FicWad

Authors note: I apologize readers that I can't separate my chapters because for some reason Ficwad is not allowing me to add chapters... THEREFORE! I shall just keep updating this one page. Please don't get upset? Now as for the rating... This is because of some (oh dear) uncouth language my characters just had to use. It's not my fault really. If you feel offended by such callous behavior, please press the back button now, least the spawn of the devil get to you. If you Brave reader are ready to read. Please go ahead and read, just sign this here that says all mental instability is not the fault of the authoress or the website that provided her fiction. Grin

The Customer

What would happen if Magic really existed? Magic that was created from mans’ imagination to fulfill all their wishes?

Would it really be all fairy-tales and happy endings? I doubt it. Humanity enjoys problems and turmoil and never-ending struggle. A fairytale is out of the question. This story is not about fairy dust and pixies, it’s far darker, more sinister and more real than the monster in the cupboard.

My name is Dominic Tomjon Sawyer. And my story begins when I discovered magic.

*

In a house that looked like it had been thrown together on the last minute and had been redone twenty seven times in the dark, the house that is a continuous work in progress, with rooms added, walls broken through to make a sprawling mass of rooms and corridors that somehow fit together to form a home, from this house there came a familiar battle cry.

“You idiot! I’ve told you ten thousand times not to go into my work room!”

A brown headed flash darted out of the dark room and streaked across the corridor. That brown headed flash would be me heading off to work.

“Well, that would be the ten thousand and one times you told me that then!”

Unfortunately for me. This morning would be the ending of a beginning for me, and the beginning of an end. It is the ending of all that I considered normal, and beginning of a life of pure, untarnished trouble.

Gerard Sawyer stared after my disappearing figure in consternation. “That child is way too cheeky by half. Mariah, why did you give birth to a snarky monster like that?”

An amused voice drifted into the corridor from where the sounds of a TV that kept being changed channels, persisted. “Darling. I can only blame your sperm cell.”

Gerard otherwise known as “Dad” or “that old man smoking over there” closed and locked the workroom door. “You’d think Dom could read the keep out sign on my door.”

Mariah let out her dark brown hair in a tumble and began plaiting it after she had settled on the animal channel. “She can. And that’s why she does it.”

Her eyes trailed over her husband’s body as he stalked into the room, skinny as a stick and still managing to convey non-existent bulk in his every move. Tucking her feet beneath her to make space for him on the worn out sofa she smiled when he dropped into the space beside her. It wasn’t as though there was no other place in the TV room to sit, on the contrary there were dozens of mismatched chairs and couches dotting the room, arranged in a vague circle around the hallowed TV. The fact her husband unerringly sat beside her no matter where she sat always made her feel warm inside.

“Mariah?”

“Yes?”

“Why are we watching a programme about dang penguins?”

“Because their habitat is being destroyed by global warming, love.”

“Global warming is just a farce for the government to scare us.”

“Right you are dear.”

Gerard frowned at the TV screen showing fluffy penguin chicks. “It is a farce right?”

“Of course, dear.”

Another comfortable silence pervaded the room.

“Speaking about habitats, can you make ours a bit bigger Gerard?”

“What for?”

“Another baby.”

A longer, quieter silence dominated the room, making the TV sound blaringly loud.

“I’ll get started tomorrow.”

“Thank you, baby.”

Gerard’s face went bright red and his hand twitched. “Can I? May I? I mean can I feel?”

Warm honey eyes crinkled with laughter. “Of course you silly man.”

Taking his large hand in her own small ones, she lifted it to her flat belly and watched as he melted. Her face saddened.

“It’s about time we told her don’t you think?”

“But she’s only fifteen!”

Gerard pulled his hand away slowly, as his wife stared him down. “She turns 16 next month. She will be of age. You know the ritual.”

Infinite sadness passed his worn face before he quietly nodded in assent.

*

My way to work was a short 5 minute cycle away. But it isn’t as easy as it sounds. To get to my work is over a very busy wide street and it is a life and death matter to cross it. Nevertheless, I do it for the bare minimum legal in this forsaken country for a job I loathe, every single day of my summer holidays.

