definitely see you if you’re flailing around like a monkey.”

I narrowed my eyes in obliviousness.

“The estate is exaggeratedly huge! Even if I got out of the house, how am I going to find my way off the estate?” I cried in a hushed whisper.

“Well the beltway is lined with really bright street lights. If you can see the lights from where you’re at, you’ll know where to go.”

I reached an arm towards the window that sat just a few feet away. I shifted the long curtains and a clear view through spotless glass was revealed. I gaped in awe at the magnificent view of the city that glistened into the sunset. Fluorescents glimmered at every corner in sight with the sunset’s horizon complimenting the sky.

I remembered an inch of this view from my old apartment. The only possible way to get a hold of the view was when I stood in front of my front door on the tip of my toes, and if I leaned off the balcony far enough to see around the trees that stood in the way. I couldn’t catch the view very often, because if I was careless enough to lean too far off the balcony, I’d fall off and fall to my death.

I caught a path of white orbs that glittered brightly among the rest of the lights about a block away from the golden mansion gates.

“I see the beltway,” I informed, eyeing the rounded path of the shimmering lights. “It’s not too far away! It seems the only difficulty in this is passing the security guards.”

“That’s good.” Amanatsu delightfully murmured.

I felt an ecstatic smile spread to my cheeks. The only thing I wanted more than food this very moment was to return to my ordinary life.

“Well what are you doing just standing there? Hurry and get out here!” Amanatsu demanded as his voice rung through my receiver. I jumped in place.

“R-Right!” I saluted as I quickly slapped the receiver back into place. I caught my reflection on a long mirror that sat beside the large wardrobe that sat against the walls. The wrinkled T-shirt sat over my shoulders, and my sweats stuck to my legs. I ruffled my hair with my fingers. Approaching the bedroom door, I reached for the flawlessly golden handles. As I slowly pulled the set of double doors open, I stepped out into the brightly lit hallway.

My possibly terrifying journey was just about to begin.