Empress Unveiled

by Jenna Morland

  “Where’s my lunch?” she asked.

  “Oh,” I said, smirking at her and her minions. “I had your turkey wrap delivered to the dumpster out back. I know how much you like them. As for the iced coffee…” I leaned over the counter and poured the entire contents on the top of her head.

  There were a few gasps from customers, Silvia included.

  Mellie shrieked, her hands coming up to shield her already soaked face, her hair drenched in brown liquid and dripping down her expensive white shirt.

  “Maybe Tyler can lick it off you.” I smiled again and folded my arms in satisfaction.

  Mellie screamed, “I will ruin you Swayzi Solasta!” then ran out of the café faster than I had ever seen her move. Thing One and Thing Two hesitated for a moment and looked at me with what appeared to be a glimmer of approval in their eyes before they turned to follow.

  “That has to be the best thing I have ever witnessed in my entire life.” Linda’s eyes widened in shock, holding the mop. She looked proud.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll clean up the mess.” I came around the counter and grabbed the mop from her, unable to wipe the devilish grin off my face.

  The rest of the day dragged until Penelope showed up later in the afternoon. She made me retell the story a thousand times, cursing me for not waiting till she was around to witness it.

  When Linda and Penelope walked to the back of the café doing their own imitation of Mellie storming out, I laughed until I grew short of breath. I thought it was a normal reaction until I realized I was also growing light-headed. It was a reminder that I still wasn’t well and could easily get worse.

  While Penelope and Linda worked in the back, I took advantage of the lull in customers and sat down on the cold tile floor behind the counter, fanning my face. Even though I tried hard to suppress it, lately I had felt a small glimmer of hope rumbling inside me. I was beginning to wonder if it was possible for me to feel this good on a more consistent basis.

  But hope was a fragile seed.

  I had plenty of moments when my health would get better, only for it to come crashing down harder. I needed to find a balance between enjoying feeling healthy in the moment while still preparing for the worst.

  I heard the bell ring when someone entered the café. “Can I help you?” I asked, standing up a little too fast, pushing the hair from my face.

  “Coffee please,” a familiar voice said.

  I immediately tensed. It was him—the boy from the dock. He stood with his hands in the pockets of his jeans and a slight smile on his full lips.

  His voice was as smooth as frosting, and his rich blue eyes popped against his flawlessly pale skin. He waited patiently for an answer, but I could only stare at him, searching, wondering who he was and why he was there.

  “I’m relieved to see you’re doing well,” he said.

  “Yes, I—I am,” I stuttered, “doing well I mean.”

  He looked behind him at the quiet café. “Does the owner let you have a break?” he asked.

  “I’m sure I can twist her arm.” I smiled, pulling two mugs from the rack. “How do you want it?” I asked.

  “Hot,” he said, looking a bit confused.

  I laughed. Had he never had coffee before?

  “Like, black?” I helped.

  “Black… yes, black is fine, thank you.” He smiled.

  I expertly held two coffee mugs in my left-hand filling them to the brim. I slowly passed his cup across the counter so not to spill it. His eyes were searching every part of me. Not in a gawking way, but more of a curious, confused way. I thought maybe I had filled his cup too high, but he lifted it without spilling a drop. I moved the hair from my eyes, suddenly self-conscious over his lingering gaze, and walked around the counter with my own cup.

  “My name is Swayzi by the way.” I was trying to break down his stare as we stood awkwardly in front of the ordering counter.

  He cleared his throat. “Yes, right. Swayzi.” His eyes finally met mine again. “It’s strange, you look—” he began to say, though, we were interrupted.

  “And who is this?” Penelope stood behind the counter holding a large tray of clean mugs. She plunked them down, the porcelain handles roughly clanging against one another. She looked from me to the mystery boy with her brown doe eyes, waiting for an answer.

  She can see him! My shoulders relaxed. I wasn’t crazy after all.

  “We just met,” I said, hoping she would take the hint. She didn’t.

  “Aren’t you going to introduce me?” Penelope asked.

