speed limit signs | micah

[olivia grace dayshelle]

EMOTION TAKES YOU OVER 20 MILES AT A TIME

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. The sound resonated throughout the room, echoing off the walls as a reminder of how slow time was passing by. By this time the golden hour of the sun was pressing itself into the house, orange, window shaped figures slowly came fell across the floor.

Suddenly, the room sounded of tapping nails on the top of the desk. An annoyed scowl had found it's place upon a pretty, white-blond girls face as she seemed to hover her eyes over either the window or the clock. Slowly, she was getting more and more irritated, although it was safe to say that this was how she felt more than fifty percent of the time.

Only two minutes after the other, Olivia had called both her father as well as a group of girls she referred to as her friends to pick her up. The plan of the game was to see which got to her first and then when the next one came along she'd just pretend that she forgot to call them and say that she'd meet up with them later. At this current point in time both parties were almost ten minutes late. This was unacceptable. There was never ever real reason to be late. Bad traffic? Yeah right, you should've known better to leave earlier. Relative died? Then you shouldn't of made plans on a day like this to begin with.

Call her unreasonable, or pessimistic, but Olivia had a system and if anyone tore away at it, even just once, she'd hate you, no matter what deception her face might read.

Another five minutes had passed, where Olivia had spent it looking at her perfectly cut, squared, nails, and yet the only sound she heard was that fucking clock. Her eyes looked up for a moment, hopeful at the sound of an engine, but it was just another car pulling into a lot next to her own. Where are these people, my god... her thoughts trailed as she heard a distant loud blaring of Maroon5 in the distance. That could only be Tiffany. That girl had an obscene boner for Adam Lavigne.

Casually, she reached for her purse, resting it on her shoulder and started to walk out of her second level apartment to the outside steps where he friends simultaneously pulled to the curb. A perked-up smile spread across her face, although internally she was shooting the two girls that were in the car. Wait. There were three of them? Her eyes gave away to a glare for a moment as she noticed Kaitlin Hendricks in the back seat. She had sort of been new to Caroline. It seemed that regardless of the fact that Olivia had openly told Tiffany she wanted little to do with the new girl, that Tiffany wanted to take advantage of a girl with such perfectly smooth chestnut brown hair. It wasn't right. Olivia didn't want anymore friends. She hardly liked the ones that she surrounded herself with anyways.

“Sorry, we were late, we saw Kaitlin at the park with her little brother and had to convince her to come out with us, she needs to experience the Caroline Carnival the right way,” Well, that was Tiffany's justification. Olivia put on a polite smile, waved her hand like it was nothing, “Oh, definitely, don't even worry about it,” her lips didn't show her bared, clenched teeth. It hurt so much to even say that. Of course it mattered. No one should be late, ever, and especially not for Olivia.

The car took off and Maroon5 continued to blare around. Olivia wanted more than anything to just tell Tiffany she had to pick, either turning the music down, or changing the CD but she couldn't bring herself to say it. It wasn't out of compassion, or really Tiffany's interests, it was more so because she'd never really said anything like that to any of her friends before so it would be out of character. It was probably best for her to remain quiet as Tiffany attempted to yell over the music about how much of a dick her boyfriend was. Well if he's such an idiot, than maybe you should break up with him because it's the most logical thing to do you dumb ass, Olivia rolled her eyes, knowing that no one was looking at her since they were all too focused on Tiffany anyways. At this point, she couldn't wait to get to the carnival. Who cared if it smelled terrible and the only good thing about it was lemonade and occasionally sharing cotton candy.

Almost as soon as they got to a parked position, Olivia jumped out of the car. Kaitlin had been so ridiculously helpful with Tiffany's boy trouble that it made Olivia want to throw up a little. It was almost as if Kaitlin had said everything Olivia was thinking, but in a nice, constructive, built-up sort of way. Apparently, now, tonight would be the night that Tiffany would finally break up with the jerk, and that mean that everyone had to follow her until she was able to get it done. Moral support. Sure.

The sun still hovered over the horizon for as long as it possibly could in the summer time, but the string of lights around the carnival lit up, ready for night. Olivia couldn't help but appreciate the aesthetics of the entire display. It was really nice, so typical like out of a teen soap-opera. Secretly, Olivia always had a dream of a world where she could have the cute ferris wheel moment like Ryan and Marissa had in the OC. When she was younger she saw Caroline as the mountain, forested version of New Port Beach. For that moment she was actually able to appreciate everything... until Tiffany's voice sounded in her ear.

“There he is,” she whispered to her, and looked to Tiffany's boyfriend. Really, Olivia didn't know why she had to have him pointed out to her. It wasn't like this was the first time she'd ever met the guy. The first time he wouldn't stop looking at Olivia's lips. It was repulsive. Oh, and look, he's coming over, almost at the same time that Olivia said it, she heard Tiffany say the same thing. “It's time for you to shine, girl,” she heard Kaitlin speak up. Olivia resisted the urge to roll her eyes of course. Kaitlin, Jenna, and Olivia all backed up a little to let Tiffany through to her soon to be ex-boy toy.

