Bonds Throughout Time

Mavis

I smile politely and thank one of our regulars for coming in like he does every morning after having a night out and getting drunk off his ass. Someone behind me chuckles, I look back at my friend and stick my tongue out at her playfully. "Next one is yours." I move behind the counter just as the next customer opens the door to our little cafe.

"May, she's yours." My friend says, her tone instantly changing from playful bantering to serious.

"Come on Emily, I just literally"

"No, May. She's yours." I turn around to face her, paying more attention to the tone of her voice now that it's gotten more of an impatient edge to it that she doesn't normally have, the only time that she gets like this is when it has something to do with our true duties.

I turn around the corner to face where Emily is watching and notice our least favorite police officer in town is using his favorite card, trick the new people in town into thinking that he's one of the good guys and leading poor single women into the back corner where they can be left alone. When the girl sits down I fight the urge to gasp in shock and run over to take her away from him. This is the girl that we've been waiting for, and I know her!

Without wasting another moment I grab some empty cups from the counter and stuff my pockets with fake sugar and cream while my other associates, under instruction from Emily, get pots of fresh coffee made and ready for me to take over to our new guests. I thank them with a nod of my head and get into character, for dealing with this clown of an officer, since I always have to hide my true personality when working with customers.

The officer thanks me, with a too-happy grin on his face knowing that he's caught his next victim, while Amelia smiles shyly at me probably. She probably doesn't remember me from college, I probably would have been more surprised if she did considering that we only had one class together in our four years of studying, and from what I remember she was taking two different majors at once. One major has enough of a course load that's too much for some people to handle but somehow she was able to manage to get two at the same time and still be able to come out with top marks and be a part of Summa Cum Laude.

Thankfully, lady luck is on our side today as the officer's phone goes off. "Sorry, I have to take this, excuse me ladies." He shimmies out of his seat and talks quietly into his phone on his way out the door, acting like he doesn't want to be heard.

"Duty calls again." I giggle and give Amelia a fake smile, as she starts squirming around in her seat nervously.

"Must be annoying." She murmurs.

"And a waste of good food too somedays, but oh well, not much can be done around it." I agree, continuing to clean the tables around Amelia.

"Thank you for bringing me my food and coffee, i appreciate it." She replies thankfully, I smile at her again but this time it was a true smile. 

True to my memory of her, she is the sweetest and most gentle person that I have met who comes from a background like she does. "You're welcome love, but a little advice for you though, this particular officer only brings new people back here to see if you're going to cause any trouble while staying in town. So if you don't want him following you then there's a back door by the women's washroom, go out that way and there will be a change of clothes waiting for you in the washroom to change into. It'll be harder for him to find you again that way." She looks at me in shocked surprise. "Quit gawking at me like I'm some weirdo, finish up your food and coffee quickly before he comes back," I order, looking over my shoulder to make sure that he was still outside on his phone.

She nods her head in understanding but continues talking to me with her mouth full of food. "Why are you helping me?" 

I hesitate before answering. I'm not sure what part of her journey she's on and I don't want to be giving too much information away to her before it's her time to know about it, so I try to answer her as casually as possible without sounding too cryptic to possibly give myself away to anyone who might be listening to us.

"There is power in numbers and loyalty, especially when a young and pretty girl is traveling by herself."

"I didn't think that I was making it that obvious." She sighs sadly.

"Only because we know what to watch out for." And you unfortunately do not. 

"Thank you for the tips and help, I'll have to remember them."

"It'll save your life," I mumble quietly, thinking sadly back to all of those in the past who didn't take the warnings given to them and ended up paying the consequences for it.

But, thankfully, Amelia is different than all the rest. I watch her as she struggles to gulp down the piping hot coffee and the last bits of food that I've snuck over for her. She thanks me with a final wave and smiles as she passes by me and heads to the back of the cafe like I told her to do. And it looks like she's leaving just in time too.

The officer comes back in and looks at the table in shock, noticing that Amelia is no longer sitting where he left her. Looking around the room he spots me standing behind the counter with Emily and comes rushing over. "The girl that was sitting at the table with me before I went outside, did you see where she went off to?"

"The ladies' room, just before you came back in," I answer honestly.

"So, she hasn't been in there long then?" He asks more than states.

"No, she spilled some hot coffee on herself and went to clean up, so she might take a little bit to come back out. But you're more than welcome to go in and check on her yourself." I offer, knowing already that he wouldn't dare cross that line unless necessary.

He blushes and shakes his head. "No, it's alright, I'll give her some time and then if she's not out by that time then I'll get one of you ladies to go in and check on her for me."

"Sure thing officer," I reply, playing the role of law-abiding citizen.

He nods his head in thanks and goes back to his booth at the back where the only thing that's waiting for him is a cold black coffee and sulks.

I clean up a nearby table that's in my section, piling the dishes and garbage in my arms before heading back into the nearly empty kitchen. Emily watches and waits as I pass her before following me in. I look at her eager expression once I have my arms free of clutter and nod my head to her unasked question. 

"It's her alright but she's only at the beginning and unfortunately it looks like her beginning is right in the middle of all this mess and she doesn't even realize how much danger she's in." I pull out my phone from my back pocket and in a mass group text, I immediately contact the other guardians.

The package has arrived and will be lost if not found in time.