Wasting your talent

Ellie's eyes slowly cracked open when the sound of a soft knock on the door reached her ears. She pushed herself up and flung her legs out of the bed, a move that made Nicholas rouse from sleep.

Walking to the door, Ellie paused without making a move to open it just yet. Although it was already morning, the fear and uncertainty associated with what she did last night were still very much present within her, and would not go anywhere until a few days, maybe weeks after she had accomplished her mission.

So every knock and every strange movement or stare from anyone would always make her heart jump.

"Who's there?" She probed, her voice, rough and almost inaudible from sleep. She cleared her throat and was about to throw the question again, assuming the person knocking had not heard her. But she was proven wrong.

"It's Mrs. Casey." The woman responded from outside, and Ellie pulled her brows together. What does she want again? However, just as she asked that question in her mind, she recalled that the woman said she would come to check on Nicholas this morning.

So she opened the door wide to let her in. "Good morning, Ma'am." Ellie greeted her.

"Fine morning, Ellie. I hope you had a good rest." Mrs. Casey scanned her face for a short moment before moving her gaze toward the bed and locking gazes with Nicholas, who looked like he was just waking up due to how he was rubbing his eyes.

"Yes, I did. I believe you had a wonderful rest too."

"Ahh…" The woman looked back at Ellie, then let out a light chuckle. "It's hard to tell when you're my age. Your eyes are okay now." She observed, and Ellie put on a surprised look as if she didn't know.

"Are they?"

"Indeed. That was some fast-working eye drop. What's the name, and what brand is it? My granddaughter suffers from allergies a lot."

"Uhm…" Ellie darted her eyes, then pursed her lips for a brief second. Of course, she didn't use any drops. How was she supposed to come up with a name? "I can't remember the name right now, but I think it's better if your granddaughter sees a doctor for the best prescription. You wouldn't want her to go blind from using something she isn't supposed to."

"You're right." The older woman nodded. "You should also stay away from allergens. You don't want to go about looking like a vampire. That wouldn't end well." Mrs. Casey advised, then turned around and started walking toward the bed with a smile directed toward the young boy she was approaching. "Hello, Nicholas."

"Good morning, Mrs. Casey." Nicholas greeted the woman, his pleasant, childish voice, though slightly husky, was music to the ears.

Ellie on the other hand couldn't move from the spot where she stood. Apart from the summersaults her heart performed, shock also registered on her face when she heard Mrs. Casey's words about looking like a vampire. Could it be that she saw her last night?

She narrowed her eyes at the woman but later shook her head. It couldn't be. Apart from forgetting to take out the contacts, she had been extra careful, especially to make sure her neighbors didn't suspect a thing.

***

After Mrs. Casey left, Ellie went about her usual morning routine – preparing breakfast, bathing Nicholas, feeding him, and making sure he had his medicines, before getting ready for work.

Soon, Anne came around to resume her duty, giving Ellie the freedom to leave for work.

"I'll see you in the evening, alright?" Ellie placed a soft kiss on Nicholas' forehead, and felt him nod in response to what she said.

When she straightened and was about to leave, Nicholas called her name with an expression that portrayed confusion mixed with worry.

"Ellie?"

"Yes?" She responded, knitting her brows because of how he was looking at her.

"Did something happen to your eyes?" He questioned, throwing her into confusion. She was sure her eyes were normal at that point, so why was he asking? Or was it because…

"I heard Mrs. Casey say something about your eyes." He answered her unspoken question before she could say a word, bringing relief to her heart.

"It's nothing serious, Nick. I only scratched too much, and that caused irritation. It's fine now, isn't it?"

Nicholas took a while staring at her eyes, before he nodded in response to her question, and waved her goodbye.

That morning, while she did her usual trek to the restaurant, the topic on everyone's lips was the incident that happened last night at her uncle's shop. She just knew the restaurant wouldn't be any different.

It was just as she thought. JP, the talkative, was, as usual, dishing the hot gist to the other waitresses in the dressing room when Ellie got there.

"I rushed to the scene when I heard what was happening. I even caught a glimpse of the note. It seems Mr. Carl has offended someone bigger than him. I just hope none of his family members gets hurt because of his wrong deeds." JP announced, twisting her face into an expression full of pity.

"So you mean it was a real vampire?" A different girl asked, intrigued by the gist.

"Yes. It was a female vampire. I heard she was caught on camera, but her face was hidden behind a mask and a hood. I used to think they don't appear in cameras or mirrors. I guess that information was wrong. And I wonder why she decided to steal this time instead of kill."

JP continued talking, filling the girls in on what she knew and heard. How she manages to talk so much without getting tired was a mystery to Ellie. At this point, she felt the girl would do better as a journalist instead of a waitress.

"You should be a blogger. I don't know how you manage to get all this news, but you are wasting your talent in this place." Sam, the second unbeliever in the vampire stuff, uttered as if she had read Ellie's mind.

"I know, right?" JP asked, turning around to look at Sam, but the girl had already walked away from the dressing room.

Ellie also made to leave, but after taking two steps toward the exit, JP's next words made her halt and her heart rate accelerated.