Outskirts

RECIPIES

She picked up the order and they all gathered around her.
"Well, what does it say?"
She whispered the name of the hardest and most expensive thing on the menu.
"You all can take a challenge. What are you doing standing?"
Sam started pushing around everyone, shouting directions while starting new plates. Everyone was rushing around the kitchen frantically, trying to fill the orders. You could smell fanciful foods from the outside, people flipping around plates and the smell of caviar and other expensive foods. Her hair was confined to a chef's hat, and she was always used to whipping it around as a waitress. Her life was slowly falling back into place.
The last customers left, as Sam went an closed up the restaurant. Rachel felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Sam.
"You were great today. We didn't lose a star."
He grabbed her right wrist and pulled down her sleeve.
"You going to the meeting?"
"I believe that I have to."
He locked the doors and stuck the keys in his pocket. They strutted down the street to the bus stop and each touched the payment screen and it scanned their faces, and a little pop up appeared saying "Transaction complete." The bus hovered over the cold street, the doors opening. The windows displayed updates about weather and world news. Sam sat next to her, silently.
"Which stop is yours?"
Sam looked up at her, she disturbed his silence.
"Four more."
She nodded her head and tried to reply.
"Yeah, I knew that. I get off there too."
She blushed, and stiffened up. They got off the bus, as she started walking towards her street, and he went the other way.
She unlocked the door and hung her bag up, changed into more comfortable clothes, and went to the kitchen. She was a small person in a large house. Her hands tapped across the table, until she got up and went to her room. She put on hydrophobic thermal leggings and shoes, to protect against snow. She found a coat in her closet for running, that was much different than her old one. All of this was new. She was used to running in old, dirty coats and beat up tennis shoes. The laces looped around each other in harmony, and she stepped out in the cold. She needed to know where to run, so she decided to run on her street. The city revolves around the Eiffel Tower architecturally, so she would just run until she reached her flat again.
Her feet started against the cold sidewalk, her lungs filling up with a fiery cold, short breaths shooting out from her mouth. Her hands were concealed by gloves as they swung across her body in perfect rhythm. It didn't matter where she was, this was her home. She thought of her mother, who moved across the world to fulfill her dreams. Rachel got the occasional call, but wanted to see her mother so bad. She had to stay in Hawaii because of the major events going on, and now she doesn't even call.
Her father was long dead, and she didn't think of his death ever. She always thought he was with her mother. She tried to stay away from that topic.
Her fiancé was the one who stayed with her and promised her. He was given the pill, and about a year before the bombs went off, he committed suicide because it infected his brain, causing him to find himself unworthy. She loved him so much and it was so real. Now she can't imagine loving someone that much again.
Her feet pat against the cold ground, letting out a stem after each foot dropped to the ground. Her house was waiting for her, as she went inside for water. It slid across her cold throat, hydrating her. Then there was a knock.
"I am coming because I was told to show you your kitchen. I am doing this with the others as well."
He hung his coat up and motioned her towards the kitchen. He walked in circles around it, instructing her on where everything is, telling her how to do this and that.
"You have quite a fine kitchen. Use it to your advantage."
He walked himself out, but before he closed the door, he spoke.
"I expect to see you at the meeting tomorrow."
He shut the door, and walked off. Rachel went upstairs and laid on her bed, then got in the shower. She let the hot shower water steam across her cold skin, and the soap this time was not generic, but special for her curly hair. She massaged this into her scalp, and rinsed it. The towels were made of a material that dried her very fast. She pulled her hair up into a bun, and put on soft pajamas. She put on music, preferably alternative. The stovetop got hot within an instant, and she put on some chicken from the huge fridge.
It started sizzling, as she cut it up and boiled vegetables. The aromas swept up through her nose and wrapped around her brain. She put on some chicken broth, and once that was heated up, she strained the vegetables and took the chicken and placed them all in a bowl. She made her chicken soup, and let it fill her body with steam. You could see the snow flurry outside the lights. There was a pack of water vapor cigs, as she lit it and let the water vapor flow through her veins.
She crawled into her bed, and let the silk covers engulf her body in a deep slumber.
The sun peered through her window in the morning, her eyes were beginning to flutter to life, as she looked at the clock. She had thirty minutes until the meeting started. Her hand flowed through her clothes and took a dark blue distressed pair of jeans. She put on a pair of tall, white lace-up boots and a white collared thermal jacket over an undershirt. She stroked her fingers through her hair, and saw the brown was lacking color, as did her face. She had more units now, maybe she could get a good haircut and her hair dyed, like most of the upper class. People wore bright blush colors of blue, purple, red and other colors and usually did not want prominent eyelashes. There were pops of subtle color, but Rachel was never able to afford any of it. She admired the ladies from a distance, but never could do what they could do. Miss Fay was the one who cut her curly hair, combing through it.
Rachel got on the bus as usual to make it to the meeting. She watched the news on the bus' glass and saw the meeting. She pulled her sleeve up and saw a square tattooed onto her pale skin.
The bus glided to a halt, and she walked into the theatre. The warm air blasted her face, as two people guided her to the seating area. She sat alone in the back, and waited.
A presentation was projected across the thin air, as she nearly fell asleep listening to the man presenting. It was something about how they are working on replenishing the area around them, and that they can fly out of a local airport.
"What about all the animals, did they survive?"
"Yes. They are all okay."
Everyone let out a sigh of relief.
Rachel fell back asleep, and woke up to a hand on her shoulder.
"Rachelle, it's over."
Sam was standing above her, and held out his hand to help her up. She stood, and walked with him to the bus stop. She slid her bus pass in the verification slot, and got on. He sat next to her, as she decided she wanted to get her hair done.
"I'm getting off in two stops to get my hair done."
"I shall get off with you. I need mine cut."
He ruffled his hand through his thick hair, and smiled. They got off the bus and stepped into the salon.
"I would like to get my hair cut, straightened permanently, and dyed."
The woman showed her to her seat, and she the lady came over to her.
"Hello, what would you like today?"
"I would like my hair straightened permanently."
"Okay, we will talk about the rest while I get you set up."
She started grabbing the pasty hair styling gel, and coated her hair in it, then put aluminum foil in it.
"So, what else?"
"I would like it as short as it can get but still long enough to put in a bun."
"Okay, so about this length, framed?"
"Yes."
"And your color."
"Yes, I would like my hair dyed light blue, on the ends."
Rachel finished, and stepped out. Her dark brown hair now swept cleanly across her face, with a light pastel blue on the bottom of her hair.
"Rachelle!"
She turned around, to see Sam. His hair was intricately cut, in swirls on the side of his head , but had longer hair on the top that swept across his face.
"Would you like me to come over and help you practice the order you had trouble with?"
"Yes. That would be grand. It's nice to have company."
They got on the bus and rode it to her house. He took off his jacket and hung it on the hook.
"Let's get started."
Soon, aromas started filling up her no longer empty house.
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