Ethereah

Chapter One

"I need an Adam'n'Eve on a raft, two chicks on a raft – wreck 'em! – and a cup of moo juice! Stat!"

Meredith Royale leaned against the smooth, marbled-green countertop, shoving the thick notepad she'd read the order from into the pocket of her ketchup-smeared apron. With barely a moment to catch her breath, Meredith looked around the packed diner – Grandma Rosie's, the best in Brooklyn! – before trying to make eye contact with the cook through the kitchen window.

"Did you get that, Tony?" Meredith called, tucking back a strand of dark hair that was too short to fit into her ponytail.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," he grumbled, slapping his spatula on the cook top with extra vigor. "Gimme a minute, will ya?"

Meredith rolled her eyes and said, "Fine." Biting her lip, she cast another quick look around the dining room and decided to use her 'minute' to take a bathroom break. She waded through the crowded tables, packed with firemen having just gotten off the night shift, cops in for the morning newspaper and a cup of mud (that would be coffee, in diner language), and a fair sprinkling of other regulars that liked the cozy, homey feel of Grandma Rosie's. The dining room always smelled like freshly changed cooking oil, grilled onions for burgers that dripped with grease and cheese, beef stew for those colder days, and, on occasion, fish, for when a random yuppie found their way in and ordered the salmon.

Meredith stepped through the swinging door to the restroom that was overdone in rosy pink and red tones. When she finished washing her hands, she reached up to readjust her ponytail, tugging the elastic out of her hair and allowing waves of auburn to fall over her shoulders. Her left shoulder gave a quick, painful spasm and she rolled it to try and work the muscle.

"Ah," Meredith murmured to her reflection, wincing.

Somehow, she had fallen out of bed the night before. She woke up mid-dream all twisted in blankets, half-sprawled on the rough carpet. Meredith shook her head, trying to rid herself of the eerie, anxious feeling crawling all over her skin. She splashed some water on her lightly freckled face and tried to wipe the fatigue from her hazel eyes. With more ginger movements, she pulled her hair back. And, with a quick tug to tighten the elastic into place, she went back out to brave the maelstrom that was the dining room.

"Honestly, Mer, how the heck do you handle him?" Tina said as soon as she reached the counter. Tina snapped her lime green gum between her front teeth, and scoffed as Tony grumbled around the kitchen, slamming plates and food.

Meredith shrugged. "He's not so bad," she replied. A wry smile curved its way onto her lips as she glanced back through the kitchen window. The fat, balding, and generally displeased man plated an order like it had personally offended his ancestors. Tony slid two plates across the window sill and rang the silver bell before heading back to the grill. "Order up!" he snapped. He further muttered under his breath as he dipped some challah bread in egg.

"Thanks!" Meredith snorted and grabbed the two plates, passing Tina again as she was on her way out to the floor. The two shared a conspiratorial eye roll.

"I gave 'em their coffee already, but they're gonna need some refills," Tina said, slightly out of breath as she balanced three plates on her left arm and a large tray laden with dishes with her right. "When are we getting our bus boys back?!"

"When management gets their heads out of their asses."

"Ugh, so never!"

Meredith brought her order to a table where an elderly couple sat – named Adam and Eve, devout regulars – and immediately returned behind the counter for the coffee pot.

"So, what're you doing later?" Tina asked, counting her wad of tips while leaning against the back counter, lime gum snapping away. "Wanna go to the mall or something?"