Celebration of any Kind

Gathering my stuff out of a small locker located next to hundreds of other small lockers which were inside a overly sized factory with only one objective, to mass produce overly priced furniture to be sold to people who didn't deserve it. My muscles were throbbing with pain from the constant motion of pulling up down and to the side, popping the backs of a cherry wood dinning room chairs into place over and over again.
As I reached up to the car keys my shoulders were in pure agony, I grabbed my keys, and shoved them inside my pocket only after looking to be sure every key was still around the metal ring.

***

5:03 pm
The digital green numbers above the stove read.
"Velocityyyyy?" I shouted as I walked through the ajar door. The apartment echoed and a baby cockroach ran for its dear little life across the kitchen floor. Until, 'SPLAT!'
My boot squished it against the tile floor with a loud crunch, as I walked across the kitchen.

I opened the fridge in reflex to the complaints coming from my stomach. The cold air which floated out and slammed against my sweating face. It was refreshing and my stomach made one or two more odd noises.
Sadly there wasn't much to keep cold. A 1/2 jug of milk, a bag of bread, stored here to keep from going moldy with humidity. And some condiments that are doomed to never be eaten.
Moving on to the pantry, I noticed a jar of peanut butter, and honestly I was excited for a second. Once we had peanut butter with jelly and my mom would cut off the crust when she made school lunches. I daydreamed about this as I smeared the brown creamy butter across the bread.
The doorbell rang. Whoever was standing outside my apartment had managed to ring the doorbell three more times before I made it the small distance from the counter to the front and only door.
"Um.. Hello." I smiled, through the cracked door.
He was a short guy with glasses to big for his face, or anyone's for that matter. What is somebody like him doing at my door. My heart fluttered, wondering once again were Velocity was.
"Yes may I speak to miss.. umm Artz" It was Art, I decided to ignore it, though. Still standing in the door way I was not about to let him in.
"You already are."
"Story Artz?" He looked up at me lowering his glasses a bit.
"This is her." I said simply.
"Well aren't you going to invite me in." He was being rude.
"No." I declared meeting his attitude.
"Smart girl. Yes very smart girl. For all you know I could have intentions to harm you and your dear sisters, oh wait the way I see it its down to only two of you Arts now am I right?" I flinched at that. He laughed as I took a few steps back, at any second I could pull the hand gun out of my back pocket and pull the trigger shooting metal into his brain, but he was a wealthy man., I could tell. His tux was out of place in this neighborhood, and his hair was combed back. He even has white gloves. I suppressed a giggle. Completely ridiculous. Killing him would not do me any good, besides I wanted to see what he had to say. So I stood blankly still. Playing the stupid teenager act.
"Lord Morgin has requested a meeting with you. On, oh, lets see, the 28th. That's hum, next week Thursday, 2 pm sharp, don't be late." Reading over the top of his glasses, his voice was high pitched as if he was talking to an auditorium full of people. He was short bald and fat, I didn't like him at all. I couldn't help but smirk. "This is not a joke Miss Artz.. This is serious and if you so choose not to attend this meeting you will have a trial date deciding your fate two weeks prior to next week Thursday, so I strongly suggest you wipe that look right off of your face and go mark the calender." He said this all while reading from his papers, he wasn't angry or even fazed. He acted as if everything I did or said was to be expected. He looked up at me and his mouth almost formed words but nothing came. He looked down again and stood for a few seconds longer only to walk away, down the hallway, still reading from that damned piece of paper. Maybe one of my neighbors would notice him in his fancy tux and do the honors of shooting him for me.
I slammed the door shut and sat against the back of it taking a few deep breaths, I took my keys out of my pocket and reassured myself they were all there.
House key.
Car key.
Car door key.
Then the smallest one, the one that I was most worried about losing.
Then, butt started to slide across the tile floor as Velocity pushed the door open with such a force that my heart fluttered for a second time, only in shock this time rather than worry. I Stood up as she walked in from the hall and through the apartment doorway. With a weak smile she headed straight for our bedroom without saying a word. This worried me. I wanted her to giggle and tell me about how much fun she had doing something, anything, because that would mean I didn't have anything to worry about. This response meant I probably did. Intelligently taking a few deep breaths before hand, I followed her. Silently entering the room I could hear the muffled cries. She was laying face down with her face buried in a fuzzy pillow, it was good for cuddling up to during times like these, I knew from experience.

Doing my best to comfort her she continued to cry and wouldn't tell me what was wrong. I ran my hands through her hair repeatedly, Her head now resting on my lap, I lifted it and asked her for the final time what was wrong and where she had been today. Her smile was weak but still present.
"I.. I.. I.. I.." She reverted back to where we started.. Tears falling freely, and her
body shaking with the rhythm of soft cries. I hugged her for several more minutes before she answered.
"I saw Marcy." I paused, and she looked up at me with fearful eyes. "I did Story, I saw her." We both sat there in silence for several more minutes
Standing up, I had no idea what to say. She couldn't have really seen her. Marcy was still out there. I knew it, but she was supposed to come and talk to me as soon as she figured anything out. To me! No this was all wrong. She didn't see her. She couldn't have. Thoughts were skipping back and forth across my mind, causing me to lose balance. I wanted to yell, I wanted to scream and tell my little sister to shut up and stop lying to me. Somewhere inside of me I sensed the truth in Velocity's voice, I knew this even if I didn't except it yet. My legs started to feel wobbly once again and I sat down on the corner of the bed.
"Vel?"
"Yeah?" She said sinking back into her bed, and up against that fuzzy pillow.
"Where were you today?" I whispered.
"I told you, I was with Marcy." She whispered.
Then she was asleep.