When Darkness Dawns

The Pieces to My Heart

I slip out of the house without so much as a word from my family, knowing that if I'm to be on time, I have to leave now.

Smiling, I head to my car, sunglasses down and my long blonde hair pulled back in a high, slightly-messy ponytail--though just messy enough to look like cute, like it's purposefully styled that way. I'm wearing a pair of light washed, blue skinny jeans, a slightly tight, white shirt, my favorite black leather jacket, and black flats. I know I can only get away with this type of outfit if my father or stepmother don't see me, so that's another reason why I wanted to slip out of the house undetected.

I open the door and sit myself inside of my car, sighing as I feel in place behind the wheel. Then, I start the car and drive to my favorite diner, so close to my most favorite place in the entire world: the Sunnyvale Library. Sure, it's not big, but it's homey and smells like cinnamon and happiness. Plus, it's where I first met Wil, and, in fact, where I'm meeting him soon--after I get my hot chocolate, of course. Priorities.

I find myself pulling up to the little diner in no time, and once I park, I waste no time in taking off my sunglasses, hopping out, and heading inside. I'm immediately greeted by happiness, or, more precisely, a man in his mid-fourties with a receding hairline, a bit of a beer belly, some forehead wrinkles from an abundance of stress, and the biggest, most welcoming smile I've ever seen.

"Hey, darlin'! I feel like I haven't seen you in ages! How ya been, sweetheart?" Uncle, the owner of the diner--Uncle's--greets me enthusiastically. My grin grows immediately, despite all that's happened in the last day and a half.

Despite Wil and Sylvia being the only people that I considered myself closest to, as Wil is my best friend and Sylvia's just Sylvia, Uncle is definitely one of my favorite personalities. Though, sadly, I rarely get the chance to see him.

"Oh, you know, the usual. Busy," I reply, keeping it as vague as possible.

He lets out a breathy chuckle, his smile lines more clearly visible. "I hear ya there. So, will it be the usual?"

I give him a cheeky smile, "Don't you know it!" He returns the smile, then turns to leave to the back to grab and prepare my order, a chocolate chip cookie and hot chocolate to go. What can I say? I have a bit of a sweet tooth.

Suddenly, I hear a slew of words coming from the back, unintelligible due to the wall separating us. The words sound like they're getting closer with each passing second, though, and soon I'm able to make out two voices that are very unfamiliar to me. My brows knit together, but I come to the conclusion that Uncle must have new employees. One voice is deeper than the other, and I can hear a slight accent to it.

"Who would want this much chocolate so early in the morning? It's 9 am. Don't tell me Luke is here; he's supposed to be on an assignment," one of them comments. My face twists in confusion, my thoughts racing at the name: Luke. Obviously we can't be thinking about the same Luke, but I find that even the thought of his name still gives me butterflies.

But then a scowl slips onto my face, as I know they're talking about me, though they've never even met--let alone seen--me before. It kind of gets on my nerves, though still, in spite of that and myself, I let the scowl fade. I don't want to react poorly. Judgements are always bound to made. Best anyone can ever do about them is let them roll of their shoulders and hold their heads higher. I hold mine higher.

And then the owners of these voices step out around the corner, and I almost drop my head, as well as my jaw. Shit. Not again.

There are 11 of them?! Why God? Just why?

Their eyes are fixed on each other, so they don't even notice me standing there until they're directly before me. My cookie and my hot chocolate are abruptly falling to the floor, crashing to the ground in slow motion. Without even realizing it, a frown slips onto my face as I stare upon the scene. My gaze is no longer on the two beautiful men; it's on the absolutely devastating mess before me. That was mine, and I really, really wanted that cookie...