It's so cold outside.
A rumbling sound echoed across the dark grey sky.
What am I doing here?
The girl stared blankly out into the streets as people hurriedly passed her without even a flicker of interest. Her thick strands of long dark hair swept across her face. They billow as the near-winter wind blew. There was no focus in her green eyes, only the occasional reflection of light.
I wonder if anybody noticed I'm gone.
She suddenly felt a drop of rain on her head. Barely noticing, she tilts her head upwards and fixes her eyes to the sky. The rolling storm clouds above released another resounding rumble. The pitter-patter of light rain filled her ears until it was all she heard. The girl stayed still, sitting on the same old bench, letting the rain drench her.
It was getting colder and colder, but she paid no heed. Nothing would match the coldness she was already feeling in her heart. She continued to stare above as the rain blurred her vision. To a passer-by, it would almost look as if she was crying, but she wasn't, she couldn't. She was empty.
The wind blew again, but now she could no longer deny its coldness. She tugged at her thin, black jacket, trying to gather more warmth. She knows she should probably go find a warmer place to stay, but she just couldn't find the strength to move from her spot. Her hair, now tangled and wet, pressed against her face, burning her with the cold. Her clothes drenched and heavy, rather than keeping her warm, stuck to her body and seeped the heat from her skin.
The sky grew darker, and the streets were nearly devoid of people. Every now and then, only a few cars would blur across her vision. Night would soon come, and everybody was turning in for the night, but the girl stayed where she was. Blinking the rainwater from her eyes, she breathed out a long, white buff of air. On the other side of the street, she saw the streetlights turn on. She stared at the light, longing for its warmth, but made no movement to reach for it.
What happens now?
The thought echoed in her mind. What was she to do? Where is she going to go? She had left her home out of impulse, and now she was too afraid to go back. She had no reason to, not after what happened a month ago.
The girl closed her eyes and hung her head, trying to push the memories out of her mind.
"Rather cold to be sitting here in this time of night."
The girl opened her eyes in surprise. She suddenly noticed the rain was no longer pelting her.
A pair black leather shoes under dark pants appeared in her view. She looked up.
A young man, probably around his mid 20s held an umbrella over her. He was letting himself get soaked by the rain instead. His face was well shaven, and even in the dark, his light blue eyes were clearly visible, and they twinkled as he smiled. His slightly curled, light, blond hair was starting to get wet. The kind, young stranger in a trench coat seemed to glow.
At a loss of words, she simply stared at him.
"You're going to get a cold like that."
The stranger waited for a response, but did not receive any. He sighed, wondering what he should do. Looking around, he noticed most of the nearby café's and restaurants were already closing. He crouched down to her level, still holding the umbrella over her head.
"Hey, I know a small café that opens late. I'm a friend of the owner, so he'll probably let you stay the night. How 'bout it?" He grinned, showing his pearly white teeth. "A hot cup of cocoa should sound pretty good right about now, huh?"
Actually, it did sound good, really good. And the cold was starting to be too much to take for her. She looked away, then back again. For some reason, it seemed all right to trust him. Maybe she was just hungry. Hesitantly, she nodded in reply.
With a relieved look on his face, he stood back up to make room for her. "It's just a few blocks ahead. Here."
Struggling slightly, he managed to shed his heavy coat with one arm and pulled it over the girl's shoulders. "That should keep you warm for the time being."
She gave him a confused look.
What about him? He's already starting to get drenched, and in this weather? What kind of person would give his coat to a total stranger?
He looked down and noticed her worried expression. He gave a small chuckle. "Worry not. A little rain isn't going to hurt me. I'm a strong man, see?"
The girl seemed unconvinced, but she felt gratitude nonetheless.
This guy's weird.
But he seemed harmless. Her ears twitched when she heard him start to hum. It had a nice soft tone to it, and it even seemed slightly familiar. Either way, the sound seemed the give off the same warmth he did.
Her thoughts drifted as she continued to walk with her new acquaintance, and all the while, he kept the umbrella strictly over her head, determined not to let a single drop touch her.
"Ah! Here we are: Corner Café." The man gestured for the girl to stop.
She looked up from her thoughts.
The café was so small. With faded dark green roof tiles and old Victorian windows, the establishment was wedged between two bigger buildings, making it appear even tinier than it already was. The walls were built up by crumbling red bricks with a maroon entrance. A neon OPEN sign flashes on the large glass window to the right. If one were to summarize this café with one word, it would be cozy.
The kind stranger pushed open the entrance door and motioned the drenched girl to enter. Taking a few steps in, she surveyed the interior.
