Death's Kiss

Chapter One

Chapter 1
"Adira! Stop daydreaming and grab the mop!" my aunt Lorretta yelled from across the shop. My eyes blinked rapidly to dispel the cobwebs. I gave her an apologetic smile and nodded to appease her. Her mouth screwed up in a scowl as her eyes turned shrewd. I knew she was seconds away from reprimanding me further in front of the customers, so I quickly left for the back room to grab the mop. A toddler was overzealous with his apple juice at the corner table, he decided it was better to play with it rather than drink it. 
"I'm so sorry, it's a miracle at all to get him to drink anything at all lately." His mother apologized once I returned to their table with a mop. I smiled at her and winked at the little boy.
"It's no bother, my friend's kid is roughly his age, and you would think ketchup was his love language and his paint medium." I laughed as I mopped up the juice. He giggled up at me, his legs swinging from the chair, not realizing anything was amiss. 
"Are you a princess?" the little girl who looked around eight asked. She must be sister with their matching black hair and mischievous eyes. My eyes crinkled as the grin that popped up bloomed over my face. "Your hair is like a princess!" she insisted. My fingers came up and brushed the white locks to sit behind my shoulder and hang down to my butt. 
"Pah! Princess! What princess mops up after kids?" my aunt so lovingly butted in just off to the right of the table. This kids' mom gave an uncomfortable smile at that rude question, but my new favorite customer piped up,
"Cinderella...duh." Aunt Lorretta looked like she sucked a lemon for a moment, making the prominent wrinkles more pronounced. She quickly pasted on her customer service smile and laughed.
"Oh yes! Forgot about that one. How smart you are!" she turned to me; the hard gaze threatened to pulverize me where I stood. "Adira, why don't you go take inventory in the back?" It was phrased like a question, but I knew it was an order. Holding in a grimace, I nodded and left the small family.
I made it to the back supply room bracing myself for a verbal lashing. Surer than the sun rising every day, Aunt Lorretta came storming in. It was a real shame she always had a scowl on her face when it came to me. With her Hispanic background she would be considered beautiful, even at her advancing age. With how ugly her demeanor is though; it was no wonder she couldn't keep a guy past the first date. "I do not pay you to chit-chat with the customers! Stupid girl! How many times do I have to remind you. Do I need to tattoo it on my forehead so you can remember? Or would you have trouble reading it?"
"You don't pay me Aunt Lorretta." I replied evenly, knowing it would piss her off but couldn't seem to help myself. Her tan skin flushed a ruddy red, I could feel the tension in the small room filled with glasses and silverware. 
"I give you a room over your head! That is payment enough! Ungrateful child! I do not know how my late sister ever put up with you!" She always ended her verbal tirade with that low blow or something similar. I do not know how my sister made it as long as she did with someone like you to care for, or my sister probably killed herself to rid of you. That last one always lanced the deepest. Not that I thought my mom killed herself because of me, but I did wonder if I could've done more, been more to keep her around. I shook off the morbid thoughts and gave my aunt a placating smile. Just a few more months and I would be free of her.
"Sorry Aunt Lorretta, you're right. You have done so much for me. I have finished the projects you assigned this morning, and the food is prepped for the dinner rush. I have to go now though to my other job." I reminded her. I knew she wanted to keep me, work me until my fingers bled. I used to think she was so callous with me because she hurt after my mom died. However, I knew she was just a sour soul to the core and always will be. 
"Go, before I change my mind and make you peel the onions with Marcus." She spoke with a snarl. She didn't need to tell me twice, so I hightailed it out of there. I waved at the other workers without seeing them. I was already running late and needed to run if I wanted to make it on time. 
My feet slapped against the sidewalk outside, careful to mind the broken parts so I didn't faceplant. This side of the city wasn't in the greatest shape, but it was home. Seattle can be a beautiful city for those who have the money. Grey's Anatomy gave it a more picturesque rose-colored beauty than what it's really like here. It had grand architecture, colorful landscapes and was surrounded by water. There was a harshness to it though. The homeless population has grown over the last decade into an unfathomable amount. Crime was just as high, and a sadness permanently blanketed the areas that desperately needed fixing. 
"Slow your roll, Princess!" Hank, a kind homeless veteran shouted from across the street. He was sweet and looked after the younger crowd that found themselves down on their luck as well. I tried to sneak them food if I could from my aunt's bistro.
"Can't! Gonna be late!" I shouted over my shoulder. I wheezed slightly from the bite in the air, but my feet carried me all ten blocks to the clinic. A little embarrassed by how hard I was breathing, I took a small moment to compose myself before darting inside.
"Adira! I was beginning to worry!" Ferrah, the other clinic receptionist called out from behind the desk. "Did the dragon try to lock you away?" she asked with a sly smile. Her dark eyes shown at me from across the lobby. Ferrah was gorgeous and she knew it. With her dark skin, and long braids, she could easily be discovered by an agency.
"Almost, but I managed to escape with my life." I joked and used my badge to get behind the desk area. Wasting no time, I went to clock in the back area and went to my locker to change my clothes in the bathroom. My scrubs were dark blue hand-me-downs from another coworker so, they didn't have the greatest fit but, I made do. I checked myself out in the mirror to tie my long hair up in a ponytail, there were dark smudges under my light brown eyes, my skin a normal healthy tan, looked on the paler side. I was running myself ragged working two jobs, but only getting paid for one. "Three more months." I muttered. Three more months and I would have enough saved to go to college. I received a scholarship that paid for my classes, but it didn't pay for books, food, or board. I had one year to save up on the side before the scholarship expired. 