  “Oh, uh, Penelope, this is…” I paused, realizing he never did tell me his name.

  “Daylan,” he finished for me.

  “Daylan. That’s an interesting name. Where are you from, Daylan?” Penelope began interrogating.

  “Maybe we should take these coffees to go?” I suggested.

  “I would like that.” He smiled apprehensively, looking from me to Penelope.

  “Swayzi, are you sure you should be going for a walk right now? You look a little flushed.” Her voice was stern.

  I narrowed my eyes at her, wondering what her problem was. “I won’t be long.”

  I took my coffee and followed Daylan out despite Penelope’s objections. I couldn’t believe her. I didn’t know much about dating or flirting for that matter, but I did know she was an awful wing woman. Daylan opened the door for me, and we crossed the busy main street. Walking towards the boardwalk, I enjoyed the cold breeze kissing my warm skin.

  “She is your friend?” Daylan asked.

  “Yes, she is. One of my only—probably why she’s a little protective. You’re not from around here, are you?”

  “Something like that,” he said, looking forward. “Would you like to sit down?” He gestured to the bench. It had a beautiful view of all the ships docked by the bay.

  “That sounds nice.”

  I watched him take his first sip of coffee, his lips puckered slightly, followed by his eyebrows raising in approval.

  I held my coffee with both hands, my breath showing in the crisp air.

  We sat only inches apart. I caught myself unconsciously leaning towards him, like my body needed to touch his. My heart was beating like a drum, I held my hand to my chest feeling each thud.

  “I hope this isn’t too much of an intrusion, but what made you collapse the other day when we ran into each other outside of the café?” he asked.

  I could barely hear him speak over the sound of my heart. “Well, it’s a very long complicated story.” He tilted his head, as if asking why. I was talking louder than I needed to, considering he was sitting right next to me. I adjusted the volume. “My kidneys were failing.”

  “You’re better now?”

  “Kind of. My health changes every day, so I try not to overanalyze.”

  As we spoke, I noticed him furtively searching the boardwalk. It was making me anxious. Out of instinct, I began searching with him, though I didn’t know what I was looking for.

  “Are you expecting someone?” I asked, trying to make eye contact with his wandering eyes.

  “No, sorry, just enjoying the beautiful view.”

  “I didn’t get a chance to thank you the other day for pulling me out of the ocean,” I said. I shook my head, remembering that day, my memories foggy. “You saved my life.”

  “I owed you.” His eyes locked on mine.

  His words and his gaze overwhelmed me. The way he spoke was out of admiration.

  So, it was real. It HAD happened.

  I wasn’t exactly sure what to say. Maybe I didn’t want to know anymore. Could this mysterious boy be dangerous? Judging by his furtive behavior, if he wasn’t dangerous, he at least knew people who were. Yet, for some reason, I knew, even if he was dangerous, he wouldn’t hurt me.

  I bit my lip, trying to come up with a response. Part of me wanted to jump up and dance, relieved by the fact that I wasn’t crazy after all. That’s when I noticed smoke billowing in the sky close to the caf�
�, and within seconds, there were sirens in the distance.

  I rose from the bench quickly, dropping my coffee, unsure of how many pieces the porcelain mug split into when it hit the pavement.

  “Oh, my God.” I was panicked. “There’s a fire at the café!” I ran towards the fire, leaving Daylan behind on the boardwalk.

  I got there faster than I thought I could and pushed through the crowd forming outside. When I got to the door, Penelope was just running out.

  “What happened?” I yelled.

  “There you are! I don’t know. I was changing the specials on the board and the fire alarm went off. I called 911.”

  “Where’s Linda?”

  “I thought she was out here.”

  A fire truck pulled up with the sirens blaring.

  “Stay here,” I shouted, nudging Penelope aside. Before she could object, I heaved open the heavy door and rushed into the dining room. “Linda?” I shouted.

  No answer.

  Smoke wafted from the kitchen, and I began coughing, letting it envelope my lungs.

