'Hey! Stop right there! Hey! I am calling you! You haven't paid! Hey stop! STOP!' Alycia called out to the couple running away from the restaurant. They were running so fast, it was like they have been training for this throughout their lives.
'HEY! You can't do this! We will call the police!' Alycia screamed as her stamina ran out. She felt so betrayed. She and her colleagues have been so nice to them, providing excellent customer service but in return, they scampered off without paying the bill.
Alycia sighed, gave up and walked back to the restaurant panting heavily. Fiona was waiting for her halfway, also panting heavily.
'Did you... did you get them?' Fiona asked desperately in between pants.
'No...they were too fast. How much was their bill?'
'Erm I am not sure but it might have been $200 plus.' Fiona wailed and burst into tears. 'Oh how am I going to pay that back? I earn only $10 an hour! Not to mention the boo boo i made this afternoon too!'
'It's okay. Don't panic! We will think of something alright? How much of the cash was missing from this afternoon?' Alycia asked.
'$47! Oh no that's more than $250 in total! How..how am i ever going to pay this back? I don't think I am cut out to be working here. Oh..oh sir is going to kill me! I..I have only just started working here. May..may..maybe i shouldn't be working here.' Fiona said in between sobs.
Fiona was a new part timer who just started working here, to pay off her university fees. It was her first part time job, which was understandably why she was so upset. In addition, the boss was generally a nice person until it comes to money matters. Money missing from the cash till would mean a thorough investigation and a mark on the employee in charge at that time. Thereafter, the money would need to be replaced, usually by the employee alone.
'Alright.. time to face the music.' Fiona said sadly and started walking back.
'Hey wait. Leave it to me. Wait here, give me a few minutes.' Alycia replied.
Alycia thought of the free $20 000 lying in her bank. The money was better used in these emergency situations. She withdrew $300 from the bank and went back to Fiona.
Fiona's eyes widen upon seeing the cash in Alycia's hand. 'No no no! I can't let you do that! It's my mistake entirely and you shouldn't have to pay for it.'
'Don't be silly! You are one of the few true friends I have. Just help me back next time if I need okay?' Alycia said with a comforting smile.
'I don't know how to thank you! But please know that I will be here if you need me for anything or whatever.' Fiona cried thankfully.
Alycia replaced the $47 back to the till and stared at the bill the couple had racked up. It was $265. They had really ate and drank to their fill. These people really don't know karma, Alycia thought angrily.
Staring at the bill displayed on the electronic screen gave Alycia an idea. What if she could do the same as she did the $20 000? She had no idea if it would work or not. This electronic machine was different from the desktop she had at home though. It would not hurt to try. If it did not work, she could always replace the money with the cash she just withdrawn.
Glancing around quickly to make sure nobody was paying attention to her, she placed her finger on the screen. She felt a weird feeling of heat surged between her finger and the screen. It no longer felt hot like that day. Instead, it felt warm with a nice tingling sensation.
A receipt started printing out. Alycia snatched it up with a look of disbelief. It showed that the bill of $265 has been paid and all she did was touch the machine! She was certain she did not press any buttons. She checked the grand total amount. It certainly included the $265 she magicked out of thin air. Looking at the receipt again, it showed similarly to one that has been paid with credit card. However, this receipt did not show if it was a Visa or Mastercard. It was just blank of that part of the paper.
Well, as long as the money tallies, nobody would check the receipts one by one, especially not to check if it was through Visa or Mastercard, Alycia thought. Even if they did, they would probably thought it's just a bug. Apparently, she was now able to magic money out of thin air, using just her touch.
Hastily, she put the receipt with the others, raising her hand to wipe the thin trickle of blood out of her nose in the process. This time, she did not seem to feel as tired as she had been the other time. Maybe because it was just $265 and not $20 000.
'Alycia! Here you are. I heard about the thieves. Were you able to get the money back?' Alycia's boss, Mark, came striding over.
'Oh no sir. They got away, but it's alright. I replaced the money already. There you can check!'
'Alright, I have informed the police anyway. They will be heading down to check the CCTV. Alycia, thanks for replacing the money with your own money. I know it's not fair and it wasn't your fault, but it makes accounting easier after every shift when we tally the money. We will think up of something after the police come down later.' Mark said. 'It's something out of your control and I won't blame... OH MY GOD is that blood coming out of your nose? Did they hit you? I will tell the....'
'No sir! They didn't hit me, nobody assaulted me okay? I must have been too tired after working so much these few days.' Alycia said quickly.
"Oh right okay. Take a few days off okay? To be honest, I don't think it's possible to get the money back. I will give you the next three days off for free alright? Have a good rest.' Mark said. 'I don't want to overwork my employees. Don't bother cleaning up, let Fiona and the rest do it, go home right now.'
Alycia thanked him gratefully and picked up her bag. Typical Mark. His company finances were the priority. She could never see him being the generous boss helping to cover this situation with his own money. At least he cares about his employees' welfare.
Fiona came running over. 'What did he say? Is everything alright? I am so sorry he gave you a hard time. Are you going home? You look like you have some blood on your face here. Are you sure you are alright?'
'Yes I am, don't worry. The money is all settled. He gave me three free off days when he saw my nosebleed. Don't worry, I am just feeling tired.' Alycia reassured her hastily.
'Alright give me a text when you get home. And thank you for everything!' Fiona waved.
Alycia finally had some free time on her hands. Time to work out what was happening to her.