Star Crossed

VII

🌊Evian🌊

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

I woke with a start and searched frantically for where the obnoxious sound was coming from. There appeared to be an alarm clock hanging on the far wall.

I jumped out of bed to shut it off. Whoever built this house was very clever to bolt the alarm clock to the wall across from the bed. That way you'd have to get up to turn the sound off, and then you'd already have an excuse to be up.

I found my uniform in the walk-in closet. There was a big dresser inside, along with two rows of fancy clothes on hangers. The uniform was neatly folded in the dresser.

It was a dark blue suit-as deep as the ocean in color-with a crisp white undershirt. There was a wide selection of neckties to choose from, all ranging in shades of blue or ocean-themed patterns. I chose one with animated whales on it, then decided it looked much too childish, and traded it for a plain blue one that matched the suit.

The shoes were like nothing I'd ever worn before. That is, when I'd bothered to wear shoes. These were expensive-looking brown leather with laces that looked brand new. I put them on and tied the laces carefully.

I remembered from last night's tour with Caspian where the main bathroom was. It was just down the hall, and it was almost as big as my bedroom.

There was a tall, glass shower; but there was no shower head. Only jets that sprayed out from the top and sides. A separate jacuzzi bathtub sat in the corner, perfectly clean and certainly inviting. It would be nice after a long day of work.

There was a double-sink, although I couldn't figure out why. The house was meant for only one person, right? Either way, there was a long mirror hanging above it, and four cabinets underneath the sinks.

I walked up to it, and searched through the cabinets for some Pearly Whites liquid. Nowadays, people didn't have to brush their teeth; Pearly Whites, a company that used to sell toothbrushes, had invented a drink that cleaned your teeth and made your breath smell fresh. It was like mouthwash, but more advanced.

Sure enough, there was a whole bottle of it, along with a stack of plastic cups in the third cabinet. The cups were white with little fish on them. I downed some Pearly Whites, and combed my hair with the brush that was in the first cabinet.

Then I was ready for work. By now, it was about 5:45am.

I went outside to the Case that awaited me, and stepped inside. I'd have to get used to riding in one of those if I was going to succeed at this job.

My boss, whose name was, ironically, Mr. Fisher, was waiting for me, dressed in a suit even nicer than my own. "Good morning, Evian. It's good to see you."

"Good morning, sir," I answered with a slight bow.

"Now that I'm your boss, I think it would be okay if you called me Mr. Fisher."

"Oh. Okay, I will."

"Good. Please, follow me to the dining room. I'd like to have breakfast with you, and talk first, before you start the job. Would that be alright?"

"Yes, s-Mr. Fisher," I corrected myself. I'd forgotten to eat breakfast at the house.

"Very good. Right this way." He motioned for me to follow him into a large dining room, with a table almost as long as the room itself. There were at least thirty place settings! We only used two.

Mr. Fisher spoke into a small, circular device, telling the cooks he was ready for breakfast. Within five minutes, two huge plates of food were placed before us. There was enough to feed an army, I tell you!

"Enjoy," Mr. Fisher said, using the knife to cut into his crab patty.

I followed suit, and ate at least half of my breakfast. I didn't want to seem rude, but I was getting full.

As if he could read my thoughts, Mr. Fisher said, "You don't have to eat the whole thing. I know, it's a lot."

I sighed with relief. "Thank you. It was all very good, though."

"Yes, the chefs here do a wonderful job with their cooking. I hope you're not allergic to all this seafood."

"No, of course not. It's cool to eat what I see my friends catching in the ocean."

"Ah. Did you have many friends who were fishermen?"

"Not really. Just one or two," I said, thinking of Fen. "But I consider all of Ocean my friend."

"That's very kind of you, Evian."

After we chatted over breakfast, it was time to get down to business. I couldn't wait to get started!

"This job consists mostly of interacting with Ocean and the Government," Mr. Fisher explained, "but you will also need to deliver letters and such to the citizens. For this task, we have provided a satchel that you must wear every day. It will have the allotted mail you shall deliver each day. And don't worry, the material isn't very heavy."

I chuckled. "That's good. Thank you, Mr. Fisher."

"Don't thank me yet," he said, handing me the satchel. It was made of smooth brown leather and the flap was embroidered with blue thread and beads. "We're counting on you, Evian. Don't let us down."

"I won't, sir."