"Hey, did you have a good weekend?" a deeper voice asked from behind me. Fighting off the urge to squeak in surprise I whirled around and spotted the nurse practitioner Kellen. He stood by the breakroom door looking like a full-on snack with his broad shoulders, dark blonde hair and brown eyes. All American standing in front of making me want to sigh in a girlish way. I made sure not though, because he gets that reaction enough. 
"Hey Goldie! Mine was busy as usual, what about yours?" His mouth quirked at his nickname. He thought we dubbed him Goldie because of his hair, but it was his golden retriever energy.
"Could've been better. Becka and I broke up." He looked genuinely upset at that which made me want to go over there and hug him, but professional boundaries and all. I walked a little closer to speak with him, he backed up into the hallway to allow me to walk with him towards the front.
"I'm so sorry! I would offer the normal girl break-up package, but I don't think you'd want to watch tear jerkers with ice-cream and wine." I patted him on the arm. He sighed and shrugged with a slight frown.
"Yeah, I'll probably just hang with my brother or something. Can I ask you something a little weird though?" He stopped me from going to the front desk. I nodded for him to go ahead as he blew out a big breath. "Am I boring?" he asked tentatively.
"Is that why you broke up? She called you boring?" I asked, my eyes practically bugging. I wanted to smack her and would've if she were in front of me. He sighed again and ran a hand through his hair before nodding.
"With my long hours here, when I get home, I just want to kick back and veg out. She didn't like that we didn't go out weekly. You know how it is, we've been short staffed the last four months, so we've all been pulling overtime." I nodded in response. We are all exhausted here at the urgent care clinic. Long hours with parents who don't understand we're moving as fast as we can.
"You are not boring. She just doesn't get it. All the moms that come through here leave a puddle of drool behind them, and I swear we will get a kid in here twice a day that doesn't even need to be seen, the moms are just wanting to see you." His cheeks turned ever so slightly red making me want to laugh.
"So, you're pointing out I'm hot, but am I boring?" he asked again.
"You're comfortable...let me finish! Yes, some women want the stereotypical bad boy with a morally grey compass that will burn the world for her..." I trailed off imaging just that. That sounded nice, more than nice. Sounded like every book boyfriend I have fantasized about.
"Adira! Focus please." Kellen said with pursed lips. He didn't look amused. I huffed a laugh.
"Sorry! There are women though who want the comfy boyfriend, the man who feels like an oversized sweater on a fall day. You're that. To be honest, Becka was a tool. I say that because she was the type to try and fit you into a mold you didn't belong in. You'll find the right girl Goldie, I promise." He nodded in agreement and gave me a small smile.
"Thanks, maybe I should just stay single for a while." He said, resigned.
"Unless you want random panties left behind from thirsty moms, I wouldn't announce it." I joked making him laugh. I opened the door to leave myself behind the front desk and sat next to Ferrah.
"Oh my god, did you hear girl? Goldie is single. Uhg, I want to climb that man like a tree and show him a thing or two." She fanned herself. Without missing a beat, I grabbed the spray bottle for our desk plants and spritzed her.
"Cool down before you start to overheat heifer." I laughed as she cackled. "And don't announce that so loud. You'll summon the TM's." also known as thirsty moms. Ferrah slapped the counter as she laughed with her head thrown back.
"Oh god, those moms crack me up! We should get a fake wedding ring for him to keep him safe." she joked. I was going to reply but the automatic doors opened signaling it was time to work.
"Hi, how can I help you?" I asked the mom coming in with her young son. She huffed a little bit coming up to the counter.
"Yeah, my son is sick, I need him seen." Holding in a sigh, knowing this mom was one of the ones we dread.
"Okay, let me look him up in our system, has he been seen here before?" She nodded while staring at me. "What's his name?" I asked.
"Gael." Resisting the urge to bang my head on the desk, I kept my polite smile on my face.
"Last name and date of birth?" I clarified.
"Hernandez, March twentieth twenty fifteen." I looked him up in the system and saw we had some prebooks from yesterday because we had too long of a wait before closing.
"Okay, we can put you on the board, but not until twelve, so if you wanted to leave and come back, we can check you in closer to that time." It was roughly a two hour wait until then.
"Is that first available?" I could swear I heard Ferrah snort. I wanted to say, no I lied and purposefully am putting you in a later time to inconvenience you. Instead, I responded with a smile,
"Yes ma'am. That is the first available. Did you want-" she rolled her eyes and left. Ferrah was busy checking in a patient from last night but when she was done, she turned to me with a little smirk.
"How much you want to bet she'll turn up at twelve to check in when you didn't put her kiddo down before she walked out?" she asked rhetorically. I finished with the patient in question.
"That's why I am putting him down anyways. You and I both know she'll get here fully expecting that spot without confirming it but by that time I wouldn't be able to fit her in for another four hours at least. Then I will get screamed at." I surmised. She blew a raspberry at me.
"You're nicer than me, I would've made her wait." she confessed as she bit her lip. I snickered before answering the phone. It was another call ahead to try to get in line. I gave her the info needed before hanging up.
"I'm too nice, if I had a stronger backbone, maybe I wouldn't be as miserable at home like I am." I twisted my lips wryly.
"Or you would be out on your butt asking for spare change with Hank." she fired back. "Sometimes you got to lick a few boots in order to find your own feet." she reiterated her favorite saying. I shook my head at her.
"I may seem like a doormat when it comes to my aunt but, I'm just biding my time. The minute I can, I will flip her the bird and never turn back. She hasn't kicked me out yet because of the free labor but, in that regard, we are using each other." I explained. I needed a place to sleep, she needed free labor at her bistro. I may be in a constant state of exhaustion but, it will be worth it once I can get my degree in finance. Get a great paying job and then never have to see her or this sad city again.