Forget-me-not

Cynthia

After Flora left for work, Cynthia was alone in the apartment. Flora made her lunch and set it inside the fridge, so she could easily find it. She even wrote a note and stuck it on the kitchen table. Cynthia would see it when she woke up. 

Cynthia woke with a groan to the sound of horns honking beneath her window. Down below, the daily commute to work for people was a hassle due to construction workers filling a pothole. Because of higher temperatures, the snow began melting away. Today was the first day workers could see it. 

She pushed herself up on one arm. Her hair stuck out in multiple places. With a squint, she narrowed her eyes at her closed window blinds. "Do you know what time it is?" Her voice came out sleepily. 

The only response she got was the faint hum of her ceiling fan. With a sigh, she sat up and decided she might as well start her day. After grabbing an outfit from the closet, she headed towards the bathroom to shower. When she finished, she headed into the kitchen expecting to find Flora. In her place, a bright green sticky note awaited her. 

Cynthia, 

I went to work. You can eat anything that's in the fridge and cupboards. Your lunch is in a bag in the fridge. I'll be home later! Please stay in the apartment and I'll see you later!

Love you, 

Flora

She pushed out her lips in a slight pout. She forgot Flora was working today. She left the sticky note in its place and began searching for something to eat for breakfast. A soft hum came out while she searched the cupboards. 

She was met with a large array of products in the cupboard. Bright and colorful small bags and boxes stared at her. She scanned the names of each trying to figure out one that looked good, but nothing stood out. 

Disinterested, she opened the fridge and began searching. Her tongue clicked while she looked and after a bit of digging, she held up a small plastic bottle. Her eyes narrowed at the label and she turned it around in her hand. 

The bottle wasn't that big, in fact, it was smaller than her hand. The bottle was filled with a mysterious cream colored liquid with red writing. On the top, a thin layer of foil sealed the drink. She shifted her arm again to study it. 

"What is a probiotic drink?" She wondered out loud. She hesitated for a bit before she finally decided to drink it. Pulling it out of the fridge, she stared at the top unsure of how to take it off. "Do I bite it?" Her finger went to the top and she tapped it. Nothing happened. 

"Here goes nothing, I guess." She stabbed her nail into the top. Her sharpened long nail tore through the foil and stuck into the cold liquid. Her face scrunched up in disgust as she pulled it out. "Ew." 

She washed off her finger before she took a sip of the drink. Her nose wrinkled in displeasure at the taste. Just to be sure, she took another sip again and her lips smacked together. "Mmh," she held up the bottle, "I don't know how I feel about you, Yakult." 

Regardless of her not enjoying the taste, she drank all of it before she put the bottle in the trash. She was left with only a few options. She could either color in a coloring book again or attempt to try to figure out how to work the TV. Flora showed her once, but she couldn't remember how it worked. 

She picked up the remote and a loud piercing noise filled the air. Panic flooded through her and she dropped the remote. The screeching high-pitched noise was everywhere. Even when she plugged her ears, it was still there. She glanced around the room with wide eyes trying to figure out where it was coming from. 

Getting up from the couch, she was met with noise coming from the hallway. Cautiously, she tip-toed over to the front door and peered out the peep-hole with her fingers still over her ears. Multiple people were walking past the door and heading in the same direction. Maybe they'd be able to help her. 

She dropped her hands from her sides, tugged on her shoes, and rushed to join them. Her eyes were wide while she scanned around. She had been outside the apartment before, but it was always with Flora and never with this many people. Anxiety caused her stomach to churn. 

"It's so early," an older woman grumbled. "I can't believe they do our fire drills this early." Her brunette hair sat in hot pink rollers. She shook her head and disappeared further into the crowd. 

Cynthia looked around hoping to find someone she could talk to. She swallowed her nerves and approached another girl that looked around her age. "Excuse me," she called over the loud noise. 

The woman glanced over at her. A black puffer jacket hung over her body and matching winter boots sat on her feet. She stepped closer, so she could hear her better. 

"Can you tell me what's going on?" 

"Oh, you must be new here." She gave her a reassuring smile. "No worries, this is a routine fire drill. The apartment complex does this every so often to make sure the fire alarms are working in case of a fire." 

"So there isn't a fire?" 

"No. You should have got an email about it. They always schedule them this time of the year. Even in the winter, we have to be prepared for a fire," she chuckled. "Just stick with me and I'll tell you where to go." 

Flora nodded and followed along beside her. A wave of slight relief ebbed through her. At least, she knew what was going on now. The only downside to the situation? 

She had no idea which floor and which apartment number Flora lived in.