To
the left rest large glass cabinets filled with all manner of ancient
looking tools and pieces of clothing with a large spinning wheel sitting
in the center of it all. A large arch way sits along the left hand
wall, a passage way leading deeper into the building, while above it
rests a large glass window looking into a small office space above.
Swallowing hard I return my attention to the phone, my eyes darting over the various addresses in the app until one seems to repeat far too many times.
"Farrier Road" I mutter, smirking as I read the address aloud. "That's... quaint..." I chuckle, the laughter coming out in a cutesy giggle thanks to this new voice. Quickly punching the address into my phone's GPS it begins to autofill, a smirk spreading across my lips as I feel like I had cracked some sort of mystery.
Taking a deep breath I begin to walk towards the open door, yawning involuntarily as I feel my eye lids grow heavy. "Okay..." I sigh, rubbing my eyes from behind the thick glasses. "Just need to get home, and from there..." I state, giving myself a pep talk only to trail off. "I... I have no idea."
As I shuffle out into the misty morning air I'm immediately buffeted by a gust of wild and whipping wind, the rush of air catching my coppery hair and forcing me to hold my beret to my head as I hunker down. The thick and heavy material of my long maxi skirt and the jacket does its best to fight back the cold, though despite the warming layers I quickly feel my petite and bony body begin to shiver in the frigid air.
"Holy..." I squeak in shock, pausing as my delightfully British voice leaves my mouth with a huff of steamy breath. Shoving my hands into my pockets I quickly bounce down the steps outside of the aging museum behind me, the large slabs of limestone showing their age through the worn in dips and grooves from over a century of use.
The street ahead is relatively cramped and quaint, the undulating cobblestone road flanked by a series of multi-story storefronts rendered in between exposed plaster or hardwood support pillars. While more than one cafe lines the curved road, the owners slowly shuffling out to set up tables and place out utensils, the rest appear to be more unique and niche little shops. From cookware to gifts or greengrocers to bakeries, there only appears to be one or maybe two of really anything running along this central street.
My mouth hangs open as I stare in shock at the wildly different environment than what I left at home, the cutesy little mist blanketed town being a far cry from the bustling city I normally lived in. My thick glasses begin to fog up as I pant heavily, my heart racing as the drastic changes sink into my shivering and heavily diminished frame.
Squinting slightly however I spot a sign only a block or so down, my eyes darting down to my phone as I spot the GPS asking me to only really plod around the corner to find my way home.
"Thank goodness..." I coos, my teeth clattering and chattering as I quickly begin to stumble down the uneven street.
My tiny legs and wildly altered center of gravity only makes the task of walking my exhausted body more difficult as I find my polished black leather shoes catching the raised stones over and over, a series of sharp yelp and squeaks filling the quiet street as the clumsy young redhead flails her way across the cobble stones.
"Mornin' Ms Hughes" chuckles a older gentlemen as he hauls a small wrought iron table careful out of one of the cafes, the pale and pudgy man inching past the large pane glass window in an effort not to tap it with any of the metal legs.
I jump with a start, my eyes going wide as I crane my neck and look up at the seemingly towering man. While he is only just approaching six feet tall, my pathetic little body stretching up to barely over five foot even makes him seem truly imposing.
"H... Hello..." I blubber out, a long drawn out yawn soon following as I instinctively rub at my eyes.
"Did ya spend the night at ol' Owen's again? Didn't take the fella as much of a slave driver" the man chuckles, his thick salt and pepper beard jostling along with his rounded belly. "If ya need a pick me up I can get the machine started, might be a few 'fore it can make something drinkab..."
"It's okay..." I mutter, clenching my jaw as I watch the full window of the cafe turn the ominous opaque white I had seen back in the museum. I swallow hard as I stare for a moment at the glass, the thought of the 'audience' back home watching me through it sending chills down my spine. "I'd... I'd better just get home."
The old man turns to look at the window, apparently not seeing the impassable wall of white haze blocking it entirely. Licking his thumb, he rubs a small spot off the pane of glass before nodding with a bit of satisfaction before turning back.
"Alright then, lovely to see ya Ms Hughes" the man chirps, her thick gravelly voice booming jovially as he turns to head back into the cafe. "Say hello to Ms Noble for me."
I merely nod as I quickly whip around, my stride slowing as I try to walk like a normal human being while someone else is around. My face scrunches up as I plod past store after store, the straps on my shoulders pinching against my soft and sensitive skin while the heavy canvas messenger bag practically wrenches my shoulder and neck to the side. Sweat clings to me from a terrible nights sleep in the office, my warm black leggings acting more like foe than friend as I feel the slightly moist material turn cool against my skin.
