(Sept. 15th, Thursday)
I had a productive weekend of playing video games, sleeping, and…looking at other job opportunities. Not that I could ever get a job that would pay as much as they do, and if I left, they'd erase my memory.
I slumped, repeatedly tapping the B button on my controller to jump in place. It's not like I have substantial information about any of them. I felt as if I were outside with a bucket to collect rain on a sunny day, but all I had gathered was my sweat. The minimal knowledge I did collect came from researching posts online. Ignoring the countless iterations of monsters, there were a few common themes...well, only for Drake, and that was drinking blood. Drake seemed unfazed by sunlight, and I saw his reflection once, so I felt misled by common vampire myths. On top of that, there are too many monster types to guess for that creep, Lev, and Alexander didn't fit the marching around saying, "fe, fi, fo, fum" motif.
Thinking about it brought me to Wicks. He investigated me these past few days, blaming it on my uncharacteristic "dreadfulness." To the best of my ability, I withheld the whole truth and told him that the pizzeria was different from what I was used to—a 'hectic' environment—that's why I was out of it.
I clenched my controller grips and let the remorseful pressure weigh on my chest. What else could I tell him? My head felt like it was in a pinball machine with how many thoughts pinged inside it. What would he do if I did tell him? If he believed me, then what? Would he fight them? He was socially graceless with strangers, though he'd never let anyone disrespect me or the rest of our family. He had always defended me. This would be no different. He can't fight them. He's a human. They'd- I put my controller down and brought my legs up, cradling them into my chest. How many monsters are even around us if my pizzeria is full of them? How do they hide? Do they just have human forms? Or are they wearing a body? They don't wear bodies, right?
My mind was a whirlwind of questions, each one more pressing than the last. I had no one to turn to for answers. I couldn't just ask them.
The only person who seemed receptive was Drake, but he's friends with Alexander. If I ask Drake, he'd tell Alexander, and Alexander probably wouldn't like me snooping around.
My phone erupted on the coffee table with the default alarm jingle. I set it as a reminder to eat before leaving our apartment.
I dropped my legs, grabbed my phone, and turned it off. I lazily lifted myself from the couch and double-checked that my game was paused. Enough questions. I just eat my leftover Chinese food, get ready, and go to work to celebrate my first week. I pitifully threw my jazz hands in the air, "Yay."
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I adjusted my uniform to give myself an excuse not to look up. The general and sparse chatter were my guide to where the time clock would be. Almost hitting the wall, I corrected my path a few times.
My footing slowed at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. "Miss me, Wendie?" Her vocals were strong, holding a fine-tuned rhythm. Like Lev's, they were a special resonance of self-assurance.
Popping up to investigate the voice owner, I first noticed her long, flamboyant, razor-cut hair. It was a light gray color, nearing white. She can't be that old. Her strands weren't brittle or stringy—they were luxurious and full. Her back was to me, but her hands rested on her wide hips, exuding confidence as she stood before the two who were much taller than her. Neither looked happy to see her. Lev's turret yellow eyes locked onto me when I looked at him. I immediately averted my gaze. I don't want his attention.
I faced the other wall across from them, changing my focus to the other girl. How many other employees do we have? My vision stared at a pair of worn dark jeans and shoes to match. I traced them up, noting the more average physique. Drake's back was to the wall, and his head was facing where the others were. He raised a hand, acknowledging me. In doing so, I looked at it more closely. His hand was slightly larger or…longer? It didn't appear disproportionate to the rest of his arm, which is why I never noticed. He also had sharp-tipped nails that were an obsidian shade at the ends.
Are they painted? He slipped his hand back into his pocket. I hope he didn't get self-conscious with me staring. In another attempt to be friendly, I moved closer to him. Species aside, Drake was the only semblance of normalcy I had so far from those on the night crew. Unlike the others, he acted calm and said nothing too daunting.
I kept a small distance between us, and amidst the others talking, I asked Drake, "Is she new?"
