The Alpha Twins and their Runaway Witch

15

Ariel Had been handed over to the waitress who had already been at work when Ariel came in the diner. She listened intently to every single thing the morning shift waitress was telling her. Nodding her head constantly Tying the black apron she had been handed, on over her jeans and flannel. Putting the small notepad and pencil she was handed into the large pocket of the apron. Trying to memorize how to work the industrial coffee machine.

Trying to smile as she was introduced to Tyrone the head cook. He pointed to a cheat sheet of short hand code for different menu items underneath the heat lamp warmed pass through for finished plates. The waitress area was impeccably organized, with a lot of clear labels on everything. Making it very easy for her to pick up the routine and flow.

She hadn't lied, she had worked as a waitress, but it was only a temp kind of job situation. A fill in. The kind of precarious work where she just had to sign up at an agency every morning and hopefully they found some kind of random job for her to go and be a living, semi-functional body. Sometimes she stocked grocery or big box stores overnight. Sometimes she had needed to work as a server at events. Sometimes people hired temp workers to show up as paid protesters or supporters for causes she knew nothing about.

Occasionally there were longer term contracts, a couple weeks during a rush period for jobs that require some training before they could be done. Which is how she had ended up in the chicken processing job. Thinking a steady income for a few weeks with a completion bonus at the end of the contract would be worth the effort. It had not been, she still had nightmares about that job. Even after everything that come after.

She had lots of work experience, just not a lot of experience at any one job. This was something new, she felt a tiny thrill as she watched Binh take down the red and white help wanted sign from the window. Beth-Ann, not Bethany, not Beth space Anne. The waitress had stressed the point of how to say her name very clearly to Ariel.

Ariel introduced herself as "Jenny, Jenny Hunt." Beth-Ann shook her hand with a smile. Beth-Ann was kind and efficient as she went through everything she felt a new server should know on their first day. Including a warning that she better not get a crush on their boss because there was a line to try and land him. Everything Beth-Ann said had a slight air to it like was almost rehearsed, and she'd done this exact speech before.

Ariel as Jenny had laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not dating." She said definitively. Beth-Ann nodded like Ariel had said more than she had said. Ariel meant it. Men were trouble. No matter how handsome they were, or how they managed to stop her mid panic attack. Her cheeks burned at the reminder of her recent embarrassment. She wasn't going to mention the mental breakdown to Beth-Ann, and so far Beth-Ann had been good enough to pretend she had seen nothing out of the ordinary about 'Jenny'.

Beth-Ann had her own dark past and problems, same with every other staff member. There was an unspoken rule that if Binh hired someone, it was someone who was in need. This dinner was a community that took care of their own. Trusting that their very, generous boss knew what he was doing.

After the morning rush, when there was a long lull in new customers, Beth-Ann had implored 'Jenny' to let her do her makeup. Ariel didn't know how to say no and found herself being painted by a very enthusiastic Beth-Ann who was working through cosmetology school.

Beth-Ann had hissed in shock when she went to tuck Ariel's long mousy hair behind her ear and saw the red still healing tear in her ear. Telling Ariel she would be back in a second, returning with a fully stocked first aid kit, cleaning the wound with an alcohol wipe before applying antibiotic ointment, and covering it all with a small piece of gauze and tape.

Finally Beth-Ann produced a robin's egg blue silk scarf. Neatly tied the scarf around Ariel's head like a headband.Tying the ends in a bow over the ear, Keeping the gauze bandage hidden under the folded band of scarf and her own hair. "That looks nasty, we can change the bandage tomorrow." Beth-Ann said putting on a swipe of tinted lipgloss on Ariel's lips, near dying to know what the hell had happened, but asking directly would go against one of the silent rules to not pry into anyone's past.