I looked at the reflection through my bathroom mirror of the sorry excuse of my face.
Why was I still here in this University dormitory room?
Obviously I had lost purpose in life.
Opening the sink-tap, I gathered some water on my palms and gently splashed it on my face.
Today was Friday so it meant double the easys, let's not forget tripple the amount of customers in the bar tonight.
Friday to most people would be their favorite day, but to me it was the worst.
People loved Friday, especially high school kids, because they would go home, the following day they would sleep in, but I wasn't people.
I had no family to run to during my high school years.
I still remember the kids mocking me, saying how uncool I was.
But I ignored them and ended up topping in my classes.
And that was how I ended up here, in the University of West Virginia.
Sighing, I walked in my shower, letting the only piece of cloth that covered my nudeness fall.
As the cold freckles of water came into contact with my skin, the memories rushed in.
I had always had a forbia with cold water for as long as I can remember.
My foster mother, Judy, always warned me not to go outside and play in the rain, but I didn't listen.
She would always rumble,
"You should not play in the rain Esty, you'll get sick,"
She would say everytime I went out to play in the rain.
"Mom I'm not going to get sick, I'm strong,"
I would always reply.
Sighing, I turned the shower off.
I missed Judy, she was the mother anyone would wish for.
But would missing her bring her back?
No. The answer was always No.
"Open up Cane!" my ears picked up the yelling on my door.
I immediately knew who it was, it was the janitor.
A few days ago, my bathroom window had broken.
How did it the window break?
I still remember it vividly.
A raven flew in and broke it.
I had to pay the janitor, who repaired it.
The only problem was that I didn't the full deposit.
"Wait, I just got out of the shower," I replied yelling.
"Better hurry it up then," he said with a much calm voice.
Turning off the shower nob, I quickly walked out of my bathroom.
Hastyly I opened up my wardrobe and took some cheap grey sweat pants and a blue crop top.
I took a dry towel and rubbed it on my wet hair, while I opened the door.
"Took you long enough," he said with an annoyance huff, letting himself in without an invitation.
I corked up my eyebrows and muttered "Rude," under my breath.
I didn't even bother closing the door cause knew he wasn't staying for too long.
"Look," I said catching up with him as he was already in my bathroom door. "I don't have the rest of the deposit today, but tomorrow I'll have it all, I promise," I pleaded.
"Do you know what I've been hearing for the past few days, 'I promise I'll have your money by tomorrow' " he said mimicking my annoying tone in his perspective.
"I've really had challenges, please understand," I tried.
All he needed to do was pardon me for this day only, heck I would give him all my money if I had.
He looked at me and sighed, "Only tonight Cane, or your out," he said moving to examine the new window.
"Thank you so fucking much," I said my cheeks pumped like a balloon.
"Okay no need to get all happy on me, the question I have on you is how did the raven fly directly, smushing the window at a projectoring point, ending up to decapitate it's own neck?" he asked, but he seemed to ask himself more.
Coming into my senses, I realized that it didn't make any sense.
How would a raven, which mearly weighed seven hundred and fifty grams, defy all the rules of motion.
It didn't make any sense.
The impact it fell on, made it decapitate its head.
It couldn't throw itself and fall on that impact, could it?
And if that was the case why didn't it fall on Jessica Beautchen's room.
She was my only neighbour from the left.
My hostel was furthest from the building, making it the last room.
But what if someone threw the bird?
But who could throw it?
True my room had a great view from the highest point of the University but why?
What could your beaf be with me?
"That is a nice question that neither I have the answer to," I replied, staring out of the bathroom window.
****
"What may I get you ma'am?" I asked the next customer, as she sat on the stool.
"One shot of Tequila," she replied running her hands through her sandy blonde hair.
"Tough week?" I asked as I served her, her drink.
This was part of my job, listening to people's problems.
At first it was adventurous, but when I got used to it it became rather boring.
"Yup! You can't believe John," she replied frustrated, while taking sips from her tequila glass.
"What did John do?" I asked generally curious.
This John seemed a jerk making this beautiful girl sad.
"You won't believe it, he brought a woman to my office and fucked her, on my desk. Ca..."
At this point I wasn't listening.
My experience working here made me learn some few tricks.
'seem curious and always nod'
Chary would remind me on my first few days.
My mind was so enveloped in the whole window case that I didn't notice Chary staring at me.
"Code red, he's staring," I heard my friend whisper to my ear.
Slowly my gaze drew from the blonde who was soaking me with her problems to Chary.
Ruth was was right, he was staring.
"Another?" I asked the blonde.
She lifted her right hand and motioned me to stop talking.
"If I dare to drink, I'll end up in the hospital," she said before handing me a thirty dollar tip.
"Thanks," I said smiling at her kindness.
"No problem, just keep up the good work kiddo," she said before dissappearing into the crowd.
"Well today is your lucky day," Ruth remarked behind me.
"Well I need this money so that I can pay the fucking janitor, he's been bugging me all week," I said while whipping the wet glasses with a clean dry cloth.
"Don't worry, you'll get it," she said looking at something behind me.
"What?" I asked her, my voice low.
"I think your prince charming is coming." she said before turning back.
"Hey," my ears picked up a soft voice that was all too familiar.
Turning back with a smile on my face, my brown orbs met his aquamarine eyes.
The smile on his face made butterflies that I didn't know existed in my stomach fly.
I studied his face and smiled more, his blonde hair was combed back, making it suitable for a bartender.
"Hey," I replied, the smile never leaving my face.
"So you're up for tomorrow's shift?" he asked stepping a few inches closer to me.
