Disclaimer: I do not own McDonald's, I do not own Inkheart or any of its characters Cornelia Funke does. I own Bianca, Beppe, Audrey, and Randy.
(A/N: Special thanks to Night Star's Girl, her review on Basta's Pride and Joy Spinoff: Your Story gave me the idea for this short story and it's title. Also this story is based off of the Inkheart movie. :) )
17 year old Bianca Lorenzo stretched her hands to the sky in exhaustion. She was about to graduate from school soon and was saving each and every penny she earned for her college fund. Her blue eyes glanced to one of the outside windows of McDonalds, the sun was beginning to lower and sent a golden beam of light into the restaurant. She wished she could have been working as a secretary somewhere, or even as maid at this point.
"Lorenzo, quit that stretching, you're here to serve food not show off your body!" Snapped her manager, an annoying American man. Each and every one of the employees agreed he was most likely running from the law in his country - if not for an illegal crime than for the fact he was so ugly. He was a large man who resembled an Orangutan; his arms were long and the tips of his fingers ended just below his knees. His face was broad, his nose was stubby, his forehead much too prominent. His small brown eyes were beady, and his lips almost always had a sneer upon them. She had only seen him smile once at a pretty blonde British tourist who resembled the blonde from that show Primeval.
"Yes sir," Bianca winced, wishing her shift would hurry up and end. She had been at work since eleven, unfortunately her shift didn't end until ten. There was nothing she could do about it though since those damned black jackets showed up from out of the blue one day nine years ago. She had only been seven, but she remembered a short man with a boyish frame, who was much too fond his knife, and strangely afraid of their black cat at the time, BooBoo. Since that day the black jackets made regular visits in their village, wanting money from every person who earned a paycheck.
Some of them, she had noticed, had writing on their face, while others didn't. They never came into the restaurants or stores. Only to houses.
"Hey, Bianca, you're never going to believe this!" Exclaimed her best friend, Beppe. She looked over to tall gangly teenager who was a year older than her, his shaggy black hair was always hanging in his face, sometimes causing customers to ask him if he had eyes. Their manager, Randy, was constantly snapping at Beppe to cut his hair until he was barred from the kitchen and could only work with cash registers.
"Believe what?" She questioned as she pushed a strand of her dark brown hair out of her face.
"Black Jackets are coming into Mickey D's!" He laughed, "I didn't think those guys ate!"
"Black Jackets, coming in here?" She questioned, "Yeah....Right." She rolled her eyes before turning towards the counter and looking into the dining room area. She was surprised to see the few customers they had were quickly leaving, some bringing their food with them, others leaving it on the tables. Her eyes traveled to the window facing the parking lot.
Four shiny black sport cars were parked and nearly 20 men all dressed in long black jackets were walking towards the restaurant.
"I hate my job," she groaned.
"I love it," Beppe beamed, "Face it, Bee, how often do we get to see these guys up close and personal? I'm always at work when they're at my house and you're either at work, school, or being shoved back into your room by one of your parents."
"I've seen them before," Bianca replied, they were in the school all the time looking for unhappy teenagers to come join them. 2 years ago Fulvio had joined them. She hadn't seen him since and she missed him, he had been boyishly cute and had been sweet to everyone. Bianca hadn't known at the time that his father was a drunk and his mother was always working. She hoped he was still alive.
"Holy shit! There's a Red Jacket!" Beppe exclaimed suddenly.
Bianca followed his gaze to one of the tall men with a nearly flat forehead. His jacket and pants, even his shoes, were red, his hair which looked like a plastic cast of Elvis's hair was bright red as well. A man walking beside him was short and hefty, his raven black hair curled at the tip. He kept muttering something along the lines of 'evil spirits be gone!'
Her eyebrow rose, maybe his line of work was a bit too much for him?
"Hello," the man in red growled to her, "We want food."
"Uh...Ok....You ah came to the right place then," she exclaimed, still in shock at having the black jackets and a red jacket eating at McDonald's.
"Well," frowned the one who had been muttering about evil spirits, "Give us food!"
"You gotta read the menu, dude," exclaimed Beppe, "Then tell us what ya want."
Suddenly the large group of men became very uncomfortable. They began to mutter amongst themselves before the one who had been demanding food stepped forward.
"Read us the menu!"
"Read it yourself," a girl from the back shouted.
