​CONTENT WARNINGS:

Chronic Pain & Physical Disability

​Depictions of Dyslexia

​Ableism & Verbal Abuse

​Phobias: Loud Noises

​I open my eyes. Did I fall asleep? I see it’s daytime now, and I watch Colton walk out of the bathroom. It’s strange to see him with messy hair.

​"Looks like you can wake up on time, little mouse. It’s time to get the store ready to open," he says in his "boss" tone. I nod okay.

​After I get ready and into my uniform, I limp over to the front corner. I see Colton reach for the blue button and I quickly cover my ears—I hate loud noises. He looks at me, his eyes telling me it's okay now. I pull my hands away.

​"Okay, let’s get working," he says as he walks off. I notice there is a birthday cake protein bar on the counter next to some strawberry milk. I haven't seen those in a long time; I thought they were extinct, especially the milk.

​"It’s your breakfast," Colton calls out.

​"Thank you," I whisper.

​"No need to thank me. You need to eat. I’ll get you chocolate milk next time," he says, disappearing into the back. How does he know me so well?

​I sit and wait for a customer to come in. I want to do a good job since Colton has been so nice; I need to repay him by working well. My hip is cramping up and aching from the stool, but I tell myself I need to power through it.

​Bane jumps up on the counter. He has a cushion in his mouth, which he drags over and places down for me. He meows—well, as close to a meow as a creature like him can do.

​"Is this for me?" I ask. He nods. "Thank you, Bane," I say, lifting myself up just enough to slide it under me. It feels so much better. "Thank you, Bane," I say again, and he rubs his head against my hand.

​The bell rings. Two doppelgängers walk in. You can tell what they are by their skin; most have a strange, shiny look to them. They have a human with them—he's probably working for them, though likely not by choice. I look down as the human walks up and places the items on the counter. I start to ring them up.

​"So, you enjoy this job?" the human asks in a rough tone. Bane is glaring at him like he hates him. What am I supposed to do? The rules don't say how to acknowledge humans. I just nod.

​He leans in closer. "You know, I’ve been here before. I saw the last guy. Believed he was the 'chosen one.' Thought this piece-of-shit store and Colton would save him. Well, I guess he was wrong, am I right?" He lets out a cold laugh.

​What does he mean? The "chosen one"? Don't listen to him, I tell myself. Just do your job. I point at the register where it shows the total: 13 coins.

​"Oh wow, that’s an unlucky number for you," he says, handing over the money.

​I begin to count, trying to put them in size order so I can tell them apart. "Is this going to take all day?" the male doppelgänger snaps.

​I keep messing up. Okay, try again. This one is six, this one is three, this one is five... so they need one back? The numbers and letters feel like they are dancing on the screen. I rub my eyes. Shit. Calm down. "It’s his fault he’s so slow," the human guy says.

​"Hurry up now," the male doppelgänger growls.

​"Oh sweetheart, don't be mean to this sorry... creature," the female says in an unsettling tone.

​I quickly hand them a copper 1 and the groceries.

​"Bye, human. You definitely are too slow. He’s definitely dumb," the male doppelgänger says as they exit.

​I feel so stupid. I try so hard, but I hate my dyslexia. "Everything about me is so broken," I whisper.

​Bane rubs against me, letting out a deep, monster’s purr.