Finn parked next to me when he arrived, but this time I got out and sat in his passenger's seat. He had gotten me a coffee again, for which I was grateful.
"Good morning, Mo Cuishle," Finn said as I got in, handing the coffee over to me. As I reached out my hand to take it from him, he pulled it away and grabbed my hand with his other hand. Turning it over, he kissed the back of it before placing the cup in my hand. I smiled, saying, "Good morning, Mo Cuishle."
I would never get tired of his habit of kissing my hand, as if I were some fair maiden in a fairytale. He wasn't a prince or a knight anymore, but he was still a handsome warrior. He had more substance to him than some spoiled child of a wealthy family. He had a cause, though I still did not really understand what that was. He was gentle, even though he clearly possessed some great power. After I finally believed him, I felt as though I should be afraid of him, but he treated me so carefully and sweetly that I could never be afraid of him. I trusted him, not just because I had to since he was the only one at school that knew I was a snake, but because even though he was the reason I was a snake, he was sincere. He loved me, and I didn't realize I loved him until he said those words to me, but I felt it. We were connected. It was deeper than any kind of romantic love I had ever read about. I somehow just knew that this was the kind of love that would last, even if we were torn apart. We would always find each other.
I was quiet while thinking this, and Finn allowed me the silence. He just sat and watched me. I finally turned to him, smiling, and said, "Thank you for the coffee. You know, once I start getting paychecks, you won't have to buy them for me all the time."
He smiled back, "I know, but I'm enjoying spoiling my girlfriend."
"Ok," I said, "but I'm not really used to it."
"I'm your first boyfriend, right?" he asked. I nodded.
"But," I started, but he cut me off.
"I meant what I said. I love you, Elise. And I don't want to lose you. I wouldn't say that to just anyone."
"It's just that most boys aren't so...formal. I really love that about you, but it's unexpected."
"Well, I suggest you get used to me spoiling you a little, then. Come on, let's get to class."
I felt like I would float away as we walked together to the school building if he hadn't been holding my hand.
I was enamored all day. I went through my classes, working on my assignments and drawing little hearts in the margins of my class notes. During lunch, I just enjoyed being with Finn. We talked about ourselves, telling each other our favorite things and things we'd like to see or do. We toyed with each other's hand as we talked, and I rubbed at his ring. I daydreamed even more the second half of the day, until I finally decided to take out the notebook and write him a letter.
"My Darling Finn,
Somehow, with everything that has happened recently, I feel calm. I've been happy all day. I feel like I should be stressing out, but I feel different. I'm more confident than I used to be. I don't know if it's because I have you, or because I've "transformed", or because everything in my life feels surreal. I used to imagine you as a distant fairytale prince from one of my novels, and I was a simple peasant girl who might never be noticed by you. But ever since I've gotten to know you, and became part of your life, you are so much more. I feel connected to you like I felt connected to the forest when you showed me your special spot. I somehow feel that we could be separated, but we would always find each other. I love you, Finn. I'm so glad you are my first love. You'll have my heart forever.
I know that I need to level up, but I have no idea where to begin. I'm ready. I don't want to turn back into a snake and stay that way forever. I want to be able to kiss you and hold your hand. I want to know more about magic, true magic. Please start teaching me, mo cooshla.
Eternally yours,
Elise"
The final bell rang. I put all of my notes and books away, keeping our notebook out. I met Finn at my locker and gave him the notebook, and he said, "You'll be starting your job today, right?"
"Yes," I told him, "I have to be there at 4:00, so I can't stay long." We walked to our cars. It was amazing how the whole world fell away, and all I saw was Finn when we were together. I barely noticed the other students or other cars in the parking lot. When we got to my car, Finn helped me take my bag off and put it in my backseat. He touched the pendant on my necklace.
"That suits you," he said. We locked eyes and he leaned down to kiss me. I wrapped my arms behind his shoulders, under his arms. His backpack was in the way, but I pulled him to me as much as I could while I kissed him back. I pressed my cheek to his collar bone and his arms held me close to him. He felt strong, and I felt safe. "I love you, Mo Cuishle," he said and I told him I loved him back. I got into my car, and he got into his. I waved to him as I shifted into Drive, and he blew me a kiss. I made a catching motion with my hand and held it to my heart. Then, I went to my first day of work at Subway.
