Feferi was never a
pretty sight in the morning. Her long hair was a messy sight to look at and her
make-up was completely smeared all over her face. The day was still cool and
dark because of the daylight savings, but looking at the clock she noticed that
it was already 6:00. Her new job started in one hour so she needed to hurry.
She quickly got dressed into a long light green skirt that had a pink rim. It
flowed down to the ground, and as it got closer, it faded into a light sky
blue. She remembered buying it one day in a quaint little shop in Black
Diamond, Florida.
The day was hot as usual and
everyone was thirsting for something cold to drink. Feferi was on her way to a
job interview when she passed by a small clothing store and saw the skirt. Gasping,
she immediately went into the cool shop and bought it. There were no second
thoughts and when she saw something she wanted, she would go out and get it.
She raced out the door to get to her
work, running in her heels and skirt plus the summer heat, didn’t make it the
easiest distance of three blocks. ‘I am
lucky that this place isn’t far from home.’ she thought to herself. Just as
she reached the second block, she realized something; she didn’t know what she
was working as. She walked a bit slower, pacing herself, not wanting to look
all messy when she got there. She fixed her long hair a bit and straightened
her posture.
Looking on the piece of paper, she
quickly found the address. Before coming inside, she looked at the sign above
the shop. In big black letters, the sign read: The Local Mortician. “This
can’t be the right place.” she thought to herself, “Let’s see here 2,2,3,3,7,7,8,8,5,5.”. She read the number over and
over again. It all stayed the same when five minutes later; she opened the door
and walked in.
The shop smelled strongly of incents
and had a small hint of decay, though that wasn’t as strong. The flower-scented
incents masked the ghastly odor out very well though it made it hard for her to
take a breath. The desk that was in front of her was empty, and she couldn’t
sense that anyone was around. On the desk, there were well organized papers and
a silver bell that you would usually see at a local diner. Feferi tapped the
bell and it rang throughout the shop. Moments later, she heard footsteps coming
from down a narrow hallway; it was Aradia. Aradia smiled warmly at Feferi and
Feferi returned it to her.
“Hello there Feferi.”
Aradia greeted, looking at Feferi’s bright clothing in comparison to the dark
walls and furniture of the store. “Very colorful there I see.” She stated.
“I didn’t know what
to wear so I just picked this out. Should I wear all black next time?” she
asked Aradia.
“Yes please. Bright
things throw off the aura of the store.” She replied, “But today will be fine
since it is your first day here.”
“Thanks!” Feferi
said, happy that she got off the hook this one time.
Aradia led her over to the empty desk and told her what to do and how
to answer the phone with the right line and how to transfer a call etc. So she
would basically be a secretary for an Undertaker. This of course was not on her
list of, “Things to do before I die” list but she knew it would be fun.
The hot summer morning went by slowly, only five people came and twelve
called so nothing really interesting happened. Most of the stories sounded the
same; heart attack, suicide, and car accidents were the most common out of all
the calls and visits she got. Feferi was very, very, surprised that she didn’t
cry during any of this. She is usually very emotional and empathetic, yet
nothing even broke a clue that she was about to cry.
Soon enough, she was having her lunch break. Aradia had invited her to
go to a restaurant called The Big Banquet. Accepting the invitation from her
new boss, Feferi started to walk side-by-side next to Aradia. As they walked,
Aradia asked Feferi about how she likes her new life in New Jersey, and Feferi
replied back with joy and happiness.
“I love it here! Though there are some people that I will say are very
nasty, and I hope to not to run into them again.” She giggled a bit then smiled
warmly at her new boss/friend.
“I am glad that you are happy here.” Aradia said with little emotion
but had a smile none the less.
When they arrived at the restaurant, a waiter sat them down at a table.
They both took a look at the menus. Aradia quickly decided on what she was to
eat because she has been to The Big Banquet before. Feferi on the other hand,
seeing that she has never been there unlike Aradia, took longer to decide. She
decided to have a vegetarian salad. Soon a small waitress came to take their
orders. She had short black hair and by the looks of her makeup and clothing,
she favored the color olive green.