“Dom!”

A small figure waving at me from the lot next door was still technically too small for me to know who it was. But it could only be B. B’s full name is Belrose Tarsal. I think she was named after a type of wine or something. Anyway she doesn’t like being called Belrose; she much prefers B, or Spawn of the Devil.

She has a younger brother called Andrew. Don’t ask me why their parents chose that name. Maybe they thought “Belrose” was unique enough for their family. I always wanted a brother; although after meeting Andrew I have changed my thoughts on that idea quite radically.

They show up quite regularly on the empty lot next door because their family is with the circus. Stay about 6 months and then disappear before showing up again 6 months later. Their family help out with the seemingly, dangerous but aren’t quite, dangerous animals. Yes, they were the, what’s the term? Animal tamers. They have awesome jobs, but the asses don’t get paid. Unfortunately I get paid but I have a shit job. Can’t really decide who has got the shorter end of the stick on this. Probably me, as it’s in my nature to inevitably end up doing things that aren’t good for me.

I also have a childhood friend, Rania but she never keeps in contact with me during the hols. I think it has something to do with the fact she lives on the other side of the world practically. That’s pretty much it for my social life.

I brake, half on half off the bike, on the side of the life or death busy road and wait patiently for B to catch up to me. For such a stumpy girl she never fails to amaze me at how fast she is.

“Hey B.”

“Right back at you. You going to work?”

“As per usual.”

“How’d you get past your mum?”

“Snuck through dad’s workroom.”

Avoiding my mother in the mornings is never an easy task. I like to think it’s quite a skill. She is a firm believer that breakfast prolongs your life. And I am a firm believer that deducting my wages for being late for a piece of toast is just lame.

My dad is… Well he likes building things, which accounts for the state of our ever changing house. He is a Chief construction worker, I guess it goes with the job. He is one of those few people who are happy to go to work. And he get’s immensely… annoyed when people go into his work room.

“He’s going to tan your butt a lovely colour when you go home.”

“Don’t you have lions to feed or elephants to clean or something?”

She glanced at the tattered apron and thick heavy duty gloves she was wearing. “Gee. I wonder what gave you that idea.”

I shrugged, “No clue. Say where’s Andrew?”

“Asleep. I’m going to throw ice down his shirt now-now. Want to come with?”

“Nah I learned my lesson; Never be around when the Tarsal’s are forced to wake up.” I held up my hand put my other hand to my chest like I was reciting a golden rule. “Besides I’ve got work remember?”

B grinned, “Sure. Just come round in your two hour lunch break ok? Got something to show you.”

“Cool. Now I really got to scram. Manager is going to eat me alive, I’m late again.”

“Tell your manager to get the pole out of his ass.”

“I wish. See you!”

With one eye on the road I noted the coming break in the traffic and sped across the road to the traffic island.

“Hey!”

I braked sharply on the island and looked back to see B cupping her hands around her mouth. “Bring me some takeaways!”

“Why don’t you do it yourself one of these days, you lazy ass! You can get 9% discount for being my friend!”

“Because you can get it for free!”

“Oh yeah, forgot about that.” I made a face at her before dashing the rest of the way across the road and down the street towards the parking.

Throwing my bike by the guards I wave at them. They always look after it and besides no one is going to steal that bunch of scrap metal. And even if someone was stupid enough to do so, I could always walk home and my Dad would HAVE to buy me a new bike then.

Walking past the drop off zone I nodded at Grace. She smiled widely at me before motioning me to lift my arms so she could scan my body for weapons. As if I would bring weapons into Counte Casino. Well I would if the manager annoyed me enough but my parents would give me so much crap about it.

After checking my bag, although I seriously doubted she could see anything with all the rubbish I had in there, I could easily hide a knife or pistol in there and she wouldn’t see it, she smiled widely and let me pass. I flash a smile I hoped could be passed off as sincere and hurried past.

That woman freaks me out. She always smiled widely at me but never says anything to me. It’s like I’m a delicious snack she wants to get to right after “Amen.”

I stepped past her and into Italy.

