Carry On

Chapter II: Elisse 'Lisse' Hopkins

Chapter II: Elisse 'Lisse' Hopkins

FLASHBACK

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“Ah…Sorry.” It came out as a whisper. It was rather embarrassing, she supposed. Working in a cosplay café wasn’t really that nice. Well, for her it wasn’t that nice. Lechers everywhere, staring at her. The worst part was that she had to serve them. She had been quite lucky to even get the job. The maid cosplay café had been the only one of its kind in Singapore. The best part was that it paid well and there were short working hours, unlike supermarkets and McDonalds. All she had to do was wear a cute costume, act cute, and serve her so-called ‘Masters’. They were all just men who spent their money on useless things. Sure, they got food, but most of the time they just wanted to stare at girls. She snorted. Bastards.

And then the worst thing that could happen, happened.

People found out about her part-time job. They weren’t the nicest of people, students at her school. People in the real world were gossipy, malicious, and horrible. She could still feel their slimy hands on her wrists, forcing her to remain still. And then they took pictures with that horrid red Motorola phone. She’d yelled, screamed even. But nobody was there. She didn’t know how to fight; she didn’t exactly have a gun either. All she could do was struggle for all her worth. Of course, like any other sensible girl, she remembered the self-defense her sister had taught her—Elbow them in the stomach, turn and kick the back of their knees, kick any other vulnerable parts, and then run. But still, it didn’t work when she was surrounded by three people. She wasn’t strong, after all. The only part of her which wasn’t useless were her fingers, the ones which would type and write all day long. The sad part was that fingers were delicate, easily broken, and the most sensitive part of the body.

In other words, they weren’t very useful when she was fighting. Well, it wasn’t that much of a fight. But she did the best she could. People normally told her that as long as she tried and did her best, everything would be alright. That sentence didn’t apply in her situation then.

It was nighttime, she was left alone to close and lock up the shop because the boss had yet another meeting. Her coworkers had left early because they had other jobs and homework assignments to attend to. So it was just her. No knight in shining armor, any crazy Judo or Aikido master. No gun, no taser, pepper spray that was in her reach.

They didn’t take advantage of her, no, they didn’t. They weren’t rapists, after all. She tried to remain optimistic, telling herself that it could have been worse. She could have been molested, or killed, or seriously injured.