I left my bag in my car when I got to Subway. I walked up to the counter and greeted the girl who stood at the cash register. I told her that I was starting today, so she went and got the manager from a hidden office in the back. The manager was the same one I had spoken to on the phone. His name was Richard. He looked me over. I was wearing a long-sleeved shirt under my purple Grape Crush tee shirt with jeans and sneakers.
"Hmm," he said, "come on back, but be careful. The floor is slippery. You'll have to get some non-slip shoes before I can let you work a shift, but we'll get you a uniform."
I stepped carefully as I followed him to the office. He pulled out a large box from behind the door and asked me what size shirt I wore. I told him Medium, and he dug through until he found a couple in my size. He also took a visor from a plastic bag hanging on the doorknob and gave it to me with the shirts.
"Ok, as a new trainee, I'm required to show you this video about Subway's policies. It should take about 30 minutes, then I'll show you around." He went to the computer and pulled up a training video. He had me sit in the computer chair to watch it. It was totally cheesy, telling about an acceptable versus unacceptable work uniform. I told me how to conduct myself at work, and that I was representing the whole Subway corporation. I had to always be smiling and cheerful with the guests. There were a few acronyms it went through about the procedure to follow when dealing with disgruntled customers and safety procedures. It talked about different ways to build the perfect sandwich. Who knew there were sandwich building techniques? Then, it ended with a montage of "happy" Subway employees saying "Welcome to the Team!"
I sat in the chair staring at the screen after the video ended. I'm fairly certain that it was meant to brainwash me into thinking that this was the best place in the world to work, and that I should aspire to become one of the robotically cheerful employees in the vide, but it only succeeded in making me roll my eyes. This was my first job, and I wanted to do a good job, but there was no way I was going to become a Subway puppet. And it said I wouldn't be allowed to wear jewelry. It was a safety violation. Rings or necklaces could get caught on something and cause injury. Besides that, they weren't part of the official uniform. The only exception was for people who were married, they were allowed to wear the wedding rings, but that was it. I didn't know what would happen if I wasn't wearing the charmed pendant Finnegan's mom made for me. I couldn't risk having my eyes turn snake-y in front of anyone else.
The manager came back to check on me, and seeing that the video finished, he said, "Alright, are you ready for a quick tour?"
I got up, carrying my uniforms, and said, "Sure."
He led me out and farther in the back of the store. He showed me the walk-in cooler, where all of the meats and veggies were kept. He explained why they were set up the way they were and showed me where to find everything if I had to come back and grab something to replace up front. He also showed me the freezer where the dough for the bread was kept. Then, he showed me the dry storage area for the paper wraps, bags, napkins, and stuff was kept. He walked me past the ovens, where another girl was prepping some thawed dough to go in on several large metal sheet pans. He introduced me to her. Her name was Laura. There was also a middle-aged man working there, named Don. He was washing dishes at the industrial-sized chrome sink. The girl from the front, that I saw when I came in was named Beth, and she was washing her hands at another sink. A boy came in for his shift, and stood by the sink to wait for Beth to finish. His name was Sam, and he went to my school, but he was a Junior, so I hadn't seen him before. I was shown to a shelf where I could put my stuff in a closet near the office. There was also a small counter where several cups were for the employees to keep their drinks. We weren't allowed to be seen drinking in front of customers. After my tour, Richard had Laura finish filling me in on other duties while he went up front to help. It was starting to get a little busy in the lobby. Laura showed me the yellow buckets that were placed around the store with sanitizing water and towels in them for wiping the counters and surfaces down. She showed me where to find the stuff to make new water or get fresh towels, and also where the brooms and mops were stored with other cleaning supplies for cleaning the bathrooms. She showed me where the teas were brewed and here the fountain drinks were replaced. She told me that if we weren't busy or had a chance, we had to keep an eye on the lobby, sweeping the floors and wiping tables after customers leave. She showed me where to find gloves when I was handling food or cleaning, and that I had to change them between every procedure. Once the lobby slowed down, and we could get to the cash register without being in the way, she showed me how I would clock in. Then, she took me back to the office and found a laminated packet that showed all the different screens on the POS system for how to ring up different menu items and a copy of the menu. Richard found us again and told her to go back to the front. He sat in the computer chair, and I stood there waiting .
