The scent of strawberry and cream circulated through the air as the intensity of the shower slowed down to a trickle. A few moments later, the shower door swung open with the most gentle of touch. Out of the shower cubical emerged a girl engulfed in a bright tangerine-colored towel. Her short sopping wet red hair drooped just above her dark hazel eyes that glimmered with satisfaction as she quickly wrapped it up in another towel she had hung over the door of the shower. With a sigh of relief she thought to herself that its about time I had a good shower without any interruptions. No rushing, no homework that was needed to be done, no rude and pushy people telling her to get hurry up, all was good and well in her secluded paradise. She felt as though nothing could rain on her parade.
The girl that was securely wrapped in towels slowly made her way out of the restroom, taking a quick glance at a steam-covered mirror, to make sure everything was in order. She carefully dodged all of the puddles left the previous occupants, making sure to step in the right place so that her coal black slippers with a hot pink lining, would not slip on the cold ceramic tile. Fortunately for her, her room was fairly close to the restroom, two doors away to be exact.
Finding herself in front of her door, she quickly tapped on it. Realizing that her roommate wasn’t coming to the door, she knocked on the door with a quicker, more urgent tempo, when it hit her. “That’s right, Alicia went home for the weekend,” she said to herself with a slight grin of stupidity smeared across her face. She groped around her neck searching for her lanyard, which usually held her rectangular key to room. “Where is it?” A puzzled looked flooded over her face, which was until the shock finally set in.
She hurried back in the direction to the entrance of the restroom. In such a hastened rush, she nearly passed it. Once inside, with anticipation she quickened her walking pace. With just a single wrong step her feet shot out from under her and left her plummeting toward the floor. Luckily for her, her right arm caught the counter of the sink just before her head reached the firm yet slippery tiles. She did not let the spill affect her state of mind. It was set on the search for her elusive lanyard. Getting back into her room quickly was her one and only priority, not even a solid brick wall would be able to stop this quest.
Finally getting back to the shower cubical she had just recently come out of, her search began. Her examination for her key to her salvation was calm but quick. She looked on the hooks behind the door, on the ledge right above the shower she just used. She even looked in the next stall just incase it mysteriously walked there. Rapidly her calm search became a panic-stricken hunt for her dear life. Tears of frustration started to build in her once glistening almond-shaped eyes.
“Oh no, I’m locked out.” The look of frustration quickly melted away and turned into fear, as she took into account of what she had to do next. A quiet whimper slid its way out of her fear stricken face as she slow made her way out of the restroom. Not even attempting the dodge the large puddles which she had tried so hard to avoid a minuet ago.
Not having any sort of relationship with anyone on the floor and too shy to initiate a new one in nothing but a towel, she had no other choice. She pressed the down button for the elevator and waiting patiently as someone could in this state of mind. With a ding the elevator doors swung open, and she stepped inside. As the door shut behind her, a thought occurs. “Oh cripes I need a key to work the elevator.” She sighed unhappily as she exited the elevator. With an irritated strut in her step she make her way to the stairs.
“Oh eleven flights, that’s just fantastic. Could my day get any worse,” she complained as she dragged her feet around the circular hallway until she found herself in front of the entrance to the fire escape.
Taped onto the entrance to the stairs was a fairly new slip of lined paper with a few scribbles on it. As she went in for a closer inspection of the note, her eyes widened with disbelief as she read words electricity is down in the stairwell. In a fit of rage she ripped the paper off the door, crumpled it, and flung it as far as she could down the curving hall. She took a deep breath and with no other alternative, she open the door and stepped into the dreadfully dark stairwell.
“It’s not that dark in here,” she said with a slightest sound of relief in her tone, “I can still see the rails.” Slowly the door creaked shut and there she stood in complete and utter darkness, “Oh.”
She slowly started her journey stumbling down eleven flights of stairs in a emptiness so black that even with night vision, you wouldn’t be able to find your way. With every step she took, her breath hastened, her pulse quickened. Then unknowingly to her, her childhood fear was nipping away at her ankles. Her paced promptly became rapid and erratic. The thumping of every one of her steps echoed in the entire stairwell, louder and louder. Frightening images crammed in every nook and cranny of her delicate psyche, of thoughts and fears she thought she had once overcome.
