Heidi Butler snapped open her eyes as her breath caught in her throat. Her heart raced in her chest as she sat up in bed, the sheets clinging to her skin, damp from a cold sweat. She breathed deeply, trying to slow her beating heart as she pressed her palms against her eyes, trying to rub out the sleep. Quick flashes of black wings and fire flashed through her memory as the sharp smell of burning filled her nose. A cold wind pulled Heidi’s attention to the open window across the room; filling her with a sense of relief as she watched her next door neighbor burn a pile of fallen leaves in his backyard.

“That explains the burning smell.” She muttered to herself as she let out a deep sigh. She shivered as the painted smile of the scarecrow flashed through her mind once again. She pushed the image aside as she pulled herself from her bed, leaving the blankets a tousled mess. She picked up several crisp leaves that had blown into the room and tossed them out the window, closing it behind them as another gust of cold October wind brushed up against her skin, raising goosebumps on her arms. She loved the sharp nip that the Fall brought to the small town of Salem, Virginia. She smiled to herself as she watched the wind outside blowing through the trees, pulling orange, red and yellow leaves from their branches, sending them to the ground in an intricate dance. She stepped away from the window, quietly forcing herself to get ready for the day that lay ahead of her.

A quick shower washed away the stresses of the dream that weighed so heavily on her mind. She quickly forgot about the caw of the crows and the smile that seemed to pierce through her soul. Feeling fresh, she ran a brush through her hair, pulling the tangles loose and leaving it smooth. She sighed to herself as she blew it dry, finally admitting to herself that it was time for a haircut. She hated how long it took to dry when it was long. When it had finally dried, she could see that her light red hair now hung well past her shoulders stretching down her back; it was longer then she wanted it by several inches. She quickly split her hair into two parts, skillfully braiding each side, then placing a wide brimmed hat on top of her head. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror, quietly testing her look for the day. She leaned into the mirror, contemplating doing a more dramatic eye makeup then she normally did. She picked up her eye shadow brush and quickly painted a golden tint onto her eyes, trying to bring out the hazel in her eyes. With a skillful application of eyeliner, she finished her look, finally satisfied with her makeup and hair.

Quiet thumps sounded out from the staircase as a large orange cat bounded up them, meowing out with each leap. The cat jumped up onto the bathroom counter, meowing for food. Heidi smiled as she scratched the cat’s head, greeting him quietly.

“Good morning Georgie boy.” She said affectionately. “Are you ready for your breakfast?”

The cat purred under her fingers as she slid her hands underneath him, carefully lifting him and holding him over her shoulder. She carried him with her down the stairs that led into a small living room and turned the corner into a kitchenette.

The cat meowed back at her as it jumped up onto the kitchen table, waiting for his food. Finally, Heidi set his bowl at the head of the table, emptying a can of cat food into it.

"There we go Georgie." She said with a smile, running her hand down the long haired cats back as he dug into his food. She turned to the K Cup machine and popped a pod in, hitting the brew button. Soon the kitchen was filled with the smell of pumpkin spice. Heidi knew that it was considered a stereotypical basic girl drink, but she didn't care, it was her guilty pleasure; on a cold day like this it would be perfect. She added sugar and whipped cream and smiled as she inhaled deeply, enjoying the smell of clove and cinnamon.

She quietly placed a lid over her thermos as she gathered her things, sliding them one after another into her school bag.

"Alright Georgie, I'm off! Be a good boy." She said as her cat promptly ignored her.

She slung her bag over her shoulder as she stepped outside into the cold morning air, locking the door tightly behind her. She pulled her ipod out of her pocket, sighing as she realized what a mess her headphones were.

“Next paycheck.” She thought to herself, “I’m getting Airpods.”

