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Eukara Vox -> RE: NaNoWriMo 2011 - Putting Barbie to Bed (11/29/2011 18:16:04)
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Chapter 3
Paying for my own ticket is a matter of pride. Though I appreciate other people's generosity, handing over my money for anything felt really good. Maybe you understand, maybe you don't. But there was just something about the feel of doing something yourself that makes you feel as if all was right with the world. My mom worked hard, and I love her for it, but she was all alone in this. Times were often pretty tough when it came to stuff like movies.
"One for 'Write it Alive,' please." I smile as I slid the money into the slot at the bottom of the glass divider. The teenager in uniform looked up at Mrs. Stromly before taking my money. At least she was doing her job.
Ticket in hand, I move over so everyone else can get theirs. Mrs. Stromly got a dirty look from the worker when she asked for pony tickets. I would have looked at her too, because it was a pony movie, but I am pretty sure the look was more for the fact that Mrs. Stromly wasn't taking the six under-aged preteens to "Write it Alive."
Whoops...
Everyone but Cassandra and I get in line for popcorn. Mrs. Stromly offers to get us something, but we both decline. Micah once told me that I was being ridiculous when I declined offers like this. I adore Micah, but he doesn't understand. Maybe one day he will. Until then, I will just have to endure him saying that a hundred thousand times.
I can't believe it takes so long to buy popcorn and soda. I could understand if we were at my house or something, and my mother had to pop the kernels right then and there. But, these people have massive machines and storage tanks behind them holding a ton of already popped, hot and buttered popcorn. Why is it so hard to turn, pick up a tub, scoop and deliver?
After what seemed like forever, we finally went to our theatre, leaving the childish pony movie behind. Poor Mrs. Stromly, surely she would rather be in our movie. I gave Mrs. Stromly one last glance before we disappeared down our hall, feeling a small amount of remorse. I guess sometimes, as a parent, you have to do stuff you hate. I wonder if I would have a strong enough motherly drive to watch an hour and twenty minutes of ponies, singing and syrupy goodness. I like my cupcakes edible, not on the screen, thank you very much.
Finding seats wasn't easy, since there were six of us, and of course, we are not going to sit apart. Caleb pointed up at the top, three rows down. Usually, I don't like sitting so far up in the theatre, but the popularity of this movie seems to have beaten us to the better seats. Oh well, at least we all get to sit together. As we file in, I have to laugh at us. We sit in the same order every time. I wonder if this is out of habit or if we are somehow unknowingly doing it. Victoria first, then Caleb, followed by Nika, Cassandra, Micah and last, me. Every time. It's so funny. We all sit down as the previews start rolling.
Micah leans over and nudges me. "I got a large again. Bad habit, huh? You can have some if you want."
I smile and start to answer, except I hear my mother's voice in my head. He always buys popcorn a size to big? For the first time in our lives of movie going, I freeze, unable to grab a handful. Micah looks at me funny, which I assume means I have a weird look on my face. Thanks mom. Really.
"I might get some later. My mom made meatloaf tonight, and you know how rich her meatloaf is."
"Oh yes, so very true. What does your mom do to meatloaf that makes it like that. My mom's never fills me up." Micah shrugs the whole thing off, as if it was just another thing. Thank goodness. If he had started prodding, I didn't have an explanation readily available.
The first preview was for a kid movie about a lost dog that takes a wrong turn and ends up on a ship. I don't know. I mean, aren't lost dogs supposed to be able to follow their humans? And, well, would a dog truly just wander over water onto a boat? I kinda thought dogs had to be taught to love water. I could be wrong, but this movie doesn't get my thumbs up. I look over the group. Yep, they all think it isn't worth the time either.
Now, the second preview comes on and makes all of us jump right away. I love, absolutely love, being able to watch PG-13 previews. We get a nice mix of family-friendly and teenager-friendly previews. Nothing like a good paranormal freakout to make your blood go faster. I mean, who doesn't want to see some deformed trapped spirit trying to kill everyone in a house because he is ticked off at the afterlife for not letting him leave earth? If I was ever trapped on earth as a ghost, you better believe I would be ticked off enough to make the living regret living.
I zoned out for the rest of the previews. I like comedies and all, but it seemed like this was the season for comedies. You know what we've had a real lack of? Science Fiction. I mean hard science fiction, not the silly little kid alien movies.
"Where's a good intense robot movie when you need one?" I leaned over to Micah to ask.
"Not here, that's for sure. You know, we need a good sci-fi, don't we?" He whispered back and smiled.
And people wonder why my best friend is a guy.
Finally, the lights dimmed completely, meaning the movie would finally start. I felt a little smug, sitting there. Here I was, underaged at a PG-13 movie. Maybe not a significant thing to most people, but majorly significant for me. My mother would never bring me to one of these. Thank God for parents like Mrs. Stromly.
The only thing going on is a voice. A young voice, talking crazy. The voice is shaky, with lots of breathing between the words. Slowly, the words the kid is saying appear across the screen, as if they were being written. A slight yellowish glow spread across the screen.
"I bet that is a candle, Val." Micah whispers. "He's got to be locked where it is dark."
