School the next day was no different from school the day before. I'd only been at this school for two days, yet you'd think someone would have tried to talk to me, right? Wrong. I was just the new girl, someone everyone looked at but didn't talk to. In a town this small everyone notices the new girl. Some of my teachers even called me New Girl.
After school I headed, alone, towards Common Grounds. I walked up to counter and waited for Oliver to finish making someone elses drink.
"Glad to see you made it home alright last night." He said, smiling. He walked towards the coffee machine and got my drink, without even asking my order. I handed him over my money.
"Thanks. I wasn't actually here for coffee, though. Well, not just coffee. Um, Eve said she'd call you about getting me a job, perhaps?" I said, a little nervous.
Oliver looked human. Long, graying hair pulled back in a ponytail, fadded jeans, teeth regulation lenghth. Nothing vampiric about him, except maybe the coldness in his eyes.
"She mentioned you. Emma, right? Eve was my best employee. She said you make a good cup, and I need a new barista. You can start right now. Just a warning, I don't like slackers." He said, handed me and apron, and motioned for me to move behind the counter.
"Uh, yes, sir. No slacking. Promise." I said and quickly moved behind the counter.
"You're here till eleven. Usually you won't start so early, but your cooworkers sick today." He said.
Eleven? "Okay. I've got this." I said, and put a fake smile on my face.
My first costumer was a pretty, pissed off looking brunette.
"Low fat, skimmed milk espresso." She said.
"On it." I said. I quickly punched her order into the machine. Oliver made her drink, of course. The espresso machine was something I wasn't going to have to learn to use. It didn't look that complicated.
"Here you go." I said, giving her her drink and taking her money. I gave her the change as she looked over my outfit under the apron.
"Cute dress. Where's it from?" She asked.
Startled by her compliment, I replied. "A little vintage store in New York."
She nodded and walked towards two other girls, both also pretty and also pissed-off looking. The prettiest one walked over to a table where another group of girls were sitting. She grabbed the back of one of the girls chairs and pulled it backwards, knocking the girl out of her seat.
"Excuse me!" I called, getting out from behind the counter and walking towards them. "You can't just do that."
"Yes, I can, actually. And who are you to tell me I can't?" She replied, sneering at me.
"I um... I work here." I told her, my voice shaking a little. I wasn't good at confrontation, but she couldn't just do that. "There's empty seats. Find somewhere else to sit."
"I want this table." She said, plopping herself down in the chair. "You going to stop me?"
"No, she's not. But I am." Said Olivers voice from behind me. I turned to see him glaring at her, his eyes suddenly the colour of pure ice. When he was mad like this, it was kind of easier to picture him as a blood sucking creature of the night. "Monica, I've told you a million times that this is my store. You don't own it."
The girl, Monica, paled. Then she turned towards me and glared. "Whatever. I think we'll take our drinks somewhere else." She said, and walked out.
Oliver turned towards me, his eyes back to their original blue colour. "Monica thinks she's the princess of everything." He said. "If she does that again, you let her know that I don't appreciate that in my store. She'll get the hint."
I nodded and returned to the counter. I took a lot more orders before I got my first break. Common Grounds was a very busy coffee shop. After a small coffee break I returned to my counter. Eve walked in, followed by another girl, smaller than her and probably a year or two younger.
Eve bounced up to the counter. She was still dressed in goth clothes. "You got the job!" She said excitedly. I think she was more excited than I was. "This is Claire, by the way. Claire, Emma, Emma, Claire."
"Hi." I replied. "What can I get you guys?"
"One coffee, black, and a hot chocolate for little Claire here." She said, giving me a big smile.
"How're you adjusting?" Claire asked. I frowned at her in response while I made her hot chocolate.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"You know," She said, mimming fangs with her fingers. "With that. I was new here once too. It's kind of hard to get used to. And thanks, by the way, for helping Eve out last night."
Everyone in this town and vampires! What is it with them? "I'm not sure if I'm completely convinced yet." I replied, handing them their drinks. "But maybe I'm starting to come around."
I turned and looked at Oliver, who was paying attention to something else. His eyes had definitely changed colour. Not normal.
