The Ashes 3.2

The light was blinding when we got back outside, and I had noticed the breeze had picked up. “Scary as hell, that one.” I said, rubbing my arms.

“Eh, she warms up as you get to know her.” Mersh replied, starting the walk back to the house. I stood watching him for a second before I started following him, jogging a little to catch up.

“What’s her deal?” I asked, hoping to learn a little more. She was one of the only familiar faces in this town, I wanted to know more about her without Mersh getting on my case about it.

“She lived with her Mom, Dad, and her Grandparents. She was closer than anyone else to her Grandmother, and they spent all the time in the world together. She loved her parents and her Grandfather also, of course, but her Grandmother always seemed to be the best in her eyes. They would always spend time together and Audrey confided in her. Well, one year her whole family disappeared while she was at school, her house was left in ashes. She saved a lot from a bomb shelter that they had passed down for generations that apparently the law never knew about. Of course, this was five years ago, and records on people have improved greatly since then. It’s amazing that Audrey survived. But I think somedays she wishes that she died with her family.”

Mersh’s eyes were sad, his shoulders slumped from the heaviness of knowing and telling the story. I knew in this moment he was thinking about Aysia, what he would do if Aysia had to live through the same thing he had. I looked down, because I didn’t realize what kind of effect my job had on the friends of the families. But it was still the law, if someone murdered Aysia, he would want justice! That’s all we were doing, delivering justice. Audrey’s family must’ve been hiding illegal books, or some other crime. I still didn’t know if I would be able to look at her the same after hearing her story. I didn’t want to treat her differently because I knew.

My mind took me back to the day we first met, the way she acted when I said I was here a business and the fire that took place, it all made sense. It was a sensitive subject for her. I wonder if she couldn’t stand fire anymore, what if she fears it? I mean, most people fear it, but I don’t I crave it. I was itching to set another fire, to serve more justice. I knew I would have to be more careful now that some people knew me, especially because Mersh was living at my house, but I would find a way to do it. I’d be in a lot of shit if they found out about me, I’d probably get lynched or something. No knowing what people would do in a small town. Sacrifice me to a God?

I doubt it would be that extreme, but what if they started exposing me to the world? Maybe it would scare them into giving up those stupid books their hiding. What’s so special about these books anyway? What purpose do they give people? Why are they something something would even consider dying for? I just didn’t understand it. It didn’t seem like it was that significant to me, it’s just a bunch of fake stories, just a bunch of words, a bunch of paper.

We stayed pretty silent the rest of the way home, letting the other keep to their thoughts. Mersh raced to Aysia when we got home, picking her up and spinning her when he saw her. She giggled and laughed, and it made me smile-just a little bit-looking onto them. I went to the kitchen, grabbing a root beer and then going back to my room. I needed to check my laptop for emails such as updates from Jae. I took my shoes off, placing them by the edge of my door, and walked to my desk. The laptop glowed yellow when I opened it, the background brightness turned all the way up. I quickly turned it down, and my eyes relaxed a little bit. I pulled up my email, with five new emails. One was from Jae, the rest junk mail. I quickly deleted those and opened up Jae’s email. It read:

Mason

I need report by Monday. Report back every Monday. Have good time in Texas, work hard. I tell you if you have to burn house.

Jae

I rolled my eyes at his English, still needed work. I closed my laptop, sighing. I would start the report in an hour or so, I was just so tired for some reason. I walked over to my bed, plopping down on top of the covers. I was just gonna close my eyes for a second…

---

I gasped, clutching around me for a weapon to hit whoever was shaking me. “Mason! It’s me! Come on, it’s 7:30, we need to get going!” Mersh yelled in my ear. I sat up quickly, almost smacking my head on his. I rubbed my eyes, I couldn’t believe I slept for seven hours. I quickly changed into a black T-shirt and black jeans, trying to dress as fast as possible so I could leave for work.

Usually I wore suits to work, not clothing I would wear everyday. I guess all of this is just one big learning experience. Mersh watches me as I head out the door. He had offered to come along but I told him I would be able to find my way. I had Joshua drive me to the bar, and I arrived just on time. I looked at myself in the car mirror one time before going inside. The music wasn’t super loud but it was more turned up than it was earlier, and it was playing more club music rather than a radio station. The bass was turned up, making the floor vibrate. The DJ kept messing with the sound volume and different EQs, and I realized he was doing a soundcheck.

I walked over to the counter where Audrey was wiping down the surface. WIthout looking up she sighed. I wondered why she hated me so much. Did I say something wrong? Did she know my secret? I sighed as well, it was too much energy to try and figure her out. I just wanted to know what her problem with me was. She looked at me, raising her eyebrow, “You gonna stand there and stare or learn how to bartend?”

“Oh, sorry,” I said, walking through the small door that separated the counter from the dance floor and the work floor. I slowly walked towards her as she gathered various drinks and set them on the counter.

