Sophie had spent the last night dreaming about the four men that came to her work place the evening before and felt in no way refreshed or well rested. When she woke up for the third time, it was still dark outside, but she still forced herself to crawl out of bed. She turned the TV on and switched to the news while fixing herself a much- needed cup of coffee. In a city like Gotham, news about crime could get quite extensive, so she only listened half-heartedly to the TV while fixing herself a modest breakfast that only included toast and butter and contemplated how much longer she could postpone her grocery shopping. The news reporter said something about two people being killed in an alley which reminded her of how little attention she had paid to her surroundings on her way home last night. She should definitely be more careful. Her sense of safety was a bit shaken by yesterday's events, although nothing had really happened to her.
The early shift of the café would arrive in approximately three hours, that would be enough time to take care of her missed deeds. And perhaps to discover a body. Or three. The city which never slept appeared to be lazier at this time of the day- the people who had been clubbing all night were finally at the end of their stamina and stumbled home, while the people working early clung to their coffee cups and stumbled to their jobs. Things went slower and everyone seemed more vulnerable. Perhaps she should find the lady from her first blog entry and ask her to take an early walk with her one day.
Her hands trembled when they touched the material of the opening door and she stopped breathing as she applied pressure to the wood. Pressure which did not make it move an inch. With her pulse hammering in her ears, Sophie felt more alert than ever and quickly fumbled the keys out of her pocket. She unlocked the door, entered her workplace, turned on the lights, and saw… nothing. Everything looked normal, even better than usual. Not only were the chairs placed on top of the tables, but also was the floor sparkling clean. Sophie went to the till and opened it, it looked just as full as the night before. She let out a relieved sigh and started counting the money. Not a single penny was missing.
Back home, Sophie picked up her blanket from the bed and moved herself onto the sofa. After leaving the café, she had wondered if her mind might have played tricks on her. Maybe she was a weird one, so desperate for something exciting to happen, that she would hallucinate about it. Or she could have accidentally inhaled a puff of Gina's special cigarettes. The alternative would be frightening. There had to be a reason why they had left the place in a better condition than it was before. Why did they have to clean up? She turned on the TV to distract her from her thoughts until she got a text from Gina:
Hey Sophie, did you go on some kind of cleaning spree last night? I swear, the boss was head over heels when he saw that you even took care of the freaking freezer. :D Maybe, he'll make you employee of the month! Xx, Gina
Maybe she should feel grateful, because they made her look like a hardworking newbie. There was no way she would tell her boss about how four men met in his coffee place and decided to clean it meticulously.