(You are reading Episode 4 of The Transition Series. Read Episode 3 here | Read Episode 5 here)
The Cold Dawn
Ceritasakti.com - The city clock tower showed five in the morning. The sky remained completely dark. Thick white fog covered the empty streets. The air felt incredibly cold and sharp against the skin.
Odinn stood motionless under the flickering yellow street lamp at the bus stop. He wore a thick brown canvas jacket and heavy work boots. Today was his first official shift at the lumber warehouse. He needed to be there by six.
He rubbed his cold hands together. He did not expect anyone to join him. But the sound of footsteps echoed on the wet pavement.
Jun walked out of the fog. He held two steaming paper cups of cheap corner-store coffee. Kiki walked right behind him, wrapped tightly in a massive gray scarf. A moment later, a small car pulled up to the curb. Otto and Lanny stepped out, shivering in the freezing morning wind.
"What are you guys doing here?" Odinn asked. His voice sounded hoarse.
"You think we would let you face the first terrible shift alone?" Jun replied. Jun handed Odinn a hot paper cup.
Gathered Under the Light
The five friends gathered closely around the small concrete bus shelter. Nobody complained about the terrible hour.
Lanny perched on the edge of the freezing bench. She tucked her hands deep into her jacket pockets. Otto leaned against the metal schedule pole. He looked exhausted. He stayed up all night studying for his upcoming entrance exams, but he still showed up.
Kiki rested her shoulder against Jun's arm to share some warmth.
"My boss said I will carry wooden planks for eight hours today," Odinn broke the silence. He stared at his heavy boots. "I have never worked eight hours in my entire life."
"You are the strongest person in our group," Lanny encouraged him. "You carried my broken bicycle for two miles last year. Wooden planks are nothing for you."
Otto adjusted his glasses with a shivering hand. "Just remember to lift with your knees, Odinn. The human spine is very fragile under repetitive stress."
Odinn smiled faintly. He took a sip of the hot coffee. The terrible fear in his stomach slowly disappeared.
The Yellow Headlights
They waited in the freezing fog for another twenty minutes. They did not talk much. The cold air made conversation difficult. But the silent support meant everything. They were no longer the carefree kids eating pizza on a warm roof. They were growing up, and growing up felt freezing cold.
Finally, two large yellow headlights pierced through the thick mist. The heavy city bus turned the corner. Its large diesel engine rumbled loudly, shaking the wet pavement beneath their feet.
The bus stopped right in front of them with a loud hiss of air brakes. The folding doors opened.
Odinn handed his empty coffee cup to Jun. He looked at his four friends standing in the dark.
"I will see you guys," Odinn said quietly.
"Call us when your shift ends," Kiki demanded.
Odinn nodded. He stepped onto the bus. The doors closed quickly. The bus drove away, disappearing back into the thick morning fog. The four remaining friends stood together under the street lamp. They watched the red taillights vanish. The real world officially started today.