Ok, not really Italy but it sure did look like it, from the pebbled pavement like floor to the buildings and shops and their swinging shop signs, to the ceiling painted like the sky. There was even washing hanging over the ‘road’. I’ve never seen the washing changed, those things must have some hectic dust on them.

Counte Casino was really just one big glorified shopping mall with a casino in the middle, that some genius and or idiot wasted tons of cash to make it resemble Italy. After you get used to all the dramatics of the fountains and courtyards and random nondescript abandoned old vehicles that don’t really look Italian in the alleys, it really is quite boring.

However people just keep coming. It’s quite amazing. Humanity has such a complicated social structure.

Walking confidently through the various twists and turns I eventually reach my destination in the very centre of Counte Casino; My workplace. Over the bridge and bubbling stream with plastic ducks, lay it in all its majestic glory. Well that would be the casino technically, but if you turn the corner on the side of a tiny ‘road’ after passing the bridge you’ll see: The oh-so-wonderful-and-glamorous Maidens Flower. Most people know it as that Chinese place next to the casino.

My manager, an old Asian man with balding white hair and a fairly good imitation of a western moustache glares at me. Each time I see that moustache I could just imagine him twirling it and laughing evilly. You don’t need to imagine someone naked to dispel any sense of nervousness, just slap that good old western moustache on them, and it’s hard to take them seriously.

“Young miss. You are nearly late!”

“Yeah, but I’m not.”

“Don’t be disrespectful. Go change or I will take fifty percent of your tips!”

Yeah, definitely going to bring a knife tomorrow, but how to get pass the wide-smiling Grace? Maybe I can ask Andrew to set the snakes on her so I can slip past.

“You take forty percent anyway.” I couldn’t help but mutter.

“What was that young miss?

“Nothing. Going to change right now, sir.”

“Your step parents haven’t raised you properly.”

It always amused me when people thought that my parents are my step parents. I mean they look so Caucasian even though they were mixed blood, and I managed to get all the Asian genes, from the grandmother on my dad’s side and the grandpa on my ma’s side.

And people automatically assume I’m adopted. Sheesh.

“Whatever.”

“What was that young miss?”

His sharp tone could cut rock if it wasn’t so feeble. The guy was like a thousand, he really should retire. “Nothing sir. Did your hearing aid run out of battery?”

“I don’t have a hearing aid.”

“Oh sorry. You should get one then.”

“Sixty percent of your tips!”

Yup, although getting Andrew to bring elephants would be a better idea. The Wide smiling Grace would probably just eat all the snakes, which is hardly a way to get into the Circus’ crew good graces. Restraining a groan I hurry past him before he takes all my tips. I really ought to learn to shut my mouth sometimes.

“Carol! Morning!”

My co-worker grinned at me in the VIP rooms we used as a changing room. “Mister Hon bite your head off again?”

“Just a bit. He’s taking off sixty percent of my tips.”

“Owch.” She slipped the uniform oriental shirt on. “You weren’t even late. What did you do this time round?”

I rolled my eyes and reached for my uniform. “I forgot he didn’t have a hearing aid.”

Carol giggled as she tied her apron on.

“What? It’s an easy mistake to make.”

She shook her head at me and left to do the morning duties such as throwing away chipped plates and such other wonderful things. The mornings, and I use this term loosely as it’s eleven o’clock right now, were always slow, and hardly a customer showed up. And it left me and Carol nothing to do but stare at each other. I could find better things to do with my time.

It’s not like I didn’t like Carol. She was just the type of person who can be nice to you and find it normal to backstab you at the same time. Plus the fact she was tall, thin and beautiful in a model kind of way didn’t sit well with me either. So I keep my distance with her.

It was about this time that The Customer showed up. I use capitals because this guy just stood out. This was really strange as he was dressed completely in gray. Grey wide brimmed hat, grey sweater, grey pants and grey shoes. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wore grey underwear. The customer simply strode in and sat himself under the overgrown plastic vines and flowers at the very edge of the courtyard shaped restaurant overlooking the park like casino as far as possible from the kitchens that were trying to hold the façade that they were Italian apartment blocks. He didn’t seem like the usual casino goer or mall shopper so I was at a complete loss as to why he was even in Counte Casino.

