And There Were Wolves

thirty six | all of this silence and patience, pining and anticipation

/ All of this silence and patience, pining and anticipation / My hands are shaking from holding back from you /

Thinking I had some sort of magical power was bizarre, but witnessing said power and actually wielding it was even crazier. I'd gone through several self-doubts in my life just like the next person, but this one was the hardest pill to swallow. I was at a loss about what to do.

Did I need a mentor? Would I become an apprentice of another witch in order to be able to learn how to control my power? What was my power, honestly? Was it just telekinesis or something more? What else could I possibly do? These questions only added to the piles of things that I needed to figure out.

I'd gone to sleep and yet by the time I woke up in the morning, I still had it. Using the red smoke, I opened the curtain and it worked, confirming that it wasn't just a dream last night. Well, the part where Alana possibly had or would murder someone was still a dream. Fortunately, after that horrible nightmare and actually experiencing being Alana The Killer, I hadn't had any dreams and had been able to rest peacefully.

The next several days since that day had gone by like the usual, with Ryker being detached and keeping his distance. Although fussing about the graduation prom and actually attending it with Dmitry out of people had been rather a distraction, I couldn't shake off the loneliness. My friend Davina had her own life at the Center, so even though I enjoyed being there with her, I eventually had to go back to the North. The pack house was quiet and I had no one there. Trish's absence made me realize how much I missed her and I hoped she would come back soon from her trip to London.

It was Friday of the same week when I'd decided to look for part-time jobs after school. During my previous trip to District 8 with Dav, I recalled seeing a 'wanted' sign in a café. The cafe was called 'Bean There Done That' and they were in need of a server. Being a server wasn't as hard as mixing drinks or creating latte art, so I steeled myself and went to the cash register. A tall man, who I assumed was either the manager or owner, was standing behind it. There was only a blonde girl in a pigtail in the queue and I stood behind her while waiting for my turn. After she'd paid and gotten her receipt, she moved away and I stepped forward.

"Hi, how may I help you?" inquired the man with a friendly smile.

"Um, actually I was looking at the sign you put at the front. Is there a chance that you might still need a server?"

"Yes." He nodded and his smile grew wider. "I reckon we should've put the word 'waitress' there instead. Have you waited tables before?"

"No," I answered truthfully.

"Well, one can always learn." He gave me an encouraging smile. "You will need to remember the drinks, the tables, and the customer's faces. This may seem strange, customers may give you their order when you clean their table or when they call out to you. Remembering their face can be helpful, particularly when there is more than one person at a table."

I responded with a brief nod. That actually made sense. I went to cafes with Dav before and the waiter or waitress always put down my order without me having to clarify which was mine and which was Dav's. "I think I can do that." I didn't have a photographic memory but I could remember people's faces or at least, tried my best to.

"Good." The tall man seemed to notice a customer standing behind me and gestured for me to step out of the line. Once he'd settled the customer's order and informed the barista, he returned to me again. "How many hours can you work in a day and how many days per week?"

"I just graduated so I don't have schools so I can definitely work more hours. But I live in the North so it will take time for me to travel here. So about five to seven hours a day, if the traffic allows," I answered him while trying to jumble my thoughts.