Chapter 1; Wishes

“Take notes on chapters thirteen through fifteen as your homework assignment for the weekend.” The large, burly Mr. Bantoff said as he closed his book and the final bell rang – signaling the end to another school day.1

“Have a great weekend!” He said cheerily as students passed by him and walked into the hallway where they threw all their books into their lockers and chatted with their friends on their way out the glass doors of the boring highschool they were forced to attend.2

“What are you doing this weekend, Anna?” A girl with short, black hair and a punk rock attire asked the shorter, red-haired girl that was walking beside her. That girl was me; Anna.3

“Well, tonight I’ll have another thrilling day at work and then I’ll wake up tomorrow and do the exact same thing.” I said with a slight roll of my eyes, causing my friend Claire to giggle.4

We were seniors, and if there was one thing I’d learned in my three and a half years of highschool, it was that nothing really exciting ever really seemed to happen. There was the frivolous drama that most of the teenage girls thrived on. There was the endless race for sexual encounters that most of the guys strived for as if they could mark such things down as tallies on a scoreboard… and some did.5

There were the rebels without a cause, the people that no one really understood, the hopelessly depressed, the pink and the glamorous, the attention seekers with the crazy hair and mad fashion sense… and then there was the girl that had a shot at all and was still bored. Bland? I could be, but people had always noticed me – I’d just never really cared to be a part of this soap opera they call “the best years of our lives.”6

I went to school, I ignored rumors, gossip, whistles, giggles, burps and tears. I came to Café Martoll where I worked as a waitress from 4-9 p.m., and then did the same on the weekends from 9-3 p.m. 7

My life could be described as lackluster. This was how I’d wanted it to be, so I suppose I couldn’t really complain… nothing exciting just ever seemed to happen. Girls at school talked about the thrills of shopping, romance, roller coasters and bubble gum… but I always wanted so much more than that. Such a description makes me sound boring, depressing, and dark; but really, I’m a very nice girl that has one hell of a sense of humor. I’m just always seeking more in this world than I’ve ever really found.8

“Welcome to Café Martoll. My name is Anna and I shall be your waitress today – how are you ladies doing today?”9

“Perfectly fine.” The older, more elegantly dressed woman said with a slight smile that ringed false kindness so loudly that I almost flinched.10

“That’s good to hear – shall we start you off with drinks?” My voice was laced with honey as I pulled my notepad from one of the front pockets of my half-apron that was tied around my waist.11

“Yes, let’s. We’ll have two orders of Keemum.”12

“Alright; I’ll be back in a jiff.” I smiled and then walked towards the kitchen – giving their order to the person in charge of drinks and smiling at the cook as he flipped an egg.13

“Those old broads are back again.” I said.14

“Try not to make them hate you, kid.” He said with a smile as he continued to flip assorted things on his long stove.15

“Will do.” I said, walking back out to the main room of the restaurant where the customers were seated – chatting, laughing, and eating the delicious treats of the well-known Café Martoll.16

I leaned against a wall as I waited for either more customers or the tea to be made – whichever happened first. The elegant music that they played over and over again each day filled my ears as I closed out all other sounds and I closed my eyes for a few seconds as I enjoyed the sound of it. A nudge at my shoulder made me open my eyes as another waitress that happened to be a friend of mine gestured towards one of my tables – where a man was now seated. That was odd… my eyes had only been closed for a minute. Shrugging off my confusion, I made my way over to his table, pulling my notepad out as I did so.17

I noted his appearance as I came forward. He was an older man; unshaven, a long, dirty coat hanging off of his shoulders, and yellowish teeth that were displayed when he coughed – or hacked into his napkin. I cringed at every hack, and hoped I wouldn’t catch whatever it was the old man was carrying. Regardless; as soon as I reached his table I put on my waitress-smile and laced my voice so expertly with honey.18

“Good afternoon, sir, and welcome to Café Martoll. My name is Anna and I’ll be your waitress today; what can I get you?”19

“Coffee. Black.” He grunted, looking up at me with watery, red eyes. This old man looked like he was about to keel over.20

“Alright, I’ll get that for you.” I said with a chipper voice – my smile faltering slightly as he coughed and hacked into his napkin again. Other customers were starting to turn heads. Bowing my head slightly, I went to the kitchen to make the man his coffee and pick up the orders for the other women. The cook – Joe – and a few other waiters asked me who that old man was, but I didn’t quite know. I picked up my tray with the two teas and the one coffee and left the kitchen.21

“Here you go, ladies,” I said, setting down both of the teas that were filled to the rim with the expensive, foreign liquid that they ordered once a week, every week. After a few cool glares from them that signaled I should leave them be, I took the coffee over to the old man who was being oddly quiet now. He watched me as I came closer to him and I thought I saw something click in his mind as his water old eyes twinkled.22

