Coffee Girl

Cold Brew

Ruth Davidson

~~ The next morning~~

7:18am

The brightness of my phone lit my room up, showcasing the lovely cement floors and brick walls. Feels just like home... if home was a prison.

I pulled myself out of bed, determined to be productive and sane today. To do so, I need to get some coffee. I walk out the door and head down the halls. I stop at every door to peek in and see if it is the kitchen.

On my third door, I see Dorothy's room. She doesn't wake up when I step in, but she stirs when I pick up an expo marker from her desk in the room. I walk over to her white board and write in all caps: Rise and Shine Beautiful

I cap the marker, set it down and exit. I continue checking doors, I make it to a living room. There are three doors attached to the living room. I walk through and check all three: nothing. I walk through the second one, it is a blank hallway with another section of doors. I start opening each one. It ends up being a bunch of occupied bedrooms.

I go down a couple more hallways, opening every one when I open the last one on my fourth hallway. In it stands Leo. He has a book in his hand and he is wearing glasses. I try not to stare but it looks so confusing. Leo, the guy who basically detained me in his huge arms not even a week ago, was wearing glasses and reading a book. He looks up at me and smiles welcomely. He waves me over to sit on his bed.

"Are you lost?" He says, but I watch as he signs along with his words. Internal Squeal.

"I was looking for the kitchen." I sign back.

"I can show you." His voice is deep but gentle. His hands move fast contrastingly. He gets up and lays his book and glasses down. I follow him out the door, we walk quietly.

"I can speak you know," I say quietly, trying not to wake anyone up. He nods.

"You have spoken in my presence before."

"How do you know asl?"

"My little brother is mute, my whole family had to learn." He paused to lead me through a door down another hallway. "Why do you use only asl sometimes?" I shrug then I figure I might as well tell him, he told me.

"My older sister was born deaf, so I had to use it growing up. Now it is kind of a comfort thing." I shrug again.

"Reasonable enough." He opens another door. We walk through. "This is the kitchen... tada." He smiles and does jazz hands. "If you don't mind me asking, how are you dealing with the whole 'almost rape' thing?" His air quotes are soft but noticeable.

"My plan is to just ignore it until it gives me crippling depression."

I laugh and he waves goodbye, his face awkward but sympathetic and heads back through the door towards his room.

The kitchen is very big and modern. Everything is out of a catalog: brand new. There is a stainless steel oven, dishwasher, microwave, toaster, and fridge. The cupboards are black with silver handles, the counter top was a white marble, and there was a window flushed with the counter behind the sink. It had a small spice garden in the sill. I searched everywhere for a coffee maker and I came back empty handed.

There is no coffee maker. At all. In this house.

Are these boys all insane?!

I stomp out of the kitchen, down the hall. I loudly open doors and look to see someone familiar that could be of any help. Hall after hall, there is no recognizable face. I walk upstairs in a slump. I open a couple more doors. There is just training rooms, home gyms, and what look to be a weapons inventory. The last door before mine, I knock and then open the door unceremoniously.