Hey guys! LOVE your reviews and feedback, thank you so much! Here is the second chapter, onto ze story!
Once the tables were clean and the counter was spotless, I dropped the rag on the counter. I leaned against it and let out a sigh, wiping my head in exhaustion.
"Done," I smiled, looking around the now clean coffee shop. I nodded my head in satisfaction at the polished tables and counter tops. Turning to face the cash register, I checked the time. 11:52pm. I usually never stay this late, but my manager asked me to.
As I was making a costumer's cappuccino, the manager walked towards me.
"Hey Liliana?" she asked, "Would you mind staying after closing to clean and lock up? It's just once, the daycare closes early today and I have to pick up Johnny-"
"Of course I can!" I smiled. The manager is a really nice woman. She is always kind and she gave me this job when I most needed it, so the least I could do was stay late one night for her. "I could stay late," I continued. "And if you need to pick up Johnny any other time I'll stay late too."
"Thank you," she said, giving me a hug. "You are such a sweet girl." With that she walked away and into the kitchen. Just when I was getting back to my work, Kelly, the cashier, spoke.
"You're such a sweet girl Libby," Kelly mimicked, turning to look at me.
"It's actually Lilia-" I tried to say, but she interrupted me.
"So sweet it makes me sick."
I frowned, "Kelly, I don't know what I did to make you not like me, but I'm-"
"Oh no no no no no," the other cashier, Monica, began to speak. Monica is two years older than me (19) and is a very straightforward girl. Her blue hair and red highlights normally make her look scary, but she is actually a really nice person once you get to know her. "Don't you dare apologize because Kelly is a jealous bitch." I flinched a little at her use of words, but stayed quiet. I just hope they don't get into another fight.
Kelly turned to Monica and glared, "Please, I'm not jealous of anything except her wonderful acting skills," she turned back to me, "Everyone's buying this sugar and spice and everything nice trick. Well, except for me, I could see right through your little act."
"But unfortunately I can't see through all that make-up you wear," said Mark, Monica's twin, as he handed a cup of coffee to a costumer,"Instead of putting it on your face, maybe you should swallow it to make your insides look pretty."
Kelly gasped and took a step back as Mark and Monica stood on either side of me. She then screamed and stormed towards the employee's changing room.
"You shouldn't let that bitch get to you Liliana," Monica smiled, going back to her register.
"I just wish that I knew why she hated me so I could fix it," I said, continuing to make the coffee.
"She's just jealous that no one likes her and everyone loves you," Mark smiled, "Even the manager likes you more and you just started two weeks ago. You are the nicest, sweetest person I think all of us have ever met." I was about to interject when another order came in.
I sighed and made my way into the employee changing room. As I opened my locker and took off my apron, I thought about what Mark said. Was I seriously the sweetest person they have ever met? No I'm not that sweet, he was probably being kind. And does Kelly hate me that much? I'm not trying to do anything on purpose to spite her; I just wish that we could be friends. I grabbed my necklace from the hook and slammed my locker shut. I never wore my necklace during work because I didn't want to lose it or have anything happen to it, so I keep it in my locker everyday during work.
I opened up the locket and smiled at the pictures. There were three pictures inside. The one to the left was of my dad-well, technically foster parent but I considered him my dad. In the picture he looked the same: grey hair, glasses and wrinkles from smiling too much. The one to the right was of me as a little girl, probably 8 or 9, being hugged by him on a park bench. He looked a little younger in this picture, less wrinkles and only a few grey hairs. The middle picture was of the both of us on the same park bench taken less than a year ago. My head was on his shoulder and his arm had me in a one sided hug. We were both smiling, even though that was the day we found out about his cancer. He died a few months ago. Yes, I was extremely sad. Heck, I'm still extremely sad about it. But we lived out his last days together, doing as much as he wanted on his bucket list.
I shed a tear. He told me how he completed his life and how it was his turn to go. He was completely at ease when he went. He died with a smile on his face. A few more tears escaped my eyes as I remembered when he told me how he found me.
"Daddy?" I asked, just getting back from school. I just started first grade three days ago, and I was already learning a bunch of new things. "How did I get here?"
"Excuse me?" he laughed, wiping his hands on a wash cloth as he came into the living room. I just sat my bag down when he picked me up and twirled me in the air.
"I asked," I said, giggling, "How did I get here?"
"I came outside to water my flowers," he told me, sitting down by the fire. I crawled onto his lap, listening with interest. But then again, anything and everything was interesting for a seven year old. "And I found something else instead..."
"What daddy?" I asked, looking up at him. He smiled distantly, recalling the memory as he stared at the fire. He turned to me and smiled.
"I found you," he smiled. I made a disgusted face.
"You found ME?" I asked, confused.
"Yes, there you were as a baby, lying in my bed of lilies. So that's how I became your daddy."
"But Billy said parents buy their babies at Sears in a kit and put them together, so how did I get in your flowers?"
Daddy laughed, making me even more confused. "Lily-bug, parents don't buy babies at Sears and put them together."
"Well then how do parents get us?" I asked. I looked up to see Daddy's face go white and he stopped laughing.
"Uh, I'll tell you when you're older," he patted my head awkwardly, "MUCH older." He rushed into the kitchen to finish cooking.
"But daddy," I said, jumping off of the couch and running into the kitchen. "I have other questions! Tommy said that if you eat fish they'll swim around in your tummy, does that mean I have fishys in me?"
