Mia

by Jessica Samuels

  Black mud suddenly sprayed all over me, smelling like wet garbage on a hot summer day. The smell of it was beginning to make me puke. It was all over me, in my grey eyes, and covering my black hair, and my clothes were ruined.

  Students surrounded me, and they put their hands to their noses as if they could smell something horrid while they laughed at me.

  I pushed them out of the way, not wanting to deal with their ridicule any longer. I knew that Laurice was behind it, since she was jealous of me for some stupid reason. It was always her, and no one else. No one could hurt me this badly and get away with it, especially not her. I hated her for a reason, and I really wanted her to pay. How could she do this to me? I knew she hated me, too, but really? Mud in my locker? I wiped the sludge out of my eyes, hating that bitch with every fiber of my being.

  I didn’t go to the rest of my classes. It didn’t matter, anyway, since they were showing nothing but movies. I spread a towel across the car seat so the mud wouldn’t ruin the interior. I didn’t want to explain to my mom why my car had black stains on the driver’s seat. The drive to my house was painful since the memories of her pushing me around still lingered fresh in my mind. I squeezed the steering wheel. Just thinking about that bitch made me see red. I wanted her dead; she went too far this time. She was a cruel girl with long sunflower-yellow hair, blue ice cold eyes, and a devious smile that said she kicked puppies in her spare time. She always dressed in clothes so small that every part of her body showed. Within minutes, I pulled into the driveway, arriving in record time.

  I headed to my room first and the calming scent of lavender hit me. I picked out a shirt, jeans, and clean socks and underwear to change into after my shower.

  My mom, Rose, was home and heard me come through the door. She worked at home doing data entry, which must be nice. My dad, Steven, worked at a job in a secret company that he never talked about.

  Mom took one look at me and was furious. “Who did this to you, honey? Was it Laurice, the same girl who put pig’s blood in your locker? I don’t want them to brush it off like they did last time. If I ever see Laurice or her mom in an alley, God help them because they’ll end up in a body bag for messing with you.”

  I nodded. “Yes, it was Laurice Wingfield, the same one who always messes with me. The same one who went after my ex. But good riddance to him since he was a lying, cheating asshole who was using me as a side chick.” Her eyes looked away, and I knew their picking on me finally got to her. First the blood and now the mud; at least she finally saw that they had gone too far.

  “Okay, honey, it’ll be taken care of. Go take a shower and I’ll call the principal about this. By the way, he was a cheating jerk. You can do better. You deserve better since he didn’t even text you for days at a time. When I think of all the time that you spent crying over him when he treated you so horribly … and he even blew you off for your birthday, too! He was not good for you. But, honey, it gets better. My first love cheated on me, too. You’ll heal from it, and find someone better than him … someone who will call you and talk to you when you call,” she said with a look in her eyes that can make a child cry. I never wanted to be on the receiving end of that look since it meant serious trouble. She’ll get Laurice since it wasn’t the first time that she told the school about the way she was treating me. If she had to, I knew that she was file a police report. Then, maybe the school would believe her this time.

  I headed straight for the bathroom after the conversation we had together. I stripped off the mud-covered clothes then put them in a plastic bag that I found underneath the sink.

  As I showered, I thought of all the ways I could kill the bitch who made my life hell.

  Instead of thinking about taking the easy way out by killing myself, I made a decision: I wanted to kill the bully instead. It led me down memory lane, thinking of my ex, Roger. Roger … the one who cheated on me with Laurice, the one who I loved until I realized that he was using me. At that moment, I finally realized that he never really cared about me.

  I took my time in the shower, watching as the water fell from the shower head to the bottom of the tub. The sound calmed me, helping me to drown out the memory of Rogers’s betrayal. After all, he wasn’t worth crying over. I had cried over him too many times. For months after we broke up, I felt like a zombie, numb from the pain. Heartbreak hurt more than any gunshot; at least those can be healed. He wouldn’t have cheated on me the way he did if he cared about me … and with Laurice, no less. After the shower, I sat on the bed in my room. Tissues were piled up on the side table. A few minutes later, I slipped into some pajamas and let sleep take me, until Mom woke me when she sat on the edge of my bed. Her chocolate eyes were welling with tears as she took me in.

  “Salina, you’ll find someone better, and the bullying will stop once you’re in college, I promise. High school is cliquey and college isn’t. Then, you’ll make more friends,”

  Mom told me, trying to cheer me up. She understood what it was like, since her first love left her for some girl that he had knocked up and was forced to marry her. Mom moved on, though, and found someone better, someone who loved her and adored her.

  “Promise, Mommy?” I asked, weak from crying.

  She gave me a weak smile. “I promise. Now, I’m going to call the school.” She pulled me in for a hug and then left. Once she was gone, I took the time to sneak down the stairs so I could listen in on the conversation, hoping that it would end Laurice’s bullying.

  “Hello,” she began. “May I speak with the principal?” She waited. “Thank you.” She waited and then said into the phone a moment later, “Yes, my name is Rose Sinclair. Salina Sinclair’s mother, and a girl named Laurice Wingfield is picking on my daughter so much that she’s coming home from school every day crying. In fact, she came home today covered in mud because of Laurice. In fact, last week, she came home covered in blood, again, due to Laurice. Something has to be done about this now. Don’t you agree?” Knowing my mother, she was trying hard to control her temper.

