Empire

Introduction

Jauregui Enterprise

Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to hold a million dollars in your hands? Do you think it would make you feel powerful, superior, or do you think it would utterly terrify you?

Well, let me spoil it for you. It feels only like a heavy burden weighed down mainly by the pressure of investing every dime into something worthwhile. Truth is, there's not a single fucking thing on this planet worth investing even a single dime into.

Miami, Florida 9am

Mornings were always the worst. The hustle and bustle of everyday life beginning once again felt as if a looping infinity clause, trapping all of us within its heavy jaws as we desperately claw our way through the day only to fall asleep and do it all over again.

"Mom, have you seen my apron? I'm gonna be late for work!"

Yes, I still live with my mom, twenty-three years old and not even a single item I can call my own! Instead, I'm left running down a creaky staircase frantically searching for the green cloth that would pay my minimum wage dollar.

"No Mija! I have to go. I love you!" She replied in a rush, my baby sister following shortly behind "Bye Sissy."

No where, it was nowhere! Living in a house no bigger than a shoebox would lead you to believe that losing something was next to impossible. Much like the real world however, shit piles up so high that you're lucky if you can even see your own hand in front of your face.

My winged eyeliner had more chance of taking off than this already disaster filled morning. I answered the phone stuffed deep into my back pocket only to be told that yet another one of my useless colleagues had called in sick, oh and if you wanted something else to feel sorry for me about, the half hanging cupboard door that hid the cereal boxes and half empty bags of flour had decided necessary to let a family of bugs vacation inside of it.

After looking around for at least fifteen minutes, I decided that my efforts were useless. I heard the sound of a car horn beeping from just outside, Zach never failed to be on time. I had to go, uniform or not.

"You look happy this morning!" He spoke with a glee in his voice, not even five seconds after slamming shut the grainy car door a green apron was dragged from the back seat and dumped into my lap.

"What the fuck?" I gasped, turning the material over between my fingers. 

"Yeah, you left it in my car, again!" I loved him, but it was too early for the scolding. A weak smile would suffice as a response, after all it's not like I wasn't going to be spending the rest of the day cooped up in the worlds tiniest coffee shop with him.

I used my fingers to scrape my hair up and into a messy work appropriate bun before residing to staring out of the muck covered window, taking in the exit wounds of the shitty estate I happened lived on.

I could see the reflection of my own eyes staring back at me as the morning sun finally glared through the window. You were lucky to see the sun where we lived, the sky high apartments designed to cram as many people in as possible blocked it out completely.

"You know I had this dream last night, really weird! It was like the whole world started to alternate between realities."

Zach continued to ramble while I thought over my entire existence, I didn't mean to ignore him but he talked non stop. I preferred peace in the morning, serene silence that allowed me to imagine a better life.