The man with the black hair reached to his belt and his hand returned with a sharp knife, "Read it to us or you all will have decorations on your faces!"
"Alright!" Beppe exclaimed.
Bianca quickly read over the menu, she was forced to repeat it nearly eight times before the men made their decisions. As they went to sit down Bianca stared after them in shock.
"Shit," Beppe exclaimed, "No wonder our parents don't want us to have anything to do with them!"
Bianca glanced at him before looking at their crowd of strange....Very strange....customers. They were loud and obnoxious, making fun of everything from the golden arches outside, to the way Bianca and Beppe were dressed.
"Randy, you comin' out here anytime soon?" Beppe asked with a ring of hope in his voice.
"Hell no," their manager snapped, "We got these same men back at in my country! Only they wear pin stripes and have two inch thick necks and crooked noses."
"Hello, Randy, this is Italy the home of the mafia," Bianca exclaimed with sarcasm mixed with truth, "Wherever you go they'll be around. The ones we have here now....Are just more...um....Different..."
Beppe snorted, "They're enough to scare any and all crime away."
"Don't give them bigger heads than they already have," Bianca grumbled.
"When is our food going to be ready?!" Snapped the man with the knife.
"Any minute now, sir," Bianca replied, "If you give me your order and name I can tell you-"
"Basta," the man replied, "My name is Basta."
"I am Cockerell," the man decked out in red exclaimed.
"Heh...I'm Flatnose. This is a nice resteraunt ye have here..." The flat nosed man chuckled.
"Uh...Thanks," Beppe replied with a raised eyebrow.
"Hurry it up back there you guys," Bianca snapped, "Unless you want them camping out in the dining room!"
Bianca glanced at the refreshment stand behind her, maybe the Black Jackets would be more patient after having something to drink? She to the counter and braced her hands on the countertop, "Hey!" She shouted at the loud and rowdy bunch.
"What do you want?" Cockerell snarled.
"You all thirsty?" She questioned.
"I'm parched," exclaimed a Black Jacket from the other side of the dining room.
"Alright, well as it so happens we're giving away free....Complimentary drinks, so if you're thirsty come up and get them."
"Bring them to us," Cockerell growled, he flipped a lighter's lid open and shut. Bianca recognized the threat and mentally cursed to herself.
"Beppe, you're helping me."
"What? With the mess you made? No way," the shaggy haired teen replied.
Bianca growled and jammed the tip of her index finger onto his chest, "Either you help me or I'll tell them your unhappy with your current living arrangements and your dream has always been to join them."
He paled, "You wouldn't."
Bianca turned towards the men.
"Alright! Alright! I'll help, just....Don't do that," Beppe exclaimed.
"I knew you'd see it my way," Bianca smiled as she began to fill up large cardboard cups with Coca-Cola. She and Beppe put the drinks onto trays and both began to serve their customers, something that was never seen in McDonald's before. She was about to put a cup down in front of Basta when the man suddenly shouted and darted out of his chair so fast it swiveled back and forth on its stand.
Bianca blinked, now what?
"You...You just away from me," Basta exclaimed as he pointed at Beppe.
"Beppe?" Biance questioned as she turned.
"I was just putting a drink down," he replied with wide eyes. Bianca realized a moment later of why the Black Jacket was so utterly terrified. Around Beppe's neck hung the pendant he made himself. It was a pendant of a broken mirror.
"That's unlucky!" Basta exclaimed as he ran to the other side of the restaurant and clutched his hands around a pouch he wore on a leather cord around his neck.
The rest of the Black Jackets rolled their eyes as their leader continued his ranting about the pendant. Bianca, finally having enough with the superstitious man, sent Beppe back behind the counter.
"It's safe to sit down now," she commented as she held the empty tray at her side.
The black jacket walked toward her and eyed her from head to toe before glancing down at the table top, then at his seat. When he was fully convinced the broken mirror was gone and he was safe he sat down.
"I should wring his scrawny neck," Basta seethed.
"And touch the broken mirror," smirked Cockerell.
"Evil Spirits begone and take your unluckyness with you!"
Bianca rolled her eyes as she walked back towards the register. When the food was beginning to be placed on trays she began to become excited. They could finally get their odd customers out and their normal customers back.
"Don't ever make me do that again," Beppe exclaimed.
"If you're good, then I won't."
