Prologue

I frantically felt the door, trying to find the lock. I let out a small sigh of relief as I reached for the door handle and attempted to open the door. The handle let loose and fell to the floor with a resonating clang.

“Amanda?”

I called out her name as I realised that I was stuck inside. She had told me she would be outside the washroom, waiting for me, that I needn’t worry. I called out her name again.

No response.

“Amanda, are you there?” I shouted, banging loudly on the door this time.

I looked around, trying to find a way out somehow.

“Is anybody there!?” I yelled.

“Customers please leave this area as the mall will close by 8:30pm...”

I started screaming at the top of my lungs, knocking hard on the door. I began to cry, my throat going dry from shouting for help. I let out a loud gasp as the lights suddenly switched off.

“Anyone-”

I struggled to breathe, and clawed at the wall desperately attempting to get air into my lungs but I ended up slowly crumbling to the floor. I laboured to breathe. And it felt like the kind of breath which was near to death.

1

Waitress

Working as a waitress drained the energy out of me, leaving me super tired by the time I reached home after my shift. As soon as college hours came to an end, I immediately had to run for the job. I’m not fond of it at all, but at least it’s the most normal thing in my life. If it weren’t for that day, I would still have been enjoying my time with my family. Instead of spending quality time and hitting beautiful spots for picnics with family, I gained a lot of stress due to the load I have as a waiter.

I let out a small sigh of awe as I gazed up at the split sunset, drowning beneath the sea, leaving a trail of silky, orange clouds in the sky. I smiled as the summer breeze slithered through my hair. I shifted my focus to what I was doing: getting the tables ready and in top shape before the restaurant opened for the evening customers.

My workplace was somewhat new: the infrastructure was big and state-of-the-art with half of it built over the sea, which was one of the reasons for its popularity. The waves from the mighty ocean hit against the massive wooden beams that supported the greater part of the restaurant. Cool breeze from the ocean would make the foundations shudder and creak, adding to the thrill of the whole dining experience. The restaurant gave the feel of one sailing on an ancient ship. The actual dining area was out in the open, under the sky, with small lights dimly litting the whole place up and further adding to the aesthetics of the place. It looked absolutely spectacular at night, giving off a dim, amber glow to the sea. No wonder celebrities and famous people came here.

Most of the time, it was hustling and bustling with customers. It was slowly getting dark and the customers steadily trickled in.

I was always nervous working there. But it was growing on me now. I was gradually getting used to it.

I noticed some people standing beside the railing, enjoying the view while some were busy with their conversations. There were others, taking pictures of the seagulls, and the dolphins that would jump from the sea from time to time.

The only thing I liked about my job was the beautiful view of the sea, and luckily today, my task was to serve and take orders from the customers in the outdoor dining area. Since our manager was all about taking care of the customer’s needs, they trained us to ask them if they need anything, every five minutes. It was so annoying because we always had to plaster a smile on our faces and BE POLITE-my God, what a hectic life.

However, to my surprise, the customers were giving back good responses. Some of them were quite friendly, cracking jokes and which lifted the mood of the restaurant in general.

At one table in the outdoor area, a large family was sitting near the sea, and a bald man was entertaining them, who I assumed to be the father. They were all enjoying the food, and their laughter could be heard from the indoor dining area.

The bald man seemed sweet and jolly observing from the way of talking, and he reminded me of my dad, before marrying another woman and leaving us without saying anything. To this day, mom and I have no idea of his whereabouts.

“Is everything alright, Sir?” I asked, but I didn’t get a reply. I felt a bit embarrassed as not even the family members were saying anything to him or responding to me.

“Uhmm...Sir, is everything alright?” I asked again.

He stopped chewing and turned his head towards me, giving me an intense glare, making me realise that I’ve messed up, and now everyone at the table was looking at me.

Great! My luck! I mentally threw my hands in the air.

“I guess we are eating if you can see with your eyes.” He insulted me.

I quickly forced an apology before the matter got worse. At another table, a small infant threw up, and her mother started to clean it up with a napkin.

“Give that to me.” The man ordered. The woman handed it to him, confused.

“Yes, we need your help.” He threw the napkin at me, which landed on my uniform, leaving a barf stain. “Wash this!” He spat in disgust. He resumed his conversation and laughter while eating, which the rest of the family were unable to do, stunned by his behaviour.

That is why they say; you should not judge a book by its cover. Some people may look kind and sweet from their faces but eventually, they turn into heartless jerks out of nowhere.

I walked into the kitchen, got rid of the stain and began washing the plates. All of a sudden, the mother holding the infant came towards me and apologised. The little girl kissed my cheeks.

“You are so pretty.”

“Thank you, cutie pie.” I smiled, and then they left saying goodbye.

As soon as they left, I immediately wiped off my cheeks with plenty of water because I remembered that she had puked earlier.