“There you go sir,” I set down his cup in front of him and set down another napkin for him.23

“What did you say your name was?” He asked, his voice no longer so gruff.24

“Oh, um… Anna.” I said with a slight smile.25

“I’d bet millions that you got that red hair from your mother, aye?”26

“Oh,” My hand instantly went up to one of my longer bangs that framed my face since I had to pull my long, red hair back into a braid. “I actually don’t know. My parents died when I was very young.”27

He nodded slightly, his eyes looking over my face, hair and then lower down my whole body before coming back up. On a normal occasion, I would’ve blushed and been insulted but… this old man just seemed very curious, almost fascinated, with me. Biting my lip slightly, I waited for the awkward moment to pass – and it did when he took his gaze off of me and turned his attention towards his coffee.28

“Well unless you need anything else…” I waited for him to order something else, but he didn’t. “Then I’ll let you drink your coffee in peace.”29

The old man stayed at his table the whole day. He never did more than cough, hack, and drink his coffee. He asked for two refills of the same thing, and after awhile I forgot that he was there as we got more and more customers. When it neared the end of my shift and closing time, I once again noticed the old man in the table in the corner as he got up and shook his coat a little bit.30

“Do you need a ride, Anna?” Joe asked from behind me as he shrugged on his own jacket.31

“No thanks, Joe, I think I’m going to see this old timer home, but thanks anyway.” I smiled and he just shrugged.32

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” He said with a smile as he scratched the back of his head. I nodded, but my attention went back to the old man and I walked over to him.33

“Sir… may I see you home?” I asked in a sweet voice that was actually sincere for once. He looked at me with curiosity, and I saw the wheels in his head turning again, but he nodded nonetheless. With a smile, I looped my arm with his and I lead him out of the Café Martoll.34

“Where do you live?” I asked as the cold breeze of a fall night hit us and I hugged his arm tighter to me – afraid that he might fall if not for my support. He didn’t answer me, but he led the way down the sidewalk in the opposite direction that I usually went when going to my house. This meant I had a long walk ahead of me tonight in this damned cold. Great.35

We walked for quite awhile. I stopped listening to the chattering of my teeth and the scrap of his heavy feet along the sidewalk; listening instead to the sounds around us as the streetlights stopped shining down on us. We walked through the darkness in silence – the only thing that broke it was the old man coughing every now and then, and we had to stop a few times so he could catch his breath. I was starting to worry – we had been walking for quite awhile and now we were on our way down the darkest streets, and he still made no motion of stopping or turning. Finally, I had worried enough.36

“Old man – are you sure we’re going the right way?”37

“Yes.” He said, adding so softly that it was almost carried off with the wind. “Your mother used to call me ‘Old man’ too.”38

“What?” I stopped and tugged on his arm to stop him too. I looked down at him, glaring slightly; there was no way this old man knew my mother. “I think you have me confused for someone else.”39

“Don’t give me that look. Respect your elders, Annabelle.” He said gruffly, looking around him as if he was expecting something to happen. I opened my mouth to protest – I hated it when anyone called me by my full name, but I stopped when I heard a dull whirr.40

Turning my head towards the sound that, though dull, pierced the silence of the night like a knife through my skin. The old man didn’t seem to be bothered by it, and acted as if he hadn’t heard it – instead, he just kept walking. He pulled on my arm a little forcibly and I followed after him, but constantly looked over my shoulder at where I’d heard that whirr. Things were starting to make me uneasy… the old man seemed to purposely be leading me down darker and darker streets and I could just feel that he was ignoring the dull whirr that seemed to follow us. I glared as my teeth began to chatter again.41

“You’re in no danger, I promise you that much.” The old man said as we finally neared a streetlight and he stopped right over it. Tilting his head up, he looked directly into the light – his eyes watering even more as they were exposed to the cold wind of the night. Trying to control my chattering teeth, I stared behind us as the whirr began to get louder.42

“O-o-old man… What’s g-g-going on?” I tried to say through clenched teeth.43

“We all have our time… this is the end of mine,” Suddenly, the whirr broke into a shrill screech. I gasped and turned around as the man dropped to his knees. 44

“And this is the beginning of yours.”45

“Old man!” I shouted as my fear overcame me and I reached down to help him. A sharp pain ran back up my hand and rang through my spine as the streetlight above us faltered and we were left in complete darkness. I was clutching my hand and screaming in pain – too horrified with what was happening to even notice that we were now surrounded in darkness.46

