Dread and Fear

-1-

23rd July, 2012

Orion knew three things for certain as he sat down in the chair in the furthest corner of the room. It was Monday afternoon, yet somehow the café was inexplicably packed with people. It was sunny out, but Orion would've thought that these people would be at work. But of course not, because In England, at the first sight of sunshine, everything with a pulse found its way outside. It was the yearly exodus that drew thousands to the grimy beaches the island had to offer.

Every chair that was even a metre away from the sunlit entrance was occupied, and even all the scanty stools outside were all taken. This left the shadowy corners of the place considerably empty. Good, Orion thought to himself. He hated summertime mania. The sweltering heat and constant squinting in the face of the sun was more than he could bear. It was distracting, but not enough to tear him mind away from his three ruminations.

Number One: He regretted agreeing to this meeting, but given the circumstances, he was the only man left for the job.

It was an awful location for a supposedly discreet meeting. Even at a whisper, you risked being overheard by your immediate neighbours. There were no walls or dividers within the café, favouring an open floor plan in which everyone was clearly visible. Even the chairs were placed so that no matter where you were sat, you found yourself looking at everybody else. There was no hiding away in a forgotten corner. Even while sitting away from the rest of the throng of people, his isolation made him stick out like a mountain in the stretching plains.

Orion desperately wished he had demanded the location for the meeting sooner. He had expected a bustling city street, or a dutifully neglected train station; he had not expected a cafe in broad daylight. Though the cafe itself seemed too ordinary to be ordinary. The sign up front was immaculately clean and gleaming, compared to its tired and dated neighbours. Orion had walked this exact street countless times, but had never noticed its presence. He had not even seen any construction workers, or scaffolding, or even a traffic alert for the new paving that had suddenly been placed. Now, Orion was becoming increasingly agitated. It was completely unprofessional, and he had been forced to work in these conditions. If it was all up to him, he would still be sitting in his own office, with the air conditioning cranked up on high.

Number Two: He would probably be fired immediately after this meeting.

There was almost no doubt about it. He had been stuck in his office for months now, frequently overlooked by his colleagues. Truthfully, he had been expected to be let go weeks ago but, miraculously, he had been allowed to stay. Mulling this over, Orion found himself fidgeting with the flimsy stick he had been using to stir his cup of coffee. He wasn't going to drink it; He had taken one sip and almost heaved it back up with the amount of sugar his mouth was greeted with. A joke, he told himself, some stupid practical joke. He unbuttoned the top button of his shirt under his jumper and crossed his arms. Orion supposed he deserved it. He had broken his oath of loyalty, foolishly. He would be doing the scrap work for years, from the way it looked.

Number Three: as much as he hated to admit it, he was incredibly nervous.

The insipid sound of the bell rang through the cafe as a tall, slender woman entered. Her face was decidedly sharp, framed by dense black curls like twisting raven's feathers. They seemed to shine purple against the white of her framing dress, which Orion had trouble tearing his eyes from. The woman greeted someone by the door warmly, shaking a hand, before turning back to the cafe, which seemed incredibly small all of a sudden. He tugged at his collar, mindless. Purpose was evident from the way her eyes scanned the room, finally landing on him. There was familiarity in the gaze and Orion's stomach lurched. The heat was not helping, it only made him feel as though his nerves were being fried in oil until they were nothing but small and brittle crumbs.