"Man, Bianca, you should have Randy's job, you're good," commented Audrey as she pushed another tray towards her. After all the trays were lined up Bianca began to call of names, a few times stumbling over the pronunciation of different names. It wasn't until she reached the last name on the list her mouth went as dry as cotton. Fulvio.
"F...Fulvio?" Bianca asked with uncertainty as she looked up and scanned the dining room. A moment later a short man with a boyish face and an eye patch over one eye walked towards her. He wore a black trench coat and boots, a warm smile crossed his face as he reached the counter.
"Bianca," he exclaimed, "It's been a while."
"A long time," She replied, "How are you? Are they treating you well?"
"A lot better than my parents did," he replied with a smile, "How do you like the way I look?"
"You don't look like you're my age."
"I grew up," he replied.
"You still as handsome as a boy."
"You don't find me scary?"
"If I didn't know you I would, but scary....." She exclaimed as she glanced behind him, "That," she said as she pointed to their present company, "is scary."
Fulvio snorted and laughed, "Yeah, compared to them I guess I do look rather friendly."
"I won't ruin your reputation with them," Bianca replied as she forced herself to give a look of terror.
Fulvio burst up laughing, "You look as if you just ate something incredibly sour!"
Bianca laughed, "I tried."
"Fulvio," Beppe beamed as he walked towards the front counter again from the Drive through window.
"Beppe," Fulvio smiled, "Still can't stand a decent haircut, can you?"
"It pisses Randy off."
"Randy? He's here?"
"Yeah," Beppe replied, "He's our manager, why?"
Fulvio blinked, "You're kidding me?"
"No," Bianca replied as she shook her head, "Why?"
"We've been lookin for him for nearly a year straight now!"
"That's how long he's been working here," Beppe replied.
"Well hot damn," Fulvio smirked.
"Is he in life threatening danger?" Bianca twisted, even though she despised the man she didn't want to see him dead.
"Danger yes, life threatening, no," Fulvio replied, "Our boss wants his floor finished. Randy skipped out and ran off."
"Did you all threaten him?"
"Not us, the head maid," he shook his head.
Beppe turned, "Well, he was the manager."
"Was?" Bianca and Fulvio questioned at the same time.
"Yeah, was," Beppe replied as he walked to the counter near the kitchen and picked up their boss's name tag and a napkin with the large words 'I QUIT' scrawled across it.
"Well, he can't go far," Fulvio replied, "We have the hounds with us. We'll finish our meal then go after him," he took his tray, "Nice seeing you again, Bianca," he smiled before nodding to Beppe, then walking back to his table.
Bianca sighed and leaned over the counter, she braced her chin in her hands, "How can someone so sweet like him fall into a crowd like the Black Jackets?"
"He was pushed into it," Beppe shrugged, "Besides, you have to admit he looks happier than he did when he was in school."
"Yeah, he does," Bianca agreed.
The Black Jackets were quick with their meals, Cockerell came over.
"That will be one hundred and-"
"Your payment is this: this building will not be burned since we intend to come to this establishment again one day. You both will be welcomed to our village and will not thrown into our dungeons." He turned and walked out with the rest of the Black Jackets.
"Wow, some payment," Beppe frowned.
"If it keeps our place of work safe and keeps us alive then that's all the payment we need," Bianca replied. She glanced at the clock, "Woohoo, Beppe, our shift has officially ended."
"About damned time," Beppe replied as he walked towards the back, Bianca followed as soon as the night manager and the other employees arrived half an hour later.
"What is all this mess?" The short night manager questioned as he scratched his head.
"The Black Jackets ate here," Bianca replied as Beppe showed him pictures he had taken on his cell phone.
"Well, I'll be damned," the manager frowned, "They're not coming back...Are they?"
"They said they would," Bianca replied.
"They just didn't say when," Beppe finished for her.
The manager shook his head, "Not on my shift I hope."
Bianca and Beppe glanced to one another before chuckling and leaving.
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Epilogue
The Black Jackets caught Randy later that night, he was forced to finish Capricorn's floor until the tiles ran out. Capricorn, though angry, allowed the man to live. Randy now washes Mortola's clothing and is her is personal henchman.
Bianca became the new manager of the evening to midnight shift. She retells the story of the time the Black Jackets came to eat at McDonalds to all new employees.
Beppe grew his hair out long, he cut his bangs and Bianca has allowed him back into the kitchen.
The Black Jackets returned to McDonalds once every week....Until one day they all went mysteriously missing.