"Well," he said, "that's all we can do with you today until you get some non-slip shoes. Do you have any questions?"
I said I didn't have any questions about the work, but I couldn't afford any shoes. My mom might not be able to buy me any either. I hated to ask her because I knew that she had already spent a lot of money buying me a car and clothes for my birthday. Richard sat in his chair thinking for a while.
"Ok," he finally said, pulling a catalog from a drawer. "Here's what we can do then. Pick out some shoes from this catalog, and I can put an order in for you. We'll just take the money out of your first paycheck for them. I'll give you a call when they come in, and you can just start then instead. In the meantime, take that packet with you and study it so you can be familiar with the menu and the system. You can go out in the lobby while you look through the catalog."
I sat in the back at a small table and found a style of non-slip shoes that were more expensive than I would ever pay for shoes normally, but they were among the cheaper styles in the catalog. Some of the shoes cost a little over $100! I brought the catalog back to the counter, where Richard was waiting and showed him the ones I selected.
"Alright, I'll get these ordered for you. Thanks for coming in today. It should take them a few days to get in, so I'll give you a call when they arrive. Have a good day Elise. Welcome to the Subway team."
I smiled half-heartedly at him, but I thanked him for giving me the job. I got in my car, and the clock on my dash said it was 6:03. I was glad I didn't have to start right away. I decided to drive to Finn's house.
When I got there, his dad opened the door.
"Hello again, Elise! How are you? Finn said you started your job today. Done already?"
I smiled at him. "I can't technically start until I get the right shoes, but I ordered some today, so I'll start officially after I get them. But I got a tour today. There's more to making sandwiches than you would think." I told him.
He laughed. "I believe it. Come on in." I stepped inside and he called for Finn. Finn came out of his room and met us in the kitchen, where his mom was preparing dinner.
"Hello, Elise," his mom said, "do you want to have dinner with us? It will be ready soon."
"Oh, thank you, yes please." I said to her.
Finn said, "Elise! I thought you were starting your job today." I explained everything to him as I had with his dad, and he pulled me into a hug. "I'm so glad." We went into the living room and sat on the couch.
His dad followed us in there, and said, "So, Elise, how do you feel? Have you remembered anything from Saturday night?" He sat in the living chair, leaning back and resting his foot over his knee.
I looked at Finn. The corner of his lip pulled so that he wasn't fully smiling, but his dimple on that side appeared. He looked at me as if it was alright to tell him everything.
"Yes, Finn told me, and I was upset at first, but I had some dreams that helped me realize it was all true. Some strange things happened, and then Finn gave me this necklace. I haven't noticed anything since then, but I am ready now to start learning how to suppress my snake-form." I explained.
"Ah, so he told you about the hitch with the spell." He stroked at his chin. "Well," looking at Finn, he said, "What else have you told her."
Finn held my hand and said, "I started out explaining the directions, and I've told her some basic stuff about the Goddess and God, but not much really." I thought he had told me a lot, but if that wasn't much, this was going to be harder than I though.
"Do you mind if I go and get my backpack? I'd like to take some notes if that's alright." I said.
"Actually," Finn said, "I have some extra notebooks in my room. Come on." He pulled me up with him and started to lead me away.
His dad stopped us and said, "Why don't you guys go ahead and just hang out until dinner. We can all talk after we eat. How late can you stay, Elise?"
"My mom doesn't know that I'm here. I should call my mom and let her know. my curfew is 8 o'clock, but I'll tell her I'm staying for dinner, so I might be able to stay until 9:30." I told him.
"Ok, that's fine. We won't be able to cover much today, but if you can come more often, we'll be able to cover more basics. You're coming over on Saturday, right? With your mom?"
