272 Fireworks (1/2)
[Alvelyn's Perspective]
After having a quick meal with food gathered from the many food stalls scattered throughout the pier, the clock quickly ticked to the time when the fireworks would begin. The sky had now become entirely dark, and my surroundings would be dark if not for the bright light of the festival that illuminated the pier and the bits and pieces of the dark ocean nearby it.
Since this small seaside city is mostly known for its amazing beaches, the local government had imposed a height limit on the buildings by the shore. Therefore, the tallest building visible from the pier were the short five story apartment complexes, but even those are rather further inland from the ocean. Therefore, almost no light pollution is present by the ocean, giving the sky back its natural reign over its nighttime starry sky. In this sky, the fireworks will be the most beautiful as they will be able to burn their magnificent colors to their full potential.
”Let's go get a good spot!” Noah exclaimed to us as we finished eating and tossed away the plastic containers into the nearby trashcan. ”I don't want to be stuck watching the fireworks from a bad angle after coming all the way here.”
”Let's go then,” Loyd nodded. He met eyes with Noah and Zaksus for a brief second before breaking eye contact.
”Let's head out to the beach or to the very edge of the pier,” Irina suggested.
”Be careful,” Mura said out loud. ”There's lots of people going to those places.”
”Are you...not going?” Muria frowned as she looked back at her older sister who was still seated on the wooden bench,
”I'm not really in the mood to be pushing through a crowd that dense,” Mura smiled as she gazed into the eyes of her younger sister. ”Besides, I think Emilia is a bit tired as well. You can go have fun without me.”
Muria seemed a bit hesitant to leave the food court area, but she seemed to be unable to resist the flow of the crowd and was forced to also start making her way forward with Irina and Luna by her side. As she is pushed on by the crowd, she gazed over her shoulder and at her older sister, who waved as she watched her off.
”They must be tired,” Irina said to Muria in order to comfort her.
”Haven't they been resting the entire trip?” Noah commented.
”I guess they are right to choose not to come,” Luna chuckled weakly. ”This crowd is really...compacted.”
”There is a lot of people...” I muttered as I brought my arms closer to my body, curling up slightly so as to avoid being swept away by the crowd.
”So many people...” Muria whispered to herself as we continued to walk.
This journey toward the exit to the beach was...rather difficult as almost everybody had the exact same idea. It was as if a floodgate had been opened and the people, like the dammed water, is now finally given an outlet to gush out of, and gush out it did. The crowd seemed to continuously shifted their way towards the exits to the beach, moving along at a constant rate with a constant pressure. There was really no going against the crowd as that is accompanied by the risk of being trampled. There really isn't much space for anyone to see what they are stepping on and where they are headed aside from the general direction. However, everyone knew that all they have to do is simply follow the flow of the crowd and they will eventually end up where they want to go.
The constant pressure that these strangers around me exerted on me was...rather unpleasant. It is not a good feeling to be forced to walk at a constant walking pace that is not something that I am used to, being forced to constantly adjust my footing to not accidentally fall or bump into the people ahead of me.
I devoted all of my energy into doing just this, focusing my concentration on this one task. This was the reason why... I neglected to communicate with the others as I was simply preoccupied.When I realized, it was already too late. I had lost sight of them in this sea of people.
I looked around, searching my surroundings for their familiar faces. I looked up and above the heads of the crowd, in search of Zaksus as he was taller than average. However, I was unable to see him anywhere in the crowd. But even then, I am not...worried per say. There's really no point in panicking when you're lost or separated from a group, because that won't help out the situation and the induced stress will only impair judgement, making the situation even worse.
After recognizing my situation, I immediately cleared my mind as I prepared for my next step. Since it is unwise to try and go against the flow of the crowd, maybe I'll just follow it to its destination or to when I reach someplace where the congestion isn't as bad to leave. Then, I'll just make a phone call and locate them.
As I maintained my own peace of mind, I continued on with the crowd. However, I soon felt a hand grasping my wrist. Once again, I tensed up, fearing that...it might be an attempt at assaulting me. However, when I looked over, all that I saw was Loyd's worried countenance. He seemed to be sweating somewhat, and judging by his somewhat untidy appearance, he must have pushed through the crowd of people.
”There you are,” he said as his countenance relaxed and slipped into a smile. ”I saw you being pushed by the crowd away from the group so I...”
I didn't take in the remainder of his explanation, as I really couldn't hear him with the chattering sound of the sea of people that we were in. However, I could sort of piece together what he is trying to communicate.
Although I couldn't hear him clearly as he spoke, I gazed into his eyes. Eyes often speak more than words, so that is where I focused. Looking into his grey eyes, I could sense...a genuine joy and relief. He...must've been actually worried. In addition, he is somewhat nervous right now as I could feel his heart palpitate through his grasp of my hand.