The Adventures of Us (Unfinished)

If you didn't read it in the title, this story is unfinished and I'm still not sure if I can finish it. This became way longer then planned and I haven't even finished.

       We seem to forget how perilous our existence is. One person can saunter into your life and throw off this nonexistent balance that everyone seems to expect from life. We are naïve and strange, expecting natural correction to fly in at the last moment like a celestial superman and save us. But that cannot happen in real life. We sit there, engrossed in our stories, always ending in getting the girl, saving the world, winning the game of existence and fading to black. We forget that a simple greeting to a stranger can start a hurricane of emotions and actions, sweeping us up and throwing us down like a ragdoll. We overlook things, but that is what makes life so surprising…

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The day was over, said and done. I had finished all the usual mundane activities as I lay on my plain bedspread. My hamartia (fatal flaw) is finding fault in everything, the paint I laced on my ceiling a week ago now looked like a glorified spider web to me, the toil I had put in to splatter the area above me with paint and change my wall’s color from the old gray to a soulful blue now seemed worthless, I sighed, repositioning myself to look out the window to the side of my bed. The view was equally boring and disheartening. The leaves on the trees were fading in their autumn change and some fell to the ground, like martyrs for the new season. Well, something always needs to disappear before a new thing can arise to take its place. In the leaf’s case, a brand new leaf, and then that one falls, a depressing cycle. A buzz sounded behind me and I groaned, another imbecile thought I wanted to forsake my needed estrangement from humanity to go ‘hang out’ with them and their squadron of Neanderthals. My peers had the annoying habit of thinking I needed companionship and would be forever grateful if they stepped in and ruined my little bubble of seclusion. Never the less I turned over and flung myself onto my dull wooden floor in an unusual grandiose manner, but I couldn’t help but let a small smile surface as I let my arms glide into the air. Oh, my showmanship was amusing, someone as secluded and scornful as myself showing such a weakness to the miniscule grand things in life was one of the oddities that never failed to surprise and please me.

I was quickly pulled out of my train of thought by the consistent bother of my phone’s alert. My feet quickly found the well-trodden path to my desk and I picked up my familiar outdated IPhone, careful to avoid gliding my finger on the splintered dark coffee colored wood. My deep purple background flashed, baring a little alert, a text from… Who? I had the person in my contact list, I had many people filed there to trick my family into believing I was the well connected and social person that I played myself off as, but I usually remembered who I added, this person, ‘Mina Allen’ was not someone I had a mental profile on. Her name didn’t set off any images, or even any memories of her existence. The message was even more confusing,

“Hey, I’m bored. Do you want to go on an adventure?” What did she mean by ‘Adventure’? I hesitantly tapped the message and my seldom used text app opened. I squinted at the message once more, regaining my wits and bringing myself to tap a reply. Tick tick tick, whoosh- the message flew into cyber space and appeared on my screen,

“How did you get my number? I don’t remember adding you to my contacts.” The response was direct but, in this odd a situation, justified. My message initiated an immediate response,

“I don’t know, I don’t keep track of things like that,” indirect and arrogant, perfect, “let’s just go out and do something, it’ll be fun.” I groaned audibly, she sounded like every other person who’d attempted to breach my private circle of companions, books, the internet, and inexplicably violent games. But curiosity of how the hell this person had learned of my existence and gotten the ability to contact me spurred me on to reply.

“That answered my question, thanks. How do I know you’re not a thirty year old man planning to nab me the second I leave my house?”

“I don’t know, faith, trust, and pixies dust maybe? Come on, don’t tell me you’re not as bored as I am right now.” I had to admit, I was bored to tears, but that didn’t justify leaving the house to meet a stranger, this wasn’t a cheesy movie. I wasn’t even old enough to drive, none the less sneak out at night like some of the other idiotic fifteen year olds that I knew.

“So, I’m in a conversation with a five year old who wants to go on an adventure.”

“Well, I have the mind of a five year old. But according to the rotation of the earth around the sun, I am your age, fifteen.”

“How do you even know who I am? I have no remembrance of you.” My fingers tapped the desk in a machine gun fashion. My patience was waning, this girl was speaking in riddles that I didn’t have the time or concentration to solve.