  “Linda!” I shouted louder between coughs.

  I ran into the smoke-filled kitchen, waving my hand in front of me, fanning the smoke away. “Mom?” I called again frantically.

  “Swayzi?” Linda called.

  I could barely see more than a foot in front of me. I held my hand out searching for her, my eyes burning and my lungs struggling. Finally, I felt her grab onto me. With the other arm, she was holding onto Tosh, our cook. Both of them were coughing, and the three of us made our way back to the dining room just as two firefighters passed us. Another one led us outside and onto the sidewalk.

  “Oh, thank God,” Penelope cried, shoving past the firefighters outside towards us.

  The fresh air was welcomed by the three of us coughing relentlessly, the smoke trying to escape our burning lungs. I was in better shape than Linda and Tosh. Their hair and shoulders were littered in grey soot, and smudges of black covered any skin that was exposed, but I was relieved to find that neither of them had any serious burns.

  “What happened?” I asked, brushing the ashes from Linda’s hair.

  “It was so weird, a fire started in the oven, both of us tried to snuff it out with fire extinguishers, but it just got more out of control,” she said.

  “That oven wasn’t even on. I shut it down earlier to clean it.” Tosh sounded confused.

  “Maybe something electrical?” Linda asked him through a fit of coughs.

  “Are you the owner of this building?” The fire chief asked Linda.

  “Yes.”

  “Can we talk to you for a moment?”

  “Sure, of course.”

  “It looks like it was a grease fire that got a little out of control,” he said. “The smoke made it seem a lot worse than it actually was. Once we air out the building, the smoke should clear right up, but there will be some smoke damage.”

  Linda nodded and squeezed my hand, listening to every word the fire chief said. From the corner of my eye, I saw Daylan watching from across the street. “So, the café, it will be okay?” I asked.

  “Yes, ma’am, I’m sure you folks can have it up and running again in a week or two,” the fire chief reassured her.

  Linda sighed in relief. “Thank you.”

  When I turned to find Daylan again, he was gone.

  I looked at Tosh, who was watching the firefighters carrying equipment into the cafe.

  “Are you okay, Tosh?” He nodded, silently tearing up, his hand over his mouth still in shock. I could tell he felt responsible.

  I rubbed his back lightly. “It’s not your fault, Tosh. The important thing is that everyone is safe.”

  “She’s right,” the fire chief said. “But just to be sure, the paramedics are going to take you to the hospital and check you over.” He pointed towards the ambulance that had just arrived.

  At the hospital, Doctor Cooper examined all three of us. Linda and Tosh had a few minor burns on their hands, but they would heal quickly along with their lungs. The biggest surprise was how well I was doing. Doctor Cooper sent me away with a high five, saying how proud he was.

  In the lobby, Tosh’s wife, Riya ran to him, crying and speaking Hindi. Even though I didn’t know the language, I could hear the relief in her tone and see the comfort of home as she fell into his arms.

  Just as we got outside the hospital, Tyler peeled into the parking lot. He slammed the truck into park in the ambulance lane, jumped out and grabbed my face in his hands. His eyes were frantic as he checked over every inch of me. “I’m fine.” I rolled my eyes. “Really.”

  “How are you?” Tyler asked Linda.

  “We’re good.” She hugged him. “Thank you for coming to get us.”

  “Of course, I came as soon as I heard. And the café?” Tyler asked.

  “It’s wounded,” she sighed, “but I was planning on doing some renovations anyway. This will light a fire under me.” She winked. “Good thing I have fire insurance.”

  I wondered how much that would help in paying for the damage. I felt a twinge of guilt. Still owing our health insurance tens of thousands of dollars because of my medical bills, this expense was the last thing Linda needed.

  I spent the next week at the café helping Linda clean. We had to send all the fabric to the dry cleaners, and I had to wipe down all the walls (aside from the chalkboard wall) with baking soda and vinegar. Penelope had been hovering all week, watching me like a hawk and flinching at any loud noise. A few times I caught her whispering to herself with her eyes closed. She kept telling me this strange behavior was because of the fire, and in the beginning, I let it go. But it was getting annoying.