"You'll get used to it." Claire said while grabbing her hot chocolate.
"Thanks." I said. I took their money and they headed towards an unoccupied table.
Eventually Eve and Claire left. By Ten o'clock barely anyone was at Common Grounds. Just a few people finishing their drinks. Everyone who left after dark had either been in big groups heading back to the college, or were quickly running into their cars. It was super creepy.
Five minutes from the end of my shift, Jason walked in. He didn't look in my direction, just sat down at one of the tables linning the wall. Eventually Oliver came out from his office in the back room, or whatever it was. I assumed it was an office. He headed towards Jason's table and sat down. By this point everyone else had cleared out.
I was just finishing cleaning the counter and the coffee mugs, then heading out. I was kind of curious about what they were talking about, though. I slowed down my working and deliberately took about two minutes to clean one cup. I couldn't hear a thing, though. I gave up trying to eavesdrop and hung up my apron.
I wanted to thank Oliver for the job, but I didn't want to interupt them, so I just called a soft goodbye as I opened the door to leave.
"Emma, hold on a second." Oliver called. He motioned for me to come over. "I don't see any cars outfront. No one coming to pick you up?"
"I, um, didn't want to bother my mother." I replied, looking down. What the real problem was was that I didn't want stupid Darell to come pick me up instead. "I don't mind walking."
"Yes, but I mind you walking. As my employee it's my duty to see that you get home safe." He said.
"Really, it's no trouble." I told him. Jason didn't meet my eyes this whole time. He just stared blankly at the wall behind Oliver's head.
And then Oliver did something that almost gave me a heartattack. He stood up faster than any normal person should have been able to do. His teeth had elongated, and his eyes went the colour of ice, the pupils very dialated.
I screamed and backed up towards the counter, grabbed the chair nearest to me and held it out in front of me. It was the only thing close enough that could be considered a weapon.
Jason had finally looked up and was staring at me as if he wanted to come stand in front of me, but had decided that it wasn't a good idea.
"I apologize for the theatrics." Oliver said, his face going back to normal. "Jason told me you didn't believe him, so I thought it was my job to prove to you that vampires do exist."
I kept the chair up, still pointing it at Oliver. No way was I putting down the only weapon I had.
"Emma, you can put the chair down." Oliver said, walking towards me.
"No way. Not a chance. Unless you promise that what you just did a second ago won't happen ever again." I replied. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to order around a freaking vampire but I couldn't help it.
"As long as you behave I promise to not do that to you again. If you happen to misbehave, though, I can't keep that promise." He said, looking as sincere as he was probably capable of. "Jason can drive you home tonight."
Jason stood up, looking angry. He didn't object, though.
"I'll need you in at five tomorrow." Oliver called as I walked out the door.
I followed Jason to a black, dark tinted car. As I relaxed into the seat I realized my whole body was shaking uncontrollably. Jason pulled out of the parking spot and headed down the main street. I thought about telling him that I didn't live in this direction, but suddenly my body didn't want to cooperate and form the words.
After minutes of silence Jason pulled the car into the driveway of a small, weathered looking house. "W-where are we?" I asked quietly.
"Okay, when I get the front door open, I want you to open your car door and run as fast as you can inside. Alright? No stopping for any reason. Don't look right or left, just run." He said, starteling me. "Got it?"
He didn't wait for answer. He just opened his door, slammed it and hurried up the steps. The second the door was open I bolted out of the car and inside. When I made it over the thresh hold Jason slammed the door.
"Go sit on the couch, I'll be there in a minute." Jason said, dissapearing somewhere.
I stood in the hallway, unmoving. Why did we have to run? Someone was chasing us. Someone was trying to kill us. A vampire. Oh, my god. We were just about killed by a vampire. That's why Jason was so strange about getting from the car to the house. Oh, my god!
I leaned against the door and slid to the floor. I wrapped my arms around my body, trying to stop the shaking. People dont' get chased by vampires. Vampires don't exist. But they do. Oliver is a vampire. That guy from last night is a vampire. And he said... oh, god. He said that Jason was usually in his shoes.
Jason is a fucking vampire and I'm alone with him in a house!