The pain shot up my hand so quickly that it shook my whole body – running down my spine, through my legs, and then back up again to scream through my head. It reminded me of a horror flick – one where tiny little creatures or plants dug their way into the persons skin and pulled it away from bone and muscle. I dug at my hands, trying to dig out the pain as if it was a bug under my skin – breaking the skin and causing myself to bleed, but I didn’t care; the pain was so bad that I just wanted it out. I wasn’t even aware of how loud I was screaming until the pain became so extreme that I couldn’t even scream anymore and I gasped for breath. I was suffocating in this darkness as the shrill screeches surrounded me, and I fell… I knew I was falling but I couldn’t stop it, and I fell until I could fall no more.47

I’d hit the rock bottom of darkness.48

***49

Little demonic creatures with red eyes and velvet skin surrounded me. Some hissed and some hollered, but they all scratched at the ground beneath them – their dirty nails so sharp that it sounded like nails on a chalkboard. I tried to put my hands to my ears to stop the noise from stabbing at my brain, but they pounced on me and pinned my arms to the wall behind me. Then they all pounced – nails outstretched, and teeth barred – each one of them taking a turn at digging into my flesh with all they had. Skin was peeled from every inch of me, and my muscles screamed at the pain and my bones seemed to break as I screamed for them to stop. I was helpless; lost, broken, screaming… dying. I knew that every scream I made was one of the last breaths I’d take…50

“Annabelle! Annabelle – you have to stop screaming!”51

My eyes snapped open at the sound of my aunt’s voice. She was standing over me with a worried look on her face – still in her night cap. Ignoring her worried questions, I threw off my blankets and my hands flew over every inch of my body – expecting to find chunks of skin missing and blood everywhere. Instead, I saw my regular body… pale legs, thin stomach, and chest… I didn’t look harmed in any way. My eyes searched all over my body but they found no sign that the dream had been real – any of it.52

“What is wrong with you? Are you alright?” My aunt’s voice had gone from worried to irritated, and I looked at her with the shocked expression still on my face.53

“I… yes. I’m fine.” I managed to say, swallowing thickly after what I said.54

“Bad dream, then?” Aunt Jo sighed as she wrapped her robe around her tighter and yawned.55

“Yes; I’m sorry. Go back to bed, Aunt Jo.”56

“No more candy before bed.” She said with a shake of her head as she left my bedroom. I smiled at how she still treated such things like I was a little girl.57

Lying back on my pillows, I kept my covers off of me since I was still bathed in my own sweat. Shuddering slightly at my remembrance of the little creatures, I closed my eyes again and tried to block out their screams. They had been so real… and the pain; I ran my hand down my arm again, making sure that my skin was all still in tact. Sighing with relief as I found that it still was, I slowly slipped back to sleep… a restful sleep with no nightmares, and I woke up the next morning feeling a lot better than I had when I’d woken up in the middle of the night.58

“No more candy before bed.” I repeated with a smile as I looked to my clock and saw that I’d be late for work if I didn’t get ready now. Throwing my covers off, I went to my closet and picked out a clean uniform – putting it on hurriedly before doing my makeup and pulling my red hair back in a braid. It didn’t take long for me to do all of this; I had a habit of waking up late and having to rush to get ready for work or school, so it was fairly natural for me. Tying up my braid with one final bow, I came downstairs and went into the kitchen where I found my Aunt Jo hovering over the stove. I smelled bacon.59

“Good morning, Aunt Jo,” I said cheerily, coming up behind her and kissing her on the cheek. Luckily, Aunt Jo suffered from the same miserable lack of height as I did – so I didn’t have to stand on tip-toe to kiss her on the cheek.60

“Yes, yes – the morning is good but the middle of the night, now that’s another story!” Aunt Jo said, trying to make her voice sound bitter but – the sweet old lady just didn’t have it in her to stay mad at anyone; especially me.61

“I’m sorry, it was just a bad dream – I don’t have them very often.”62

“I know; it’s not your fault. I made your favorite – French toast and bacon!” She said, putting three pieces of each on a plate and setting it down at my spot at the polished kitchen table. 63

“Awesome.” I said with a smile; I was, actually, very hungry and I sat down and dug in right away. I had almost finished my first piece of French toast when I noticed that Jo was staring at me from the other end of the table. Swallowing what I had left in my mouth and taking a drink of orange juice, I set down my fork.64

“Sorry – I’m just really hungry.”65

“Oh, it’s not that dear it’s just… you look stunning today.”66

I paused. “I do?”67

“Your hair looks… so red; redder than usual and your eyes – have they always been so… light? I thought you had green eyes.”68

“I do,” I said, picking up my fork again and attacking another slice of French toast. I assumed my Aunt Jo’s age was just getting to her again. “You’re losing it, Aunt Jo, but I love you anyway.”69

“You’re probably right…,” But her eyes told me that she believed every word she has said. I ignored it and kept eating until all I had left was a piece of bacon. I loved bacon.70

“I’m going to visit a friend of mine today. I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon – will you be alright here by yourself when you get off of work?”71

