A Guide to Finding Fathers (A One Direction FanFiction)

Chapter 4

I left Fantasy at about one but didn't go home just yet. I made my way to another tiny building, this time Ivy Café, so named for the owner as well as the climbing plant that adorned the outside walls. The thing about wandering around a town for four years is is that you get to find all the best places. Ivy made the best smoothies and amazing food and she let me help out in the kitchen. I enjoyed it a lot and loved talking to all the customers, the new ones and the regulars.

I took a seat at one of the corner tables and waited for one of the servers to become available. One of the ones that knew me sent me a smile and a wink before disappearing into the kitchen, only to be replaced by Ivy Trellis, her long black hair tied back in a neat bun and an apron covering most of her pretty sundress. Her light green eyes sparkled in the sunlight from the window. I waved at her and she bustled over to my table.

"Could I eat and then come back and help out?"

"Sure honey, what would you like?"

"Could I have a chip sandwich and a berry smoothie please?" I requested and she happily retreated to prepare the meal. While I waited, I people watched and made up stories about each of them. The old lady in the middle of the room was a retired MI5 agent and the man in front of me was a drug dealer, worn out from meeting his clients at night. The blonde girls were sisters but the one closest to me was actually evil and plotting her sister's demise right now.

Gemma brought me back to reality by depositing a small plate and glass in front of me. The chips were perfectly cooked and placed between two buttered slices of bread with tomato ketchup and my berry smoothie on the side. I wolfed the food down hungrily and sipped the drink slowly as I watched the 33 year old chat to the blonde sisters, then stood up and moved to the back, bringing my now empty plate with me. I smiled to the three of them and continued past to put my plate in the dishwasher and wash my hands to help Ivy with the cakes.

People bustled around the white kitchen and called out orders from the front. Murmured sounds from the dining area filtered through to us every time the door opened as the waitresses moved around the restaurant. I worked quickly, whipping up my speciality victoria sponge cake. Ivy watched me and as soon as the cake was in the oven she span me round, pushed a notebook and pen into my hand and ushered me out to serve.

I grinned at her actions and moved around, looking for anyone who needed to be served. My first customers were a couple of teens a bit older than me who were laughing and chatting to each other. They ordered quickly and I rapidly took down everything they asked for and took it back to the kitchens. Gemma popped in at the same time and we walked back out together, talking as we slowly made our way back to her table with the twins at which now sat-
'It's you!' Me and Eleanor cried out at the same time. The other three whipped their heads between each of us.

'You know each other?' Twin 1 asked. I nodded and grinned at Miss Calder who was staring at me.
'Do you work here? But you're so young. Mrs Elwyn said you were 12,' she exclaimed.

'What?! Why are you working, and alone, so young?!' Twin 2 added her disbelief to the conversation.

'Like it,' I answered simply and honestly. Gemma smiled at me and I nodded to everyone before circulating again.

I stayed and worked at the café for another three hours and by that time it had emptied of all but four customers, three at one table and a businessman alone at another. I hung up my apron and grabbed my things, throwing a goodbye over my shoulder to everyone still inside. I chose a playlist on my phone and hummed along to the themes of my favourite films and TV programmes. There were the classics such as Sherlock and Doctor Who, and then the newer ones such as Knights of Fieran and Livianna. The little tunes occupied me so much that I hardly noticed the time it took me to walk back to the flats. The lift was broken again so I had to walk the three flights of stairs to our floor then all the way to the other end of the hallway to number 16. Coupled with the hours I'd been on my feet serving, cooking and walking to, from and around town, by the time I unlocked the door and stumbled in I was about ready to drop, even if it is only six o'clock. I didn't get to sleep until three that morning and got up at eight. That's five hours sleep, a confusing visitor, a lot of thinking, a lot of walking and hard work. I think I had a right to be exhausted. The sofa caught me as my legs gave out and I didn't move from where I'd fallen, strewn across the comfy piece of furniture. My left hand scrabbled for the remote and I clicked on the TV and it came up with the news, probably what Mum was watching last.

'One Direction have reportedly been seen around the Oakland area over the last week. The band is currently on a two month break from recording but their Memory tour starts in March and tickets are sold our. However, one lucky fan and a friend could be there on the opening night thanks to Rouge Mobile. To be in with a chance to win, we want to see your oldest vintage merch along with a paragraph about why you love the boys and you could receive two tickets to see them live. Good luck everyone!

In other news, a cement mixer has collided with a police van. Police are on the lookout for 16 hardened crimin-'

I changed the channel. Artemis Fowl was on, the episode where Holly supposedly kills Root. I'd seen all the episodes of the TV series based on the old books a million times but I loved them so much that I never minded watching them again.

The show lasted an hour so once it was over I picked myself up and leafed through the phone book that was on the table by the front door to find the number of Dominos Pizzas, the local pizza take-out. It's really old, older than mum but everyone loves pizza so it's never gone out of business. I ordered a simple margarita and a bottle of coke which the worker informed me should arrive in twenty minutes. I thanked him and hang up and channel surfed until the food arrived. Soon I was tucking into the soft dough topped with tomato sauce and melted cheese with relish. I wasn't one to waste time with dainty manners when I could be enjoying the food so my hands always ended up covered in sauce and around my mouth wasn't much better. I solved that problem by licking all around in a circle but had to get up resignedly to wash my hands. On the way back I passed the freezer and, on impulse, pulled out a Polar Bear, a chocolate ice cream lolly with a white chocolate shell, then settled myself back on the couch with the remote, ready for a lazy night.

I watched an entire season of Artemis Fowl then fell asleep on the couch. When I woke in the morning my mum had thrown a blanket over me. A glance at the clock told me it was nearly midday so I jumped up, refreshed after my long sleep, and hunted for some food to satisfy my grumbling stomach. The fridge revealed a packet of chocolate and another of strawberries so I pulled them both out and put the chocolate in a bowl in the com oven. I set it to 100g chocolate and it melted in seconds. Mum always said we had it easy. When she was younger they had old microwaves which meant things could get burnt or undercooked and it took longer to cook. She would have been about 25ish when some guy named Mike Jameson used new d-rays to cook food. He turned it into a machine, the compact oven, that calculated exactly how much energy was needed and cooked it perfectly in seconds. Once the chocolate was melted I took the bowl and the packet of fruits and sat back in the TV room to watch Wings while eating chocolate coated strawberries.

I decided to make today a lazy day and then had a sudden brainwave. In ten minutes everything from the cupboard was pulled out and I finally emerged triumphant with my mum's favourite old boxset of blu-rays. The dusty cover read Harry Potter and I read the back quickly. It sounded really good. Underneath the box of disks was another fancy box that had the same words on it and revealed a set of seven books when opened. I grinned and carried both boxes out before pushing everything back higgledy-piggledy in the closet. I started with the books and opened the first one: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. On the inside of the cover it read: Georgia Rosalina Thompson, aged 14, Official Potterhead. I didn't know what the last word meant but the words, singed in fancy, flourished writing, made me feel closer to my mother, holding something that was obviously so precious to her.

Word Count: 1647