“Okay, so I’m gonna show you what most people ask for.” She said, shaking some drinks and pouring them into a cup. She put a tiny umbrella in it and some shaved ice and powdered sugar in it. “Say hello to ‘Lucky’,” she laughed at the thought, and I wondered if there were some memories to go along with the drink. She quickly stopped when she remembered I was standing there. “You got it?” she asked.

“Yeah, thanks,” I said quickly. She nodded, trading spots with me. I watched her face carefully as she continued to wipe down counters, and she didn’t seem to notice.

“Obviously, the other drinks are one’s that are already mixed or just beer and whiskey, and so on,” she looked up to see me looking at her, and even though I knew I should take my eyes off her I couldn’t, and it almost seemed like for a second she couldn’t either. My stomach flipped and I could feel something that I couldn’t quite describe. I felt like I was going to throw up but I also felt perfectly alright in that instance. I looked down first, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable. I needed to regain my cool, needed to slow my heartbeat. I didn’t know what just happened between us but it was something I never felt before.

“Work starts now,” she muttered before leaving the counter to go to the front door and collect money from the groups that were starting to filter in. She smiled at them, took their money, pointed to the bathrooms and the bar, and motioned to the dance floor. The music was deafening now, the bass making the glasses shake. My first few costumers were men buying drinks for their girlfriends or someone they met, and then there were so many I couldn’t really keep track. The club filled fast for such a small town. I knew I shouldn’t but I couldn’t stop looking for Audrey, wondering if she had felt the same thing I had felt earlier.

But soon I had to focus on mixing a “Lucky” and pouring this guy’s vodka, and getting this girl and her friends a wine cooler, and so on. It was hard for one guy to do. I wonder if this used to be Audrey’s shift. I wonder where she was. Was she out on the floor dancing with someone? She was wearing a dress; maybe she planned on partying while I worked. I was only mad because I couldn’t watch her dance, or dance with her even. Why was I thinking about her so much? Even with the girlfriends I had in school, they were merely a distraction from all the shit going on at home. I had never really thought so much about them unless they were right by my side.

“Excuse me? Hello?” someone was yelling, snapping his fingers. God, some people and their nerve. I wanted to yell at him to stop ordering me around like I’m some servant that’s lesser than him, but I just smiled and asked him what he needed.

“A beer for this lovely lady right here,” he winked at the young girl next to him that looked like she was 18 or 19. She smiled, nervous yet excited at the same time. I wonder if this was her first time at a club. I grabbed a beer quickly, and slid it over to him. He put a five-dollar bill on the counter, and I quickly scooped it up. He opened the beer and gave it to the girl, and as they turned around he reached down and grabbed her butt. I almost felt sympathetic for her, but It’s her own choice to get drunk with that guy.

The hours went on, and it seemed to take forever before pretty much everyone went home. I was giving my last drink to a man on his way out, and Audrey walked up to me. Her eyes were dazed, her curly hair messy, and her dress seemed shorter. “Fun night?” I asked her. She looked at me and rolled her eyes, still smiling. She honestly looked younger than me, but not by much, maybe a year or two. Her eyes were a little glassy, and she came behind the counter.

“Give me a beer? Grab yourself one too. Sit down, you’ve been on your feet all night.” She giggled, pulling out a chair. “And no, I’m not drunk, just a little buzzed. I honestly don’t know why I’ve been so serious and rude to you every time I see you. I haven’t even given you a chance really, I’m just not used to new people in this town.” She looked at me, her eyes wondering. I bet she was wondering if I was annoyed by how much she was talking, or amused. I was definitely amused. She scooted her chair closer to mine, taking a drink of her beer. “How old are you, Mason?”

“Twenty-three. How old are you?” I laughed. I liked this side of her. I hoped she didn’t have to be buzzed to bring out this side, because I wasn’t gonna depend on her getting drunk to talk to me.

She smiled, raising her eyebrow, “I’m twenty one as of today,” she replied matter-of-factly, and it was my turn to raise my eyebrow.

“It’s your birthday today?” I asked, and she laughed some more, happy that I was amused and taken by surprised. She winked and nodded, looking at my lips then back into my eyes. I didn’t know what was about to happen, but her body language was giving off the impression that she wanted to kiss me. I suddenly felt very nervous.

“Wanna do something crazy?” She asked, looking at my lips again. I suddenly felt self-conscience, what did she think about my lips? My eyes? Was she looking at them because they looked weird? I chewed on the inside of my cheek, thinking. She lightly touched my cheek with her hand, “Don’t do that, you’ll hurt yourself.” She smiled and shook her head, her hand lingering. She slowly took it down, and sighed. “I should clean up and go home,” she looked at me one more time before setting her beer on the counter and hoping off the stool, walking away to clean the dance floor.

I wondered what she was talking about when she said ‘something crazy’; did she mean kiss? Or go somewhere? I took my mind off it, I was surprisingly wide awake as I cleaning the counter, throwing away empty beer cans and bottles that got left behind and washing shot glasses. My phone started buzzing, and I quickly pulled it out of my pocket to see Jae was calling. I slid open the lock screen and put the phone to my ear, wondering what he wanted at 3 am in the morning, but then I realized it would 5 am there, which was about the time he got to work.