“Of course Aunt Jo – I’m going to be eighteen in a week, you know.”72

“Yes – yes, I know. You still haven’t told me what you want for your birthday, though.”73

“I don’t really want anything, Aunt Jo.” I lied.74

“You’re a horrible liar. I know there’s at least something.”75

“I don’t know what you could possibly be talking about, Jo.” I said with a smile as I got up and rinsed off my plate. “But I need to head to work, I’ll see you tomorrow then?”76

“Yes, dear.” She said, giving me a kiss on the cheek as I bent down by her chair. “Don’t burn the house down, please.”77

“Of course not.” I laughed, putting on my jacket and headed towards the door. I wasn’t greeted by a cool breeze – and it was actually quite nice out. The sun was shining, and a few orange and red leaves had found their way into my yard – lighting up the colorful place even more than it already was with all it’s flowers.78

I smiled as I walked down the sidewalk; my slightly heeled shoes tapping along the hard concrete as I edged past a few children playing with sidewalk chalk. The sidewalks were bordered with dazzling sights of red, yellow, and orange leaves all huddled together away from the middle of the street where passing cars had flung them. I crossed another street and was only a block away from the Café Martoll when I heard a miserable sounding cough and hack that made me stop dead in my tracks. My dreams – my memories, flooded back to me and I clutched my hands to my head as I remembered the pain that had seemed so real…79

I looked over and saw a construction worker coughing. It wasn’t the old man after all. What had happened to that old man in my dream… was it really a dream? My mind raced and I tried to stop all the thoughts that demanded my attention. I had to make them stop – I couldn’t go into work a nervous wreck; I’d lose my job. It was a well-paying job for a waitress, anyway. Collecting myself on the sidewalk and earning a few stares from some construction workers as I wrung my hands and stamped my foot a bit – I carried on.80

My job was too important for me to lose it. I’d been saving up for a car for about two years now – even though Jo had insisted that I let her help me out… I just couldn’t. She’d already done so much for me in my life, and I felt like this was something I needed to do all on my own. Regardless, as soon as I walked through those double glass doors of the café, I was immediately composed and ready for work. A few familiar customers eyed me as I walked by, but I ignored their questioning stares and stalked through the kitchen to find my apron.81

“Hey, red!” I heard Joe say with our backs to each other as he flipped a burger. I heard the swish of his pants and then – “Woah! Hello red!”82

“What?” I asked as I turned around and tied my apron tightly.83

“Did you dye your hair?” He asked, coming towards me and picking up my braid from behind me, pulling it around to my front so that I could see it. He was right… but it hadn’t been this shade of blood-red when I had put it in my braid this morning. It also looked… thicker.84

“No, wow. I don’t know what’s wrong with it.”85

“Wrong? This looks fucking great, Anna!” He said with a smile on his face as he let go of my braid. I tossed it behind my back with one hand and rolled my eyes.86

“Don’t get too excited, Joe, it’s only hair.”87

“Yeah; I know. It doesn’t even really look that different… really, it’s only noticeable if you’re someone who sees you most every day.” He laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his head. Yawning slightly, I nodded and headed out of the kitchen and into the main restaurant – seeing to a family that was seated at one of my assigned tables. It was a small family – a mom, a dad, and a young girl whom I was guessing was about six years old.88

“Don’t fidget, darling,” The mother said to her daughter as the little girl across from her wiggled in her seat and played with her napkin.89

“Good morning, and welcome to the Café Martoll. Shall we get some drinks to start out with?” I asked with a smile on my face.90

“I want orange juice! I want orange juice!” The little girl cheered as her mother reached across the table to try and pull her arms down.91

“Alright – Alright! You can have orange juice!” 92

“Two coffee’s, and two waters please.” The man said with a quick smile; he seemed to be embarrassed by his daughter’s display and I felt bad for the poor little girl.93

Nodding at his order, I returned to the kitchen – filled their orders myself since I hated making Jenny do all the refreshment work, and made my way back to their table with the drinks all perched on a tray on one hand. The girl had quieted, and tears streaked down her cheeks as she bowed her head when I neared. Silently, I put a cup of coffee and a cup of water in front of each of the parents, but when I put the orange juice down for the girl I put my tray behind me and bent down at my waist. Pulling a few multi-colored bendy straws from my waist, I smiled at the little girl as she lifted her head to look at them.94

“What color would you like, sweetie?” I held the straws out to her, and she looked to her parents – waiting for them to give her the OK before her gaze turned back to the tempting pastels. Reaching her hand out slowly, I watched as her eyes darted between the different colors – finally choosing a bright pink one and sticking it right in her orange juice. Smiling, I tucked the straws back into a pocket on my apron and stood straight up again.95