A halfhearted smile crept up on his face. He tilted his head near his shoulder in my direction—where he looked, because of his bangs, was still a mystery to me. "She's not new." He lowered himself to a whisper, "Zilla's an absolute nightmare who would happily murder you if it benefitted her."
HUH? I had little time to react as Zilla laughed aloud. Her shoulders came up, and her head bowed forward. She turned to Drake and me, "My hearing is nowhere near as good as yours, Drake, but you don't have to lie to the poor girl just because you're mad that I got you Tuesday."
Seeing her face, she wore all black: black lipstick, thick black eyeliner wings, and big black hoop earrings. Though the darker shades made her vibrant violet eyes shine brighter. Zilla approached, and Drake shrank back, nonverbally telling me, 'You're on your own.'
Her hips swayed with her walk, mortifyingly making me imagine her as a character from the game outside brawler, especially with her generous figure. "As Drake said, I'm Zilla. You must be Lynette?"
I bobbed my head, "Mhm." Much like everyone else, she was more intimidating than me. I held back my polite, "Nice to meet you," in case I'd jinx myself and she'd be as terrible as the others.
Behind her, right as she was in front of me, they took their opportunity to scan in. She softly exhaled and gazed back at the time clock, "we better scan in too." She slipped a hand behind my back and guided me to it with a light push. "I do deliveries, so we won't see each other much." She reached into her breast pocket, took out a piece of paper, and handed it to me. It had a number on it.
"Is this your number?" Oh no. A wave of unmistakable unease and queasiness entered my stomach.
Zilla snickered, "Not for the reason you're thinking." She leaned against the time clock, scanning her badge first. "I want you to text me when you go to break for a little proposition I have."
The unease lifted, soon replaced by disgust. I am not giving myself up like that again. I scanned my badge and didn't look at her. "If it's about-"
"It's not." She got off the timeclock and positioned herself to walk alongside me. "It'll benefit both of us," Zilla said, gently squeezing my shoulder and placing a finger to her lips, signaling that we would talk later.
Please don't prove what Drake told me was right. Besides, how would helping me benefit her? Did she even know what I was going to say? I would have thought more of it if my boss hadn't called out, "LYNETTE!" just before I reached the threshold to the registers.
Edgar quickly got his stained, expensive-looking apron off. "One moment!" He yelled, finding the empty hook for it. He shuffled from the table near the freezer, passing Lev, who was initially helping Edgar make dough. "Lev, pass that finished dough to Drake and take the registers until Lynette gets back," he moved past Drake and air-patted his shoulder. "Help me make the dough when you get that pizza rolling." Drake sulked at Edgar's preppy response and nodded. Lev walked over casually, passing by with nothing more than a grin.
Alexander glanced over at Zilla and me. She waited at the steel table for the pizzas he removed and packaged from the brick oven. Edgar made it to me. I looked at his off-putting uniform. Compared to the first day, seeing him in the same uniform as us with his black hair tied back felt wrong. He looks no different than us. I never had a boss like this. He lifted his hand to point back the way I came and twisted the palm to face him, seeing it covered in flour.
"Excuse me," he marched to the sink to wash his hands.
As he did so, I politely said, "You had some on your face, too." He splashed water on it and looked back at us to confirm he was flour-free. We both gave him a thumbs up. So there's just a problem with Alexander and Lev. Edgar even acts normal…I popped out an exhale. He acts normal, knowing his workers eat each other.
"Looking back to your sharp self, Boss," Zilla said.
Edgar wiped his hands on his jeans and pulled his uniform shirt to his face, ignoring the rags beside the sink, neatly folded and unused. He pointed out the door frame and into the halls, "Let's talk in my office."
Together, we entered the hall. "Am I in trouble?" I can't be. What could I have done wrong compared to the others?
