--------------------------------------------------------L.K.'s P.O.V.--------------------------------------------------------
It had been a month since we moved in and the bakery business was booming. I hadn't seen Cori this happy since I "accidentally" hit her mom with my car.
"L.K.! Spice rolls for table eight!" I nodded and walked quickly to the cooling rack. After I took down a tray of rolls, I walked into the (rather loud) dining room. "Sweeney Todd" was playing on a T.V. in the corner, and it was ironically at the part where Sweeney enters Lovett's bakery. I smiled, lip-synching with the song as people chatted, laughed and basically had a good time.
"Miss! More hazelnut cocoa please!" A man called as he raised his empty mug into the air. I smiled. Hazelnut cocoa was a favorite this time of year.
"On my way!" Cori sprang into action, pouring the man his drink, then taking another's order. I set the two rolls on table eight's plate, a young girl's, picked up an empty bowl and balanced it on a clear section of the tray, and wiped down table three with a clean rag.
"Hey Cori! Hey L.K.!" Haven called as he entered the bakery with his arms full of boxes. That was good. That meant that the new supplies were in.
"Hey Haven! Put them behind the counter. I'll sort in a quiet moment." I told him, then gave a roll to a young boy. He smiled up at me.
"Thanks! I haven't eaten all day!" He tore into the warm roll. I "oh"d softly and kissed his forehead, then called to Cori.
"I'm manning register for a few. Ankle's bothering me." I walked (carefully) behind the counter, then leaned heavily against it to get weight off my ankle. I silently berated myself for not wearing the brace that Doc gave me.
"Say no more." Cori slid over the top of the counter and resumed taking orders. I took the money and tips before people left. I smiled a little as Haven talked to Cori as he unpacked the boxes and sorted the contents. He kept talking with Cori, and I was happy that she was having fun. My brows puckered as Mattew walked in the front door. Cori, who was heading back to the kitchen, "accidentally" spilled a bit of melted butter in his path on her way to the counter. She had been cleaning tables.
*BOOM!! *
Mattew slipped and fell face first onto the floor, sliding on his fat gut to the counter. I tried my hardest to stifle my laughter, but failed miserably. Cori and Haven were laughing away. I swallowed my pride and went around the counter to help him up. The pressure on my ankle made it throb. I bit back a whimper from the pain, but the harder I tried to help him up, the more it hurt. When the pain doubled, I cursed loudly. Why did he have to be so fat? Haven swallowed his own pride and walked over to help me out. He hauled Fatty up.
"There you go." Matt started brush off the suit he wore. Cori helped me to a chair.
"Thanks Cori…" I mumbled, pulling my pant leg up to massage my swollen ankle.
"What a lousy bakery!" Mattew exclaimed. I cringed a little when Cori picked up a large meat cleaver. (A/N: I know what you're all wondering: Why do they have a meat cleaver in a bakery? Well, we serve meat at dinner, so…back to the killing- I mean story. … )
"Calm down Cori…" Haven wrapped his arms around her waist and one hand grabbed the arm holding the large (and VERY sharp) knife.
"Let me go! I'll kill him! No one insults my things! No one!!!" She thrashed and wiggled, her arm swinging. Haven got hit a few times in the arm by the handle and the back of the blade, causing me to wince. He'd have bruises in the morning.
"Use of an illegal weapon." Mattew reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "I hereby place you under arrest." What the hell? He had no right! He wasn't a cop! Cori stopped thrashing about and Haven took the knife, setting it on the counter nearby as he released her.
"You can leave, Fatty!" She pointed to the door.
"But…I've yet to place you under arrest…" He sputtered. I stepped forward to defend my friend.
"First off, it was use of an illegal weapon. She never even touched you with it. Second, it's not illegal to have a knife in a bakery. Third, you're not a cop!" Cori looked smug as he glared at me.
"Grr…I WILL be back…" He leered at me and left. My stomach tensed and I tried to keep my food down.
-----------------------------------------------------------Cori's P.O.V.-----------------------------------------------------
Hours later, Haven and I were closing shop. Haven was helping L.K. upstairs while I counted the cash in the register, sorting it into the proper denomination stacks. ($100 to a stack, and I had it hidden in front of the register.) When I made sure of the total, I put it in a bag and locked it in the safe under the counter. As Haven came back downstairs, I pulled a set of keys out of my pocket and headed to the door.
"Hey Haven?" The tall boy turned to face me, one hand wiping the tables down.