I smiled as I wiped the few stray tears falling down my face. He was the only person to ever call me lily-bug. I mostly go by Liliana, and I let very few call me Lily, but he was the only one allowed to call me Lily-bug. I stood up abruptly and put my necklace around my neck. If I didn't stop reminiscing now, I'd be here all night crying. I grabbed my bag and walked outside, locking the door behind me. I began to walk down the street towards the house. As I walked, I saw a homeless person in an alley I passed. I immediately went down the alley and up to them.
"Excuse me," I said, coming closer. The homeless person looked up, and when she saw me she cringed.
"I don't have nothing," she croaked, her voice hoarse and weak, "There's nothin' you can take."
"Oh no," I said, shaking my head as I knelt beside her. "I'm not here to take anything." I pulled out some money, a pen, and a piece of paper. "I have a friend who owns the homeless shelter I volunteer at," I said, writing down the address on the piece of paper. I handed it to her, "Here is the address of the shelter. Just tell the lady who meets you at the door that Lily sent you there,and she'll give you a warm bed and some food until you can get back on your feet." I smiled when she took it and added, "And take this," I said, handing her some money. "It's cold outside, and there's a thrift shop on 43rd that has winter clothes. There should also be enough to get you to the shelter by bus." The lady took the money with a kind smile. She then grabbed my hand that was holding the money with both of her hands. "Bless you," she said, squeezing my hand. She smiled, "Bless you."
I smiled back and stood up. "It's my pleasure. I hope life works out for you." I began to walk back down the alley and back to the street, looking behind me to see the lady wave. I waved back and smiled before continuing home. I smiled to myself as I crossed the street. The lady seemed like a nice person, and everyone has that time in their life where nothing is going right. Everyone just needs a little push to get out of that time. I just hope I gave her enough money until she got to the shelter. I was snapped out of my thoughts when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around to see a tall blonde boy staring down at me.
"I just have to say," he smiled, "That was a nice thing you did for that lady back there."
"It was nothing," I said, turning back around. I continued to walk until I heard, "I see why Pan sent me to get you, Liliana."
What did he say? How did he know my name? I turned around, fear rising with every passing second. "What did you say?"
Before I could even look at him, I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head. I fell forward, landing on my stomach. I began to see spots and I suddenly felt sleepy.
"You will find out everything soon enough," was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.
Peter's POV
Peter paced by the fire, unaffected by the boys dancing around him. His control over himself was diminishing with each passing second. Peter stopped in front of the fire, staring at the dancing flames. The fire always intrigued him. The way the flames rolled off of the wood, slowly burning the wood until it turned white. Once the wood turned white it was useless, sitting there among the flames, the heat from the fire too hot to handle but not hot enough to do anything. The wood stayed in place, being tortured by the flames, which danced around the piece of wood but never lit it on fire again. It was useless to them now. But even though it was useless, the flames still danced around it. This useless piece of wood once started as part of a tree. This piece of wood was healthy, beautiful, and strong. Then it was cut down. This wood was stripped of its roots, that once stood it tall against even the strongest weather. This wood was then stripped of its bark, it's hard covering protecting it from anything harmful. The bark that once kept everything bad out, kept it standing tall along with its roots. Without its bark and roots, it was thrown into the fire like the nothing it now was. With its bark and roots stripped from it, there was nothing to protect the wood from the hungry flames, and there was nothing the wood could do now but wither away, the heat and the flames slowly taking away what life it had left. But the flames don't kill the wood, no, the flames burn and burn and burn until there is barely any life left. Enough life to live, but enough life to make it useless and weak. Thus the reason why it turns white. White doesn't symbolize purity, innocence, or whatever else it symbolizes. It symbolizes weakness. The color has no stains on it, no colors to show that its got its hands dirty. It has no red to show the blood it shed, or blue to show the tears it shed, or even black to show the darkness it its heart. The color is stainless and bland, showing its weakness and vulnerability from having no experience in crime and bloodshed. The color is weak, showing how it didn't fight back.
This reason always had Peter staring at the fire, getting him to calm down. Maybe it was this reason why he loved the flames, or maybe it was because the flames were pretty. Maybe it was because the flames reminded him of himself, the way they slowly drain the life out of others until they were useless, the way the the flames always stood tall and dominant. The way they held power, showing that if you'd get in their way, you'd get burned.
Peter closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was definitely the last reason. The flames reminded him of all the things he's done and what he's bound to do in the future. This is why the flames would never turn white, they have to much darkness in them. Peter opened his eyes and smiled the smile he hid on earth. The smile that showed his true self. The flames light reflected on his face, making his smile more sinister (not that he minded though). All of a sudden he felt that power again. It surged through him faster than electricity would, filling him with power and strength once again. He let out a shaky breath, shivering as power went up his spine. He turned to the boys dancing around him.
"Boys," he announced, the smile never leaving his face. The boys stopped dancing immediately and gathered around Pan. "Our brothers are back with our guest," he announced. The boys smiled at one another, dark and sinister things hidden behind each grin. Of course, no one could match Peter's though.
"Come on boys," Peter said, eyeing each boy. "Let's play."
DUN DUN DUN! Sorry if Liliana's part is a little blah, I just couldn't WAIT to write Peter's part! Is it too dark? Not dark enough? Just plain stupid? I have no idea, so I need you guys to tell me XD Do you want this story to go in a certain direction? If you want something to happen or have an idea, you can post it in the review c: Please review and I'll try and update soon!