Rounding the corner I find my phone buzzing in my tiny delicate hand, the directions ending at just the first storefront in the cramped little side street. A squat little building covered in a dark green render sits with a little wooden sign hanging out over the door.
'Noble & Noble - Books & Stationary'
As I approach I find the store in darkness, the polished wooden interior catching a slight gleam from the morning sun despite the mists. Shelves upon shelves of books line the store, wrapping around in a U-shape to maximize the floor space, the small counter in the center playing host to various pens and pencils along with an old and fairly out of date computer.
To the side of the door to the shop I spot another, my hand reaching out of my pocket and into my messenger bag in search of what I hope are the keys. After a few minutes of shuffling between books, the laptop and stationary I feel my fingers brush against some jingling metal. In a swift and clumsy motion I whip the keys out, my haste nearly causing me to drop them as I cram the only key on the bulky ring into the little brass keyhole.
As the door opens I find myself staring up at a terrible narrow and dark stairwell, my heart skipping a beat as I struggle to see all the way to the top. Whimpering a little I begin to climb the steps, my legs shaking and knees knocking together as I slowly close the door behind me.
With the heavy door slamming shut I find the darkness giving way to a light at the top of the short set of stairs, an inviting warmth reaching out to me and drawing me closer. Shuffling up the steps I soon find myself at the top of a landing, a tall open archway opening up into a cozy little living room. A large window, mirroring the store below, sits to my right and sadly slowly shifts to the familiar haunting white haze as the cameras begin to adjust. Beneath it sits a little green sofa, the cute little love seat flanked either side by a set of tall planters filled with all sorts of greenery as they reach for the corners of the room.
Another larger sofa sits directly across from me, the larger pale blue couch and the cute little green one resting with a small pale wooden coffee table in between them. A coffee mug sits on the table, a little note sitting folded beneath the mug as a little bit of coffee stains the paper.
Shuffling in I slowly let the bag slide from my shoulder, my eye lids growing heavier and heavier by the second. To my left I spot a rather old and outdated kitchen, the alcove it rests in being partially separated from the living space by a wooden railing. Two tiny hallways lead off to the left and right ahead of the kitchen, the rooms they lead to encroaching into the kitchen and being the reasons for its cramped and scrunched up nature.
Shambling to the coffee table, my eyes barely open I pick up the note as I unfold it lazily.
"Hey Jordy, stayed the night like we talked about but I guess the Hill stuff got in the way.
I had to leave before you got back, but I left some water in the kettle. Hope it's still hot by the time you get back.
Cameron <3"
As I read the note I shuffle around to the larger sofa, dropping myself into it as I sink into the ultra plush seats. I practically moan as I seep into the cushions as begin to go limp, my head rolling back as I feel my body scream for sleep.
"Who... Cameron..." I muse quietly, my eyes fluttering closed as I drift to sleep.
"Boooooooooooooooooo" cries the live studio audience, the crowd frustrated that I had already fallen asleep for the first time so early in the competition. Other contestants had only just barely started their day, however, while I was only napping I had fallen asleep and following the rules I had triggered the first vote.
"A-Maze-Ing" the Hostess chuckles, looking up at the monitor as I begin to snore live on air. "Poor little thing must be either really tuckered out..." she coos mockingly, eliciting a series of laughs from the crowd. "...Or... She's trying to skirt the rules a little" she continues, a mixture of playful excitement and frustration tinging her words.
The crowd murmurs slightly, only for a group gasp to rip through them as their little displays begin to light up.
"She knew the rules about sleeping" the Hostess smirks, shrugging her shoulders. "Maybe she doesn't want to win the grand prize, I'm sure she'd be happy with coming back as the fastest loser in the games history."
Waiting for a moment for the snickering and laughter of the crowd to die down the Hostess looks off to the side of the stage, the older director of Lights, Camera, Change! giving her a little nod before finally mouthing 'First Vote'.
"But after spending so long on making her like this, it would be a shame to send her off so unceremoniously. While we usually have our first vote when all contestant's go to sleep for the day I suppose we can start with Ms Hughes" The Hostess announces, the crowd cheering excitedly.
"We'll work something else out in the broadcast, but as a special treat and a first in Lights, Camera, Change! history you get to not only make the the whole of the contestant's new body but you also get to decide their fate by yourselves!"
As the crowd roars with excitement the sound of the various beeps and bloops of their displays being selected and locked in begin to take over the room. The image of my sleeping form on the screen being overlayed with the various percentages of the vote.
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