It was a 5 minute walk from my place to The Dragon's Lair. Both my building and the bar skirted The Haven. It was nice, good boss, mostly good employees. Kirstie -my best friend- had gotten me this job, telling me beforehand that it was owned by the Ryker's, I didn't really care. The front was lit up by a bright red neon sign with the name and an image of a dragon holding a pot of gold. It would sometimes flicker and give off an ominous feel. I almost always used the back door. Out back there were a few dumpsters and a half wall separating the bar from a little wooded area that covered about 3 miles.
My shift hadn't quite started yet, but I still threw my half apron on and clocked in. I mostly waited table but I would clean the tables up too sometimes. I was just wiping a table down when I heard that comforting and familiar voice behind me.
"So guess who finally got weekends off?!" Kirstie asked rhetorically. She'd been fighting for this since I got here.
"That's great!" I replied with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. I was still having a hard time getting my mind straight.
"What's wrong, why do you look down?"
Even if I acted better she still would see right through me. She's the blood hound of emotions, nothing gets by her.
"It's nothing, it's just..." I paused not knowing how much I should tell her. She was my best friend but I had never told anyone about any of this before. My parents only knew cause they lived it with me. She stared expectantly. I decided to be vague.
"Have you ever seen something and it's so familiar and terrifying, but you don't know why?"
Her puzzled face answered.
"Nevermind." I chuckled and kissed her cheek.
"You're weird!" She teases at my back.
"That's why you love me!" I teased back.
I met Kirstie when I moved here almost 3 years ago, I was running from an ex and thought moving continents might be more effective than simply moving states, so far I was right. I moved around a lot but she always stuck with me through it. When we met, I was trying to navigate myself around, obviously lost, and completely out of place. She was the only person kind enough to stop and help me. We've been inseperable ever since. Where I was timid she was a bold butterfly! Everyone liked her, especially men. People thought I was strange without me even having to speak, I guess I just gave off a weird vibe, but she didn't care. She made me more social, but she was my only real friend, and I was fine with that. She had bright blue eyes, and pale but lively skin. Tall and thin. Her hair lightly touched her shoulders and was naturally a strawberry blonde but she always dyed it different colors. She was currently sporting a bright teal color.
Everything continued as usual. Dishes clanked and clattered. My mind was elsewhere. I severely hoped that my eyes were playing tricks on me, and that this wasn't foreshadowing the beginning of my sleepless nights again. 11pm rolled around and there they were. The Ryker's.
Every night about this time they came in for a late dinner. Always the same four. They were my usuals, and when I didn't see them they always sent someone for me. All the other employees liked the unspoken arrangement considering who they were. They were an intimidating bunch. They didn't look it, but just like I gave off a strange vibe, they gave off a dangerous one. No one had really seen their bad sides, maybe a temper tantrum here and there, but the rumors were enough to make everyone nervous. No one wanted to deal with them. They made me nervous, but nothing I couldn't handle. Whether it was bravery or stupidity I couldn't say. As I heard told, they rarely came in before I got here. Everyone thought it odd, and it was, but I chocked it up to me being the strange and exotic creature from a far away land since I was the only American anywhere near here.
The Ryker's. Let me describe them a bit. There was Felix, second oldest of the brothers -no one knew the oldest brother, he'd never been seen before- he ran everything. About average height, stocky build but not too big to be quick. He had chocolaty brown hair that reached his shoulders in soft curls. Brownish hazel eyes. A well trimmed beard that matched the color of his hair. Early thirties, but his eyes said he was older. He wasn't scary to look at -none of them really were- but when he met your gaze you could feel your stomach drop. The Ryker's weren't followers, they didn't follow him for no reason. They followed him devoutly, which I found unsettling.
The next oldest was Aiden. Tall, about 6'2" and in his late twenties. Blackish brown hair that came to mid-neck, perfectly slicked back. 5 o'clock shadow at all times, bright blue eyes and a killer smile that he used quite often. Strong and sleek. Leather jackets and matching shoes, silk button up shirts and dress slacks. He reeked "Playboy".
The next was Lex, he was my favorite, probably the only one I wasn't skeptical of. He was quiet but not out of shyness, more like he wanted to watch everything happen. Same height as Aiden, same build with shoulders that were a little wider. Clean shaven most of the time. Black hair cut short but long enough to be a bit shaggy. He wore raggedy jeans and t-shirts with work boots that had seen better days. The only nice thing he wore was a fairly pristine looking black leather jacket. But his eyes were what got me. They were a soft grey with flecks of blue and green in them, one time we locked eyes and I swear I saw them move like clouds in a storm. I heard he had a very calculating temper, slow and methodical. He was maybe a year of two older than me.
The next was Ari. He was right in between Felix and the other two height wise, with a slim runners build. Light browns eyes. I assumed he had brown hair considering the others, but he always bleached it white. He was a very sarcastic and comical guy, and a flirt, though not as bad as his brother. Couldn't have been older than 20 or 21.
The youngest ones were the twins, Logan and Liam. Identical in virtually every way, same light brown hair and hazel eyes that were almost green. Both about 6'3" and still growing with a youthful athletic physique. They were only 17, which I knew cause the other brothers stopped me from giving them alcohol. They were some sneaky little pranksters, if there was trouble they were pretty much always involved.
I sighed a little then put on my best happy face. They liked me, but my nerves were shot and I didn't want to give them a reason for that to change.
"Hey boys!" I said with a little smile.
It was the same 4 every night: Lex, Ari, Logan and Liam. They knew they made me nervous, they thought it was cute, so the 3 younger ones always made silly little catcall noises as I walked up to them to put me on edge.
"What can I get you?"
"Hello Miss America..." Ari drawled while giving me a wink, earning a hard kick under the table from Lex, it always made me giggle when he did it. I liked Lex, maybe not more than a superficial liking of what I saw, but something about him made me feel at ease.
"We'll take the usual." Lex answered looking down at the table while Ari nursed his shin. He rarely looked me in the eyes, I don't know why. He never seemed to have a problem with me, in fact I thought I was his favorite waitress here, he always handed me my tip personally and it was always big. Some nights I'd try extra hard to make him look at me, he rarely did.
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