I work at The Drowsy Spectre, a café positioned in a place sure to never get any business. No human business, that is. One of my coworkers tried to turn me into an animal, DeGuire came back by, and a tree appeared at the register but left when we couldn't figure out a way to communicate with it. In short, a lot of weird stuff happens. If you want to get caught up, or start at the beginning, then go ahead and check this out.

--------------------------------------

So, first off, I wanted to answer a question one of you asked. Yes, the snake has a name. But, as it turns out, she can't recall. She has been trapped in Em's house for longer than she can remember. All she knows is that she must be silent, lest she be caught; she calls herself Silence.

"Is that what you want me to call you? You don't have to sneak around anymore. You don't even have to be here, if you don't want to." I told her.

"It is who I am now." If a snake could shrug, she would have. "That is all I know."

But a thought came to me. "If you are Silence and must not make a sound or you might get caught, why did you speak to me?"

"I... don't know."

She stayed. As it turns out, the convenience of being fed and not having to hunt far outweighed any freedom that the forests outside would offer. That, and she didn't really know how to... 'snake,' if that makes any sense. Sure, she could sneak around Em's house undetected. That gave her no skills in avoiding predators outside, however, or finding shelter. The terrarium (which I kept open for her) had everything she could need. I still don't know what kind of snake she is, nor does she, so I guess I might be missing something. She is comfortable, though, and that is all that matters.

Next comes the matter of my laptop. I brought it to work, then it went missing. That is the main reason for my lack of updates (yeah yeah, I know, I could have posted on my phone but let's be honest my fingers would have fallen off). It showed back up, so someone had to bring it back. That is a new mystery. Like I said though, that is the main reason, but there is more. We had to hire someone new to replace Jonathan. No, we have not found out who killed him nor have any of us figured out what happened to Bilgoth.

Let's just say Barrow wasn't wrong about high turnover rates.

But, considering my last update, I am sure you all want to know what happened in the aftermath of Em's attempt at capturing me. I still have to work with her, after all. Usually Em was talkative to anyone in her 'trusted' group (meaning anyone that knew how to keep a secret). But, ever since the day I visited her house and narrowly escaped, she was quiet. It seemed wise to ask her closest friend and shift leader, Barrow. Most of you guys said to stop trusting anyone that wasn't human, but that is kinda tough considering John has nothing to say. I did try, by the way.

Kitchen folk tend to stay back there, keeping to themselves. I had to infiltrate to attempt a conversation. "Hey John."

"Hey." He barely glanced up.

"We haven't talked much. Considering we are the only two humans, maybe we should get to know one another."

"Yeah, maybe."

Well it didn't seem like he was going to put any effort in. "Do you do anything outside of work?"

My goal was to start some kind of friendship, if only a weak one, before prying. It wasn't going well. "Not anymore, not really."

"Anymore?" That was a stupid question.

John lifted his head, stared at me, and did not grace me with a response. All bonding attempts would have been useless, I saw to that it seemed, so I cut to the chase. "Has Em ever tried to turn anyone into an animal around here?"

That got his attention, but he seemed annoyed more than shocked. "Dammit. No, she is not supposed to do that."

Well that's great, but it didn't help me. "So that is a thing she does sometimes?"

"Not her, not usually. Go ask Barrow." John waved me off. "Just talk to him. I'm not in the mood."

If Em was prone to turning people into animals, then that should be in the rules! I went back to the bar (it was a slow day, like most). Barrow was there, but Em was too. It was an awkward, quiet hour before Em announced she had to pee. When she asked Barrow to use the bathroom, she glanced at me and turned red. Pee cup. Why was I embarrassed? It was to save my life! But still, I couldn't help but redden myself. When she was gone, the perfect opportunity to bring the matter up with Barrow arrived. I opened my mouth.

"Where are the cup carriers?" Keith asked. The new hire was on his second day and honestly was doing a fine job, all things considered. I helped him, but Em was in the bathroom and time was limited so I hurried back to Barrow.

Thwarted again. The drive thru went off. Beep, beep, beep. I hate that sound. I hear it in my sleep, I hear it in the sound of my fan running at home. I hear it in the wind! Of all the things to haunt me at The Drowsy Spectre, that sound was the worst!

"Welcome to The Drowsy Spectre. Order whenever you're ready!" I forced a smile, keeping an eye on the bathroom door.

"Just one second." Of course they needed to look at the menu. They didn't even have eyes! I could see from our camera, but I am still not sure what they were. They looked just like a normal person, no eyes. Amber Bucker stood up from her little stand by the lake (there is a lake outside the back of the store, near the drive thru). They did not roll down their passenger window to speak with her, and she just stood there waiting.

