To Rescue a Villain

Chapter 5

His grandma had already left by the time we came out for breakfast so I'd dodged a bullet there but the next issue was how to find a job, which would be hard since I technically wasn't an official citizen of this world. What kind of paperwork would I need to fill out here?

I believe Derek started to get a little creeped out by my clinginess because he drew a line with a glare when I followed him into the closet, unaware that he was planning to change out of his pajamas.

"Do you mind if I follow you into town on your way to school?" I asked meekly while watching him assemble his backpack full of books. "I won't go in with you. I promise."

The guy shot me a look too hard for me to read, then hefted his pack over his shoulder. "You're really lucky you ran into me and not some creep. A normal person wouldn't tolerate you like this."

"I know." I honestly did know. I normally wasn't like this in the real world...but this wasn't the real world. In here I could do whatever I wanted. He couldn't understand how much of a dream come true this was for me. "Don't worry. I'll go job hunting as soon as you leave."

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"Have a good day!" I called as Derek entered the gate to his college. As soon as I spoke, he covered his face in exasperation and hurried to the front door, weaving between his fellow students as they shot amused looks my way.

It wasn't until I started walking back down the street by myself that I realized how much I'd looked like a wife or mother sending their child off. How humiliating for Dark.

Oh well. I had other things to worry about, like finding a job.

You'd think that when someone enters a magical land they'd fall into an adventure where they were the hero and got to tell everyone else what to do. Instead, I had to go job searching on my second day.

The breeze blowing through the streets was a bit cold and since all I had on was the blue shirt and jeans I'd come in with, I had to rub my hands over my arms to keep warm. If Derek didn't snag all my money I'd need to use what was left to buy some new clothes. Luckily, until then, I could still blend in with my normal clothing. The styles weren't that different here.

Now that I'd mentioned it, Manica was very parallel to Earth on many levels. All of the stores I passed were ones you'd normally see in a small town: clothing, grocery, convenience, bars, etc. The cars that sped by were sleeker than normal but seemed Earth-like enough. The only difference was that not everyone was on a cellphone, though I did spot a couple men using headphones. Parallels like these would make adjusting to this world much easier.

"I suppose I could apply at all of these places," I told myself as I traversed the lines of stores, trying to look on the bright side. "I could get lucky—"

Suddenly, I stopped considering my options and ran toward a small bar off to my right. The building was painted black and red and the round, blinking ad on top read "Odette's".

"You've got to be kidding me," I whispered, feeling my legs go numb with excitement. Odette's? The Odette's?

It didn't take me more than a second to charge inside.

Odette, the owner of this bar, was a main character in the Manica Series. She wasn't a soldier like most of the characters but always took part in the action. If I could choose any ally in this world, it would be her.

The inside was somewhat dark and the round tables were full of young men and women, each drinking multi colored drinks, and there was a small band of robots playing electronic music off to my right.

But there, standing behind the bar at the end of the room, was Odette.

Her hair had been painted a bright red to match the bar decorations and her dark makeup made her look more like a celebrity than an employee. Covering her body was a long, black shirt and some red shorts, which fit her rather snugly. Her dark shoes were tied with scarlet laces and looked so unique that I was feeling slightly envious.

If I recalled correctly, she was supposed to be in her early thirties and used to date Dark, so the pair would usually go back and forth between friendship and hatred over time. She would be perfect to talk to about Derek.

"Can I help you?" Odette asked as I walked toward her. Her voice was sophisticated and smooth as sugar. Just hearing her speak brought back so many memories and I immediately felt comfortable around her.

"I'm here to ask..." Realization dawned on me when I realized how odd it would be to ask her about Derek when we'd just met. "I need a job. Are you hiring?"

She looked me over, placing a finger on her chin to let me know she was considering it. "Have you worked at a bar before?" she asked as her eyes trailed from my face to my legs, probably to assess how I would look in a uniform.

I blushed. "No. But I did work at an ice cream shop for two years."

"Hmm." Her snake-like grin told me she enjoyed making me wait. No wonder she and Derek got along. "I was thinking about hiring a new waitress anyway. Come into the back and I'll see what I can do. Joe!"

I jumped when she called my brother's name over my shoulder but she was only ordering one of the robots to come and watch the bar for her. As soon as it arrived I couldn't help but stare at it.

It was very cute, its metal abdomen round and its two fingered arms only big enough to pick up bottles and receive cash. Its head also barely reached the top of the counter, which made it look even cuter. When it realized I was looking at it, it blinked twice at me in before squinting for a while, something I assumed was meant to represent a smile since it didn't have a nose or mouth.

"Come with me, hun," Odette said, gently pulling me through a side door into the back room where a dresser full of makeup and a mirror were waiting. After sitting me down, she left me in front of the mirror and headed into a small walk-in fridge to find something.

"Wow." I couldn't help but tinker with the mounds of makeup in front of me. They ranged from blushes to eye liner to dark, dark eyeshadow which I assumed she used to create that smoky eye of hers. I hadn't worn makeup since grade nine so this would be fun to try again.

"Now." Odette exited the fridge carrying a likely very cold uniform which consisted of tight, black leather pants and a long sleeved, red shirt. Since I was expecting something worse it didn't scare me in the least. "You'll need to wear this and do your makeup every day before coming in to work since I'm notorious for my pretty girls and cute robots." She cringed even as she said it. "It's the only thing that keeps me ahead of my competition."

"Okay." I chuckled, ignoring how similar this aspect was to the real world. "Are you sure I'm pretty enough, though?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "You are very pretty. Plus, makeup is our best friend. Once I'm done with you, you'll bring in lots of business...I hope."

I giggled, looking forward to it.

This would be my very first makeover. Take that, stupid brother who said I was never pretty enough to get ahead in life.

ヾ(▼皿▼ﾒ) ♥ ♥ ♥ ヽ( ￣∀￣)ﾉ

So, I've noticed that in the reads on the Runaway Wife (my most successful story to date which isn't saying much), the percentage of views from the Philippines equals and sometimes outnumbers those of the United States (which is cool). So, to thank any of you who are reading this, I asked my cousin how to say thank you (for reading this story) so here you go. :D

Salamat po.