Wendy's Mirror

Chapter One

THE BALMY RAYS of the afternoon sun gleamed on my skin, slowly building a soporific feeling within me. Yet, in as much as that was meant to be calming enough for anyone, I just had one little problem.

"Excuse me," the lady behind me said.

I hurriedly stepped away from the front door of the cafe, holding the strap of my black tote bag, "Oh, I'm sorry."

As the lady opened the door and walked into the cafe, the bell which was attached to the door jingled softly.

"Are you coming in?" She turned to me, still holding the door open.

"Yes, but not now," I replied from outside the cafe, "Thank you."

She stared at me for a long second and shut the door, leaving me all alone as I returned to my stance in front of the cafe door.

Occasionally, cars sped past the road before the cafe building and the roaring sound of their engines reminded me that I was taking an awfully long time to make a move. A few people walked by on the sidewalk in pairs and lone numbers, staring at me with weird looks on their faces. To be fair, it was weird for someone to stand in front of a cafe door without doing anything.

I tightened my grip on my black tote bag. I should have come early.

The bell jinged softly as the cafe door opened again and a middle-aged man was just about stepping out of the cafe with a take-out bag when he noticed me.

"Are you coming in?" He asked in a Scottish accent, holding the door open for me.

Well, I didn't want to but I couldn't stand out here forever, could I?

Softly exhaling, I nodded, "Yes, I am. Thank you."

I walked into the cafe while the polite man closed the door behind him as he walked out. Just as I had expected, the cafe was brimming with a decent amount of customers. I could audibly hear the discussions of some of the people seated, since it seemed like they were never taught how to speak quietly.

I hated days like this. It was Monday, I was so stressed from attending lectures and now to top it off, there were over twenty people seated in the cafe.

As I walked further down the aisle that led to the counter, I turned to stare at my right and jammed gazes with one of the customers who was seated with a cup of coffee before him. I slid my gaze over to the left and realised that the lady who opened the door for me earlier was also staring at me— just like everyone else in the cafe. I quickly averted my gaze and stared at the tiled floor as I hurried towards the counter.

I hated days like this.

"Hey, Clara," I said to the only attendant behind the counter who was working the cash register by the left.

She was a cute blonde whose eyes shone auburn; a boy magnet.

"Hello, welcome to..."

Clara paused in her speech as she shifted her gaze from the cash register and saw me. Her formal smile immediately dissolved into a frown.

"Why are you so late?" She leaned in and spoke in a hushed tone, "You made me lie to the manager!"

"I couldn't decide on what to wear," I randomly said.