Weight of the World: Chapter Two

I Sleep In A Bathtub
The store the boy led me into with his clever ruse was definitely one I did not recognise in all my time living here.

It was a dark store, built mostly of planks that smelled of the sea. There was a fountain in the center of the room with a small tin of coins next to it. Shelves were lined with nautical items, shells and ships in bottles and other aquatic items. We'd obviously stopped in a nautical shop, that much was for sure.

The boy meanwhile had let go of my shoulder and turned to lock the door. I was still too terrified to speak somehow, although I wasn't afraid of him at all. He was just a guy, after all.

A really cute guy, but a guy nonetheless.

When he finished locking the door, he waltzed to the fountain in the center of the room and snapped his fingers. Immediately, every bit of fear washed off of my psyche and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Who are you?" I managed, regaining my composure. He grunted in response and retrieved one of the coins from the tin attached to the fountain. It was a golden bronze color, much the the necklace I was almost given outside, with the imprinted face of some guy who looked like he belonged in the archives.

It looked very ancient.

"My name is T-" He paused and looked down at the coin, swiping it with his thumb. "Trevor. Call me Trevor."

"Okay, Trevor. Who gave you the right to drag me into your dinky old shop now? I was about to make quite the deal out there-"

"It was your mother, Priscilla. Is she still at The Naiad?"

I paused. He knew ma's real name, and that obviously made him important somehow. Even ma's friends still called  her Miss Waverly. There were only about 5 people in the neighborhood who referred to her as Priscilla.

"...Yeah."

He nodded and dropped the coin into the fountain, pressing a switch on the side and causing the water to bubble. He mumbled something under his breath and I came closer, startled with the water rose into a sheet, displaying the colors of the rainbow.

A noise erupted from the fountain that sounded like the ring of a Skype call, amplified loud enough to make me cover my ears and cause the shells on the shelves to shake. A few moments later, the rainbow was replaced by the watery image of my mother.

Her hair was thrown up in a bun, her face red and shimmering from either the water or sweat. Around her face were silver walls, which I knew was one of the stainless steel pots we used to cook noodles and such. I stared from behind Trevor, marvelling at her face through the veil of water. Partially mystified, and partially terrified.

What was going on?

"...Priscilla," Trevor began shifting his weight anxiously from foot to foot. "We have to leave abit earlier than scheduled. When you're finished at the shop come meet up here, I'll let you in. Tell Watkinson to stay on the street."

My mother smiled through the mist and nodded with a quiet 'Yes, sir!'. I could hear the clanking of dishes in the background - another busy day as I'd predicted. I wondered how long we could stay in contact with her until the other employees got suspicious.

I slipped past Trevor's arm and got a closer look at my mom. Without warning I reached into the water and passed through her reflection, distorting her face slightly. It was almost like watching a liquid television, I guess.

"Mom, what's going on?" I asked once I was satisfied with my findings. From her end, she shook her head and sent a few loose curls twirling out of her hairnet.

"We'll talk later, sweetie. Please stay with Tri-"

"Trevor." The dark haired boy warned from behind me.

"...Right, Trevor. Say, 'Mona Mae, why don't you take a nap? At this rate you'll most likely-" On my mother's end, she suddenly slammed the spoon into the bowl, sending pasta around her image. The water fell back into the fountain and left us alone with Trevor's impressive sundries collection.

I stepped back from the fountain and looked at Trevor for some clearance, but he simply shook his head.

"It'll all be explained soon, Mona Mae." His laugh was hearty and rather shrill for his intimidating stature, and I couldn't help but laugh along. What kind of nickname was 'Mona Mae' anyway? It was something stupid my mom still called me even after I grew out of it.

Trevor tapped my shoulder to get my attention and pointed toward the counter. Behind the low oak panels was an open door, leading into a dark room. There was the faint outline of a sink and a bit of a toilet. I looked up at him skeptically.

"I don't have to-"

"You'll have to sleep in there."

"Where, exactly?"

He gestured for me to follow him into the bathroom and flicked on the lights, revealing a large porcelain tub. I grimaced as he reached under the sink and pulled a few large towels out, which were supposed to be used to clean up spills I assumed, and layered them in the bath. He left a few stacked up like pillows and gestured to the makeshift bed with a grin.

"I'll wake you up when its time."

"I'm not tired." I retorted, crossing my arms. He chuckled and raised his hand, giving me a gentle jam in the forehead with his thumb.

"We'll see."

My vision went black, a rush filled my ears, and I went out like a like.