“Are you ready to order?” she asked. Her voice was sweet and it sounded
like she had a purr to it. Aradia smiled at the girl and spoke,
“Hello Nepeta, how are you today?” The two have been friends since
kindergarden so they knew eachother well. Aradia would come here often to see
her friend and it was decided that everytime she came, Nepeta would be her
server.
“I am doing just purrfect. How are you Aradia?” Nepeta said in reply.
“I am doing well. I decided to bring my new employee here to meet you
and to have a small deli sandwich and a side of mango slices.” She said with a
laugh. Aradia looked at Feferi then back at her childhood friend.
“Nepeta, this is Feferi Peixes. Feferi, this is my friend Nepeta
Leijon.” Feferi smiled and held out her hand.
“It is very nice to meet you!” she said excitedly. Nepeta shook
Feferi’s hand and smiled back at the girl.
“And you too!” she purred, “And for you?”
Feferi’s mind had scattered thoughts so it took her a couple seconds to
realize that she hadn’t ordered yet.
“Uh,” she spoke, looking at her menu, “I would like the Vegetarian
Salad with a side of peaches.”
Nepeta wrote down the order and then nodded her head. After that, she
bid the two a, ‘I’ll be back soon with your orders’ and left to the kitchen.
After Nepeta left, Aradia took a deep breath then took a sip of her diet coke. Feferi
didn’t know what to say; she had just met one of Aradia’s friends and now
everything seems calmer. She thought that it was a bit peaceful actually;
besides the mummers of the people having lunch around them, it was nice. Soon,
Nepeta was back with a tray of food. The olive skinned friend handed the two
their food.
“Hey Aradia, I’m on break so can I sit and eat with you two?” she said.
“Of course you can Nepeta.” Aradia said in reply. With that, Nepeta
left to grab some food and came back about two minutes later. She set her boxed
lunch on the table then pulled over a chair from another table. Opening the
box, Feferi smelled something…tuna. Nepeta had brought a tuna sandwich for her
lunch. She tried to breathe in through her mouth but the smell was still
lingering in her nose. Feferi took a deep breath and held it in when Nepeta
took a bite. Exhaling heavily, Feferi looked at her salad and took a bite;
eradicating the thought and smell of the tuna.
The three talked for a while about clothes and then went on to “Our
Favorites”. Aradia’s answers were a bit strange and Nepeta’s were cute.
Feferi’s were as follows:
Favorite color: Dark Pink
Favorite song: Dream Bubble Lullaby
Favorite number: N/A
Favorite singer/band: Amy Lee
ETC.
At least that was all they covered.
“Hey Aradia, I’m having a party this weekend, Friday. You want to
come?” Nepeta asked.
“Of course I will come.” Aradia replied. Nepeta looked at Feferi.
“What about you? Do you want to come?” Nepeta asked.
“I would love too! As long as it isn’t too much trouble!” she
exclaimed.
“Oh no! It won’t be a purroblem at all!” Nepeta gave her a big smile
and by then, her shift had ended. She left and gave us the bill. Feferi did not
like the fact that Aradia paid and insisted on paying her back. Though Aradia
replied with a, ‘No.’ Feferi still felt icky inside. She forgot it soon after
they arrived back at the apartments.
A few hours later, Aradia had stopped by Feferi’s apartment to give her
more details on the party. It was to be held this Friday at 5:00 to whenever
people wanted to leave. It was a casual party and there was no need to bring
refreshments.
Seeing that the party was tomorrow, Feferi was restless. She tossed and
turned on her couch and soon just decided to read a book and watch some T.V.
Soon she fell into a deep sleep and she dreamt of the party but didn’t expect
to see Eridan there waiting for her; making her jolt up from the dream. ‘What if he is there?’ she thought to
herself.
^~^**