"Okay Estella, I've got some stuff to do," Ruth said acknowledging her presence.
"Fine," I said, not taking my eyes off Chary.
"Yeah, I'm gonna be there," I answered Chary's earlier question.
"Can't wait for the day," he said the incredible smile not leaving his perfect sculpted face.
His face was so perfect, it had no freckles, no pimples, just perfect.
"Hey Stel," he started using my pen name.
I always liked it when he said it, it made me feel special inside.
Frankly speaking, I didn't like people calling me Estella, it made me feel old.
"I was wondering if after the shift tomorrow, we would go get some froyo or something," he continued.
Was he asking me out?
How would I respond?
What would it lead to if I said yes?
Would I now be in a relationship with him?
Would he kiss me?
Questions ran through my head.
"Sure, " I blurted out nervously.
Did he detect my nervousness?
What would he think of me?
"What I meant to say was, sure we can hang out, it's cool," I corrected myself, trying to sound cool but I failed.
"But it's just as friends right?" I found myself asking.
I'm sure I saw his perfect smile that sent the butterflies in my stomach fly, fall.
Did I offend him?
But in my opinion I wanted to know if he liked me.
The sad face was soon replaced by a casual face.
"Of course," he replied and left.
Did I do something bad by asking him?
The pain in his aqua eyes made my eyes sting, as a bitter liquid threatened to fall.
"What happened Es?" Ruth asked once her eyes glanced at me as I took off the red stripped black apron that the manager forced us tie around our waist at all times.
In the manager's perspective, black and red symbolized money and power and he craved for it.
His money and power crap explained why we had to wear black leggings and a red cotton t-shirt.
"I'm leaving," I said untying my brunnet hair from the ponytail it was engulfed onto.
The manager had this stupid rule that all ladies had tie their hair on a bun or a ponytail.
I always preferred a ponytail.
"Wait you can't leave, the shift ends at eleven," she pointed out.
I glanced at the big clock behind me, it read: ten minutes to eleven.
I couldn't wait for ten minutes, I needed to blow off some steam, now.
"I don't give a fuck in the world what time it is, I just need to get out of here," I said moving away from the counter and dissappearing into the crowd.
Since I knew the club all to well, I easily found my way out of the 'house of hell'.
I couldn't manage staying there a minute longer.
Every second that passed while I was in there, made me feel like I was loosing a percentage of oxygen.
Sighing, I walked down the dark alley, removing a pack of cigars from my t-shirt pocket.
Smoking was a habit I developed even before I moved into Virginia.
I started smoking when I was fifteen.
Something I only knew about myself.
I reached onto the back pocket of my legging and removed a lighter.
Placing one end of the cigar in between my lips, I lit it from the other end that was hanging out of my lips.
I took large inhales of the addictive smoke, as I moved the cigar from my mouth to in between my fingers.
The act continued as I inhaled the smoke.
"Why do people hate me?" I asked myself out loud.
My feet had taken me to a different alley, a dark one.
How Chary responded to my question made my heart sink.
Didn't he have any feelings towards me?
Without knowing, tears flooded my eyes.
The pain was unbearable.
"Why did you leave me?" I asked looking at the moon that dimly lit the dark alley.
I was speaking to my dead parents.
From what I was told, my father died while my mother was pregnant with me, and my mother died while giving birth to me.
Judy also mentioned that my aunt gave me up for adoption in a foster home.
But why did they leave me behind?
I would have strided along, I was not a baggage at all.
As I continued to question myself about my parents, a dark aura flooded my air.
Bazed, I looked around the dark alley.
What caused the sudden change?
My question was soon answered by a eerie sound.
The strange sound was like of a bird flying over my ear, fifty meters per second speed.
"Whose there?" I asked still bazed.
No one answered.
From the corner of my eye I saw a dark figure, standing there.
Scared out of my mind, I slowly turned my head to look at shadowy figure.
The figure seemed like a man, who had won a long black coat that swept around his feet.
His head had a cowboy hat on top.
Within a short period of time, he sped in front of me.
How could he do that with such such little amount of time.
It was impossible even if you were an athlete.
Shocked, I dropped the cigar that I had held in between my fingers.
My eyes searched for anything, anyface, but all my eyes met were a pair of silver eyes, that seemed to have small flames which had a carmine red colour.
"What the?" I asked, my eyes wide almost poping out of their sockets.
"This is impossible," the man with a husky voice, his voice held a dark aura that sent chills down my spine.
Roughly, he grabbed my chin and gazed on my exposed neck.
Slowly, he leaned in.
At first I thought he was going to kiss my neck.
The idea made me shiver.
I heard him inhale my scent.
His nose that I didn't seem to see, brushed on my neck.
"Please don't hurt me," I said stummering.
"You smell just like her," the man said, looking at the my brown orbs.
"Who?" I had the courage to ask.
The stranger chuckled, a dark chuckle.
Everything about the chuckle made me quiver.
"Even if I tried, you wouldn't understand," he said darkly before the flames in his eyes died out, smoke coming out of his eyes.
"Please don't hu-" I was cut off by a stinging pain on my neck.
My hands tried to push him off me by pushing his hard chest, screaming as loud as my voice could.
Who was this man?
Was this the way my life would end?
I had only this samester left to finish my university studies.
Atleast I would meet my parents up there.
I could feel the life draining out of me.
As he took the blood out of my body, he went with my life too.
My hands gave up fighting him and I threw in the towel.
I was ready to die.
As the stranger continued his act, darkness slowed me.
The question was, was I going to Heaven or the other place?