Carol had got to him first so I skulked in the background and pretended to look busy while discreetly spying on them.

When he took off his wide brimmed hat my jaw automatically dropped.

He was HOT.

It wasn’t immediately noticeable. He looked tired. He obviously hadn’t shaved for a couple of days and his long dark brown hair had mostly fallen out of his ponytail. However his jaw and the clear green eyes just radiated alpha male aura. Put it all together in that tall well built package that his grey sweater was never going to be able to hide, made him more or less drop dead gorgeous.

He must have been about twenty five years old tops.

It was painful not to jump him and be arrest for public indecency right there and then. Carol made her way to the kitchens and passing me muttered, “He just wants jasmine tea and nothing else.”

Hm. I wouldn’t really associate such a fine piece of flesh… Err, gentleman, with something as boring as jasmine tea.

“Did he say why?”

“Yeah, he said wanted to enjoy himself without a waitress hovering over him with dishes all the time.”

I was quiet for a bit. After all, it took a while for me to calm the urge to grin. Carol looked more than a little bit miffed. I think I was falling in love with the man.

Minutes passed, and then hours and The Customer only ever called for his teapot to be refilled with hot water, which Carol always did with a smile but came back to my side with an annoyed pout.

Eventually our lunch break arrived and The Customer didn’t move. Carol began twitching. She hated staying longer than was absolutely necessary. I stayed around a bit longer just to watch her suffer. It serves her right for always jumping in to get the customers first.

Slipping back to the kitchens where the crews were playing poker, for some take out to take back to the circus, I wondered how long Carol would be able to stay put. Carol didn’t last five minutes. I turned around and there she was in the kitchens, a place she hated with a passion. I never understood why, it was livelier and less bossy than outside, maybe it was the complete chaos I felt so at home in.

“Please Dom! My boyfriend is waiting for me, just stay with table 6 until he leaves? Please? I’ll owe you one! Thanks!”

I blinked, plastic bag in hand an eyebrow lifted automatically not being able to say anything in response as she had already disappeared in a whirl. “Pleasure.”

The Kitchen staff burst out into raucous laughter. I sketched a bow and went out to stand at attention again. Ignoring the managers baleful glare I smsed B to come get the takeaway because I had a customer.

A beep alerted me to the fact B had replied.

Can’t u just tell him 2 go away?

Wat? “My frd wants her lunch plz will u kindly take ur ass out of the restaurant?” Sure, that will work.

Get Carol to babysit him then.

No chance, besides he WAS Carols.

Oh.

Yeah.

K. Hold up telling ma.

I tucked the phone back into my pocket pointedly ignoring Mr Hon’s stare.

Another beep.

K coming.

Don’t bring Andrew.

Y?

He’s still single right?

Yeah?

I wondered how long it would take her.

He’s a hot gay guy?

Not sure about the gay bit but god you have to see this guy, he is SO yummy.

Coming over rite away.

I laughed to myself before a sudden sharp poke brought me back to reality. I looked up in to the withered angry western moustache clad face of my manager.

“Oh hi.”

“No cell phones!”

“ Oh but-“

“No cell phones!”

“But you see, there was this cat-“

“No cell phones”

I had a bad feeling that he was going to repeat himself till Armageddon probably. I pointed at the only Customer and said, “Oh look! He’s calling me!”

My voice carried in my panic and The Customer looked up in surprise. Our eyes met and I felt-

Nothing.

It was a bit of a letdown actually. If only he wasn’t looking at me as though I was a foghorn that suddenly blew in the middle of a Zen masters meditation. Then maybe I could feel some spark or something a bit more dramatic. Caught between the two men’s expectant eyes I trotted over to table 6 as dignified as I was able to pull off without looking foolish. This is quite a feat I must add.

“May I help you?”

All that followed was an exceedingly uncomfortable stare.

“Would you like anything…else to drink?”

Again with the stare, did he think I was some painting to stare at? Just as I was about to apologize for disturbing him, as bitter as it would taste as the words were gagged past my lips, my manger would kill me for anything less, he Spoke.