A small chandelier hung in the middle of the ceiling, flanked by fluorescent bulbs at each corner. They lighted the diner, tinging the white walls that surrounded her with a yellowish glow. Lined along the four sides of the room were rectangular tables and leather couches. The café was completely empty. Her eyes then travelled to the back of the room, across the polished wooden bar table, and set themselves on a man wiping a wineglass. With a cigarette in his mouth, he looked up from his work. He seemed to be about the same age as the girl's companion and had dark eyes and long raven hair with a black bandana tied over his head. He wore a simple white T-shirt with a black apron over it. He settled his glass and cloth down.
"Well, what in the world did you get yourself into now?"
The man with the bandana didn't even glance at her; his eyes were completely focused on the rain-soaked man behind her.
"Heh. How 'bout a cup of hot cocoa first- two actually." The man shook the closed umbrella outside before shutting the door.
"Aye. Just a minute." Without hesitation, the owner walked into the kitchen. A few minutes passed before he walked back out with two hot steaming cups. He settled them on a table closest to the two visitors. "You two should drink this first. I'll get some dry clothes." Still without a glance in the girl's direction, he left through the kitchen door again.
"He might seem a bit cold, but he's a really nice guy."
She looked over at the stranger's encouraging smile while he motioned for her to drink. With shaking hands, she brought the cup to lips. It smelled so good. The hot liquid burned her tongue, but she welcomed it. It was milky sweet. She was nearly finished when the owner came back with two bundles of dry clothes. This time, he looked at her as he passed her the garments. His gaze seemed sharp yet unguarded.
"They might be a bit big, but they're warm. The washrooms are over to the left." He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb.
His friend gave a big grin as he received his clothes. "Thanks a bunch! It was getting really chilly in here even with the heater."
The girl followed the taller man towards the washrooms and walked in through the female door. She noticed a trail of wet footprints she left behind and wanted to clean them. Inside one of the stalls, she quickly shed her freezing wet clothes and changed into the dry ones. It was a plain white t-shirt and blue jeans. They were a lot bigger on her than she expected, but luckily the pants came with a belt. She suspects they belong to the owner, yet there was no cigarette odour. Once the soiled clothes were neatly folded, she gathered up the trench coat and walked to the exit. She hesitated by the door and peered out from the slight opening. She felt a bit silly. Forcing herself to gather her courage, she pulled the door back and marched stiffly back to her cocoa.
"Ah. They're still too big, huh?" The gentleman who lent her the coat was already sitting down at a table sipping what seems to be another cup of cocoa. She nodded her head in embarrassment before noticing a bowl of soup with a side of donuts and sandwiches have appeared by her empty cup. She could smell the delicious scent as she trudged over. She suddenly remembered she hadn't eaten anything all day.
Sitting across the table, the kind young stranger laughed at her hungry expression. "They're for you, compliments of the chef!"
The girl blushed and sat down, ogling her beautiful meal. She looked up when she noticed the owner had come back to refill her cup. She opened her mouth, struggling to thank him.
"No need. Just eat up. You still look cold." He settled the pot down and stared at her with folded arms, as if ordering her to eat.
She did as she was told. The soup was a delight. It was so creamy and warm. She felt alive again… slightly.
"Ah, right! I never introduced myself!" The blond man sitting across from her paused. His brows furrowed in contemplation. "Well, my name is kind of difficult… so how 'bout you just call me Legna?"
The girl gave him a confused look. Did he just make up a name on the spot? And what kind of a name is Legna?
He then pointed at the owner. "This guy here is the friend I told you about. His name is… well you can call him Nomed."
The owner thumped his friend on the head. "Oy, don't make up names for me, idiot." He chewed on his cigarette butt, "geez, always doing what you want. Whatever," his eyes flickered to the girl. "You can call me that for now."
She was becoming even more puzzled. Why are they giving me fake names? Maybe they don't trust me?
"So, what's your name?" Legna's gaze shone with intensity.
She lowered her eyes back down at her soup, suddenly feeling very small. "Alice." She squeezed out with a tiny voice.
"Alice. That's a nice name. It's a pleasure to meet you, Alice. How old are you, if you don't mind me asking."
The two men continued to stare at her intently. She didn't feel like talking about herself, the memories of the past few days were returning. "I'm 17." She whispered again.
"That's pretty young." His tone suddenly turned serious. "Can you tell me why you were out there alone on a night like this?"
Alice fell silent.
The two men exchanged looks of concern.
Alice sat still. They're probably going to call the cops. That's what anybody in their right mind would do. She would run, escape before they come. She still has time. However, she hoped they wouldn't.