  She listened for a bit and then a few moments later, she asked, “Why would you allow Malians to be at the school in the first place? They’re dangerous to normal human children. I thought you didn’t allow them in the Crystal Crest Realm. In fact, we had a truce with them and they have to leave Crystal Crest alone. But now one seems to be interested in taking out my daughter. You know what this means, don’t you?” she asked.

  She listened to someone and then continued, “Okay, and then the truce will be over and the Agency will get rid of them by using my daughter. Great, just great. Thanks a lot; that is all I need to know.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

  Agency? Using me? What was going on? My eyes widened, knowing that there was more to the story than what Mom was telling me. But I hurried back to my bed, pretending that I hadn’t overheard her.

  A few minutes later, Mom opened the door, and I pretended that I was asleep. She closed the door. After she was gone, I followed her and stood in the same place as before, listening, because I knew what would happen next.

  “Steven,” she said into the phone, speaking to my father. “I resolved the bully problem, but you won’t like how I did it.” She laughed. “Yes, but you won’t like it since it has to do with the Agency.” She waited a moment. “I know that you don’t want Salina involved with it, but I had no choice.” There was another pause as she listened. “She might be a Hunter, and you know what that means …”

  Hunter? First, Agency, then them using me? What next?

  “Well, at least they have mentors to guide her, and teach her how to wield the powers without her going insane. At least she’s not a Fire Rager Witch. Then we might be in trouble. But her genes are the ones attracting the Malian girl. That can’t be helped, but at least it’ll sort itself out. She can handle it.”

  There was a pause as she listened, then Mom said, “Yes, she can and we can’t interfere since it was the mentor’s job to go over everything with her. All we can do is hope tha
t everything goes well, and that she will be okay once it happens.” Dad said something as she listened. Then Mom said, “And I you.”

  As she hung up the phone, I thought that my mom must have ingested some drugs.

  Malians? Mentors? I felt like I was suddenly thrust into the Twilight Zone as I went back to my room and slipped under the covers. Soon, I fell sleep not wanting to think about how everything was now crazy, and that my world had just been turned upside down.

  Chapter 12

  Tales From Behind the Counter

  Stuff Retail Customers say:

  I’ve been working retail for so long I’ve heard it all. Here are things retail customers say:

  “You look bored.”

  “It’s such a nice day.”

  “I can get this cheaper somewhere else.”

  “I just printed this $100 dollar bill this morning.”

  “If it doesn’t scan it must be free.”

  “Oh, I’ll look myself. I thought you might know.”

  “Is that the price?”

  “Working hard or hardly working?”

  “Will it turn?”

  “Do you have this in the back?”

  “Is this real?”

  “Do you have this anywhere else?”

  “When will you get more in?”

  “But it said it was…”

  “Can I speak to your manager?”

  “Are you the only one here?”

  “It’s pretty busy in here..”

  “Can you ring me up here? I don’t want to wait in that long line.”

  “That’s not real.”

  “You people always say that.”

  “Are you open?”

  “Are you closed?”

  “Do you work here?”

  “Have you done this before?”

  “Are you waiting just for me?”

  “You are standing there doing nothing.”

  “Are you sure you don’t have any more in the back?”

  “Do you have any more of these in my size?”

  “Do these come in any other colors?”

  “Can I use a fitting room?”

  “Do you know where a certain department is?”

  “Do you have any idea what I’m talking about?”

  “Do you understand me?”

  “Do you have the key?”

  “I’m blind and can’t read. Don’t go anywhere so you can read it to me.”

  “I can’t drive this cart.”

  “Move.”

  “Oh you can pick it up for me, right?”

  “Let me show you what I’m talking about.”

  “Do you know anything about…?”

  “Does this come in a set or can I buy it separately?”

  “Can you sell the display?”

  “But I just bought some yesterday.”

  “I don’t think you know what you are talking about.”

  “You don’t know how to communicate.”

  “But I need one thing.”

  “Your website said you have it.”

  “Is this all you have?”

  “Can I get a discount?”

  “Can I get a bigger box?”

  “You could be open.”

  “What is this?”

  “Is this the store?”

  “Why does this item cost so much?”

  “You are lying to me.”

  “Are those diamonds real?”

  “This is too expensive.”

  “Do you have any sales going on?”

  “Do you have any coupons?”

  “I’ve been waiting for 20 minutes.”

  “Item.”

  “You must hate your job.”

  “You look so young.”

  “Are you old enough to card me?”

  “Can I be transferred to the department?”

  “Are you the only one there?”

  “Is there anyone else I can talk to?”

  “Can you double bag this?”

  “I’ll call corporate on you.”

  “I’m just looking.”

  “Can I return this since I don’t want it anymore?”

  “Can you watch my basket for me when I go to the bathroom?”

  “Stay right there.”

  “You know I’m going to buy stuff, right?”

  “Why do your rings come in size seven?”

  “Where is the fitting room?”