“Are you ready to order?” I asked, pulling my notepad from my apron.96

“I’ll have the fresh fruit cup with a cinnamon bun as the side,” The mother looked to her daughter, who pointed to something on the menu and nodded slightly. “And she’ll have the pancakes with bacon on the side.”97

“Alright,” I said, writing down their orders. “And you, sir?”98

“Ah – I’m not a big breakfast eater. A good cup of coffee is all I need.” He said with a smile as he picked up his cup of coffee as to gesture that he was all set. Nodding, I smiled again at the little girl who returned my smile weakly, before going to attend another one of my tables. The old women had come in for morning tea – which was the same order as their afternoon tea and night tea. As I waited for orders to be filled, I watched the little girl sit across from her parents as they talked amongst themselves. With her cheek in her hand, the little girl stirred her bright pink straw in her orange juice lazily… she looked so sad that my heart went right out to her.99

“Order 35. Anna.” Joe’s voice rang back to me from the kitchen, and I went to pick up their tray, but I paused. Ducking into the kitchen with my tray of food, I expertly maneuvered around the workers without dropping a single item, and snaked my way back out with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, a cup of cherries and sprinkles in my other hand. Any other day I might’ve had trouble doing this, but my sense of balance was working very well today and I assumed it was because I wanted so much for that little girl to smile.100

Setting down the large fruit cup and even larger cinnamon bun in front of the mother, I set down a plate of bacon at the girl’s side and she eyed it hungrily. When I set down her plate of pancakes, I turned it towards me instead of her – and all three eyes at the table looked at me curiously. I’d never done this – but I was willing to try. If it blew up in my face; then at least I tried.101

“And for you, princess. Pancakes A-la-smiley-face!” I said with a sense of bravado in my voice as I picked up the cool whip – spraying on eyes, nose, and a mouth. Then, I took the chocolate syrup and traced lines around every inch of cool whip before dotting the eyes with it and adding a little more to the two surrounding pancakes. Taking up a cherry, I put it right on the nose so that it looked like a clown before putting sprinkles over the whole thing. Pausing, I looked down at my spur-of-the-moment creation. Alright – so it wasn’t anything prize-winning but hey; I’d eat it.102

“Wow! Mommy look!” The little girl clapped her hands and giggled merrily as I pushed the plate in front of her and piled all of my equipment onto my tray.103

“Yes, I see. Thank the nice lady.”104

“Thank you nice lady!” The little girl said with a smile. I smiled back triumphantly as I saw my goal was reached, and her mother mouthed a ‘thank you’ in my direction and I nodded at her as well before turning to go return the things I’d taken from the kitchen.105

My eyes fell on a table across from me and I was stopped by the most beautiful eyes I’d ever seen. They were rich, warm, and the color of honey. I’d froze in my tracks and the sound of silverware clinking against dishes as well as giggles, chatters, and other sounds were silenced. I stared at those eyes, and they stared right back at me. It took me a few moments, but I finally tore my gaze away from those eyes – realizing that their owner was staring at me just as I was staring at him. Lowering my gaze to the floor, I carried my tray back to the kitchen.106

Throwing my tray on the pile of used trays, I leaned against the wall of the hallway between the kitchen and the eating area of the restaurant. It took me a moment to catch my breath as I found that I hadn’t breathed the whole time I’d stared at that gorgeous-eyed stranger. A few waiters edged passed me and a familiar ding told me that the women’s teas were done, so I got their orders and went back out to their table. Setting their teas down quickly, I kept my back to where the man was and looked to the women with almost pleading eyes.107

“Anything else?”108

“No.”109

“Of course not.” I threw up my hands in defeat; the old broads had been coming here ever since I started and they still hated me for no reason. Turning from the table, I saw a fellow waitress getting an order from the man that I was staring at. He wasn’t looking at me, so I wasn’t captivated by his eyes and I had more time to notice the rest of his features. His hair was blonde-ish brown, and he was dress in all black. His sleek, button-up, black shirt didn’t hide his muscle tone that wasn’t exactly incredible… but he was fairly muscular. The waitress finished his order and tapped on her notepad, smiling at the man – she was as taken with his eyes as I was, and I could tell. When she finally turned from him, I caught up with her and linked my arms with hers as we walked away from his table – I could just feel his eyes on us.110

“Did you see his eyes?” She asked me in a whisper as we reached the hallway.111

“Yes! I’m not one to be so taken with men but, damn.” We both giggled like little school girls, earning us a smile from another waitress and an eye roll from a passing waiter. Shrugging my shoulders, I smiled at her before looking back out into the restaurant – the father’s cup appeared to be empty. So, snaking my way back out of the hallway with that giggle still lurking behind my lips, I gestured towards his cup and beamed at him.112