Legna sighed. Well, guess it can't be helped."
Alice squeezed her eyes shut.
Nomed 'hm'ed in agreement. "You'll just have to stay here until you're willing to tell us."
Alice looked up.
"But, don't think you can stay here for free. I expect you to help me prepare food, wash dishes, and clean the diner. Understood?"
Alice could feel the tears well up in her eyes. She bowed her head down. "Thank you so much." Her voice shook with emotion.
Legna grinned and ruffled her hair.
…
The next few days came as a blur. Apparently, the café was not only a café, it was Nomed's house and it would occasionally act as a hotel to whomever needed it. In this case, it was Alice. It seemed Legna had a habit of bringing in random strangers from the streets much to Nomed's dismay. This puzzled Alice even further as to just what kind of people Legna and Nomed were. Despite the size of the café, there were always a lot of customers. Alice was up to her neck in work since there were no other employees. However, she didn't mind, it kept her thoughts busy.
Legna had brought Alice some better fitting clothes, making moving around much easier. The girl vowed to pay him back.
The days were bustling, so alive, and almost fun to her. Despite the busyness, Nomed would often be seen near the kitchen door reading a magazine or a book. He paid almost no attention to her. She wondered how he kept up with all the orders and still had time to read while she scrambled to pass them back and forth to him. Yet, at the end of everyday, Nomed would give her a small smile and a pat on the head. Legna on the other hand would come in about once every day and order the same cup of cocoa and nothing else. He was always in a suit and trench coat. Every visit, he would ask her the same question he did on the first day he met her, and every day he would get the same silent reply. But the man was relentless. Out of curiosity, Alice asked him what he did for his job one day.
"Well, I guess you can say I'm a mailman… of a sort… kind of." He would then give an obscure shrug with a sheepish grin plastered all over his face.
That's just suspicious. Nomed too. Just who are these two? Alice gripped the handle of her mop as she swept the floor of the café. It was closing hour, and Nomed was at the counter reading another one of his books. It's been almost three weeks now, and I hardly know a thing about those two. She felt a peeved for some reason. Having finished moping, she dumped the murky water in the back sink, washed her hands and made her way to Nomed.
The dark haired man was midway through flipping a page when he spoke. " Done? Did you wash the dishes?" He was always able to sense her presence even if she was as quiet as a mouse.
"Uhn." Alice was amazed at his keen senses.
Nomed stood up and closed his book. Walking past Alice, he patted her on the head again. "You did good today."
Alice blushed, thinking she might have a small crush on him.
"I'm going to take a shower, if that guy shows up, the drink is ready in the coffeemaker."
"Ok." Alice replied, still blushing.
Like he predicted, in just moments, Legna came in with a broad grin on his face. "Hey, Alice. How's it goin'?"
Alice nodded in response. "I'll go get your cocoa." She hurried to the kitchen and back, feeling the heat from the cup as she set it down at Legna's table. He always sat at the same table, the one where they sat at the first day.
"Alice, why don't you sit down with me?"
She knew what was coming, but obeyed anyway.
"Well? Are you ready to tell me yet?" Legna sipped at his cocoa with his eyes closed. It seemed like he was expecting the same answer he always got.
Alice looked at him with a slight tension between her brows. Despite his nature, Legna was never one for small talk; he always got straight to the point. "Can I ask you a question first?"
Legna opened his eyes in slight surprise. "Please."
Alice breathed then exhaled. "Why are you guys going to such lengths to help me?"
He stared at her. "Such lengths? I did what anyone would have done."
"That's not true." Alice's eyes hardened. "You were the only ones who even looked at me."
Legna raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
"You gave me food, a place to stay and work, and you didn't even call the police when I wouldn't tell you my background." Tears stung her eyes. "Why? Why did you two do so much to help me? Someone like me…" Her voice shook and she trailed off, keeping her head down. She could feel him staring at her, she regretted sitting down. All she wanted now was to crawl into a deep, dark hole, away from this shameful conversation.
Legna's eyes softened as he stared at her silently. "I think your view of the world might be too cynical. I still stand by what I said. There are most definitely many people out there who would have done the same. Now, what did you mean by someone like you?"
Alice's shoulders trembled. "I-I know… that the world isn't so nice. It's full of horrible people who do horrible things. And yet, you two are so willing… to help… someone like me… who's done… who doesn't even deserve…." Alice gritted her teeth, unable to go on. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks as she tried to choke back her sobs. She clenched her fists so hard the nails dug into her palms.
Legna settled his cup down and leaned forward ever so slightly. "Did you do something… horrible?"
