As soon as we got in the door, my roommate, Amanda, went upstairs to go get back to sleep for a while. Our other friend and roommate was still asleep. I would give them a couple of hours, then I would have to be annoying and wake them up.
We all worked the afternoon shift, mostly. On rare occasions, Saoirse would do a day shift at the hospital. Today, for example she started at 2pm.
Normally, I would have to be at the diner for 1 or 2pm, myself. The problem is that I pre-emptively quit before I had a job as a dancer. Hence part of the reason for last nights' gloomy demeanour and worrying.
I finished cutting up the last of the three apples, and put the slices in a bowl, before searching the cupboard for the peanut butter. Something else that was still on my mind from last night was my encounter with Luna and this feeling I just couldn't shake that there was something wrong- really wrong- somewhere in the universe.
I popped an apple slice dipped in peanut butter in my mouth as I removed the tea bag from my green tea. I also noticed that as of late, I had thought upon memories of my home realm much more frequently.
Not only that, I experienced an unfamiliar feeling- was it nostalgia- that I had never associated with most of those memories before.
As I chugged back a glass of water, I knew that something was changing. I could feel the change coming, sense it as easy as I could sense a light breeze. The only problem was, I decided (eating more apple and peanut butter), that I didn't know what the change or changes is.
'Will it be a positive or negative change?' I wondered to myself. 'How many things will change? How fast? What will it mean for me and others?'.
I continued feeling uneasy as I finished the remainder of my breakfast.
Something nagged at me, and it wasn't the change I could sense coming. It was a feeling like some part of my brain knew some information that the rest of my brain wasn't aware of.
Like that information was crucial and was locked away in my mind and I couldn't access it unless I used a specific key. But what that key was or where it was located, my conscious mind didn't know.
I went up the stairs and went to my bedroom. I gathered some clothes and made sure I had everything I needed to take a shower and get ready for the day.
Once in the bathroom, I thought about what I wanted to do with my day, since unlike Saoirse, I didn't have to work.
Feeling all too happy to strip off my sweaty exercise clothes, I disrobed and got the shower started. The water was too warm, so I adjusted it so it was more like a lukewarm temperature.
I got in and as I showered I thought I needed a sort of self- care day. I didn't want to leave the house and felt the need to do nurturing things that would help me get a bit more back on my feet.
I was just feeling a bit off. I was more down and less my cheery self than normal. Plus, a more relaxed, pampering day would be a good idea considering tomorrow was technically a festival day back home.
Even though I was here on Earth, I was still expected to participate. No matter where in the realms you go, The Great Goddess of All could still find you.
Tomorrow would be the holy celebration that marks the equinox, the transition from spring to the official first day of summer. This year on Earth, it fell on the 20th of the month.
I felt much cleaner as I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, grabbed my towel to dry off.
As the High Priestess, I would be required to make a sacrifice on a sacred fire and then, at the beginning of the setting sun, perform the ancient dances until the break of dawn.
"I am not worried about the ritual." I thought to myself as I put on the clothes I had brought into the bathroom with me.
I knew from the times I had spoken to The Goddess, that she was generally kind. Even written over and over in the ancient texts, could be found the truth that The Goddess is the embodiment of love.
It is true that she is the personification of 'love'; she is the Great Mother to us all. When she speaks to me it is in a gentle voice, always she treats me like I am her daughter. Her demeanour towards me is always nurturing.
"May you always guide my way. May I always make you proud. May I do what is right and just, even when it isn't easy. Let me follow your light and lead both myself and others from a place of love." I whispered in prayer to Her.
I felt a bit more peaceful, relaxed and happy now. A small smile crossed my lips as I combed out my hair.
I felt like I could be mindful now today and enjoy the small things in life. I thought about doing a face mask, painting my toenails, or lighting some candles and reading some poetry.
But before I did any of that, I had to talk to my roommates about last night. I had told them I would tell them today.
I absentmindedly put toothpaste on my toothbrush and started brushing my teeth. It wouldn't be a fun conversation, but I could use their input. They generally had good advice on things.
We didn't have many secrets from each other. They were well aware that I came from a place other than Earth, and they were fine with that. The part they weren't fine with was that one day, I would have to return to my home realm, probably permanently.
But none of us tried to dwell on that.
As I washed my face, I decided I would make a nice breakfast for my friends. It would make them happy to have some food and I would find the cooking process therapeutic. It would be a good way to start the day.
Smiling, I made sure everything was where it was supposed to be, including my dirty clothes in the laundry hamper, before I went downstairs to the kitchen, cell phone in hand.
I searched for a smooth, upbeat jazz playlist, and adjusted the phone volume so that the music would be background noise.
"Mrroww" I turned my head and looked at the stretchy creature on the floor. One could call him a common house cat, but I didn't find him very common.
I would say he had a personality and that sometimes he would do things that made me wonder. Usually, I wondered about his ability to loudly vocalize and eat cat food at the same time.
'How does he not choke himself?' I wondered silently.
Another caterwaul made me bend over to give some pets. But it was food I knew he wanted. He wasn't my cat, but he liked me well enough. I am more like his indulgent Aunt.
"Mom is asleep huh?" I asked him. "You want Auntie Sinead to get you some food?"
It started quiet at first, but the purring was working up to a good rumble in the cat's chest.
"Okay. "I told him as I got the food and put some in his dish. I laughed at the speed. Nothing moves faster than a hungry cat.
That done, I washed my hands and began to make some breakfast.
After preheating the oven, I put the bacon in to cook in a dish. I prepped some latkes and cracked eggs in a bowl to scramble.
The bacon was almost done cooking, half the latkes fried and eggs waiting patiently, when noises coming from upstairs told me people were getting up.
People have different footfalls, and once you know them well enough, you can tell who someone is just from their footsteps.
While Saoirse's footsteps left the bathroom, Amanda made her way to the bathroom. A few minutes later, and Saoirse appeared in view at the foot of the stairs. She was still partly sleepy but was clearly following her nose to something good.
'She has a food radar.' I thought. 'She is always the first to know if I ever cook or bake anything!'
"Good morning!" I greeted her cheerily.
"Morning" she replied with a small yawn. "What are you doing down here?"
"I thought I would make you guys some breakfast, so you don't have to worry about making something for yourselves." I informed her. I flipped some latkes. "I thought it would be nice and take some pressure off before the two of you have to run around your busy days like chickens without heads."
"Oh." She grimaced. "This early and you have to talk about headless chickens?"
"Sorry" I apologised. "Good Morning!" I add, noticing that Amanda has just entered line of sight from the kitchen.
"Good morning." She returns. "But I don't know what is so good about it. I feel a bit sick to my stomach and my head hurts."
I couldn't help but smile. "The food will make you feel better." I told her.
"I still feel like you had an ulterior motive for this breakfast." Voiced Saoirse.
"You may be right." I admitted. "I may be softening the blow of the fact that I am now jobless."
"What?" they both courised in unison.
I sighed. "Well, to simplify the story, I felt so confident in my abilities as a dancer, that I quit at the diner before I had a job somewhere else. And I didn't get a job at The Red Goblet. Nor will I, as I messed up my chances by angering the owner."
"Wait, back up." Amanda requested.
"Yeah, we have some questions." Saoirse said.