Not So Ordinary: Chapter 1
"What would you like to order?" I asked with a smile as I gazed at the two women in front of me.
The bell to the café chimed and I quickly glanced over to see who arrived before I diverted my attention back to the ladies who were scanning over the menu. One had light brown hair and seemed much calmer than the other did. The second girl also had brown hair a few shades darker than the first. She seemed younger too. I personally thought she didn't want to be here. 'I feel your pain!' I silently wept. The older woman looked up at me and smiled slightly before answering my question. "Um can I just have a cup of hot chocolate?" I smiled and nodded, my purple and white headband almost falling off. I adjusted it awkwardly before looking at the other girl for her answer.
"I want the red velvet cupcake." she said blandly. I nodded while writing it down and started towards the girl who just came in. She fidgeted slightly in her seat and I grinned before putting on my best British accent as I sauntered over to her. Taking long strides as I went. "Well hello miss, what can I get for you today?" She looked up and smiled at me giving me a glimpse of her metal braces before it was quickly replaced with a frown.
"Eleanor~ are you almost off work? It's 6:30!" I gave her a small grin before walking off towards the kitchen.
"Sorry!" I called over my shoulder, "I'll ask Pia if I can leave early!" I skipped off into the white kitchen as I started over to the lady who was in the corner waiting by the oven. Cook books and ingredients littered the white marble countertops. She sat quietly reading a book as she waited for her newly designed cooking experiment to be ready. She had a few wrinkles on her forehead and beside her mouth as she frowned, probably not happy with the outcome of the book. Her short grayish-blonde was pulled into a small bun on the top of her head. I knew who it was immediately after working here for a year and a half you get used to seeing her face.
"Hey Pia! Kayla's here to pick me up, can I leave for the rest of the night?" I asked impatiently, rocking back and forth on the balls on my feet. Pia looked up for a moment before waving her wrinkly hand at me (To which I grimaced. She was getting old.) and going back to her book. I took that as a yes, because that was probably all I would get out of her. She had a habit of being anti-social and rarely talked to some people. I, being the exception some times. I smiled as I started off to the locker room to change.
"I'll have Rose cover for me!" I called out.
I walked towards the locker room down the hall as I sighed contently, breathing in the sweet odor. Working in a café had its moments. It always seemed to smell like either cinnamon or vanilla, a tad too girly for me but you get used to it.
As I walked into the purple room locker room I looked for my locker. It was the last one at the far end of the room and looked completely different from all the other pink ones. My locker of course was green, yes green, it was my second favorite color. I walked over and opened it taking my jet black hair out of it's ponytail and shaking my head so it would look less like a birds nest. I scanned my locker over for my clothes, pulled them out and set them on the bench behind me. I then proceeded to carefully take off my purple and white uniform. I mean, they were gorgeous, but you accidently pull to hard and bam! You now find yourself with two uniforms and a girl in her underwear! I've learned from experience.
Once I had that done I took out my light blue Fairy Tail t-shirt that had my favorite blue exceed on it and started to pull it over my head. I pulled on my jeans and then reached for the final touch to my anime ensemble, my Fullmetal Alchemist flamel necklace that I got for my 11th birthday. I got it from my mom before she and my dad divorced so it meant a lot. Not wanting to relive the painful memory I grabbed my bag and headed out the door into the sweet scent of vanilla. I emerged from the back room and walked over to the chestnut haired girl behind the cash register. Her bright green eyes blinked up at me when I leaned over the counter.
"Hey Rose could you bring the lady and her daughter over there a coffee and a red velvet cupcake?" I said as I jerked my thumb over my shoulder towards the two girls who sat patiently (and impatiently) for their orders. Rose sighed dejectedly when she realized she'd have to switch shifts with me again and close up. "Sure..." she muttered and I put my foot out in front of me to walk over to my orange haired friend when Rose pulled me back by my collar.
"But you better be switching shifts with me tomorrow." She hissed in my ear.
I gulped sweating nervously. I would never admit it to anyone but Rose scared the shit out of me when she got angry. She was like a panda. She looked so sweet and innocent that you just wanna hug her, but she's really an evil genius who loves sharp things. I nodded as quickly as my head would allow, "Yes ma'am!" I exclaimed as I ran out of harms way and to the safe haven known as Kayla.
She got out of the fancy dark red metal chair (Which are not very comfortable to sit in mind you) and straightened out her bright green dress before automatically hooking elbows with me. Hooking elbows has been something we've done since we were kids, I guess we never grew out of it.