"No, no, I wanted to talk to you about your performance. We have an evaluation at the end of the first week." Edgar gracefully waved his raised finger through the air. A satisfied smile spread as he spoke, "There's nothing wrong. In fact, if anything, you've truly exceeded my expectations." The unexpected, sincere praise ignited hope as if I was finally doing something right. Once we reached his office, he tapped the back of the seat across from his if I wanted to sit. And moved to his desk. Neither of us sat down. "Firstly, congratulations on staying the week, and thank you for upholding what you promised before you were hired. I've only heard compliments about you."
You've heard compliments about me? "You have?" How many customers have I served that are monsters?
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
"A few friends of mine spoke highly of your service when they came in," Edgar said, not quite looking at me and picking at the stack of folders on his desk." Because of that, I decided to…" he grunted, lifting up the piles of folders, he found a singular piece of paper which he handed to me. "Double your compensation at the end of the year."
Did I hear him right? Double? I got the paper, looked it over, and saw the previous agreement rewritten for the change of 8 million dollars at the end of one year of employment starting from my start date. "8-8 million." My right hand shook, holding the paper. I'd lose the money if I was terminated within rule reasoning. When I read over the rules of my contract, they were the same as a typical job except for the 'fair meal clause' and the clause on not talking about magic or monsters to nonmagic users who didn't know about it. "September 8th, if I last until that time next year, I get 8 million dollars?"
"Correct."
Should I prolong my torture for eight million dollars? That's so much money. I'd definitely be set for life. My brain chugged harder than the little engine that could. My best choice is to sign.
"You're not going to faint, are you? Your heart sounds erratic."
Sounds? He phrased that oddly, not that my brain settled on that. It was too busy trying to process the possible earnings. Ignoring tax, I'd make about $200,000 yearly with base pay. On top of that, $500,000 in six months and $8,000,000 in a year. That's nearly $9,000,000. "I-are you sure?" Asking him was not in my best interest, yet it came out purely due to my disbelief.
"I wouldn't have drawn up that contract if I wasn't. I'll get you a copy after you sign as well." Edgar said. I placed the paper down at his desk and took the pen he handed me.
"I'll do my best to keep it up, sir." Holding the pen between my fingers, I thought. He's not lying to me, right? He did invite me, knowing what they do and what Alexander does. Does he want me to suffer? I took a deep breath, tapped the pen to the paper, and let my barely legible signature do the talking. I won't let this keep me down. I'll figure something out.
"Great," he took the paper after I signed it, "Do you have any questions for me?"
Plenty! "I-" My mouth closed at my mind's request. I can't say anything to offend him now. What if he rips up the contract? He hasn't signed his name on it yet. Would it be lawful termination if I said something wrong to my boss?! He stood there, waiting for me to say something. I had to shake my head. "No. None that I can think of."
His eyebrows furrowed, "positive?"
"Yes, sir," I pointed behind myself to the door. I should leave in case I say something dumb. "Am I allowed to go back to work now?"
"Yes, and if you're feeling unwell later, Tristan is the head nurse today." The guy with the deadpan expression got it.
"Sounds good, thanks." I left, dazed for the next two hours alone at the registers. The offer's doubled now, so you can't run away. Not that I wanted to—things could always be worse.
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The skipping thumps of her alluring and tender heartbeat broke Drake's concentration. The more energy a human had, the louder it shouted for his attention. They were a constant reminder of the ichor flowing inside their bodies. His gaze drifted from his phone screen to the wooden break room table. He kept himself from peering back at her entrance. He gave Alexander as little confirmation as possible that Lynette bothered him too.
Drake prided himself in every superiority over Alexander, no matter how insignificant. Thus, he acted like she had little draw on his instincts. As if she was the exception and being around her didn't fill his head with his sometimes cruel and very bloody intrusive thoughts. He wasn't as insatiable as his best friend—no, this overwhelming lure she possessed was new. His closest comparison was the rush of his first bite into a sentient living being and, with much destain, his real reason for drinking animal blood. To escape his current, aggravatingly foolish addiction.
