Sea Salt.

Morning Shifts.

Two: Morning Shifts.

Breathe, Emery. You can do this, I thought to myself. Breathe. Think like that one train with a human face!

Nervously, I fiddled my thumbs. My knees kept shaking. I looked up and tried my best to appear confident. I flashed my smile. It had been two weeks since I first saw the store and it was about time I'd request to be a member of this cafe.

"Congratulations, Miss Brown! You are now a fellow employee of The Hot Shot!" My new boss, Mr. Kyle stuck out a hand at me. I shook it firmly. Whew. I survived the terrible interview. "You start tomorrow at nine. You will be taught how to open the store. Store hours begin at four in the morning, so don't stay up late. Here's your uniform." Kyle handed me only a black apron. "Just wear something, uh, decent underneath it with black jeans."

I looked back at him and got up from my seat.. "Thanks, Kyle. I'll see you sometime." I walked out of his small office which was located at the back near the restrooms. I walked my way through the store. I smelled the different brews. The store seemed full almost all the time. I guess there might be no such things as breaks.

I walked out of the store and bumped into someone recognizable.

"Hey Amy!" I smiled. "Whatcha doing on the Strip?" I looked at her hands. They were full of colorful shopping bags.

"Well..." She exhaled. "I thought of taking a mini shopping spree for the trip to NY, since I am going tomorrow. I can't look too Californian, so I bought something more New York-ish. What are you up to? I see you got the job," she pointed at my new black apron.

"Oh yeah. I did. My first day is actually tomorrow. Sad that you can't see me work," I shifted a little. A cool breeze hit me. I noticed that the sun had already disappeared. The street lights came on, illuminating the moths and dust under the lamp.

"Aw, too bad and I'm the last one of us to go. Oh welly. I got to run. Maybe I'll get Jimmy Fallon's signature for you! I know how much you love him!" She started to walk backwards and before walking the right way, she added, "I'll keep in touch!" Then she was gone.

My headphones were placed into my ears as I walked home by myself, listening to the soft voice of Lana del Rey. It had almost made me drop on the ground and snooze a little. Not that Lana was bad or anything; I was just tired from the long day. Also, the lawn of this stranger's manicured lawn looked pretty comfy, even in the dark.

I entered into my two-story house. The door shut behind me, closing me from the outside world. I felt like I was from from some fairytale princess trapped forever, waiting for her lover to save her.

I need to get me one of those.

I hopped up the stairs and turned to my room. My room was wonderful. It had to be since I had spent so much time in it. Multi-colored Christmas lights were pinned to wall around my bed frame. A grand shelf attached to the northern wall with an oval mirror by it. A clothing rack for my clothes, a dresser for accessories, a desk for studying. My desk was the most favorite piece of my room. I read, studied, doodled, painted, and Googled with that desk. My second favorite was my bed and the third was my bookshelf.

Yanking my socks off gave me much relief which had let my bare feet come in contact with the cold, wooden floor. I quickly changed to my sleepwear even though I was going to spend the next three hours awake.

My belly was already jammed with food. Free food from The Hot Shot. It was a treat from Kyle and it made me happy that I was going to work outside of my own home. I will be free in a matter of weeks. I will be more human if I talked to more humans. Made sense to me.