The Tick Tock of the Clock

Smiling I walked towards the tall hotel, a duffle bag over my shoulder another in my hand as I pulled along a rolling luggage bag. Turning I glanced at Chris in is black hat and Aiden behind him with his short blond hair as the valet drove off with the car. Nodding to them they nodded back as we passed through the doors, the air conditioning hitting me in the face in a large blast.

Stopping I looked around at the basically empty lobby my eyes stopped at the counter a small red headed women stood in a black beat up looking sweater in a pair of black skinny jeans with many different patches on them. Pausing a smile broke out my lips as I watched her. Turning I looked around for anyone else, my eyes landed on a small tan boy sitting on the plush cream colored couch with a coloring book in his lap, a box of crayons next to him.

“Excuse me.” I looked over at the woman behind the counter talking to the read headed one. “Can I help you?” She asked a small smirk behind her smile.

“Yes, were here to check in.” Chris muttered as I looked around some more. I paused spotting a tall man with tan skin walking towards the cream colored couch, his dark brown hair pushed in his face a bit as he stuffed his hands into his red sweater pockets as he walked up behind the couch and leaned down.

“What cha coloring little man?” He asked softly, I glanced around once again hoping Aiden was somewhere near by as the little boy pointed at the coloring book. “Is that a dinosaur?” The man asked, the little boy nodding. Moving over to the chairs I sat down in one getting the attention of the older man. Smiling I lifted my purse digging through it as I watched him through my bleach blonde hair while he smiled back before turning back to the little boy. “Why are you coloring that one though? You could color the awesome T-Rex!” He gasped the little boy shook his head and picked up the green crayon from with in the pages of the coloring book. “Don’t like T-Rex do you?” The little boy shook his head. “He is a bit scary huh?” The little boy agreed for once. “Am I?” HE question getting a simple head shake of no in response, the little boy not paying much attention to him. “Really, I’m not?” He whined a bit the boy shrugged a bit. “I bet I am…” The little boy disagreed. “I can prove I am.” The little boy shook his head again. “Uh-huh.” He muttered before leaning over the couch biting at the little boy playfully, earning a squeal of laughter and delight as they played around.

“Pete.” They stopped, both looking at the girl in the black sweater. “Knock it off, you’re gonna flip the couch.” She stated her voice was somewhat smooth and silky deep as she spoke leaning against the counter waiting for Chris to finish up checking us in. The man, Pete lowered his lower half back to the ground with a sheepish grin. “You’re seriously worse than he is.” She laughed as Pete shrugged a bit, smiling sheepishly still. “Don’t give me that look.” She warned as slowly Pete stuck out his bottom lip. “Who does that look not work on…?” she asked lightly rolling a hand at him. He paused.

“My mother…” He stopped as she nodded rolling her hand. “Did she call again? I told her I’d see her when we get back into town on Wednesday.” He groaned as she rolled her eyes. “What?” He asked lightly shrugging his shoulders as the little boy looked between the two bickering lightly, an air of fun and amusement in their fighting.

“I meant for you to tell me the one other person it doesn’t work on.”

“My dad doesn’t count, he just looks at me and calls me pathetic when I do that face, and my mom tells me she’d going to slap it off my face.” The small woman pinched the bridge of her nose, eyes screwing shut. “It’s true.” He gasped.

“You’re an idiot some days.” She gasped turning her back on him as he gasped. Hurrying over he stood behind her, chin on her shoulder, arms around her waist. “Go away Peter.” She stated lightly to him as he whined and groaned at her.

“What, I know it works on you.” She snorted turning to face him as he pulled back a step. “It does.” He muttered cheerfully.

“Name one time you’ve used it on me and it’s worked.” She stated jabbing him in the collar bone backing him up a few feet as she did so. He laughed pointing at her.

“This I can do!” He muttered lightly laughing as she smiled at him, hands on her hips head tipped to the side a bit, her red, orange, yellow, pink and purple bangs falling in her face.

“Then do it.” She countered watching as he opened his mouth ready to speak. Nothing came out of his mouth as I looked up pulling my phone out a bit and glancing behind me looking for Aiden, the boy had vanished. If he was missing this I was going to kill him. “Well?” she asked lightly lifting a hand at him.

“I’m thinking of the best one…?” He asked lightly, rolling her eyes she turned back to the woman behind the counter as Chris began to make his way towards me slowly.

“Yeah, when you finally, magically come up with an answer let me know and don’t go ask Andy or Pat for a reason and it won’t involve Star wars or Jedi’s so don’t even ask Joe.” With a groan Pete spun on one foot a frown on his face as he made his way back over to the couch sitting next to the little boy with a pout. The little boy mimicked his facial expressions.

“Mommy’s kinda mean today.” He whispered placing a hand on the little boy’s head with a smile. “I think she’s PMSing.” He whispered the little boys head tipping to the side a bit confused. “I think she’s mad at me for messing up breakfast.” He laughed, the little boy’s eyes narrowed as he seemed to think before they went wide and he nodded. “Did she say she was mad at me?” The little boy nodded. “Thought so.” He whispered looking back at the woman talking to the lady behind the counter. “Ella…!” He whined drawing the word out. Turning the woman looked at him with a bored expression. “I’m sorry.” He sighed, hands in his laps. “For making breakfast a food fight after you took so long to make it.”

“You sound like your apologizing to your mother.” She grumbled lightly leaning on her head watching him.