“Hm, that’s strange indeed. Then let’s start anew, shall we? Hello, I’m Mina Allen, I would like to take you on an adventure.”

“Charlie Lion, but I suppose you know that.”

“I do. I’m getting bored of this conversation, one second.” I sighed and slapped my phone on the desk with a vulgar Thud. This girl was an arrogant waste of time, that’s all. I shouldn’t have to put up with such idiocy. I got up and paced in wide circles around the room, spinning flamboyantly when the opportunity arose. Tap, tap, tap I whirled around at the noise, like the rap of knuckles on wood. Another rap and I watch a dark pebble fall away from the glass of my window, this night is becoming more and more like a ‘Feel Good’ romance movie. I tip-toe reluctantly, my feet keeping time with the irregular beat of the pebble assault. Finally I make it to the window and unclasp the lock, pushing the old frame open with a prolonged screech, a gray projectile just missing my face.

“Hey, that took a while.” A sing-song voice rang from the lawn below, the owner slightly obscured in darkness.

“How the bloody hell did you get my address?!” I blurted out, a startling poison etched the exclamation. The figure below seemed unfazed, replying with an uncanny resemblance to a conventional upbeat cheerleader,

“A quick look at the school phone book told me all I needed to know.” The matter-of-fact tone of her caused an annoyed sneer to spread across my face.

“So,” Mina continued, deciding for herself that I was done asking questions, “do you want to come along?”

“On an adventure?” I chuckled, my snarky response punctuated with extravagant mockery was surely going to drive the fool away. Sadly, I assumed wrong,

“Of course. I know a few cool spots that we can run around at, and I have some money so we ca-“

“Buy swords and slay monsters, foiling the overlord’s plot for ultimate power over all beings.” I cut her off, an annoyed edge to my tone as I ridiculed her use of the term ‘adventure’.

“If you’re into that, sure.” An amused grin painted itself on her features as she spoke, “But I was thinking more along the lines of junk food and random party trinkets from the dollar store.”

“Sounds exhilarating, I’ll pass.” I reached out to pull my window closed and cut off our little chat, but a pleading voice quickly regained my interest,

“Please,” Mina whined quickly, her voice begging for my pity. The girl had a talent for puppy dog eyes, “Whatever you want, I just don’t want to spend another night alone.”

“An online dating site will remedy that problem more easily than I will, hon.” She groaned, picking up another pebble from the flower beds along my house and aiming it at my forehead, I had no doubt the projectile would find its mark. “Hey, don’t aim your violent outbursts at bystanders.”

“Jesus, will you just come on. I swear, it’ll be fun.” I didn’t move, my expression stayed in its same stoic look of annoyance. Mina sighed, turning around and falling on her backside in an exaggerated motion of stubbornness. Surprised she had held my attention for as long as she had, I turned, about to leave the window, and heard a grumbled remark, “You’re just like all the others… Everyone’s so lame…”

“I’m far from those other self-centered imbeciles, and don’t you forget that.” I snarled piercingly, a fierce pride cutting thought the pitch night. Mina turned, a persistent glint in her eyes,

“No, you’re exactly like all those other fools,” Her words suddenly took on an oddly familiar teasing feel to them, icy and cruel, “unable to see the small, good things in life like, say, an adventure.” She smiled triumphantly, “I would definitely be welcome to a change of heart if I got the chance to see you out in a casual setting,” she stroked a nonexistent beard and exaggerated having an idea of monumental proportions, “I know, we can go and ‘hang out’ tonight, play around town, maybe adventure around the town.”

“Okay, fine. But you need to promise me something, tell me how the hell you found out I existed after words.” I crossed my arms and watched Mina giggle gleefully, bringing her fist up and down triumphantly.

“Done.”

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(too be continued, DUN DUN DUUUUUH)

Author's Note

Mostly I just want to know if there's too much... anything. This was took awhile to write and this is only the introduction. I love the concept of this story and I have a feeling this will be a great story but I don't know if I've added way to much. But, any other critiques are welcomed and encouraged. Bye, guys!