Panic Room

Tony's

Wednesday

"Edda?" a voice called through my door. "Edda!"

I groaned and rolled over.

Mom came in and sat on the edge of my bed "Geir and Lily are downstairs, they said they wanted to go to lunch with you..?"

I stretched my back. "What time is it?"

She glanced at the clock on the wall, "1:30."

I looked up at her in time to see her eyes dull at the peeling paint.

"Come on. There's no reason to keep our visitors waiting." The bed creaked as she stood up.

I continued to lay there after she left the room. However, she knows me too well, and walked back in after a few minutes.

"Get up, Edda!" She said, more sternly.

"Okay!" I replied and threw myself out of bed.

"Hey." I said, running downstairs.

Lily and Geir peered around the wall. "Hey!" Lily smiled.

"Slept in again?" Geir asked.

I chuckled. "No..."

Geir laughed,

"C'mon, I'm hungry." Lily whined, dragging us both from the room.

I opened the back door, and Lily ran outside. The wood behind the house leads to The Founding Point. There are statues in the center that reenact the founding of our nation.

Our favorite restaurant, Tony's, was down the street from the point. One of my great grandmothers -we aren't sure how many, but we know it's a lot- snuck an old book past the government, and it has been passed down for generations. Mom showed it to me when I was really little.

It held the History of the Old World. She showed me images, that not even she can describe, it looks like someone took a chunk of reality, and put it on paper. They show large buildings made out of red rock, and people in odd dress.

Mom showed me the chunks of what our land used to be. A white wind would come and it would cover everything, and the temperature would drop dangerously. She can't describe it, but the air would feel different. When the temperature dropped, people got cold. I don't know what cold feels like, and Mom said I never will.

We reached The Founding Point Lily saw the statue, and her eyes grew wide, they always creeped her out.

Her pace quickened.

I laughed, "Lily, slow down!"

"You've passed them for almost eighteen years! Is it that bad?" Geir asked.

Lily walked faster. "Yes!"

We passed the Founders and turned the corner to the restaurant. Past the little diner that's been there as long as I can remember, Lily gasped, "We should stop at the diner, and get those sundaes and take them back to the hideout, like we used to when we were ten!"

I smiled, "We should! I miss doing that!"

Geir looked over at the building. "I miss being ten, running around the city, carefree."

I sighed and nodded.

Lily had her bowl clenched between her teeth as she climbed the rope ladder.

"How you doin'?" Geir called up.

"Uuhhh." she mumbled.

She got half way up, so I put my ice cream bowl to my lips, and held it with my teeth like Lily had. I pulled myself up. Geir laughed because I was being so slow. I rolled my eyes and continued my climb.