The Miracle Place

3.

 COMPARED TO THE streets of the city, the small cafe seemed to be on a loop. Jane was not working that day, however, she enjoyed observing the customers and watching to see if any one of them had changed their order. She learned that people did not like change. Everything was the same, right down to the tone of their voice. As boring as it sounded to sit there and watch people live out their lives all day long, Jane was enjoying herself. Molly had given her ten dollars for helping out, and she planned to go down to the convenience store later.

Just as promised, William walked through the door at exactly twelve o'clock and ordered the same thing. Only this time, he'd switched his wardrobe completely. He wore a white t-shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and brown boots. He still wore his black sunglasses from the previous afternoon. Instead of walking out with his coffee, he scanned the room for a seat.

Jane had busied herself with her sketch, and nearly knocked her glass of water over when she heard him cough. "Can I sit, kid? All the seats are taken."

Usually, Jane would get up and offer the table. However, she was feeling more sociable, and he wasn't a complete stranger. Molly seemed to trust him, so he couldn't have been a bad guy. She smiled politely and nodded, going back to her sketch. "Thanks." He sat down and pulled out his phone. "Jane, right?"

Jane froze, then nodded. "Nice to meet you. I'm Billy." Jane looked up, pinching her brows. "Oh- Billy. It's short for William. It doesn't make sense at all, but it suits me better."

She didn't really see a point in knowing his name. After all, he wasn't her friend, and she wouldn't ever have to say his name. There was a chance she wouldn't ever see him again, too. That is, if she decided to spend her days elsewhere. However, Billy was an interesting character. He stuck out from everyone else, and Jane wanted to know how he did it. From watching people every day, Jane had learned to fill in the blanks and create backstories for everyone. It was easy most of the time, but Billy was anything but an open book.

Her idea of being stuck on a loop and walking through the simulation of life that seemed to only apply to the people around her was shattered when Billy showed up. He was like her - a player, an outsider. A watcher. He didn't seem at all affected by the default characters who went about their day, ordering the same coffee, and sticking to a new script that always sounded like it was either written by a forty-year-old or a toddler.

"That's really good." Billy was pointing at her sketch. He was looking at her, through her, and into her mind. Did he know? Did he see them, too? "Kinda spooky, though. You like horror, huh?"

Jane had heard the term before when she first met Molly. "These streets are a horror movie. Monsters at every corner. Ghosts, ghouls , demons - you name it, it's out there."

Monsters. Monsters. Like Jane.

Jane nodded. This was when not talking was difficult. She wanted to yell out, This is my horror movie! These are my demons! Look at what they made me! I am the monster! And really, there wasn't anything stopping her. She had a tongue, unlike Maggie, who wasn't so lucky. Jane hadn't broken any rules at The Miracle Place. That was the one thing she took pride in.

"Not much of a talker, huh?" Billy said with a tight lipped smile. "Yeah, I was like you, once." How did you get here? She wanted to ask. But she didn't need to. For the first time, she was heard. "I went to college. I had a great professor, a really nice guy. He got me to open up more. Best man I've ever known. And Molly is a wonderful person to talk to as well."

Jane nodded at this.

"Do you draw a lot?" he asked, taking a sip of his coffee. Jane nodded again. Every day. "I wish I was that talented. That would've come in handy when I was younger. You're lucky."

Yeah, right. But Jane just nodded slowly, and got back to shading.

Billy had finished his coffee within about five minutes of silence. "Well, I've gotta get back to work, but it was nice talking to you, kid," he said as he stood. Jane smiled and waved. "Looks great! See you, Molly!"

"Be safe, William!"

It was around nine o'clock when Jane decided to venture to the convenience store. Usually, she didn't like walking around this late, but she ended up staying to help Molly clean up after closing. She'd seen people getting mugged too many times to count and it was a situation she didn't want to end up in. Mainly because she didn't know how to get out of it without burning something or someone. Jane hadn't set a fire in 366 days. She didn't want to ever again. Thankfully, she had been trained to control it, even if she was hooked up to machines throughout the process.

New York at night was surprisingly just as busy as it was during the day. Just as loud, just as many cars, just as many thieves, just as many druggies roaming the streets. Actually, more druggies. The lights were pretty, though. That was nice. Only issue was she couldn't see the stars. Jane had never seen stars in person, only pictures in books. To her, they were just as mythical and unicorns and dragons. She could see the moon, though. Jane liked the moon.

The convenience store was located closer to the calmer streets where it was surrounded by small homes. It was a bit of a walk and she ended up at the store at around ten o'clock. The bell rang as she entered, alerting the cashier. "Good evening!" He beamed.

Jane smiled at the man and gave a small wave before weaving in and out of the aisles. Molly had tried to explain money to Jane before, and she somewhat understood. "A bag of chips, a candy, and a drink should keep you under ten dollars," Molly told her. So Jane grabbed a bag of chips, a candy, and a soda she'd seen some other kids drinking, and approached the counter.

The man smiled at her as she placed the items on the counter. She chewed on her lip as he rang her up. "$7.98 is your total, kid."

Jane panicked silently, not sure how to count to $7.98. So she gave him all the money she carried with her, and he gave her back a similar paper bill and a handful of coins. She hesitated before Scooping the money into her hand and shoving it in the pocket of her jeans. She grabbed the bag with her items and smiled at the man. "Be safe out there, kid," he told her.

The traffic wasn't terrible walking back. Her plan was to get back to her usual sleeping spot behind Beans & Barley, but it was cut short when she was cornered by a man dressed in black. She backed into the brick wall, and if anyone saw what was happening, they didn't seem to care.

"What's in the bag?" He demanded. But Jane didn't respond. Not even to save her life. "Give me that!" He tried to snatch the bag from her, but she held a firm grip on it. He struggled for a moment before reaching back and pulling out a shiny blade. He swung at her, but she locked her hand around his wrist. She didn't mean to. She honestly didn't mean to. But his jacket caught fire, and he backed away, wailing.