She walked down the street towards the bus stop as she struggled with her tangled headphones, looking up every so often to not run into anybody else on the same route. Dry leaves crunched under her feet as she walked and she grinned to herself, purposefully stepping on the crunchier looking leaves. She looked up to see the bus stop coming into view with the bus quickly approaching. Heidi picked up the pace, not wanting to miss the bus for the second time this week, slowing once she finally reached the bench and bus stop sign. She smiled as she finally got the headphones untangled and slipped them into her ears, smiling as music by Brick & Mortar flooded into her ears. She glanced next to her where a young man sat on the bench playing with his phone. She watched as a pitch black cat jumped onto the bench and pushed its head underneath the boy's hand. She watched as the boy smiled at the cat, running his hand along the length of its back. It wasn't until she noticed that the cat had no eyes and three tails did she realize that the cat was the boy's familiar. She sighed, turning her head back towards the street and taking a sip of her coffee as she felt a slight pang of jealousy in her heart. Since she was a little girl she wanted a familiar like so many other people had. She wanted the unbreakable companionship that people and their familiars always seemed to have. When the bus slowed to a stop in front of her and the boy, she climbed on, taking the first seat that she could find and peered out the window. She watched as the boy stood from his bench and climbed onto the bus, his familiar following closely behind, sure not to lose it's Ward.

Familiars were strange beings; some people described them as spirits given a chance to redeem themselves for not living their first lives how they intended. A familiar first appears to a person during a time of crisis. Something traumatic has to happen to a person before they are granted a familiar. Familiars took many shapes or forms, depending on the needs of the human; Heidi had seen Familiars in the form of animals, people, even strange beings that looked more like monsters than anything that might protect someone. Some could talk, some couldn't, some had strange abilities that almost seemed like magic and some were simple, like a cat with three tails. As much as Heidi wanted a Familiar, she wasn't about to wish some tragic life event on herself. She could get along in life just fine on her own.

'I should be thankful I don't have one.' She thought to herself. 'It means I've had a safe life.'

She sipped at her coffee and hummed along to her music as the bus stopped, letting passengers off and picking up new ones, until she finally arrived at her stop. She nodded to the bus driver as she stepped off the bus, adjusting her bag as she crossed the street to a little line of shops. She smiled as she recognized a young Japanese man unlocking the doors to a small coffee shop. The words The Book and The Bean sat painted on the window in neat white lettering.

“Morning Hiro.” She called out, getting his attention. He turned at the sound of her voice, smiling wide as he recognized her.

“Morning sunshine. Are you working this morning?” He asked as he opened the door wide for her.

“No, I forgot my History book in the break room last night.” She told him as she entered, smiling as the smell of coffee beans and dusty books flooded her senses. “I figured I’d stop by and grab some breakfast before class while I was here.”

The inside of the building was dark and inviting. The second floor of the building had been ripped out, making the whole room seem massive. Where the second floor used to be, was now a balcony-like landing that lined the whole perimeter of the coffee shop that was easily accessed by a metal staircase that looked like it used to be a fire escape. Bookcases lined the walls on the second floor, where hundreds of books filled the shelves, covering the shop with volumes upon volumes of literature.

“You sure you didn’t just come to see me?” Hiro asked with a wink as Heidi rolled her eyes, stepping to the side, watching as Hiro let out a shrill whistle. The second the whistle left his lips, a black mass shot through the door, so fast that it was a blur to the naked eye. The creature moved so fast that several fliers taped to the window of the shop were pulled free and sent floating to the ground, as well as the thermos of coffee that Heidi held in her hands, splattering it on the floor. Hiro shut the door behind the blur, locking it behind them.

“Good morning Waira.” Heidi said with a smile as the creature came to a stop in the room. “I can clean that up.”

The creature, Waira, stood tall for a familiar, standing at the same height as his Ward. The creature was almost bat-like in appearance, with large ears and eyes, dark skin to help him blend into the shadows and long leathery wings that he used to propel himself through the air, moving him at high speeds. He folded his wings up against his back, trying to make himself small in the tiny coffee shop as his Ward gave him an affectionate rub on the head.

“I guess you’ll be needing a new coffee as well.” He said as Heidi pulled several handfuls of paper towers from behind the coffee counter and cleaned up the mess.

“What would you like to drink?” Hiro asked as they walked towards the backroom. “The usual?”

“Please.” Heidi asked with a smile.

“Alright, just give me a second to clock in and get my apron and stuff.” Hiro told her, slipping into the back room.

She watched as Hiro’s familiar stepped carefully through the shop, looking in the pastry case at the different sweets that they had to offer.

“Hey Waira, would you like a cinnamon roll?” She asked the familiar. “There's a few that need to be taken out of the case?”

She laughed quietly to herself as the familiar straightened his body, silently accepting her offer, ears twitching in anticipation.