“More coffee, sir?” I asked, picking up his wife’s empty fruit bowl and plate with a little piece of her cinnamon bun left on it. Her daughter was still eating at her pancakes – the face I’d made was completely demolished. Good; that meant she’d liked it enough to inhale it.113

“No, that’s alright. I’d like the bill though.”114

“Alright,” I went over to the register and clicked in all of the orders until I got the total. The waitress I had giggled with before went over to the man’s table and gave him his order of a steak and a glass of wine. Which struck me as odd; seeing as how it was still technically morning. Smirking at how interested I seemed to be in this stranger, I returned to the family with their bill. Without looking at the total price, he handed me his credit card and I went to swipe it – which took me a few moments since the device had decided to be a hassle.115

“Here you go, sir.” I said, handing him his card and a few mints. Stepping off to the side, I watched as the family got up and left the café. Sighing, I smiled as the little girl giggled – running to catch a leaf as it fluttered in the wind. At least I’d made her smile before they’d left.116

Turning to their table again, I began to pile the girl’s plates… then I noticed a crisp bill sticking out from under the man’s coffee cup on his saucer. Plucking it up from under the cup, I held it out in front of me and gaped – it was a hundred dollar bill, A hundred dollar tip for a waitress at this little café? Sure, it was a well-known café and most everyone loved it – but still, I was only a waitress. With a smile, I gave myself a mental pat on the back before slipping the bill into my pocket. Picking up the final dishes, I maneuvered my way back to the kitchen to drop off my dishes. Looking to the clock – I noticed that it was already almost noon. How had time gone by so fast without my noticing it? Scratching my head slightly, I turned to Joe.117

“Is this day going by fast for you?”118

“Extremely,” He answered, wiping of his hands on his apron before crossing them over his chest. Then again – you did come in at ten today.119

“Really? I didn’t realize I was an hour late.”120

“Don’t worry – I won’t tell.” He said, winking at me before he turned to fill another order.121

Yawning, I stretched where I was standing before going back out into the eating area of the restaurant. The old women had left, the family had left, and all others had left. Even the man had left. The café was completely empty. I raised my eyes; I’d never seen it completely empty during the day. Turning, I almost ran into the waitress I’d talked with before; Tamara.122

“Hey!” She smiled at me. “I was wondering where you were – that man that was in here before asked me about you.”123

“Really?” I followed her into the kitchen as she went to go put down some dirty plates. “What did he ask?”124

“Just your name, and how long you’ve been working here.”125

“Ah… I see.” I nodded slightly.126

“Brandon says the boss called,” Joe said, putting together a sandwich that he had made for himself since there were no more customers. “Looks like there’s a parade in town, and so we’ve all got the rest of the day off – paid vacation!”127

Tamara smiled and high-fived a fellow waiter. Joe put his food in a to-go box as the rest of us spread out to cast off our aprons and put on our jackets – it wasn’t very often that we got paid vacation. After I’d gotten my jacket on and folded my apron neatly – putting it in my assigned slot, I turned to find Joe with his keys in one hand and his to-go box in the other.128

“I’d ask to drive you home, but-,”129

“It’s such a beautiful day outside and you wouldn’t want to deprive me of nature’s rare beauty?”130

“Yeah, that.” He said with an awkward smile, and I laughed lightly.131

“Some other time, Joe,” I said, shaking my head as I brushed past him. I waved goodbye to Tamara before pushing open those familiar glass doors and stepping outside. There was no cool air that met me this time, though, and I even felt the need to take off my jacket – letting it slip off my shoulders as I took in a deep breath of the fall air. I closed my eyes and tilted my head up as I smiled up at the sun. I felt a slight breeze tug at my hair… but then it tugged a little harder and I felt my braid unraveling quickly.132

Opening my eyes, I turned around to see my bow was no longer in my hair. My hair was unraveling until it was completely free of the braid I’d tied it down in, and it hung down my back – shining a most brilliant shade of red. Joe and Aunt Jo were right; it had changed color. What I was more concerned with right now, though, was the hand that I saw move away from my hair – the hand that belonged to that beautifully eyed stranger with the dirty blonde hair.133

“Your hair looks much better when it’s not tied up,” He said, ignoring my questioning gaze. “A very unique shade, if I do say so myself.”134

“Thank you,” I said; running my hands threw my hair slightly… had it gotten longer, too?135

“I apologize for staring earlier,” His eyes drifted back up to mine. “You’re just so very pretty… exotic, really, your eyes look extremely lavender in the sunlight.”136

I blinked a few times, surely the strange tint of my eyes was not that noticeable?137

“Yes, well… it’s just an odd day, it seems,” I said with a short and false laugh followed by an awkward silence. Well, it was awkward for me because he was still staring at me – but I wasn’t sure if it was awkward for him at all. “I need to go, though. I wanted to do a little shopping today and… well, last night was very uncomfortable for me so forgive me if I don’t seem to excited about company.” No matter how gorgeous they are, ugh!138