Now I will explain to you why this verb warrants a Capital. His voice coloured my world for me. In the moment it took him to say a short sentence I fell for him. I fell for him with a graceless teenage infatuation. In fact I fell for him so far and so fast it took a while for his words to register. I completely blame his smooth rich, baritone that melted my spine and made it puddle in my feet as happy goo…

“More hot water please.”

I must have looked like a blinking idiot.

“Dom!”

My head flicked back in an autonomous reaction. B’s voice created a reaction like that. It’s as though you just HAD to respond whether you wished to or no. I think it had to do with making sure she wasn’t about to go whoop ass on you just for the hell of it. And right next to the rude child was Andrew, with his massive earphones around his neck on full blast no doubt.

How do I explain Andrew Tarsal? A year younger than B he looked nothing like his sister. Where he was thin and willowy, his sister tended to the staunch and stable side of things. He originally had dark brown eyes and hair but he thought this made him look boring so he dyed his hair black and wore red coloured contacts in an effort to look cool. This coupled with his elfish face and skinny frame; he looked quite the sly sadistic demon. Whereas B resembled a malicious evil succubus, basically compressed malevolence wrapped in a small pretty form. This made the pair of siblings quite compatible no matter how they denied it. They were one of a kind. They were Tarsals. And Tarsals are denizens of the underworld as far as I, or anyone else for that matter, was concerned.

“You’re on lunch break, what are you still doing here?” B yelled across the restaurant with no care about the managers withering glare. She probably was too used to it, or simply didn’t care. Most likely the latter, I decided when she made no move to come to me and reduce the volume of her voice box.

I resisted the urge to groan. Torn between disgruntled at The Customers boring answer and ironically awesome voice and the fact B brought along Andrew despite me warning her not to. I should have expected her to do the exact opposite of what I wanted really. Luckily, Andrew seemed to have not quite woken up yet and hasn’t noticed The Customer. There was only one way out of this it seems, even though I was really loathe to depart from Mr. Wonder voice.

“Mr Manager, I’m going on break now! You handle The Customer!”

How I wish I could have portrayed the capital letters in my voice. But something like that simply can’t be helped. I pulled off the apron and uptight fancy uniform shirt and flung it across a passing chair in my mad dash across the restaurant. Vaguely I heard my managers consoling his ‘honoured guest’ about his ‘rude service’. He was probably born in the Xing Dynasty that old man.

I expected The Customer to be gone from my life after the lunch break. He was gone after the lunch break. But from my life? Ha! Not by the long shot.

The Guest
One of the first things I noticed about the circus wasn’t the colours or the arena. It was a tangy smell with an intensity that bordered on unpleasant but never crossed it, that permeated the whole area. I’ve always associated that musky smell with animals, hard work and the Tarsal family.

B, Andrew and I finally got to the circus, B walking my bike because Andrew is too lazy and I was holding takeaway which takes two hands. Really it does; one hand to hold the takeaway and one to talk. I could not talk without using at least one hand. Having passed the arena and into the backstage area where the caravans are situated, a figure I simply knew as “Sugar” arrived screeching “Food!”

When I think of a woman named “Sugar” I think teenage, blonde piggy tails and personality-less, you know… The air for brains kind of girl. This “Sugar” had parents who hadn’t the foresight to realize how badly that name suited their daughter just like the many other parents who name their future alcoholic children Savannah.

This Sugar was so far my idea of “Sugar” that she was probably on another axis. Belrose and Andrew’s mother did have blonde hair, but it was not in piggy tails, it was short and gelled into spikes all over the place. Ear studs dotted both her ears and thin silver chains nestled about her neck. She was erratic, a rather complicated person all in all a person whose personality would whack you in the balls if you didn’t sit up and take notice of it. I feel sorry for any idiot who tried to call her a dumb blonde.

True she had her bubbly side, this was seen whenever Chinese food got within a ten mile radius of her, but when she woke up there was an intensely sadistic and agitated air which confirmed the fact that yes she is the mother of Andrew and B, spawns of the devil.

