Everything Fragile✔

Chapter One - We All Die Someday

   I know something that you don't.

   Infact, I know plenty of things that others don't. Like the fact that my ex-best friend, Willow Margaret, has never slept with a guy before despite popular belief. Or that the real reason football star Carter Locke is so girl crazy is because he's trying to suppress his same-sex attraction. In essence, I absorb information because, for someone like me, having it is power. Still, with all the knowledge I possess, it can't save me now.

   A lean man stands above me. His face is hidden beneath a black mask with horribly cut holes revealing his dull, unforgiving eyes and thin, chapped lips. There's blood on his hands that drips onto the floor next to my scuffed converses. I think he hurt himself at some point during the whole catastrophe of events. The sight of him makes my stomach churn with disgust. This whole thing does.

   Marina's Diner is a pristine establishment with chef's specially chosen from all over the world, eagered to unleash their talents to our A-list customers. The cheapest thing here is our imported water from a supplier in Iceland. Not to mention that the cutlery alone cost more than I'll ever make in a decade. So, it's bizarre that something like this has happened here.

   The bullet casings look so out of place on the waxed floor of the upper level VIP room. The owner's daughter, Valerie, who I was serving just moments ago, sits shuddering against the wall to my left. Her eyes are wide with fear and disbelief. And her friends…their bodies lie unmoving on the floor, faces hidden behind the toppled table and clothes covered in the chef's specialty meal. Blood slowly spreads around one of them, creating a small puddle.

   I want to throw up.

   The intruder pulls off his mask. I think he's stupid because now we know what he looks like. We'll just report him right after this. Then, I realize that none of us will be leaving this room tonight.

   I think of my dad at home. He's probably just come back from work by now. He's tired, picking away at the food I managed to throw together after school before rushing off to catch the bus for work. Maybe he's about to head off to bed. Not in his room though because that'll remind him too much of mom. He'll sleep on the couch, succumbing to an exhausting shift at work without a second thought about my safety. I can't help but wonder how he'll react once he wakes up to news about my death.

   I blink away the thought when the intruder kicks my foot as he walks by. He staggers a little, glancing back at me. His pupils are dilated and I can see the red of his eyes. He's high. I can take him down right now. I can tackle him to the ground and…and…and what? Valerie's friends tried to be heroes and now they're probably dead. I don't care how much that thought scares me because I know that I'm next. I have to be realistic. There's not much that I can do in this situation.

   Just when I think the intruder is about to move towards me, he turns away and kneels in front of Valerie. She's crying, mumbling words that I can't hear nor understand. She's speaking in Spanish I realize. The man smiles, a gruesome look that makes me squirm a bit.

   "It's nothing personal, princess. Just business."

   I watch, frozen as he positions the barrel of his gun under her chin. He pulls the trigger before I can even think to look away.

   Nothing happens.

   Her head is still intact, eyes wide. The man looks shocked himself. Really, disappointed. He pulls the trigger again and again as if unable to believe that he managed to run out of bullets so quickly.

   It's kind of second nature when I lunge at him.

   I feel like a bunny, propelling itself into the air. He doesn't even see me coming or maybe he does and he's too slow to react. Either way, I have the upper hand as I slam into him hard, sending us both falling to the ground. I hear the metal of his gun skid against the floor, out of reach.