"Hm?" His hand paused.
"Th-…thank you for stopping me…" I kept my eyes on my hands as I locked the doors. I really wasn't a person to say 'thank you' to anyone. Even L.K. hadn't heard me say it. I didn't hear a reply. Instead, I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist and warm breath fan over my neck. I turned a light shade of pink when Haven sighed.
"You're very much welcome."
"You've helped out so much around here, and we don't pay you nearly enough…why is that?" I asked him softly, resisting the urge to lean into him.
"Do you really need an answer?" His voice was happy and yet curious at the same time.
"Of course I do." I chuckled.
"It was actually quite strange. It was like something pulled me to here…a……voice…"
"A voice?" He let go of me and I turned, my brows pulling together in confusion. "A voice called you here?"
"Yeah…" He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "Here's what's even weirder: the voice sounded like Todd. In all honesty…" My brows remained furrowed as I thought about it.
"Strange…"
"Ahhhhhhh!" L.K.'s shrill scream hurt our ears. Without even thinking first, I ran upstairs to our bedroom. Five short, painful heartbeats later I jerked the door open, scanning the room. Nothing was there, only the beds, our packs, and L.K. She sat on her bed, her legs under the covers as she sat on them, pale as a ghost.
"You alright L.K.?" Haven went to her side. I started to check the room for anything out of the ordinary. My search came up clean. Haven came to my side, confused. "She only says Sweeney was there, trying to slit her throat with a blade. Sweeney's gone. He bolted when the scene was done with." Confusion filled my mind.
"What are you talking about? Toby killed him at the end." I stood and slowly slid the closet door closed. Haven shook his head.
"You haven't heard? Don't you watch the news?" Dumbly, I was the one to shake my head this time. He sighed, waving me to sit on my bed. "The entire movie, all the people he killed, every drop of blood, was real. Every person he killed, he killed for real. That blood wasn't fake. Not even his. The movie ends with Toby slicing his throat, right?" This time, I nodded my head. "Okay. Anyways, Toby slits his throat, Sweeney bleeds out, and the movie is over. They had it right, up to that point. After they said it was over, Sweeney got up and went to his trailer. The wound on his neck was miraculously healed. Late that night, he went to Toby's trailer with the same blade Toby "killed" him with. Toby opened the door and Sweeney killed him, then he fled into the sewers.
"All the other people were found the next day, dead. Still on scene where they fell, in the basement of Lovett's shop. Toby was playing his role to the hilt for he knew that Todd was really killing people. When he sang the song to Lovett, he was trying to tell her it was true. It wasn't in the original script, but Lovett just went with it. She had been sick for a few days and stuff had been added and taken out of the play. So she didn't catch on. He took it upon himself to kill the "blood thirsty demon" himself. He thought he did, and went to bed. He couldn't sleep though, and then Todd knocked, and you know the rest." He shrugged. "Now you know. Most people said he was a vampire, and after a few years, it stuck." L.K. had been awake the entire time, not saying a word. When she shifted, I jumped a little. I had forgotten she was there.
"Night guys…" She did a peace sign with two fingers, rolled on her side, and fell silent once more. I sighed, hoping she wouldn't go into one of her "silent forever" moods. Fingers slowly wrapped around my hand and I looked to Haven.
"She'll be fine. Sweeney's gone. People think he's dead. So do I." He smiled and pressed a light kiss to my hand. "So don't worry. Probably just had a bad dream and thought Sweeney was there." He must've seen the look of worry on my face. "Tell you what. I'll stay here tonight, just to make sure you guys are safe. I'll go to my place and get my stuff, and I'll be back in like five minutes. Promise." He kissed my hand again and got up.
"Good thing we have a spare cot…" I mumbled, heading to the closet as he headed downstairs. Ten minutes later, he returned. I was sitting on my bed, reading a book to pass the time. When he entered, I got up to help him out, but he waved me away.
"I'm fine." When he set down his bag, he wrapped me in a hug. "No need to worry. I'll protect you both should Todd decide to show." He smiled and sat on his cot. "He won't harm any of us. I swear it." He yawned and stretched, popping his bones before relaxing. "Good night. I'll see you in the morning."
"Night..." I went to my own bed and got under the covers. I sighed, curling up to conserve body heat. We opened late on Sundays, so I had time to sleep in. Something continued to eat away at me though. What if Sweeney really had tried to kill L.K.?