“Ah yes,” He said, smiling as I turned away from him and began walking across the street – downtown wasn’t too far from here.139

“One question though,” He called out as I had made it almost all the way across the street. “Did the old man ever make it home?”140

As soon as my foot hit the other sidewalk; I froze. The chills of the air that I had not felt before hit me like an avalanche. Memories, thoughts, illusions coursed through my mind as I once again recalled the dream I’d had; but it really wasn’t a dream was it? This dark haired, honey-eyed stranger spoke of my dream as if it was reality… and how had he known about it? I looked across the street to see that he was no longer there, and only cars passed by in front of the empty sidewalk where he once stood. Shaking off my confusion, I hurried down the sidewalk and turned a corner – running until I’d reached the downtown mall. I felt safer in a crowded place.141

Once I’d entered the mall, I went over the previous scene in my head and determined that I had just imagined him saying that. I mean – when I’d turned around he wasn’t even there, so my mind must just be playing dirty tricks on me. For now, I’d shove it from my mind just like I had everything else – there was no need for me to stress over my mind playing silly tricks on me; this was just my way of subconsciously trying to make something interesting happen for once.142

I passed by all my usual stores. I hadn’t really planned on spending any money because my method of shopping was different; I’d come and find what I’d want one day, then I’d total up the full cost of it all and bring just the right amount of money to spend. I hated the sound of change in my pockets and I hated the way coins made your hands smell. True, this probably sounded like some rich kid being upset with a luxury they had – but I just hated coins.143

“It seems so quiet.” I said aloud to myself as I was walking home. In my hand was a grocery back full of ingredients for fried chicken. It had gotten fairly warm outside for me, so I shrugged off my jacket and carried it around instead. When I was about a block from my home, I saw a few children playing across the street – they were all bundled up with rosy chicks, watery eyes and blowing fog into their air as they laughed. I found it odd – those children were far more affected by the weather than I was, though that wasn’t exactly much of a great discovery.144

It was about one o’clock when I finally shut my front door behind me and hung up my jacket before taking my chicken inside and getting everything ready; I was starving. After I’d finished the chicken, I went into the living room and sat down to eat my tasty lunch. I reached for the remote, but I saw a note on it instead – it had my name on it and it was written in Aunt Jo’s familiar writing.145

Annabelle146

I’m going to be staying a little longer than a day, honey; I’m sorry but my friend really needs me. Regardless, I wanted to give you your birthday gift as soon as possible and I knew that if I gave it to you now you’d get too attached to it to make me return it.147

Go to the backyard, and once you’ve found it – go to the breadbox. Do it in that order – no cheating!148

I love you very much, dear149

Aunt Jo150

Quirking an eyebrow, I picked up a chicken leg and munched on it as I made my way to the backyard. I honestly had no idea what she could possibly have gotten me since I hadn’t asked for anything. Pushing the light screen door to the backyard open, I took another bite of fried chicken before letting the door slam behind me as I stared at her gift that stood before me. I knew almost nothing of cars; but I knew this one was black and clearly expensive. I swallowed the chicken whole and gasped for breath as I’d forgotten to breathe again.151

Walking forward, I ran my hand over its sleek, black hood. It was a nice car. It looked like it was a fast car, too… inhaling the rest of my chicken; I shot back inside – found the keys in the breadbox and returned to seat myself in the car. Everything in there was so sleek, and it smelled of new car. Breathing in the new scents with shameful pleasure, I stuck the keys in the ignition and started it. It purred softly, but I could just feel that it had some power behind it. Either way, I needed to take it out for a drive.152

Putting it in reverse, I backed into the alley slowly after making sure I had my license on me. Then, putting it in drive, I made sure no one was coming before I sped off through the alley. I loved how smoothly it rode, and I giggled like I was a little girl on a rollercoaster as it sped over the streets through town. I loved driving it so much that I drove all the way outside of town towards the beach where I doubted anyone would be since it wasn’t exactly the warmest day. Taking down the convertible top, I sat in my new car and enjoyed the feel of it. Damn that Aunt Jo – she knew too well that I would fall in love with it.153

Tilting my head back, I closed my eyes and relaxed in my new car. Unfortunately, I relaxed too much, and I opened my eyes to a purple sky. Sitting back up, I saw the sun setting over the beach – it truly was beautiful; but I still couldn’t believe I’d fallen asleep. Rubbing the sleep away from my eyes, I yawned lazily and went for my keys. My hand groped air by the ignition, and I looked to see my keys were gone.154

