《A Boy’s Simple Ambition》Chapter 10
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While the commotion continued in the lounge area Ethan and the young woman were currently staring at each other with less than pleasant expressions. Ethan had a slight glare upon his young face as he rubbed the back of his arm near his armpit while the receptionist had an angry pout hidden behind fingers that were still exploring her face. Ethan was about to say something when he noticed she was paying more and more attention to herself than to him. He took a chance and shot toward the door like a frightened rabbit, hopping over the chair between him and escape with ease. The problem was he was out cold when the receptionist locked the door upon their arrival so he lost several seconds when he gripped the handle and went to pull it open.
Nothing. Nothing! He shook the handle violently before managing to unlock it. Yanking it open his face had just revealed itself to the receptionist still at the front desk who's eyes went wide with surprise. Her expression curiously changed however, though Ethan wasn't sure why, at least not yet, and soon surprise was replaced with concern. He couldn't see it but a hand was once again emerging from nothingness, or so it looked to the receptionist, and grabbed ahold of the boy's face from behind. Now it was his turn to be surprised and then concerned, and he latched onto the door frame to try and prevent himself from being pulled back in.
He looked to the receptionist down the hall with a fear filled, pleading for help, gaze that so resembled a terrified animal it was almost cute, or at least comical. She had just been about to move toward him when the face of the hand's owner slowly came into view from behind Ethan's head, a blank stare of promised doom gazing into the very core of her soul. Ethan didn't have any idea such a scary challenge was being issued against his would be savior so when the receptionist down the hall suddenly looked away and began to whistle innocently Ethan broke. It was so severe that one could say his vision cracked like a pane of glass or perhaps a sheet of ice, causing reality itself to snap and shatter.
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"Betrayer! Betrayer of innocence!" He screamed the words in his head because his mouth, currently being pulled back and to one side by an anchored finger, couldn't. Hell, not even his jaw could drop in shock of such a travesty.
The receptionist down the hall looked back as the boy's last finger tip slipped from view and what sounded like a grunting whimper trickled down to her. It was then she made her move, picking up a small glass container from the back counter, and slipping out from behind the counter.
Back inside the room, once all that remained by the door were his clinging fingers, the young woman let go of his face and simply pulled him back by his feet. The struggle was so epic his body was suspended in the air as he clung to the door frame while she continued to yank his legs. Finally his fingers could hold on no longer and the frame slipped away as he landed awkwardly on the chair he had so easily jumped over seconds before.
Scrambling to his feet he moved to the farthest corner he could, causing the young woman to turn her back to the door and step forward. Then he saw it, or at least he hoped what he was seeing was what he thought he was seeing. Stepping into the doorway was the receptionist from down the hall and she looked to have a serious, "let's save the day," expression on her lovely face. Then again, it could have just been Ethan hopes and dreams coming through.
"Now Cecelia I think that is enough, the poor boy looks terrified."
"So Cecelia is her name..... Never thought such a beautiful name could belong to such an evil being," he thought to himself.
"Buuut Loooreeellle!" Cecelia began to turn toward Lorelle with a whine and to start pleading her case but immediately stopped in horror.
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Having expected Cecelia to not easily backdown Lorelle held up the now open glass container in front of Cecelia's nose.
"Look! Anti-wrinkle balm!
"Hiss!"
"Did she just hiss?! Is she a cat?!" He thought while standing there bewildered.
Cecelia recoiled, her hands coming up between her face and the container, before she began to back away and around Lorelle for the door. Lorelle turned along with Cecelia's movements, keeping the anti-wrinkling balm between the two of them. Finally, once Cecelia was in the doorway Lorelle lurched forward, holding the container higher between them. Cecelia hissed again and ran out of the room.
"Stop hissing! You aren't an animal!" Ethan voiced within his head.
Both of them let out a sigh at the same time, that despite were for different reasons, were due to the same cause; Cecelia. Ethan had begun to relax just a bit and Lorelle was about done in her turning to face him once again when she noticed him stiffen again. Turning to look back over her shoulder Lorelle suddenly understood why.
Peeking from outside the door frame was the pouting Cecelia, her chin covered by her hands that were gripping the side of the door frame. It looked like she was about to say something when Lorelle moved so quickly Ethan had a hard time seeing exactly what happened. In less than a second Lorelle had moved toward the door, dipped her finger into the balm and then placed a large blob of the stuff onto Cecelia's nose.
"Begone you foul beast!" Lorelle announced as if she was casting a spell. Cecelia went crosseyed as she tried to look down at the tip of her nose and upon realizing what had happened let out the most inhuman shriek Ethan had ever heard. Tears instantly welled up in her eyes and she was so stricken by fear her hands just hovered above her nose with shaking fingers.
Another second passed before Cecelia's body reacted to the incantation that wasn't really an incantation and she spun on the spot and began to run down the hall wailing hysterically. As her voice faded Lorelle turned back toward Ethan, replaced the lid onto the container, and bowed slightly from the waist in greeting.
"Hello sir, my name is Lorelle, and I will be assisting you today." She straightened and offered a warm, friendly, and dare he say, normal, smile with a slightly tilted head.
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