“So Olivia, do you have a boyfriend?” Kaitlin asked her curiously. Olivia raised an eyebrow at her, looking as surprised as she felt, although internally Olivia was sure that it was Kaitlin asking to see how many relationships she could break up that day. “Goodness, no. I hardly have time for boys, besides if this group of girls is an example of the pick of boys there are in this place i don't even want to get involved in the game,” She laughed to herself, looking at Jenna with sympathetic eyes since her most recent boyfriend broke up with her a month ago. When she asked if there was a chance that they could get back together he laughed in her face and pretty much said he broke up with her because his friends thought that he could find someone thinner. Ouch.

Only a moment later Tiffany came back, whipping a tear out of her eye, “There, it's done, now let's find me a cute carnival boy before i go back to that loser,” Olivia smiled, because she guessed that's exactly what Tiffany would say. As if they'd actually find a cute carnival boy. She didn't even know if there was such a thing.

micah | 1297 | oh goodness, this will be great

[caleb jay ierie]

spare me your judgments and spare me your dreams

the stars on the fabric above him whorled and spun across the ceiling. why make something that imitated what was outside? why not leave the small booth open to the elements? micah understood the element, the material need to make it look mystic in the small space. what was more mystic than the open night sky, the blue bay moon hanging in the sky, nothing more than the sound of coyotes to dictate the future? a loud scream and the raw cacophony of the music outside did much to disallow that fantasy. the spare fabric lining the tent did little to hide micah from the noise, but it hid him from the lights and the people, that only spilled through the triangle opening, and it could seem like a dream. here was his sanctuary, sparse, but a man had to be happy with what he was given. the fol of the carnival had little to spare, and micah asked for less than that. a home to stay, company given, that was all he needed. he provided the comfort he needed himself, a roof was not necessary to keep him happy. long had he lived on the road and in the wild and so a guaranteed meal was nice enough. traveling had brought him this far, and traveling would keep him going.

the summer felt long and endless around his back, he wasn't chasing the warmth of the season, but it seemed to follow him. he'd started out in british columbia, returning from a long winter in the forests who had no names. only the animals that lived there, the lakes that had maps lined with numbers instead of letters. he'd emerged, as always, a weary but better man. micah could live ages in the forest, decades, until he fell into the soil himself and joined his brethren, the trees. he'd not entered the town, but lived aside it, setting up a small tent he carried if shelter was not readily available, he was a man of nature, but he was not stupid. man had long ago forgone his tie with mother earth, and micah forged to regrow it. he still made lean to's, out of boughs of trees fallen on the floor, digging out caves to suit his needs. he smelt and he was raw but the forest was his home more than the towns were. he only returned because his consciousness begged company, and he searched for souls like his own. lost ones, surrounded by the metal and machine that humans now called home. the carnival, when it had rolled through the town, seemed to provide that.

micah could remember a carnival from when he was younger, the bright lights, how late he and his sister were allowed to say. olivia would drag him through the booths, begging to go on rides she was too small for, looking glassy eyed at a toy. micah discouraged her from her want, but that did not lessen it. when he had obliged to break down and win her a stuffed bear, she had not let it go for the rest of that summer. and so the time went, until micah left that world and entered his own. even olivas world was filled too much with want, and the town tainted both their minds. he needed to get out of there, as quick as possible. as soon as he had joined the carnival, he had known its destination, known the course the fates were now taking them. he was not a man to question these sorts of things, however. he went along for the ride, and it did him well. experience all, and all will find you.

the carnival stayed in the small town most of the summer, it bringing in the highest revenue. it always had, it was what they all needed to make it through the winter months when the rides and tents would be packed away. micah heard the complaints about these months, the harsh snow, the endless diet of potato soup. it didn't sound so bad to him, but he acknowledged natures gifts, took them all with gratitude and thanks. winter were hard times for his folk, but he bore them with grace. a roof over his head, even that of one of a tent, would be enough to make him happy. his home on the carnival was larger than the tent he currently resided. many of the folk shared trailers, creating a motley of vehicles when they traveled. he was no different, his home was split between two others, ones that took him and his 'oddness' in stride. most of the folk were laid back, caring people, but some seemed to antagonize micah and his ways. they did not believe he saw ghosts as he said he did, despite the words he spoke to them. the fits were caused by the lights they said, and that was the cause of this tent. it had been the fortune tellers tent for longer than the carnival master could say, but there had not been a fortune teller on this carnival for quite some time as well.

it was a mistake that micahs talents were wasted on fortunes. he was not one to deal in the future, but stemmed in the past. he knew tarot readings, could draw a line on a hand with more grace than half the professionals out there, but his spectral connection had little to do with that. whatever got the place money, and it was better than working the game booths. the fortune tent got very little business, mostly drunks and idiots as the nights passed. no one believed, not as micah did, and it tested his patience. he was a calm man, but humanity bore on him in the worst ways. that was half the reason he left the town. he could learn a lot from others, but some has less knowledge to pass on the others. tonight was a good night however, the moon was showing her face, the stars were calm, and the planets seemed at rest. most nights micah could expect to have no business, and so he sat on his chair in the tent, reading a book or flipping through his cards, lost in thought. he did what he could, and after innumerable years in the forest, in the wild, away from time and all things that marked it, he was good at spending his time. the night was cold and young, and the sign out front that advertised his skills sat in the quietest part of the park, as if from a dream.

1105 | livvy-poo | god that took 12 years