I smile. Micah is one of the most talkative people in a movie. But he is right, that has to be candlelight, which can only mean that either the electricity is out or turning on big lights is a bad idea. Either way, I like this already.
The handwriting is bad, but I can read it. I mean, it helps that I have horrible handwriting too. But that is a story for another time.
I take a major chance writing this down as it is, but someone needs to know what happened. Most likely, something will come of this letter, be it monster, disease, rage or disaster. But, if I can get one person to see the truth and not make our mistake, then I have taken a worthy chance.
I nestle down into my big, cushiony movie chair and grin. I grab some popcorn before Micah can and munch happily. The writing fades and the words "Six months earlier" appears, a small, quiet neighbourhood coming into focus. Hmmm, I was hoping this would take place in a city like Chicago or Los Angeles. You know, big buildings, massive destruction, millions of people screaming in the streets. Oh, and explosions. Those are a must. I am at a loss as to how such magnificent explosions could happen in a small town.
So, half an hour into the movie, we meet four girls and two boys who create a writing club, which get together in an abandoned train tunnel in the woods. I get that. Abandoned places like mines and tunnels make for a great place to create stuff like stories. But, there has to be more. I mean, so what? I look at the others, but I can't tell if my friends are thinking about this too.
There isn't anything that makes this tunnel "different" from other abandoned tunnels. Is it cursed by Native Americans because it is supposed to be sacred ground and we plowed right through it to make train tracks? Was there a nuclear accidents here, but it was kept top secret so that no one would panic in the nearby towns? If I knew there was a nuclear spill near town, I wouldn't want to live here. Okay, I would even go for an ancient alien residence that has residual technology that fuels on imagination. Anything would help me about now.
Wait... What was that? I groan. I missed something because I was thinking about what was missing. "Micah, what just showed up when the camera panned across the wall?"
"What? You mean you missed it?!" His voice elevated slightly. I shush him.
"I was... I was thinking a bit too much and wasn't paying attention."
"Valkyrie, seriously? It was a rune of sorts. It had three interlocked triangles and three circles on the outside. It was barely there, but you could see it below all the dirt and stuff." He looks at me and I can see his face. What a dork. "Stop thinking so much."
I stick out my tongue and look at the screen. I can hear him laughing to himself. I go for more popcorn and ended up grabbing his hand instead. I went from happy and warm to cold and nervous in a second. I let go of his hand and cross my arms. He laughs, and keeps eating while I am over here worried about my mother's words. He's laughing, so does that mean she was right?
Now I have a movie and Micah on my mind. How am I supposed to concentrate? This is driving me nuts. The movie keeps going, the story gets more intense and every so often Micah and I end up grabbing each other's hands. This is so unfair. I want to sell my mother to the Russian Circus now.
~~~***~~~
Mrs. Stromly had to wait for twenty-five minutes for us to get out of our movie. When we left our theatre and entered the lobby, the look I saw on her face made me want to laugh and pity her at the same time. Apparently, the movie was as bad as I expected it to be. Again, I wonder if I would be mom enough to take my daughters to such an abomination.
We had to wait another ten minutes for Caleb's mom to arrive, since the six of us, plus Micah's little sisters wouldn't fit in the Stromly's van. We all piled into Caleb's minivan, talking the whole time. The movie really was amazing, even if I spent part of it panicking over Micah.
"Okay, who in here bought the whole mystical machine bit?" Caleb asked as his mother pulled out of the parking lot.
Cassandra shrugged. "I dunno, Caleb. I mean, well, there are a lot of things we don't understand in the world. Why couldn't it make since? Maybe some good spirit would feel bad for us and--"
"Really, Cassandra? You think some angel is going to look down on us and shake his head in pity and go 'Silly human kids, playing with what they don't understand. Let me rescue you.'?"
I watched Cassandra's face turn a fairly interesting shade of purple as she tried not to yell at Caleb. She always wants to yell at him, but has yet to do so. I keep wondering if "today" is the day. "I didn't say angel, Caleb. I just said that there is more than what we can see. So, I am not going to rule out 'unseen' mystical forces. I mean, alien super technology could have been the mystical thing. They NEVER tell us."
Nika looks between them both and leans over towards me from the back seat. "I swear, they might as well be married."
I snorted. I couldn't help it. They did sound like the many married couples I have watched on television. All they did was argue. I mean, they both would argue with and about a light post if it flickered wrong.
"What are you snorting at, Val?" Caleb glared at me, as if I did something wrong. I am not the one arguing with Cassandra. I learned that lesson a long time ago. Why he hasn't, I've no idea. You'd think that after being friends for four years, we'd all know what not to do to each other.
"Oh get off it, Caleb. You're arguing with a wall and you know it. The movie never really told us what happened. It's all speculation, anyway." I roll my eyes and look at Caleb, daring him to respond.
"Oh, look at that!" Nika says suddenly. "I think Valkyrie is using her word of the day calendar!"
The van erupts in laughter at my expense. That's fine. So my grandmother believed my vocabulary should expand beyond the typical teen stuff. To be honest, I kinda like it.
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