Finally, they spoke. "Can I get a frozen..." Long pause. "Cappuccino. How sweet is that, by the way?"

Not only was a cappuccino impossible to make iced or frozen (like a frappe), it also didn't traditionally come with any sweetener at all. This was a semi-common issue, thanks to countless brands that sold 'cappuccino flavored' creamer, k-cups, and all other sorts of stupid things. For those that don't know, a cappuccino is espresso and a healthy amount of steamed milk that has more foam than milk.

But I am not the type to get upset that people don't know this. "Actually, the cappuccino can only come hot, and it normally doesn't have any sweetener. I can add some for you, if you want."

"They made it for me last time."

Okay, if that was true, then why the hell were they asking how sweet it was. "I am sorry, I don't know who you spoke to but we can't make that." Then I realized they may have meant frappuccino, not cappuccino. "Did you say frappuccino with an 'f,' or cappuccino with a 'c,' as in Charlie?"

"The other person didn't ask all these questions!" The camera darkened. "Frozen cappuccino!"

I turned to Barrow (one thing to note is that our drive thru does not have headphones, it is just a speaker). "What should I do here?"

"Just do a vanilla frappe and if they don't like it we can go from there."

I liked that idea, so we went with that. I relented, accepted the customers order (thank god there wasn't more to it) and had them pull up to the window. They could wait a moment to be cashed out, though, so I went to Barrow as he was making the drink.

"Did Em talk to you?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing." Barrow replied. "She has been really mellow for the last two days."

I decided to be honest. "She invited me to her house. Her father was there and they ganged up on me."

Barrow looked up, sighed, then lowered his head. "She tried to turn you into an animal, didn't she? Like Laura?"

"Exactly!"

"There is one thing you have to understand, Axel. Em's parents are not like her, they did not have a human to nurture them as they grew. They have no value in our morals or our lives. She was raised by humans and was only taken back when she was in her teens. Em is torn between worlds, but she cannot bring herself to return to her human family. How could she, knowing she is the fake (a changeling)? Em has a life she wants to live, but her parents will not let her."

"Well she could just leave. What control do they have over her?"

"If she leaves, no more magic. None. It is all given to her by them, her father and mother. They are lenient enough to let her work here, to have friends, but not to pursue human things. She brings them prey, they let her keep her borrowed gifts."

"She has no powers at all without them?"

"None. In fact, if she didn't listen, her giant potion might wear off. It isn't permanent, you know. She has to take it once a month. She takes care of them, the victims, as best she can. In her eyes, though, that doesn't come close to redemption."

"What do her parents gain from any of this?"

"I... don't know. Pain? Suffering? Some magical creatures gain strength from begging humans, the suffering of their souls. Sure, they get turned into animals, but their spirit remains human. I could not say for certain." The bathroom door opened. "But she could."

I wasn't ready for that at the time. Most of you would say to speak to her, to see her side of things (and I do) but there is something about having your life threatened. My body won't let me go to speak with her, privately or otherwise. Such a distrust has been rooted in my mind that I can't help but hold a grudge that I don't want. I will get there, though. I will grow to forgive her because I am determined to.

Look, I know customer service comes first, but we got so caught up in talking that the drink sat in the blender about thirty seconds past the point it was finished. That happened often when we were slow, which is bad I know but no one is going to die because their drink took a few extra seconds. No one except us, it would seem.

The drive thru window shattered. From where we stood by the blender, we could not see the window. It was around the corner, by the drive thru's register. The lights went out, as if drowned by a sharp cold that sucked the life from the café. Neither Barrow or I moved to check what had happened, but an image of the customer without eyes climbing through to berate us for tardy work entered my mind. I turned to Barrow, hoping he would have something to say. I thought he had been standing right next to me.

He wasn't.

When I say it was dark, I mean black. All light was torn away, everything but me. Then I was gifted moonlight, which poured from around the corner. From the window. I made the only decision I could, the only option given; I turned the corner to the window.

I saw the drive thru, the same car that had ordered the impossible frappe, and the forest beyond the car. Nothing outside had changed. But the customer, she wasn't right. An eyeless face whispered to me, whispered things I could not understand. She gripped her steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles were tearing. I could see the meat underneath, the bone peaking through.

She released her grip and put forth her hands, facing me. Her eyes were in her hands. "Ye have accepted the impossible request, knowing it could not be done." Was she talking about the cappuccino frappe? "I name ye Fatewriter, for what ye shall do has been writen by another. A world is in your hands, o' Pillar King."

Pillar King? Fatewriter? "I have your drink." Was all I could think to say.

