Underground

2

Her outfit on the side
Play the song before reading.

•••••••••••••••

"Justine? Child, wake up."
I groaned and cuddled deeper into my sheets. Before covering my head, I peeked at the alarm clock on my nightstand that read 10a.m. Jumping up, I ran into my bathroom. "Mrs. Peters! I'm late! Why didn't you wake me?!" I shouted. I let the shower run as I poked my head out the door to glare at the elderly woman. She kept her long grey hair in a long braid down her back and dressed in simple long gowns. Mrs. Peters was the owner of the motel and allowed me to stay in one of the rooms for a cheap monthly fee. In a way, she was like a Grandmother to me.

"If you had remembered to set your alarm then we wouldn't have this problem, would we?" She scolded pulling my uniform out of my drawer and walking over to the ironing board. She paused and picked up something off of my bed. "This is pretty. Who gave it to you?"
I walked over to her and got a good look at what she was holding. It was a choker with a charm hanging from it. A dragon wrapped around a bell. Then last night rushed back to me. Joel...he must have left it. I smiled and took it out of her hand. "It was a thank you gift," I told her.

"Hm. That was nice of them," she commented, taking out the ironing board. Them? "Go shower. Steven may be nice but he doesn't tolerate lateness."

•••

Today at the café, Steven was receiving important guests and asked me to, for the first few hours, play on the grand piano "elegant" pieces. He even bought me an outfit to play in, a pretty black dress that flared out a bit. The main accessory I wore was the dragon choker Joel left behind. I played the "Moonlight Sonata" by Beethoven when the guests started pouring in. I overheard Steven explain that I was one of his waitresses when a woman asked who I was. I tuned out the small comments and murmurs while I played. Growing up, my mother forced me to learn the piano and in the end it became my greatest solace.

"She plays beautifully, Steven," I heard one woman say and couldn't help but turn around to look. The woman looked very important, like an aristocrat. Her dress clung to curves and her every movement was so seductive. Her dark hair was pulled back into a bun and the only jewelry she wore, besides her rings, was a simple headpiece that looked like a crown.

Her eyes swung my way and I messed up on a few notes but quickly recovered. Her eyes...they are the same as Joel's. The woman looked much too young to be his mother. Perhaps a sister? Or cousin? I shook my head which caused the bell around my neck to chime a bit and I focused on the piece I was playing. When I finished the first half of the song, the guests applauded and I blushed. Not even when I played for my college audition did they clap or even comment.

Dinner was served and all the while I played I felt that woman's stare. It bore into me from the side of my face and I suddenly regretted my staring. What if she makes a complaint to Steven?
"You are doing well," I heard Steven's voice from next to me. "When you finish this song hand the piano to Charles. There is someone who wants a word with you."

That woman I bet. I nodded slowly and felt his presence move from me. I prayed to God I didn't offend her or cause trouble for Steven. As I finished the piece, those who weren't caught up in conversation or their food, stood up and gave me a standing ovation. I stood up from my stool and bowed. "Ladies and gentlemen, I now give you Charles Hall," I announced moving away from the piano as Charles took the stage. Charles was a waiter here but I recognized him as one of my classmates from when I was in college. He winked at me in passing and started playing another Beethoven song in an attempt to out play me. Cheeky bastard.