Their dad I have never seen and despite B’s vehemence that he was eaten by a lion and Sugar’s confirmation that he had been abducted by aliens, Andrew had revealed a more mundane theory and that was Mark Tarsal had discovered rather late in life that he had no interest in females what so ever and in fact his interest lay in the males of his species. He was last heard globe hopping searching for his perfect partner to share his gay utopia with.

“Dom! Kiddo! It’s been forever!”

Mind you, this was only after she snatched the take away from me and had an impromptu wrestling fight with her daughter over it. “I saw you last Tuesday, Sugar.”

She rolled her eyes and stuck a Marlboro red between her painted lips. “Honey that was forever ago so don’t you even begin to argue.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” I watched as Andrew’s eye immediately light up when his mother lit up her cigarette. Andrew is an incurable pyromaniac. He knows several ways of burning things up and several ways of exploding things if they won’t burn. And if he can’t do even that, he wasn’t interested. As though noting her sons gaze she deftly dropped her match back into her pocket and chewed on her unlit cigarette.

“Now get inside, your surprise is getting impatient.”

I hesitated and frowned slightly. When dealing with the Tarsals it is advisable to do so with caution. “Does it have teeth, claws and a natural murderous intent?”

The Tarsals around me froze in silent amusement. You know those silence which you are sure that the people around you are laughing their asses off at you in their minds? Yes that kind of silence.

The caravan opened and out stalked a creature with teeth, sharp black claws and absolutely no murderous intent at all but a rather considered me with a vague annoyance.

“Oh, hi Rain.”

“Quit calling me Rain.”

When I remained silent, an elegant eyebrow raised incredulously. “That’s it? I’ve been sitting here all day to surprise you! We haven’t seen each other since school ended. And you haven’t bothered to keep in contact with me since!”

I stuck my tongue at her. “You haven’t been in contact with me. Not the other way round.”

“Ok. So where’s my overjoyed reaction coming?”

“Your overjoyed reaction is coming once it settles into my brain that you are actually here.” The Tarsals laugh as I bonked myself on the head with my fist and shook my head roughly.

“It working?” She looked me up and down.

I looked thoughtful for a moment as though judging my mental processes. “Yeah.”

Jumping off the steps and right into my arms, we commence to make meaningless and unfortunately not soundless noises while whirling each other around shouting and laughing. Now picture if you will, a complete tomboy and a gothic princess doing something so girlish, because you won’t ever see this in real life. We keep this aspect of ourselves quite secret except among our closer friends.

“God Rain! How did you get here! When did you get here! WHY didn’t you tell me you doofus?”

Rania snorted, “After you ignored me practically all holiday? Hell no. Why should I be the one to contact you first?”

“So you just showed up instead?”

“Yup.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever understand you.”

Slightly scratchy music indicated that Andrew had latched onto Ranias’ back and a arm settled across my shoulder which was connected to B. Attack of the Tarsals had begun. Sugar shrugged, “I sometimes wonder about you kids. Go to The Back and don’t freak out the animals too much. Or whatever private orgies you guys get up to.”

Holding the take away in hand and lighter in the other she sashayed up the little steps and back into the caravan. The back is just the left over space that the Circus didn’t take up. They used as a place for the big animals to wander in the free time and rest up. Aside from the occasional person keeping an eye on the animals, The Back was almost completely private.

Having settled on the grass with discarded paper cups that have been deemed not dangerous and left to lie on the other non harmful rubbish about we simply chilled. It is one of the best things about friendship is that even when silence descends upon us we don’t feel threatened by it or the urge to fill it with nonsense. We do get up to enough nonsense as is.

“So who was the Gray guy?

This was B, it actually took me a moment to put together the Gray guy and The Customer. Andrew had his earphones behind his ears so he could listen in on the conversation. Rania played with Andrews dyed hair, “What Gray Guy?”

I rolled my eyes at Rania and stole some prawn chips we had hid from Sugar in my ever present bag. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Don’t listen to B Rain, she’s talking nonsense.”

Rania looked curiously at B, “Was the Gray Guy hot?”

B swiped some chips out of my hand crunching them in her mouth loudly. I really didn’t know why she couldn’t go get them herself she was lying closer to the polystyrene box than I was. I swear she did it on purpose just to annoy me.

