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Her head spins as she pours the dark liquid into the thin, white mug clutched in one hand. Vera had woken up with a horrid headache which had pestered her ever since.
The headaches aren't uncommon, in fact within the past few months her headaches have gotten increasingly worse. No amount of Tylenol could cease the pain behind her eyes - the headaches only stopped when they wanted to. Perhaps it is because Vera had disobeyed the curse and so it frequent with her at nasty times as punishment in doing so.
The black coffee overflows the rim of the glass and spills across her fingers. With a small yelp and a hiss of pain, Vera sets the cup onto the countertop and hastily grabs a towel from the metal rack.
"Ah, ah, ow." An angry burn stares back at her from within her palm.
"Child, must I tell you to be careful? You almost dropped the glass, again," murmurs a woman with wire rimmed glasses, from behind the cashier. Her dyed green hair is tied into a tight ponytail and sways like a plastic toy snake as the the woman turns around and shoots Vera an irritated look, one that makes Vera want to cover her face with embarrassment. "You're pouring coffee. It can't be that difficult, can it?"
Vera ducks her head and pretends not to hear her coworker's snide comment. She walks to the coffee cabinet and crouches down to reach for the black coffee. Her fingers graze the cool surface of the glass, barely within reach. With a little more effort, she extends her arm and grasps it tightly before standing up - and nearly falling back down.
The once dull pain now hammers behind her eyes and at her temples. For a second, the café is stretched by its corners, along with all of its contents. The tables and chairs seem to tilt and blur, tea cups and coffee mugs spilling, splattering, and shattering against the hardwood floor. In front of her, customers are standing up from their seats and running out the doors in muted hysteria. She blinks. Shakes her head several times.
Everything is normal, all except for her mind. A sick curse groaning in her brain, its numbing pain ebbing inside her thoughts. Cursed. Cursed. Cursed. The word taunts her mind, though its secret has already woven her lips shut.
Vera exhales and rises to her feet with more patience this time. Someone is snapping at her. Vera raises her head timidly and barely raises her voice to reply. "...Yes?"
"-And your feeble mind couldn't even comprehend the mess you've made."
"I didn't...." Vera glances down at the wreckage that she had created, broken pieces of clear glass mixed with black powder lay scattered upon the grey marble floors. "...see that. But I could have sworn-" She stares back down at the pile, dumbfounded, and furrows her eyebrows. "I-I'll clean that up, sorry," Vera says hastily before leaving to get a broom and a trash bag.
After attaining the house appliances from the cafe's closet, she begins to sweep up the expenses of her clumsiness. Carefully picking up the glass while trying to disregard the annoyed glare the green haired girl was giving her, Vera places each piece into a white plastic bag. A dagger pierces through the side of her temple. She drops the remaining piece of glass. Clang, it sings off-key, as it makes contact with the marble floor.
