Where My Demons Hide

Chapter 1

"Here's your ice coffee, sweetheart," I said, placing the cup in front of a little girl, who sat with her parents at a table in our diner. "Have a great day."

The little girl grinned at me and I smiled back. Turning around, I went back to the counter and waited behind it for my next order. While I waited, I looked around the cafe.

There weren't many people - like usual - in the small cafe, but I enjoyed that. It was peaceful and staring at the tables that were set up in rows, filling up the entire room, I ended up sighing lightly. My guardians deserved more customers, even if I preferred the current quiet environment.

Suddenly, someone bumped into me, causing me to fall forward a bit. I straightened myself out and went to apologize to whoever bumped into me, but then I saw Blake, my best friend, grinning at me. Shaking my head, I couldn't help but smile back due to his contagious grin.

    "Hey weirdo," he said, ruffling my hair. "Were you about to apologize to me for bumping into you?"

    "Psh, no," I said, rolling my eyes to hide my embarrassment. "I'm not that lame."

    Blake rolled his eyes. "You're too nice, Luna."

    I opened my mouth to disagree, but he poked my forehead, causing me to narrow my eyes at him. I wasn't actually mad at Blake. He was my best friend and we were incredibly close because his parents took me in after my dad got arrested. We lived together for five years and we had a tight bond.

    "Today's not busy, is it?" Blake asked, his eyes drifting around the cafe.

    "No," I said, knowing that even though he didn't show it, Blake probably worried about the cafe going out of business.

    Blake's parents, Chelsea and Peter Daniels, owned the cafe we worked at. It was their only source of income and it didn't earn an incredible amount of profit. Due to that, sometimes I feared we would end up poor and eventually be left to the live on the streets. The Daniels didn't deserve that, so I hoped that wouldn't happen.

    "You know, you could've went to university," Blake said. "My parents would've been fine paying for it and finding a new worker."

     "I know," I said. "But I didn't want to go to university."

    That was a lie. I wanted to go, but I felt like it was too much to ask for. University was pricey and with the business at the cafe dropping, I really wanted to help the Daniels out. After they'd been kind enough to let me live with them, I owed them the world. 

    "I'm happy here," I added, being honest this time. "I like this place."

    "I'm glad you do." Blake grinned. "I like having you here." 

    I smiled. Blake was a sweet guy. He always complimented me and made sure I knew he cared for me. I really enjoyed his company and everything, but sometimes, I would think that he wasn't the same as Haiden.

    "I'm going to deal with that customer," Blake said, walking off.

    I didn't respond because my mind was now on Haiden. He'd been my best friend five years ago and he'd been someone I really cared about. But all of the sudden, he disappeared from my life and now I was left to wonder about him every day. Even after all this time, I missed him.