A/N: GAHHH! I am soooooo sorry it took so long to update! TT^TT
My keyboard got messed up, and I was finally able to get an external keyboard to finish up chapter 1.
ANYWHO
I'm letting you know there's some strong language, the 'f' word is used once. So if you're offened, I'm sorry. There's just a lot of anger, and Calliope is a bit of a potty mouth. XD
I'm surprised I already got followers and a fav after my prologue! Thanks guys!
Well, here it is, chapter one!
Chapter One: Feathers
New Jersey, 2009
"For my will is as strong as yours, and my Kingdom is as great!" The young girls voice called confidently from the T.V. screen in Callipoe's dark living room.
Calliope gazed at the screen intently with her vibrant, violet-maroon eyes as she brought up a piece of popcorn to her rosy, full lips. She was snuggled comfortably cradling a bowl of popcorn as her fluffy ginger cat lay sprawled next to her, mewing for attention, and, perhaps more likely, some of what she was eating. Her light pink pajamas covered her soft porcelain skin, which were hidden underneath in a heavy old floral comforter and her shoulder length raven locks were tied in a sloppy bun atop her head.
She was having great difficulty sleeping that evening, and though she had to get up at four to get things ready at the bakery- which was in a few hours- a strong anxiety had been pumping through her. So in order to calm herself, she popped in her favorite movie, Labyrinth, to distract her troubled mind.
"My Kingdom is great... Damn. I can never remember that line..." Repeated the girl on the screen.
"Oh for Christ sake, Sarah!" Calliope suddenly called out to her as if she might hear, startling her cat. "How hard is it to remember such a simple line?"
"You have now power over me." She and the television said in unison.
"Ugh Jenniffer Conelly is thick, isn't she, Marbles?" She said to the cat, scratching behind its ears. "Hey, I bet you didn't know David Bowie is actually a goblin king, did ya? Yup, remember having to track him down in '87. Good guy though, absolutely harmless."
Marbles mewed in response.
Calliope leaned back on the couch as she heard the credits begin to roll. Even though she had done the best to comfort herself, she couldn't shake this feeling. She sighed and sat back up, grabbed the remote and turned off the T.V..
"Ugh, I need to sl-eep." she moaned in frustration. "C'mon , old girl. I'll get you a can of food and myself a sleeping pill."
She stood up and suddenly felt extremely dizzy.
"Shit, I must've stood up too..." She collapsed on the floor before she could finish her sentence.
Marbles meowed in alarm. She quickly ran to her master, sniffed and pawed at her face.
Calliope screamed in a booming voice that did not belong to her as a harsh, blinding light erupted from her every orifice. The poor cat shot off like a bullet with her tail bristled in fear and shock.
Calliope woke up slowly to the buzzing of her cellphone in her pocket. Her eyes were heavy and drowsy as she lifted herself off of the scratchy carpet and sat up.
"What the hell am I doing down here? Did I fall off the couch or something? Damn, I must've slept hard." She murmured to herself as she retrieve her phone from her pajama bottoms.
"Hmmm... Hello?" She answered grogily.
"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Screamed the woman's voice in a thick New Jersey accent on the other line.
"Whoa, Janelle, you don't have to bloody shout, yeah?!" She said loudly back at the woman.
"DID YOU FORGET YOU OWN A BUSINESS?! I'M PRETTY SURE THE SIGN SAYS 'BEA'S BAKERY'. NOT JANELLE BUSTING HER ASS ALL BY HERSELF WHILE HER BOSS SLEEPS IN AT HOME!"
"Oi, if I'm your boss, you shouldn't be talking to me like that!" And 'Bea' isn't even my real name, you twit! she wanted to add. "So take it easy, I've got a headache, I can't handle you're loud obnoxious voice right now."
"Oh, my apologies, "boss". You poor thing! A headache? Awww. IT'S 10AM BEA!"
Calliope snapped completely awake immediately stood up is shock of what Janelle had just shouted "BULLSHIT!"
"NO BEA, IT'S 10 O-FREAKIN'-CLOCK!" Calliope ran to the kitchen and looked at the clock on her microwave, which read 10:08am.
"HOLY HELL I AM LATE!" she screamed, sprinting to her bedroom to get ready.
"YEAH, NO SHIT! UGH, JUST GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE PRONTO!" Janelle screamed once more from the line, and hung up.
"CRAP, CRAP, CRAP, CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!" Calliope yelled as she pulled on her lace tights. She finished dressing quickly in a yellow blouse and black circle skirt, and ran back into the kitchen as she pulled on a pair of brown leather boots. "Shit!" She spat. She needed to feed Marbles, whom she was surprised to not see waiting in the kitchen begging for her bowl to be filled... Hmm. Weird. She thought. Oh for God's sake I haven't got time to waste thinking of trivial details! She quickly ran to the pantry and filled her food bowl and and refilled her water dish in the sink.