Alice nodded, hunched over, trying her best to hold herself together.
"What did you do?"
A whimper escaped her lips. The words that tumbled out of her mouth were near incoherent. "…We were supposed to be together forever. But because of me…" Alice took a deep breath, "If only I didn't tell him to get on that stupid motorcycle, if only I listened to him…." Alice hung her head so low her forehead pressed against the table. "If only I listened to him…"
It had come so fast, Alice turned around the corner, but she lost control of the bike. The tires slid across the puddle making a horrible screech as she tried desperately to break. Smacking into the railing on the highway, Oscar was thrown off the bike while Alice's leg was stuck, forcing her down with the motorcycle. She saw her friend fly through the air, landing on the concrete ground with a heavy thump like a slab of meat being thrown onto a cutting board. There was a sudden boom of a car horn and the glare of the high beams flashed straight at her. She clenched her eyes shut in reflex. A screeching sound, then a sickening crunch echoed in her ears. She forced her eyes open just as the second pair of truck tires rolled across Oscar's broken body.
Alice gasped as the memories flooded into her. She could no longer hold in her cries. She sobbed freely. "I-I killed him! Oh my god! I killed him!"
Legna fell silent for a while as he watched her bawl. Letting out a small sigh, he messaged his eyes.
"You're right. That is horrible."
Alice groaned between sobs. She was feeling the pain and grief of finally acknowledging what she did. But Legna's agreement sent a harrowing blow to where she was most sore.
"What are you going to do now?"
Alice started, staring into the table's wooden grain. It was the same question she asked herself three weeks ago.
"You killed someone dear to you. Then unable to face the consequences of your actions, you ran away from it all. And while you're here, the people left behind, your family and friends, are left to deal with the pieces of your mistake."
Alice's eyes widened with horror. His words were sharp, and they ripped at her insides.
"What are you going to do, Alice? Continue to run away from reality? Continue to hurt the ones who care about you the most?"
Alice shook under the weight of his harsh tone, under the weight of her own guilt. "I don't know," she blubbered out.
"What?" Legna snapped at her.
"I DON'T KNOW! …I don't know…."
"Then you're a coward."
Alice continued to tremble. She never looked up, even as she heard Legna stand from his seat and leave through the entrance. She continued to stay in the same spot, trembling and crying.
A heavy sigh entered her ears from nearby.
"That guy's a bit too harsh sometimes."
She heard Nomed sit down across from her. She didn't dare look up; the shame of letting him see her swollen face would be too much. It was bad enough he heard the whole conversation.
"He might of jumped the gun back there, but I guess he was doing what he thought was best." Nomed passed his hand through his hair. "One thing you need to be clear on: you didn't kill him, it was an accident. But, you did make one hell of a mistake." He inhaled from his cigarette and breathed out slowly. "Alice, sit up."
She did as she was told, still holding her head low. A wet towel appeared before her, offered by the man sitting across from her. Alice took it graciously and covered her face with it, muffling her whimpering. When she set the towel down again, Nomed continued to speak.
"Everyone's entitled to a few mistakes in our lives, Alice. It is human nature to make mistakes. You just happened to make a big one." He took another breath from his cigarette. "Let me translate what that guy was trying to say."
Alice peered at Nomed through the dark strands of her hair.
"Making a mistake will not damn you. Running away from the consequences and pushing its burden onto the shoulders of others do. It's not too late, Alice. You still have a chance to redeem yourself. I won't lie and tell you it'll be easy, no. You'll probably suffer the consequences of this mistake your entire life." Nomed lowered his gaze and stared squarely into her eyes. "So Alice, you now have two choices. You can either live in guilt." He paused, "or die in shame."
His last words shocked her. He was completely serious. Alice remained frozen.
Nomed stood up and patted her head again as he passed her. "You're a good kid, Alice. Get some rest."
Alice sat restlessly in the guest bed. The evening's events replayed on loop in her head, haunting and jarring. She looked around the dark room before she set her eyes out the window. Dawn was nearing; a new day.
I'm going to miss this place.
She stared out the window for another hour before getting dressed. She was no longer wearing the clothes Nomed and Legna gave her, these were her own, the ones she wore when she first met them. Alice silently crept passed Nomed's room and down the stairs into the diner. She took out a napkin and a pen and slowly wrote down her farewell.
Thank you. For everything.
Taking one last look around the café, she left through the back door, closing it silently behind her.
This is an original story I wrote back in high school for writer's craft class. Finally got around to do some real editing on it. Hmm... I guess it doesn't really belong in fanfiction though... ^W^ oh wellz.