"Are we going to my place or yours?" I asked as I opened the door to the café. I heard the jingle but paid no mind as we were leaving. I unconsciously waved back at Rose who scowled in return, I quickly turned around and I was positive you could literally see the sweat pouring down my forehead. As we exited the café Kayla put a hand to her chin in thought and I gazed down at her. I wasn't too tall but I was taller than Rose, Pia and some of the customers, I think I was maybe 5'5? I don't know! I'm pretty sure Kayla was 5'2 so I know I'm taller than that.
"I think we should go to your house." She replied breaking me from my thoughts. Her brown eyes bore into my green ones as we stared at each other when I pouted and turned away from her breaking our elbow link or whatever you wanna call it.
"Fine, but my dad's not home so I ain't making any food when you get hungry."
She chuckled as she started walking and I could hear her Mary-Janes click-clacking each time she took a step. I followed her rhythm and soon we were walking at the same pace, our feet hitting the pavement at the exact same time. I relaxed tremendously. People tend to say that I think about unimportant stuff and it gets me worked up, my brain starts to overthink things like, for example, how much I weight.
'Is it because of those chips I eat last night? Or was it the ice cream I got last week? Where did I buy it again? Oh yeah, that place! They have really good ice cream, what flavor should I get next time? I think I might get cinnamon but should I get a waffle cone? I want waffles for breakfast tomorrow!' Speaking of which I was pretty sure I was thinking too much about it now.
When I looked around the street we were on I realised it was pretty dark and no one was around. The street lamps flickered on and off from time to time, there were some garbage cans had been knocked over and had garbage piling out of them and I was pretty sure I saw some rats scurry by but I shrugged it off. I wasn't that afraid of horror movies and I knew I certainly wasn't in one. A few minutes later was when I really started to worry. I noticed I didn't even know what street this was or where we were.
"Uh, Kayla? Not that I don't trust your judgement but I think you got us lost on the way to my house." She snapped her head up and looked left and right trying to find some sign that said we were going in the right direction but when she noticed that there was no such thing and that she really did get us lost she turned to me while her gaze was fixed on her shoes.
"Sorry lets, um, go back the way we came..." I panicked I was never good with cheering people up I never knew what to do! "Uh, no um! That's ok! You see I was just joking this is actually... a back way to my house! Yeah so you just cut through here and voila!" I grabbed her arm and sped off really fast towards the direction I thought my house was in. But we ended up finding ourselves in an empty parking lot. (We could've been in Alaska for all I knew! It wasn't my fault!)
"Uh," 'Not good, NOT GOOD!' I screamed at myself. I was about to just forget it and make it up to her when we got to my house when I doubled over in pain. It was by far the most excruciating pain I had ever felt in my 15 years of living.
My intestines and organs felt like they wanted to burst right out of me. It felt like I was being sucked inwards by my stomach. I held my stomach with as much force as I could to see if it would dull the pain but, if it could, the pain doubled. I let out a gasp and decided now would be a good time to set my ass on the pavement. I just wanted to lay down, scream my heart out and not care if my neighbors called the cops. But being me I decided to grit my teeth and bear it. Kayla gave me the most concerned look she could give me.
"Eleanor? Here, we'll just go to the closest house and ask if we can use their phone to call my parents okay? C'mon," she started to drag me when I stood up. Back perfectly straight, smile perfectly believable and pain gone. But it wasn't, the pain was still there and as painful as ever. Except now God decided to punish me for nothing so now, it felt like a thousand needles were being embedded into my skin!
"I'm okay Kay. Really, don't worry about me." I said trying to make her less worry and ease the tension in the air. When I heard a voice in the back of my head.
'It's not going to work,'
And the next things happened so fast that I really couldn't comprehend. One moment I was in the empty parking lot with Kayla. It was as still empty as I remember and it was really dark. All I could see was Kayla's bright green dress swaying in the faint night breeze. The pain was gone and I felt like I was walking on air, I felt so good to be relieved of the pain! But it was short lived.
In the next moment, the pain was back, worse than ever. The empty parking lot wasn't empty anymore and I could see more than Kayla's dress. I could see an adorable face contorted into pure horror, braces glinting from the light of something I didn't know the answer to. When all of a sudden something crashed into my left side sending me into even more searing pain and I suddenly knew where the light came from.
It was a truck. And then, the world went black.
When I awoke to the feeling of nothingness I looked around only to discover I was in an endless white seemed familiar but I couldn't remember from where. 'Wha..?'
I heard chuckling from behind me and turned to see what or who it was. My blood ran cold and I swore I stopped breathing.
'Welcome,'
For low and behold standing in front of me was none other than,
'To the gate.'
Truth.