"MARBLES, BABY!" She called out for her cat "MUMMY'S GOT TO GO! COME GET YOUR MEOW MIX AND ALL THE JAZZ. LOVE YAH!"
And with that, she rushed to her little blue Volvo and sped off for the bakery.
Ugh, I'm turning into a crazy cat lady. Well after 146 years on this godforsaken planet, anyone would be driven mad. Better to invest relationships with pets than people. Bleh... I can't believe I'm so damn late! I mean, the latest I've ever been is an hour, and that's because Marbles was puking everywhere and I had to take her to the vet. But, TEN? That's SIX hours late. I owe Janelle big time... Unless she kills me first. Calliope's inner monologue continued in a jumble of confusion and fear of her employee's rage as she parked behind her quaint little bakery. She quickly jumped out, locked the car, and ran into her establishment.
"Holy shit, Janelle! I am s-o sorry!" She called from the entrance of the kitchen, as Janelle serviced a customer.
"Here you go! You have a lovely day, Harold." Janelle smiled, handing the balding man a little brown bag decorated with a bright yellow bumble bee containing his usual, a blueberry scone. She heard the distraught voice of 'Bea' coming from the kitchen as the next customer approached. "Excuse me sir, I'm needed in the kitchen. Hold tight, I'll be with you in a moment" She said in a sticky sweet voice with a bright grin. She turned around to the swing doors of the kitchen and her face was twisted in rage, her cheerful facade completely wiped away. "I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" She screamed, marching toward her. He eyes were red in exhaustion and rage, her plus size apron caked in flour and batter, wisps of her frizzy brown hair escaping from her tight bun. She looked a right mess, and Calliope felt more sickened with guilt and frustration with herself.
"Hey, keep it down, we have a full house in there..." Calliope responded in annoyance.
"AND WHO DO YOU THINK HAS HAD TO DEAL WITH THEM ALL BY THEIRSELF?!"
"Look, I am so, so, so sorry. I really am- I have no idea what happened. I don't have time to explain everything because I really need to get to work. You get all the tips today, alright?"
"Bea," Janelle looked at her in angry confusion. "Are you... wearing colored contacts?!"
Dammit! Calliope screamed in her head. I forgot to put my goddamn contacts! Her naturally unnatural violet-maroon were always getting strange looks, so when they finally invented colored contact lenses, she nearly wept in happiness to finally relieve herself of the ridicule she got from the odd hue of her irises.
"I thought I'd try something new?" She said hesitantly.
"So you picked TODAY? The day you were SIX HOURS late to work?! You know what? I don't even care anymore. I am so. Freaking. Done. Do whatever the hell you want. Take those fucking things out before you scare the shit out of our customers."
"Jan-elle!" Calliope whined. "I'm really sorry, I am so out of it today! Please don't quit!"
"Just take out this freaky ass lenses and help me out. And I'm going to forgive you, because I'm a good catholic woman. But you owe me a raise on top of today's tips. Oh, and a bonus."
"Done! Thank you for not killing me!"
Calliope jumped at her and squeezed her tightly.
"Yeah, yeah. Now go get those things out and help me out front!"
"Right-o!" She said cheerfully running to her office. Thank god I keep an emergency pair at work. She quickly put the ice blue contacts in and ran up to help Janelle with customers.
"MUCH better!" Janelle said seeing Calliope's familiar blue eyes again. "Now get your ass over to table four, this weird old guy has been here since we opened asking for some chick with a weird name, I forget what it was. I told him there ain't nobody by that name who works here, it's just me and Bea. But he insists he talk to the owner."
Calliope glanced over to the table Janelle had mentioned, and sure enough an old man was sitting in the french cafe chair by the window, hunched over a news paper and lightly sipping at a large mug of hot chocolate. She saw a weird bluish glow around his person, making her eyes widen in confusion "Janelle... does he look... blue to you?"
"Um, I guess he looks a little sad. I mean, he's been here for four hours reading that paper, not moving from his seat. That's pretty sad."
Calliope rolled her eyes and started he way towards the mysterious glowing man.
"Bea, be careful, okay? Tell me if I need to call the cops!" Janelle hissed after her.
"Excuse me sir, I'm the owner of this bakery, I'm Bea. What is it I help you with today?" She said sweetly, trying to ignore his strange glowing aura.
The man place down his mug, folded his paper, and glanced back up at her with pure white eyes and smiled.
"Calliope, my, it has been a long time."
HOORAH! CHAPTER ONE DOWN, LIKE 50 TO GO! :D
Hahaha, anyway, R&R, let me know what you think and all the good stuff :3
Characters from the actual show will be introduced next chapter.
Until then,
Hannah