“Oh he was so-so.”

My jaw dropped in indignation. “So-so? How can you say that? He was like the goddess of all men!”

Andrew didn’t bother opening his eyes all blasé, like a huge overgrown sleek cat, on Ranias lap as he corrected me. “God of all men.”

“Whatever.” Not skipping a beat I continued eyes dreamy and goose bumps creeping over my skin at the memory of him. “I’ve never felt this way about a guy or girl before.”

There was a collective groan from my trio of friends. Andrew opened one red eye at me, “You say that about everyone you like.”

B nodded, “You said that about me.”

Rania grinned and put up her hand, “And me.”

Andrew closed his eye and pulled Ranias hand back to his head. “Thank god never about me.”

I scoffed and grabbed more prawn chips to hide my embarrassment. “You’re gay.”

“You say that about gay guys as well.” Rania continued playing with Andrew’s long black hair.

I mock glared at Rania, “Whose side are you on anyways?”

“Mine.” She answered decisively. “Who is this hot gray man anyways?”

I glanced at Andrew who didn’t seem to care at all. And for all the world, seemed like he was fast asleep. He was very good at seeming.

“Just a Customer. He’s probably not going to show up anymore anyway, with such horrible service he received at the Flower.”

Rania laughed, “Horrible service? What with that manager looking? SO unlikely.”

I cocked an accusing head at B. “Belrose dear, was what triggered it.”

Rania laughed, fingering her black ribbon choker, “Ok that’s way more likely.”

B growled at us and held a hand of prawn chips, newly liberated from my grasp I might add, at the two of us. “I’m armed.”

Andrew sighed, “And unlikely to use it.”

“Shut up Andrew.” B stuffed chewed loudly and glared at the three of us for good measure. “You were adopted.”

“Anyway back to this gorgeous gray man…”

At Ranias voice I winced, I had hoped we had got away from that topic.

“He’s gone. Cut it out.”

B glanced at me slightly perplexed. “It’s real this time isn’t it? You really do feel something for this guy.”

“He’s an obnoxious idiot that just happened to be the most gorgeous guy in the world granted with the most stunning voice ever.” I paused and then added, “He’s gone now anyway so drop it.”

“Well just stalk him down. I’m sure it wouldn’t be that hard. It makes things SO much easier. Then you wouldn’t have to find someone else later on.” B shook it off as obvious.

“Yeah, no wonder all your boyfriends turned out gay.”

I ducked to avoid the now empty polystyrene box. B growled at me. “And quit avoiding the topic.”

I picked up the box ruefully and shrugged, “What else is there to say? He’s hot and he’s gone end of story. Can we talk about something else now?”

B and Rania frowned at me. Andrew changed the music to some Japanese pop I didn’t recognize. “Dude what’s that?”

“It’s a theme song to Naruto. Didn’t you know that?”

Rania and I looked at each other blankly. “Naruto? What? Is that a band?” I hazarded.

B started out laughing. “Dude! We got to get them started on BLEACH.”

Rania frowned, “You guys aren’t doing drugs are you?”

B laughed, “We are screwed up enough as it is, why do drugs if we are naturally high all the time anyways?”

Andrew grinned, “It wouldn’t have changed a damn thing about us, so why bother trying it out?”

We stayed there all afternoon, until Ranias mother came to fetch her. She took a good deal of DVDs full of anime with her too. And I returned to work, where as I had expected, The Customer otherwise known as the Gray guy was long gone.

But that didn’t mean he would stay gone. The next day a Monday, a rather boring day to work in my opinion, I walked into the Maiden’s Flower under the painted twilight sky to see a rather familiar grey wide brimmed hat at table 6. I glanced around desperately looking for Carol, somehow facing Mr Wonderful voice seemed to be bad for my health.

Mr Hon grabbed my arm and with a strength that shouldn’t be in such a wiry frame dragged me to get changed. “Young miss. Table 6 is yours.”

B was going to laugh her ass off at me.

“He specifically requested for you. Now go and hurry. You are late!”

He slammed the door of the unused VP room behind me, leaving me bewildered. “He asked for me?”