  “Where are the birthday/greeting cards?”

  “Where is customer service?”

  “I need this item because I have a daughter who needs a birthday gift.”

  I could go on and on, but I think it’s easy to see why retail workers are annoyed. Sometimes the customer is not always right!

  Chapter 13

  Pet Peeves on the Sales Floor it Goes for Department Store workers too!

  Once again, we get to the section where I tell you all the things that piss me off. Don’t do this because if you do I will hate you, and you won’t get as good service since you want to be a piece of shit and do these things. Most likely you will get the minimal service, and no “have a nice day either”

  Never leave stuff you are trying on all over the floor. Pick up the shoes you tried on, and leave the stuffing in a trash can instead of leaving it on the floor. Hang the shoes up on their hooks and for the love of god, put them in the right spot.

  It’s not our job to clean up after adults who know better since they are the ones teaching their kids to clean up after themselves.

  Never explain an associate what item you are looking for as if you think they are stupid.

  Never ask if there is any more in the back since there isn’t especially if you are rude about it.

  Don’t talk down to a sales associate.

  Don’t complain about the item being expensive to the sales associate since they can’t do shit. They also don’t control the price.

  If you don’t see your size then we ran out of it, and there is no more in the magical “back”. Stop ignoring a sales associate if they ask you if you need any help.

  Don’t ask for a discount ever especially if you are rude about it.

  Stop expecting special treatment because you spend money since it doesn’t give you the right to be an asshole.

  Don’t fuck up nice neat tables looking for your size, and leaving a mess behind for us poor sales associate to clean up. We are not your maids, you dipshits. I hate you if you do that. Just stack it up the way you found it.

  Put stuff back where you found them if you don’t want them.

  Some of these things I should not have to tell you especially if you’re an adult. This is common courtesy.

  Don’t yell at us if the item you want is out of stock. We don’t control inventory.

  If you need help ask for it and don’t stare at us since we can’t read your mind. If you knock over a display, tell us. Don’t leave it there for someone to trip over. That goes for piggy banks, too some asshole broke it and left it all over the floor. Some have even put the pieces under a shelf to hide it. Thanks, asshole!

  Never ask sales people if there is anyone else there. There isn't. We do know what we are talking about, and asking that phrase is like you asking if there is anyone more knowledgeable around.

  Never ask them if they have a price checker while making the gun gesture like you think they are stupid.

  Stop asking me if I'm sure when I tell you something like you think I'm stupid and lying to you.

  Also the rules are not a one size fits all, and it depends on the manager.

  Don’t move boxes we are working on; ask one of us, and the same goes with carts.

  Don’t pull a random item off the shelf when we are stocking and ask if we have more since we don’t know until we open it.

  Don’t beg an employee for help if they are off the clock since they don’t get paid for it, and they can get fired for it.

  Please stop being lazy and put stuff back where it belongs.

 
; Don’t over describe the item you are looking for, or treat us like we can’t understand you. Most of us are smarter than you think we are. Ask questions that are easy to understand and specific. If you are looking for a women’s water shoe say that, and don’t just say “shoes”. It’s way too broad. Don’t just ask for pool shoes say the gender with it. Some customers have said just pool shoes and not specified just women or men’s.

  If an item is on sale it will have a special tag, and if it’s not on it then it’s not on sale.

  Don’t touch me at all. I don’t care if you are trying to get my attention.

  Don’t ask another employee if we have an item when you have already asked since it will still be no.

  No, there isn’t anyone else that can help you besides me.

  Don’t ask for my opinion if you are going to choose the opposite of what I suggest.

  It’s not our job to pick up after you since my mom taught me to pick up after myself.

  No I’m not going to tell you if a certain employee is working since I can’t anyway.

  Never ask if this is the price if you hold up an item and it’s clearly labeled $5.00. The exception is you can ask us if it’s not labeled. Also never say “what is this” since it’s the price. What else would it be?

  “Why are you out of…?” I don’t know since I don’t control the stock, and people buy shit. Bother home office since they control it.

  Chapter 14

  Being a Vampire in Retail Sucks Chapter 1:

  A fire is burning in the fireplace and it makes the living room warm to combat the cold air conditioning running through the rest of the house. I use this time off to banish the memories of my last case, and the previous ones when I was with the agency. I finally have a chance to try to get my mind off my past once and for all.

  It all started when Nathan killed Zion, my lover, since he was an abusive and jealous jerk. My grief led to me wanting retribution so fiercely that I was hired by The Killer Contract Agency. I then went on a killing frenzy eliminating Nicole, Megan, Kelsey, Kyle, and Nathan. I got my revenge, but not without a price. My final step was to swallow Nathan’s soul but, it caused me to go crazy and I ended up gunning down innocents. I was changed into a vampire to stop the rage from consuming me. Once I turned, the rage stopped and I became sane again. Then I was captured by a crazy necromancer named Rick, and he tried to turn humans into creatures by performing horrible experiments on them. I stopped Rick with help of the Moon Wolf pack. All of the old case files went into the fireplace, and the bracelet I still have as a reminder of what I have been through. I turn away from the fire and the past.