"Write and lose all things." She said as her car seeped into nothing. It unraveled at the seams, as if iron were just threads connected far too loosely. However, she remained floating, as if her seat still existed. The whispering continued even as she drifted into the dark of the woods, into the very same trees that Tall Ben and all other creatures that plague us live.

"Burn thy candle."

I leapt, spinning around with an open hand to strike whatever had whispered in my ear. There was only open air, however, and the lights were back. Of all the things I have dealt with at the Drowsy Spectre, nothing has raised my hairs. Not Tall Ben at my apartment, nor Rykar's visit during our team meeting. Pillar King... that caused my heart to skip a beat, my breath caught when I consdiered what it might be. I wasn't supposed to know, or that is how I felt; reality itself resisted any attempt my mind made.

"I'm running trash." Barrow announced from near the kitchen, giving me a thumbs up. I nodded, still hard at thought.

Where was Em? Was I actually back? I threw open the drive thru window, frozen frappe still in hand, and ingored the looming Tall Ben just outside.

"Looking for something? Come on out, I will help you find it." He offered.

"Shut up for a second."

"Wallet? Might be in the parking lot. Let me help!"

"QUIET!" I shouted at him, staring hard into the woods. I could still hear the whispering.

Running trash involved loading up the trash bags, putting them into a cart, then going down the drive thru to the dumpster. Since Tall Ben was a threat, as was everything else out there, any trash runner had to wear protection. It was a necklace, one very similar to what Rykar wore. Same shape, only right-side up. Tall Ben didn't bother you if you wore that but, according to Selene, it didn't last long enough to be trustworthy outside of a chore or two.

Barrow was on his way back and Keith was on the other side of the store, grabbing cup carriers still. I don't know exactly how long the necklace lasts, but it did not seem wise to leave Barrow outside. You see, it locks from the inside and that means someone would have to open it for anyone running trash. Seeing as Tall Ben was right around the corner, I didn't want to risk anything. I hurried to the back door and passed Keith along the way.

He'd finally found the carriers. "Can you watch the front?" Keith nodded. I opened the door for Barrow. "Tall Ben is at the window."

"Oh. That's lovely."

Then came the scream. Just the sound alone, unaltered, was enough to make me physically jump. But the sound of it fading, like an ambulance speeding away, was terrifying. We rushed to the front but it was far too late, neither of us could have possibly been fast enough. I swear I closed the drive thru window. No, I KNOW I did. But it was open and one shoe lay near the window sill. It belonged to Keith.

Maybe I did leave it open, maybe my brain has convinced me that I closed it so I don't have to consider the fact that I am at least partially responsible for getting someone killed. I so hope he is dead, too. I do not dare wonder what sort of other fates something like Tall Ben, or the other denizens of the forest, might have in store for a captive.

"We can't go after him." Barrow told me, a hand on my shoulder. "Like I said, high turnover rate."

I didn't tell Barrow that I had the window open, that I was talking to Tall Ben. I'm a bad person, I know it. Telling someone, though, felt as if I was solidifying my guilt. That shouldn't matter, though! "Not even with the necklace?"

Barrow shook his head. "He is long gone. All we can do is hope that he's already been killed, and killed quickly. It is dark, I know, but try not to feel too much about it. That is dark, but this isn't the first death you will see at The Drowsy Spectre. Selene!" He called towards the office. "Try not to dwell on it."

Try not to dwell on the fact that a coworker was just snatched from us? I seriously don't understand how he was able to write off what happened, as if it was nothing!

But that is pretty much it. I've been here, at home, trying to reconcile with the fact that Keith died. I've been trying to convince myself that I did close the window. I've been up all day, and yesterday. But I know that even if I did I could have made sure he knew Tall Ben was there. I could have done something. Maybe Barrow is right, though. Maybe I should try to feel less, perhaps I need to disconnect my feelings from work. That doesn't feel right, though.

That doesn't feel human.

Usually I have a little tidbit at the end, maybe a lesson I learned during whatever hell the café put me through, but I don't this time. Except, maybe bad things just happen. Maybe they aren't worth dwelling on. I don't know, that sounds bad because that means not dwelling on Keith and who he was. What do we even tell his family?

Is it wrong that the creature without eyes is heavier on my mind? I think that is what weighs so much guilt upon me. Her words, all that she said; it keeps me up. I can still hear the whispering. Keith's death doesn't whisper. It doesn't steal my dreams, nor does it make me stare at the doorframe of my bedroom. Did I break a rule?

I can still hear the whispers, just outside my room.

--------------------------------------

Edit; some stuff happened with Laura that was originally here in this post, but I wanted to edit it out and save that for a bigger update.