“Shit!” I said, smacking the driving wheel angrily. I’d had the car for only a few hours and I’d already gone and done stupid – losing the keys. With a sigh, I jumped out of my car, which was relatively easy seeing as how the convertible top was still down. Leaning against my hood, I watched the sun set as I went over every possible idea of how to get more keys for it… without having Aunt Jo being automatically disappointed with me.155

“Lost?” A familiar, velvet voice asked me from the other side of my car. I could already see his gorgeous eyes in picture perfect view in my mind.156

“Not exactly.” My eyes stayed on the setting sun as I heard him move to the front of the car and felt him lean against it next to me. “I lost my keys.”157

“While you were driving?” He inquired, a hint of playfulness in his voice.158

“Ha ha. No. I came to the beach and I fell asleep – and I’m assuming someone stole the keys while I was sleeping.”159

“Well why wouldn’t they just steal the car if the keys were there?”160

“That’s a great question.” I smiled in spite of myself and looked at the man. He was much taller than me – then again so was everyone – and his hair and eyes really gleamed in the setting sun. Now that he was this close to me I could really see how well his muscles were toned and I found myself staring at him again.161

“I feel like I should introduce myself,” I heard him say, and I looked up to see that he was gazing down at me. Blushing, I looked back to the sun and scowled as I heard him chuckle softly. “My name is Troy.”162

“Well, you already know my name. Anna.”163

“This is true… how old are you, Anna?”164

“I’m going to be eighteen in a few days.”165

“I thought so.”166

“Oh did you?” I looked at him skeptically – it was one thing to be beyond gorgeous, but it was another to pretend you knew everything and acted like a know-it-all.167

“Yes, and I’ll tell you how but you have to answer my question first.” His tone got very serious then, and he looked down at me with hard eyes.168

“What question?”169

“Did the old man ever make it home?”170

His words echoed through my mind and dropped down on me like they weighed a thousand pounds. I was getting tired of being reminded that what I had experienced might actually have been more than a dream. That poor old man… he’d been so helpless in the dark, and I couldn’t help him. Those creatures, beasts, crawled at my skin with their fangs and their dirty nails – taking every inch of my flesh and devouring it for themselves. I shuddered at the thought. I had refused the truth from my mind so many times that now it was hard to even imagine it being true.171

“No,” I whispered, shaking slightly. “I don’t know what happened, but I don’t think he made it home.”172

“And what happened to you?” He wasn’t leaning on the car anymore, but instead was turned towards me – looking down at me.173

“I… I don’t know.”174

“You don’t remember anything?”175

“No.” I lied.176

“Come on, Anna, this is important… you have to trust me.” He said in such a pleading voice that I couldn’t help but abide.177

“I remember a dull whirr… it was following us. Then it turned into a screeching sound – a shrill scream, and t-the old man told me that it was his end and my beginning,” Troy nodded slightly, listening to my every word. “And, he’d fallen, so I reached for him and my hand, my arm, then my whole body burned. It felt like something was inside of my skin, moving around and pulling it away from me.”178

“Were there creatures?”179

“In my dreams…” I said silently, running my hands subconsciously up and down my arms as I checked to make sure my skin was all still snugly in place. Troy didn’t say anything for a moment. Instead, he looked out as the sun peeked it’s final ray over the ocean before dropping down below the horizon and leaving us in a slight darkness. I was shivering uncontrollably and I had to shut my eyes to make the sounds stop pounding through my head.180

“Anna,” He said suddenly, looking at me. “You need to come with me.”181

“What?” I whispered, my mouth gaping at him before I shouted. “What! I’m not going anywhere with you! I don’t even fucking know you!”182

“Please…” He started towards me, as I took a few steps backwards away from him. “It’s important, Annabelle.”183

“Don’t call me that!” I shouted, turning on my heel and taking off away from where he stood. I sprinted across the grass, and then down into the sand. It didn’t sound like he was following me, but I didn’t turn around to make sure – just in case I fell or lost speed because of it. This was all too crazy… I had to run away from this mess; it was the only way I could ever escape it. My legs carried me fairly far – and I ran until my lungs screamed for air and my legs demanded I stop.184

I gave into the will of my legs, and fell over in the middle of my sprint – causing me to roll slightly once I’d hit the ground. Spitting some sand out of my mouth once I’d stopped rolling, I laid there for a few moments… just long enough to catch my breath. Pushing myself into a sitting position, I slowly stood – despite the screeching protests from my legs. Getting my breathing a bit under control as I wiped some sand off of my shirt, I turned to keep running in the direction I was going… but a pair of gorgeous honey-colored eyes faced me.185

I opened my mouth to scream, but I didn’t get the chance. His arm reared back and as soon as it came forward I was plummeted into a thick darkness of unconsciousness.186

No monsters plagued me in this sleep… no creatures taking off my skin… it was just black.187

I really needed to start being careful of what I wished for.188