"Yes, I don't know if she'll stay for the bonfire, but I can't tell her about any of this. She won't like it or understand."
"I understand," Finn's dad said. "Well, go on. We'll figure something out." Finn and I went to his room.
Finn led me away, and when we got to his room, I took my phone out of my jeans pocket. I sat on his bed and called my mom. I told her how my first day had gone at Subway, but that I wasn't able to start. I told her that Finn's parents invited me to have dinner, and that I was at his house. She said she was glad I told her, and that I could stay. I told her I would be home by 9:30 since it was already almost 7:00 and dinner wasn't ready yet. She agreed, reluctantly. When I got off the phone with her, Finn sat on the bed next to me, handing me a blank journal that was bound with a black leather cover and had an ornate design on it. He explained they were Celtic knots. The one featured in the center of the cover was called a triquetra. He explained it symbolized a holy trinity, but rather than seeing it as a 'father-son-holy spirit' symbol, it represented the triple aspects of the God and Goddess and the connection between body, mind, and spirit. It was surrounded by other Celtic knots, and it was truly beautiful.
"Finn, this is really beautiful. Are you sure you want me to use this? I could just use a regular notebook."
"No," he said, resting his hand on my thigh next to the journal on my lap. "This information is sacred, and should be bound in something special. I have other journals, and can always get more."
I placed my hand over his. He leaned over and kissed me. Then, he said, "Would you like to meet Dolores, now?"
"Sure," I said. I set the journal aside, and he got up to take her out of her habitat. She was longer than I was expecting, but he gently draped her around his neck and supported her neck and head with his arm. She looked around, then turned to coil herself around him. He came to sit next to me with her, moving slowly
"You can pet her. She's very docile. Just move slow. Snakes have terrible eyesight, so she moves pretty slow."
I reached my hand out and stroked the thicker part of her body away from her face. She was beautiful. She was brown and black and white with a white underbelly, and her colors swirled and looked like wavy stripes with spots here or there that almost looked like eyes on her body. She twitched when I first touched her, but then she relaxed and started slithering around and down Finn's back as if she were trying to get down. He let her make her way onto his bed, supporting her body as she moved. She headed straight for his pillow, but he picked her up and held her over his lap. She looked up at me, then she slithered over to my lap. Finn took my hand and told me to hold her so she wouldn't slip onto the floor. I did as he said and let her slither over my other arm. I lifted her so she wouldn't get away, and she decided she wanted to move up to my shoulders. Finn lifted my other arm to support her body as she made her way around my shoulders. She coiled around me, and I stuck her face in my hair, looking around over the top of my head before coiling all the way around my neck. She started to tighten her body, and Finn pulled on her so she would loosen.
"If she gets too tight, just let her know by pulling her gently off. Your heart rate might be fast, and she can sense it. Try to be calm while you hold her. She seems to like you."
I pulled her from my neck and draped her body in the crook of my arm, while her neck rested in my hand, the other part of her body over my shoulder. She stayed still for a moment and I looked at her eyes. They looked all black, but I felt her looking back at me. She flicked her tongue out and smelled me, turning her face toward mine. She seemed to be trying to tell me something. I wondered if, now that I was a snake, I'd be able to understand her, or if she would be able to speak to me. I didn't hear her speak, but I felt that she wanted to. Maybe once I had leveled up I would be able to know what she wanted to say.
Finn's dad came and knocked on the door, pushing it open. "Hey, guys, dinner is ready." When he saw us sitting there with Dolores, he grinned as if he had made a joke in his mind.
"Ok, dad, we'll be right there." His dad left, and Finn took Dolores from me and put her away. "We'll have to wash our hands pretty thoroughly." We went into the bathroom and washed our hands at the double sinks.
"So, what do you think of her?" Finn asked me as we scrubbed soap over our hands.
"She isn't as bad as I thought she would be. I like her," I said. He dried his hands on a towel, then handed it to me so I could dry mine. When I was done, he took it back and hung it on the ring on the wall. We went out to the kitchen and sat at the table.