With every second that past, her thoughts became more and more irrational, sending her into a panic as she bolted down the lightless stairs on the edge of sanity never once letting go of her only remaining life line. Soon enough the light from the lobby could be seen at the bottom of the cascading levels. A glimmer of hope rushed into her fear encased heart as her thoughts became less and less incoherent . As she finally reaches the ground floor she quickly peered though the tiny window, and burst through the gate and into the world of light.
With her fear abruptly dissolving she walks up to the front desk with a room full of onlookers. Like wild fire, an uproar spread throughout the entire lobby. Idle talk got pushed aside as the audience scrutinized and judged the oblivious girl. The sheer change from fear to relief of the dark world left her with little recollection, the fact that she was dress in nothing but a towel was lost to her. Then it hit her like a ton of bricks, embarrassment surged into her thoughts, her gait slowed down to a stand still. She almost turned and ran for the entryway to the atrocious blackness of the stairwell. She willed her self not to run, not to hide from this new evil, she needed that key, she had to have it.
“What’s up with her, why is she wearing that?”
“ Hey, why don’t you just take the rest off?”
“I’d hate to be in her position.”
The surrounding banter continued to escalate. The voices seem to be coming from every direction, but at the same time from none. Short bits of laughter erupted at once as the discussion of the rather odd occurrence that was unfolding.
The girl wrapped in a towel swallowed her fear and calmly but quickly made her way to the front desk. Ignoring all the obscene comments and catcalls she was receiving from the seemingly growing crowd.
“Excuse me,” she said trying to make it seem as though nothing was wrong, “ but could I have the spare key to my room.”
“Alright then,” as the front desk man was struggling to keep his eyes on her face, “w-what room number?”
“Oh umm, eleven-thirty seven.”
“Do you have an ID?” He regretted saying it as soon as it left his lips.
She glanced down and then look back at the guy behind the front desk. “ I’m sorry but it seems that I have misplaced my ID at the moment.” With that the desk clerk stood up and walked in the direction of the back room. Time slowed down around her as the inexperienced clerk disappeared into a room. She could hear the shuffling of papers and the clinking of keys as he explored the many drawers of the room.
“Ahh, here it is,” he proclaimed as he reentered the her line if sight. He handed her the key, and with a smirk, “ here you go, eleven-thirty seven right?”
She thanked him and pushed her way through the thick crowd of people still talking and point at her. She called the elevator once more, now with a key in hand, she is now able to make use of it. As the doors were shutting and she was about ready to select her floor.
“Could you hold that elevator,” a voice called as tall boy she knew as Bradley hustled in. She secretly had a crush on him since highschool, but was never able to reveal her feelings to him.
“Hey Anna, how have you be...” he paused for a moment “umm, why are you wearing a towel?” A melancholy expression swept across her visage. “You know what, you don’t have to explain if u don’t want to.”
“Thanks,” she answered as she turned toward the doors. Her face completely flushed as her embarrassment continually built up. She felt as if her head was about ready to explode. Her arms clung to her towel trying to hide what was all to visible.
An awkward silence followed by broken conversation made her wish she were still in the lightless stairwell. They wait for what seemed like hours as the elevator climbed the shaft to the top floors. As soon as the doors were open she sprinted strait to her room without even the slightest wave to the dumb struck Bradley that she left behind.
“Umm, talk to you later,” He forced himself to say as the doors to the elevator shut in his face.
At the door she grabbed the handle without even thinking about the key in her left hand and twisted handle and pushed in. She stood in the doorway for a moment and just realizing what had just happened.
“The door was unlocked,” she said in a low voice full of disappointment and regret, “I went though all of that?” The images of what she had gone through that night flashed quickly throughout her thoughts. Over and over it played driving her near the brink of insanity. Unable to keep it anymore, she leaped in to bed and grabbed her nearest pillow and screamed into it at the top of her lungs. This was a lesson she would not soon forget.
^wow that is very very good. write more :D