“Well… I am sorry, I don’t want you mad at me… what if I mad you so mad you do what you did last Christmas!” He gasped pointing at her. “Or what you’re planning to do to Saporta… that could be disastrous!” Pete gasped throwing his arms up like a little kid would with wide eyes.

“No, I’m not going to do either. I’m just saying, I’m not your mother don’t apologize to me like I am. The sorry was fine.” She muttered, Pete lowered his arms looking around the room for something to explain something to him. “I don’t feel like making you squirm today.” She smiled at him facing the woman again.

“Yes!” Pete gasped clapping his hands together. “Today’s going to be a good day Jack.” He muttered leaning over the little boy with a smile. “Why is he green? Couldn’t he be blue or something?” Pete asked the little boy rolled his eyes. “Make his buddy pink.” He muttered pointing at something on the page. Slowly the little boy looked up at him with a blank expression as if he were stupid. “What? That’d be cool.” Shaking his head and rolling his eyes the little boy looked down. “You wanna know a secret.”

“Pete don’t tell him coloring is for squares because you do it all the time, and don’t tell him how to color he’s four and can color how ever he wants.” She muttered not even looking away from the woman. “Sorry.” She laughed lightly and went back to talking to her.

“I wasn’t going to tell him that! Jeez.” He laughed leaning down to the curious four year old. “The secret is that you don’t have to do everything perfectly, you can do what you want this picture to make it your own. Of you want to make the dino orange, you can and no one will get mad. Use your imagination.” He stated the little boy looked down at the coloring book staring at it a bit. “I don’t know if you’ve ever been told that or not but it’s true.” He whispered the little boy stared at the page for a few more seconds before he shrugged and went back to coloring with the green crayon.

“Pete I warned you about the coloring.” Screaming Pete jumped as my eyes lifted to the woman standing over him, leaning on the couch. “Trying to get him to change his mind or doubting himself falls into telling him how to color.” She hissed.

“Jamie.” Looking up I stood up as Chris stood over me.

“Are we all checked in?” I asked he nodded. Grabbing my bags off the floor I followed him towards the elevator, Aiden appearing by the silver doors. “Did you get any of that?” I asked him softly as we waited. Nodding he smiled at me.

“Everything and more.” He muttered glancing around the room. I looked at them again she was back at counter as my cell phone vibrated. Pulling it out I looked at the woman behind the counter and smiled at her she looked back at the woman.

Her name’s Ella Phight, I don’t think they’re married, engaged with the way they act. They’ll be down town for festival around two, they want to show their kid(It’s definitely their kid) the different cultures gathered their. They’ll be leaving tomorrow morning around three am to catch their plane, I heard them talking about it when the other members of Fall Out Boy took Brendon Urie to the air port about an hour before you arrived. –Jen.

Stepping into the elevator I closed my cell phone smiling at them.

“Jen say’s she got us in the room next to theirs.” Chris muttered the second the door was closed.

“Well, we’re going to the culture festival around two.” I sighed with a smile.

“Why?” Aiden asked a bit confused looking at the pictures on his camera

“They’ll be there, that’s why.” Both men nodded as we exited the elevator going into our room. “Which room?” I asked softly Chris pointed to the room to our right. “Do your thing. I’m going to go downstairs.” I muttered pushing the door open and dropping my bags just inside it as Aiden took one of the duffle bags. Hurrying back down stairs I paused looking around Pete was holding Jack in his lap as they both colored together; Ella was still at the counter. Walking up behind her I waited patiently.

“Can I help you?” The woman behind the counter smiled at me. I smiled back at her.

“I can wait. I just wanted to know if there was anything interesting to do in town today.” I muttered stepping back. “Sorry if I’m being a bother.” I muttered.

“No you’re not.” Ella muttered to me smiling. “I’m just trying to figure out how to get somewhere.” I smiled nodding at her.

“Oh, I can wait.” I muttered shaking her head she stepped aside.

“No, I’m bad with directions, you go.” She muttered.

“Are you sure?” I asked timidly. She nodded with a smile.

“Yeah, I have to check on those two anyway.” She stated walking towards Pete and the little boy in his lap. Nodding I stepped up to the counter. Smiling at Jen she smiled back.

“So…what’s there to do in town?” I asked lifting my compact in my hand watching them.

“There’s Disney Land just up the street, Naught Berry farm is about twenty to thirty minutes away, and for the next week there is a culture festival in town.” She stated.

“What’s the culture festival?” I asked closing my compact and putting it away.

“It’s a combination of all the cultures we have here in town and in the world. It’s free it on…” I zoned her out a bit as the woman Ella walked back up a few feet away. I nodded smiling at her as she handed me pamphlet with the street names it was on, and the events.

“Thank you.” I muttered moving over to the rack of maps fingering through them I pulled one of the city up and smiled as my phone vibrated. Lifting it I smiled at the message.

Done

Turning I headed to the elevator noticing Pete get up and move to the counter placing a hand on Ella’s shoulder as he held Jack on his hip, Jack’s Crayon box in his hand under Jack’s body. Stepping into the elevator I closed the doors quickly not wanting them to get into the elevator with me.

Hurrying into my room I smiled at them tossing the pamphlet down on the coffee table both men looking at me.

“Everything ready?” I asked, they nodded lightly at me as Aiden uploaded the pictures he had onto his laptop. “Be ready an hour before two, we want to be in the car waiting when they leave.” I stated going to the bathroom as I looked at the clock, we had an hour.