Clouds of Smog.

The day started out like any other day, only it wasn't any other day. It was really far from any other day. Sure, the sun rose and the birds chirped but the sky was foggy and gray. You could see bits and pieces of ash drift through the air like rain. I should know, the roof of my house was gone. I could clearly see the not-so-clear sky directly above me as I gazed from my bedroom. Or, what used to be my bedroom...

After being in and out of the foster system, until the day I turned 18, I was determined to BE somebody. I finally had my chance to prove to the world I WAS HOT SHIT. I mean, don't get me wrong, I wasn't a wild child. I just never found my people. It seemed like every time I would get comfortable in a foster home, something would go wrong. It was never a problem with me, but with the people I lived with. It's like I was jinxed or something. Maybe...it...was....me...Anyway, I packed my bag, yes one lonely bag, and hitchhiked to California. One can only take the Arizona sun for so long. Yes I know, California has sun too...but there are BEACHES. I always wanted to see the beach.

Once I got to California, I got a couple of part time jobs working in those little huts you see on the beach. The beach is absolutely beautiful. I had never seen the beach until then. The soft yet firm sand between my toes. The crystal blue ocean casting wave upon wave as it hit the shore. I wanted to live on the beach. Well, I did actually. I found a quiet place away from travelers and natives. There was an abandoned little shack that I would sleep in that was near the end of the forest.

I had this love/hate relationship with things society deemed normal. I wanted to live this lavish lifestyle with fancy phones, clothes, and other fancy things. I don't even know what fancy things I would want because I have never had them. But I also liked the idea of living in this beaten down shack in the woods. Well, on the border of the woods. That counts, right?

Last week, I started my new job at a large company. I was hot shit. After just one day on the job, I had already made friends with Steve and Samantha. Steve was obsessed with Sam and her every move. Sam was completely oblivious to Steve's feelings, and me? I was just excited to fit right into their bubble of fun.

Ok ok, so maybe my job was simply answering the phones in a call center. But I like to think that being a Customer Service Specialist for a large company is pretty amazing. Steve and Sam didn't seem to think that our jobs were that great. They were more interested in their personal lives and the gossip that went on in the break room. Don't get me wrong, I like a little gossip, plus I didn't know anyone. That's how I found Steve and Sam to be my people.

Steve invited me and Sam to his house. I think he was excited to have another girl friend so he had an excuse to invite her over without any suspicion. I totally don't get their relationship or lack thereof. I mean ASK HER OUT ALREADY. He even bought her a heart shaped necklace with the letters S & S etched on the outside. It was a cute silver little thing. He even cut out a tiny photo of them and put it on the inside. Seriously, so adorable. Now if only he could find the kahunas to give it to her. After a few drinks and board games, I headed home.

After six glorious months in California I felt like I was finally living. I was free from the choices of others. I could create my own destiny. I had a job and a house. Well, it was sort of a house...I'm still working on that. I had two amazing friends and I finally had my own money. Except today....today was the day that I would wake up and have my whole new world turned upside down. Most people would probably panic at the site of their roof, once securely attached to their house, magically gone. And the ash? Where was that coming from? Why was the sky so dark and gray?

I decided I should probably figure out what was going on. I got out of my bed, ventured to the front door, carefully opened it, and decided to re-close the door. Um, what?! I could barely see 6ft ahead of me. Ok, now I'm freaking out. I have NEVER seen this much fog before. Or maybe it was smoke? I'm not sure. I texted Steve & Sam to see if they knew what was going on. They acted like they had no idea what I was talking about and there window view was sunny and clear. Maybe it was just on my side of the beach?

I headed into the office. It was weird. There were cars stopped in the middle of the streets without any people in them. There weren't any people at the crosswalk at Heron Walk and Audubon Drive. That intersection is ALWAYS crowded. Where the heck did everyone go? I finally made my way into the office and the only people there were me, Sam and Steve. They didn't seem to think anything was abnormal. They went to their cubicles and surfed the internet. I mean, that's what we all did when the phones were slow. The phones weren't slow though, they were non-existent. No one was calling. No one else was in the office. Our floor alone held at least 250 customer service reps. The building had 16 floors. Of course they weren't ALL customer service floors, but still!

I told Steve & Sam to just stay at work and I was going to go outside to investigate. They continued to look at me as if nothing was out of the ordinary. I went outside and stared into the streets. Of course, there wasn't much to see. It was hard to breathe through the thick smog and ash. I covered my mouth with my sweater and held my other hand like a visor above my eyes. It was too much. I went back inside the main floor of the building and peered outside of the windows so I wasn't breathing in anything toxic.

I was simply confused. Why aren't there any other people? Why aren't Steve & Sam more concerned? How am I the only one seeing all of this? I put my hands in my pockets. Yes, the same pants I wore yesterday because I didn't have time to make it to the laundry mat. I felt something in my pocket that I didn't recognize. When I pulled it out it was the heart shaped silver locket that Steve had showed me the night before. The locket he bought for Sam. How did it end up in my pocket?

I headed for the elevators to talk to Steve. I needed to know how it ended up in my pocket. It just didn't make any sense. While standing in the elevator waiting to approach the 6th floor, I opened the locket. A flash of blue appeared and I quickly closed it. When the elevator doors opened, everyone that worked on the 6th floor was there again. The sun was shining through the large glass paned windows. Calls were coming in as they always did. People were working...as..they..always..did. What? Am I losing my mind?

I ran up to Steve and questioned him about the locket. I tried explaining to him about leaving his house last night and going home. How my roof was gone and there was smog everywhere. How the locket was in my pocket and I didn't understand how or why. I described the blue flash of light that appeared when I opened the locket. He just stared at me as if I wasn't saying anything. I called his name over and over again only this time my voice sounded like an echo in a tunnel. Steve just kept staring and smiling at me.

....

I rubbed my eyes and realized the whole thing was a dream. HOLY SHIT, that was weird. I called Sam and started to tell her about my crazy dream. She told me to lay off the margaritas. I crawled out of bed and got dressed for the day. I shove my phone in my pocket but it was hitting something. When I reached in, there was a small silver heart shaped locket.

....