Lynette awkwardly shuffled past them and to the couches. Her heart was near deafening, so much so that he barely caught Alexander's. Those whose blood wasn't human weren't as distinct, but Drake knew Alexander's like he knew how to walk. The blonde held himself back—the rumble of hunger and eager-to-satisfy beat was unmistakable.
Drake muttered under his breath, notable enough for Alexander to hear, when he caught his best friend's eyes following her.
"You seriously need to eat before coming in." The snide remark brought the daggers right to Drake.
"I eat every night," Alexander grumbled, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment as he shifted in his seat. Another small victory for Drake. He wasn't foolish enough to let Alexander have the means to put him under scrutiny, nor did he want to face all the "I told you so "'s.
To prove a point, he didn't have to, Drake parted his lips. Being a vampire beast, his fangs were always prominent, so he often cupped his hands to his mouth to avoid exposing them. "Hey, Lynette," her heartbeat spiked, momentarily distracting Drake with its temptation. He kept talking when she looked back at them. "You like video games, right?"
Her hands sheepishly went near her chest like she was a shy character in the anime romcoms he'd never admit indulging in. "Yeah, why?"
He lifted his hand, beckoning her over with a gesture. Alexander sharply turned to Drake with a "what the hell are you doing" expression. Once she was near, Drake spoke, "So, there's this game called Identity 5…"
He paused, gauging her reaction. Her lit-up eyes told him enough. "I've played Identity 5 Royal, yeah. The battles get repetitive sometimes, but the story and unique tidbits in the game are soooo fun!" She gushed, a smile on her face—it was like her timidness faded, and she was no longer in the reality of working at the pizzeria.
He smiled back, adjusting his hat, "It's one of my top ten favorite games that I've been trying to get this guy to play," he jerked his head in Alexander's direction. "But he doesn't trust my opinions." He let the salt roll off his tongue with the accusation. It spurred a slight lip curl from Alexander.
Lynette shifted her gaze and lowered her head slightly, "I forgot you guys mentioned videogame stuff before." She looked back at him and exhaled a nervous chuckle, "I'm surprised monsters would like them since you guysss…" The S lingered and eventually trailed off.
Drake put the blood pouch to his mouth, "Our lives aren't as magical as you assume. We live on the same Earth as you."
She didn't accept that truth, "you can't tell me that your lives are not that different when you can drink blood without getting sick," her eyes hesitantly went to Alexander. He stared back as if trying to scare her. She backed down slightly but still motioned to him, "And you can grow to inhuman sizes to eat people."
Alexander huffed, "It's not that impressive. It's just size-shifting my body." Drake wanted to call him out on his bullshit. Drake knew how much effort and difficulty it required to change his size with magic and the minor adjustments he had to make with his body to ensure he wouldn't hurt the humans, such as making his sternum able to part in the middle. The mouth needed no tuning, as his jaw, much like Drake's, had the quadrate bone, and though Drake's wasn't prominent in his human-looking form, he also had the split in his jaw like Alexander.
"A normal human body isn't like yours," she shook her head, her curly ponytail danced rhythmically behind her. "It's astoundingly-." Drake figured she wanted to say something that would make Alexander uppity, "different." Alexander, especially to Drake, was one of the biggest abnormalities he knew, even more complicated than the other hybrid at their work, Zilla, and her twin Zane.
Drake sighed, "Internally, yeah, we're not the same, but externally, we're the closest you're going to get to humans."
"What do you mean? Everyone looks human to me. Besides all your weird eye and hair colors." He could tell she was pondering the validity of what he said.
"They're wearing human cases," Alexander said—Drake figured he would. His best friend was an idiot in most things, but magic wasn't one of them. "It seals a monster's actual body inside a case, and that case will take features, skin tones under fur, scales, a monster's eye colors, whatever it can to form them into the closest representation to a human." He nervously fiddled with his hands as he talked to her, more focused on what they were doing than on her. "The cases are adjusted if necessary to fit, and sometimes they don't need it if the monster resembles them naturally. Lev, Claudia, and Zilla are wearing them."
