Paradise Among Metal

Chapter 16

"Meredith! Are you okay? Meredith!"

Meredith squeezed her eyes shut. The pain flared throughout her body, and she felt her feet hit the floor.

Aurelio gasped, and then began to laugh. Meredith opened her eyes and glared at him.

"This isn't funny!" She said, her voice deeper than usual. Her hand flew to her throat, and she gasped. The pain faded almost as quick as it came on.

Meredith no longer had the body of a child. She now had the body of a teenager, complete with longer limbs, some curves, and lots of hair. Speaking of hair, her bob cut had grown out, and her hair fell just beyond her shoulders. Her fingernails stretched far beyond her fingertips.

"I...grew," Meredith said, looking down at herself. Aurelio nodded.

"Yep. You're your real age now: fifteen, I think. About two years have passed in the land of the living since your death."

"And how long have we been out of Paradise?"

Aurelio shrugged. "Hard to tell. A few months, maybe."

Meredith became aware of how short her sweat-soaked hospital gown had become, now that she'd grown. Its bottom barely covered her important parts.

"Uh, do you have any clothes I can wear? This gown is a bit short."

Aurelio stood up. "I have an entire gift shop's worth. I'll be right back."

He walked into the hotel gift shop that Meredith didn't notice before. He rummaged around in t-shirt racks for a few minutes, before making a surprised noise.

"What is it?" Meredith asked, concerned.

Aurelio held up a sepia pile of clothing, contrasting the black-and-white clothing of the gift shop.

"There seems to be a pre-made outfit for you. And nail clippers, as well."

Meredith took it, and hurried off to the bathroom to change. There, she sifted through the pile's contents.

A bra and a pair of nail clippers sat on top of the pile, followed by a pair of cheap flip-flops. Beneath that was a pair of fresh underwear, shorts, and a t-shirt that had "Errid's Hotel: Since Who Knows When" emblazoned across it. Meredith changed into the clothes, eager to get out of that stupid hospital gown. She also cut her nails, which took longer than it should due to their length.

"Do they fit?" Aurelio asked as she walked back out of the bathroom. Meredith nodded.

"Perfectly. It's weird."

"This hotel in general is weird. Sometimes it has exactly what you're looking for, other times it seems to hide everything. That's Metal and the Perimeter for you, I guess."

"Speaking of Metal," Meredith asked, gesturing outside, "does Metal usually have the amount of color it does? It looks more like the Perimeter to me."

Aurelio tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"Look outside!" Meredith said, jabbing her finger towards a window. "See that can, lying in the road? It's red! Red!"

Aurelio's gaze moved to where Meredith's finger pointed. Sure enough, a red can laid in the road, propped up against the curb. A smile spread upon his face, and the room seemed to heat up a few degrees to a comfortable temperature.