Pulling on the far too fancy uniform on and tying the apron I ran/walked sedately to table 6. He didn’t even seem to notice me. “Jasmine tea please.”

Even though I was prepared for the assault of his voice, its effect still conspired to overwhelm me. “Yes sir, anything else?”

He looked at me. And this time there was a spark. Less spark more wildfire. His green eyes simply bore into mine like he knew what I was thinking, which is pretty easy I must admit, considering I wasn’t capable of thinking anymore. To the background to casino slots going nonstop, I was completely mesmerized by him.

“What’s your name?”

Shaking myself enough to actually think I finally replied, “Dominic.”

“I am Morpheus Septimus Surrusses. I would like you to be mine from now on.”

I blinked. “What?”

I must have been so eloquent.

He turned away as though I bored him, “My waiter.”

“Oh.”

Again my eloquence astounds me sometimes. It was only after I went on lunch break that I realized he had called me a “waiter” and not a “waitress”. The pompous steamy, gorgeous guy thought I was a guy. I seriously don’t know how to feel about that.

“Every day he shows up for his jasmine tea and just drinks until lunch then he disappears!” I yelled exasperated. I can’t say that he wasn’t slowly grating on my nerves, hot or not.

Rania exclaimed, “What? Really? Think he has a crush on you?”

B growled at the cell phone lying between the three of us, “Hello? This is Dom we’re talking about here. How can such a hot guy be hitting on what is practically another guy?”

Andrew rolled over on his back staring at the clouds and snorted, “I’m going to take offence to that B.”

“Yeah, ok another thing. Happy now Drew?” Rolling her eyes at Drew and steadily ignoring my glare at being insulted so outrageously.

“Shut up you two.”

Ranias voice cackled from the phone due to the loudspeaker again, “But they have a point you know.”

“Whose childhood friend are you again?”

“The girl in the mirror.” Well that was a prompt answer.

“Why am I your friend again?”

“Because you have no others?” Again quite a prompt and truthful answer. The Tarsals aren’t friends. Actually, I’m not sure what they count as. They are like family, you can’t live without them and when you can, you can’t get rid of them.

“Oh right.”

“What did you say his name was again?” I thought he was cloud gazing. He did seem like it, but with him you never know. Andrew had looked fast asleep except for the fact he just spoke.

“Morpheus Septimus Sur-something or another. That stupid, annoying and insanely boring ass.”

Another static reply from the phone. “Well whatever this guy has, he has an AWESOME name.”

“That’s about it though. What kind of a guy just sits there drinking jasmine tea for hours at a time?” Hearing them going over the moon about his guy was driving me nuts. Looks aren’t everything, no matter how much the world in general tries to disagree with me.

B grinned dunking the chicken springroll into the sweet and sour sauce courtesy of the Maiden’s Flower Kitchen and my big bag. The decoy had been neatly taken away by Sugar.

“A guy with a lot of brain cells to think?”

I stole her springroll and took a big bite out of it. “Or a guy with not any.”

“Oi!” B stole back her springroll. “Do you mind?”

“Nope.” I licked my fingers.

“Alright, what did you guys get today?”

Andrew grinned deviously at the phone, “Fresh warm chicken springrolls.”

Ranias groan was heard to general laughing. “I hope you guys get fat.”

B took another bite lasciviously. “Oh we will, and we will have so much fun getting there.”

There was a silence from the phone and then, “I hate you all. A lot.”

“Dom!” The three of us looked up in surprise. Sugar stood waving madly from next to the tent. She never seemed to do things by halves. It’s either all or nothing with her. Mostly it ended up with everything over the top.

I stood up quickly and whispered, “Hide your mothers phone!” Before sprinting to where Sugar stood. She was smoking her Marlboro red again, and dressed in a fairly indecent style, which was normal. So was the scowl on her face. What wasn’t normal though, were my parents standing right behind her. It wasn’t like they didn’t know where I was during lunch break.

What’s going on? And why do they look like their cat died and got stuck in a microwave and then eaten?

Whatever it was, it was heavy. And I really didn’t want to know. Unfortunately, life had a way of not working with what I wanted.