“Alright, just give me a second to heat it up for you.” She told him as she slipped behind the counter.

“You’re gonna spoil him.” Hiro said disapprovingly from the backroom.

“That’s what I’m here for.” Heidi said with a wink as she popped the cinnamon roll into the microwave.

Hiro let out a scoff as the office phone rang, calling to him from the back office. Heidi giggled to herself as she fished the roll from the microwave, holding it out to the bat like familiar.

“Be careful, it’s hot.” She warned him, smiling as he snatched it from her hand with incredible speed, jumping up onto the counter and perching as it nibbled on the pastry.

“Heidi!” Hiro shouted out, “Quit spoiling him and help me get the dang shop ready to open, Charee is gonna be late!”

“Fine! Ok!” Heidi said with a laugh. “You’re just mad because he likes me more.”

“Yeah that’s exactly it.” Hiro said flatly as he filled the massive coffee grinder with beans. “Waira, we’re about to open, make yourself scarce.”

Instantly, the familiar shot up into the rafters, perching high above the shop, gazing down at his Ward. Heidi sighed as she crossed the floor to the door, flipping the closed sign to open and unlocking the doors. Even though Waira was harmless, he was intimidating. She hated that the gentle beast was forced to hide every day, but she could understand why they were forced to do so.

“I’ll give you your coffee free of charge since you’re helping me out this morning.” Hiro told her as she returned to the coffee counter.

“You jerk, I always get coffee free here.” She told him.

“The rule is, you get free black coffee and you can add cream and sugar..” He told her. “But you always order some mocha frappe bullshit macchiato.”

Heidi laughed as he set her coffee on the counter, while overzealously shaking a can of whipped cream. He held eye contact with her as he piled on the cream, twirling it higher and higher until it began to fall over the sides.

“Ok, I get it! I get too much cream!” Heidi said with a laugh.

“Oh I’m not done yet.” Hiro told her as he pulled out the squeeze bottles of chocolate and caramel syrup, covering the cream in the thick drizzles.

“You are ridiculous, you know that?” Heidi told him as he finished, shaking her head as he slid it forward.

“That shit right there would cost $15.” He told her. “So if you want this free, start flipping the pastry case.”

“Yes boss.” Heidi told him as she took a sip of the coffee, allowing the sugary drink to coat her pallet.

“Hurry up.” He ordered as he tossed her apron at her, catching her in the face.

“Why do I work here? Why do I put up with all this abuse?” Heidi asked Hiro as she pulled the apron over her head.

“You’re a glutton for punishment?” Hiro guessed.

“That’s gotta be it.” Heidi concluded shaking her head. Heidi helped Hiro set the shop up to open, running down the to do list that she had memorized over the years.

“Morning Charee.” Heidi called out as the girl shut the door behind her. Charee was a pretty girl, her skin was a rich chocolate color that seemed to glow in the coffee shop lights, her hair was wild and unrestrained, framing her face as it fell naturally, just above her shoulders. A small animalistic familiar lay across her shoulders. The creature was long and slender like a ferret or weasel, but with a face like a fox. It was entirely white except for a red stripe that ran all the way from his nose, over its head and down its back. It lay across her shoulders, but she moved as if it were weightless.

“Heidi!” Charee exclaimed, “Are you working this morning?”

“No, she’s gotta go to class, she’s just covering for your late ass.” Hiro told her.

“You’re crude.” Charee said with a flat face. “Is Waira here?”

“He’s in the rafters.” Hiro told her, guestering towards the ceiling.

“Go play, Nox.” Charee instructed, running her hand over the creature's head. The creature lifted off from Charee’s shoulder, floating through the air towards the large bat like Familiar, wrapping itself around its neck like a scarf.

“Well, since Charee is here, I guess I better get going.” Heidi told her coworkers as she removed her apron, tossing it back at Hiro, who caught it with ease.

“Alright, thanks for your help.” Hiro called out as Heidi slid her history book into her bag.

“No problem! I’ll see you guys tomorrow!” She said with a wave as she made her way towards the door. The October chill was a welcome nip at her skin as she stepped outside. She loved the way that the heat from her coffee cup kept her fingers warm.

She sipped her coffee as she stood at the bus stop, looking down the street every so often, waiting for the bus to take her to her next destination.