  I hadn’t seen Daylan since the day of the fire. I decided instead of looking for him, I would let him come to me. I went about my life as usual, and when Linda asked me to go to the grocery store, I jumped at the chance to have some alone time away from Penelope.

  At the grocery store, I made my way to the baking aisle and quickly found more baking soda. I stood, comparing prices on bulk jugs of vinegar, when I suddenly tensed up, almost dropping the baking soda on the floor. He was behind me. I knew it before he spoke.

  “Has anyone ever told you that you’re a magnet for bad luck?” His voice was soft, but I could hear the smile in his words.

  “Only every doctor I’ve seen,” I said, turning around and smiling back.

  He was too beautiful to be in the baking aisle.

  “Has anyone ever told you that you tend to appear at the most random times?” I asked, struggling to hoist up the biggest jug of vinegar.

  “No, actually, you’re the first.” He took the jug from me, and you would have thought at least his forearm muscles would tighten with the transfer, or maybe his body would adjust to the new weight, but no—he held it like it was an empty jug.

  “Why are you here, Daylan?” I asked pointedly.

  “To see you,” he said with a coy smile.

  I didn’t want to trust him. I didn’t want to feel the butterflies that consumed me every time he looked at me. Most of all, I didn’t want to feel the uneasiness he gave me as I waited for him to disappear again.

  We walked the empty aisles to the front of the store. There was only one cashier and a short line. Daylan held the vinegar in one hand and began spinning the sunglasses tower next to the till with the other.

  “Sunglasses are fascinating,” he said and put on a pair of red cat eye shades. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes and laugh.

  “What? These don’t fit?”

  “I think these ones suit you a little more.”

  I handed him a kid’s pair of pink heart-shaped glasses. He put them on while looking in the small mirror.

  “I think they’re too small.”

  “Here, I like these ones.” I passed him a pair of aviators.

  He tested them out, and I nodded in approval. “Top Gun, very nice.” I smiled.

  “Top Gun?” he asked confused.

 
“Top Gun. You know, Tom Cruise?”

  “I think I’ll get them.” He put them on the till along with the vinegar and baking soda.

  When we got to the Wagoneer, he loaded the large jug of vinegar into the back and leaned against the door with his arms crossed, wearing his new sunglasses with the tag still swaying in the breeze. He smiled at me like he knew something I didn’t.

  “Look, I’m going to be honest here,” I sighed. “I’ve spent my life in and out of the hospital: broken bones, viruses, failing organs, cancer scares. This summer they told me I only have a few months to live.”

  Daylan took off the glasses.

  “Intense, I know. But it’s also why I don’t really have the time or the energy to waste. So, I’m going to ask you again—why are you here, Daylan?” I was shocked by my own directness.

  The smile on his face faded. “I’m sorry for not being candid. I’ve been searching for the right words, but I fear I’ve yet to find them.”

  “You don’t need to search for the right words. Just say whatever it is you need to say.”

  He looked around the busy grocery store parking lot. “Let’s go for a walk,” he suggested.

  It wasn’t until we were far enough from the hustle and bustle of downtown that he began speaking, “What you saw… on the dock. You should not have been able to see—I’m afraid we’ve put you in grave danger.”

  “What do you mean? We? Danger from who?” I instinctively looked over my shoulder.

  “The men with the swords, they are followers of a very dangerous man. Soldiers you could say. They were supposed to kill us, and although I am very grateful for the distraction you created, by saving us, you have gotten in the middle of a very delicate situation.”

  “Situation?” I asked. It was obvious he was downplaying things for my benefit.

  We turned down the next corner, and we both halted in our tracks. At the end of the street there were three men in military uniforms staring at us, similar to the men from that night.

  “Come,” Daylan said.

  He grabbed my hand, and I felt the electricity surge through my body as he led me quickly down the sidewalk. Somehow, I kept up with him.