CHAPTER ONE: Celadon Green
chapter song—-- Clean Up In Aisle 4 by JEN Z
“Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant filled with odd little waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like.”
― Lemony Snicket
Stepping out of the building, she felt like she could breathe again. June took a deep breath, welcoming the light breeze blowing through. She walked up to the little cafe on the block, the smell of coffee and cookie dough wafting towards her.
After ordering a cappuccino and a chocolate muffin, June was happy to sit down again. The interview had taken a lot out of her and she was ready to crawl the rest of the day. She thought it went well, but who knows what was going on in that lady’s mind? She looked like she was going to pounce on June the moment she moved. She switched on her phone- 33 messages?! Lizzie. Of course, freaking out about what to wear for her first date. She scrolled through the pics, hoping to see any outfit she liked.
Is this the French Revolution?
Finally, after the craze was over, she found the perfect look for her cousin. Just as she texted her back, the order was ready and she barely managed to hold in a sigh. After a meal equal to paradise, June left the cafe, ready to spend the rest of the day holed up in her apartment.
Hailing a taxi was a nightmare. After 12 failed attempts, she dragged herself to the subway, trying not to flip off the taxi drivers.
June tried not to nod off every five minutes. By some miracle, the train she was on wasn’t as crowded as usual, allowing her to find a seat. Only a few people were scattered here and there. The train had stopped at a platform but no one was getting in. As the doors were closing, a man stumbled in. He looked like he was gonna be sick. His eyes were red and his face was an unusual shade of green.
The worst part was that he seemed to be heading her way. Just as she was about to run, the guy went past her, looking at something else. June relaxed a bit, relieved she wasn’t the target.
Her eyes followed the man.
He approached a guy standing at the end of the compartment. He didn’t notice anything, just focusing on the music blaring from his headphones.
Without warning, the man lunged at him, pushing him against the glass. A yelp of pain escaped the poor guy. Getting over his shock, he punched his attacker, ready to defend himself. June jumped up to help him, so did a few others. Both the men started fighting, although the weird man had a confusing set of moves. He looked like he had never punched someone in his life.
Abruptly, his victim backed away and he doubled over, retching. As strange as it was to say, watching him attack a random person was less horrifying than seeing him throw up.
Thankfully, the train stopped at a platform, allowing everyone to get away. Outside, as people started asking the guy if he was okay, he began yelling,
“He bit me! I can’t believe he bit me!”
That’s when June noticed what he was talking about. On his shoulder was a clear bite mark, which was rapidly turning the same shade of green. It looked awful, making her wanna throw up.
As she turned towards the stairs and some people started calling the cops, she failed to notice that the man in the train had vanished, leaving behind nothing but claw marks.
Waking up early at 5:30 in the morning, giving a confusing long interview, having to go home by the subway and finally, The Incident. It was the shittiest day June had ever had.
She grabbed a bowl of ice cream, curled up on her couch and just as she clicked play, someone knocked on her door.
Groaning, she stood up, walked all the way over to the door and opened it to deal with the person who had just destroyed the only peace she had the whole day.
“Hey, girl….Woahh, what happened to you?”
At the door, was the person who was also the reason June had moved to New York.
The blonde woman walked past her, taking in the sight of her apartment.
“Did a hurricane hit this place or something?” She asked.
Concerned, she turned around to look at her. June fell back onto the couch with a heavy sigh.
“Just been the usual shitty day.”
Disclaimer: Any similarities to anyone or anything in this story is purely coincidental. This work is purely fictional.