"Claudia?"
Drake smirked. Claudia was one of the most eccentric beings he knew and, in his opinion, given her antics, the least trustworthy. "She's on leave. She should be coming back any day now."
"I liked it when we had some peace," Alexander said.
Almost as quiet as a scurrying mouse, Lynette softly prayed, "And I'd like to work together as a team."
Drake heard the grunt, knowing Alexander readied a sarcastic comment. The sound of the door sliding open silenced him. Alexander's break alarm buzzed, and Drake went with him. He wasn't going to stay in the room with Zilla.
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I watched Zilla stride past the two. She flashed a teasing smile and waved her fingers in a dramatic flourish. "Aw, leaving already?" she exclaimed, her voice light and melodic, echoing with mock disappointment. "Shame."
Drake didn't say a word, and Alexander grumbled dismissively in response. "Whatever."
Removing her hat, she ruffled her umber hands through her dense flourish of nearly white hair. "Those hats aren't flattering at all."
"Hey, Zilla." I forgot about the text I sent. I hope this wasn't a mistake. "How was-"
She grabbed the cushioned chair Drake had sat in earlier, slid it an inch away from mine, and sat down. I winced, awaiting her to say something as disturbing as the rest. "Don't be like that, Babe. I told you I have a proposition for you." She swung an arm over my shoulder and brought me in. It was an embarrassing position near her chest. I put my hands on her arm to lift it up. She gave me little resistance and spoke unabated with her unexpected deal, "How would you like to work with me to take care of your Alexander problem?"
I moved under her arm to get free and met her eyes. I couldn't tell if she was serious or not. Is she kidding? The idea of someone on the night crew wanting to work together was foreign. It made little sense. As I understand from the rules, once you get someone, you can't get another person, nor can another person get you. So what would she gain from helping me then? She isn't going to get me too.
"What would you gain from getting Alexander off my back?" I was reminded of the previous day I worked. "Again, I'm not offering myself to you or anything like that."
Zilla chortled heartily, her bright hue glinting with amusement, "Me, eat a human? You're funny." She ran her painted thumbnail along the corner of her mouth. "I enjoy finer prey such as monsters, which is why if you work with me to get Alexander, you won't have to deal with him."
Alexander did say he knows what it's like to be chased, didn't he? "By working together, you mean you want me to act as bait?"
"Go to lunch early, breakroom 1, make sure he knows you're going, I'll hide out, and you run into breakroom 3, and I'll get him for you."
This could be my way to prove my worth and work through my shifts. But for all I knew, this was another case of, 'too good to be true'. Zilla could be working with Alexander to make me go to lunch early just to get me. If that's it, it'll work only once. My options were depleted; I had to trust her anyway.
I slowly agreed. "Okay, I'll go to lunch a few minutes after six and meet you in break room 1."
Zilla let the words roll off her tongue in a pleasant, excited whirr, "Atta girl."
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Alexander Chase
image [https://64.media.tumblr.com/1d0ef5e128a6bad9b6e97efebe95a410/cc42e719e10aeb79-49/s1280x1920/6d77a7609eecd0530de43e99e881fba96d9bf268.pnj]
Drake Clemente
image [https://64.media.tumblr.com/ea5200df974d43545f18aa98b4b855e8/cc42e719e10aeb79-5c/s1280x1920/0c07dfde503cf907394c4f63b97baf3eee14e41c.pnj]
Lev Lawless
image [https://64.media.tumblr.com/363489a563c3804da26a192c60717438/cc42e719e10aeb79-95/s1280x1920/544d377713ad5714d6be5926bae349ff90f6b3f9.pnj]
Claudia Evadane
image [https://64.media.tumblr.com/24efa8bde83ecada9fd35a965544e916/cc42e719e10aeb79-1f/s1280x1920/a9a5be24cac434d5a73bf90f1671763d38791dec.pnj]