My Co-worker #1

June 27,2012

Today, was a typical morning for me. Wearing a simple plain black t-shirt and jeans, I was getting readied, off to my job at the convenient store.

As usual, I used my ability and hide my true form. Then went to work at the convenient store. After I arrived, I went to the changing room to put on the workers’ uniforms and did my job as a cashier at the store.

As I was busy serving the customer, I heard footsteps running towards me.

‘Here we go again,’. I sighed.

“Tia, good morning!”. Ash said. I just rolled my eyes after gave him a quick ‘hi’ and continued my work. Ash Jasper, my co-worker at the convenient store and a very tardy person. Almost every day he would show his face at work an hour later from his scheduled shift and I, always the one to fill up his empty hour. What was the worst was his personality even me, myself had a headache with his behaviour. He’s just liked a puppy that free from a cage two minutes ago. An annoying and clingy puppy. I didn’t know what his problem with me was, but he kept pestering me since I took this job. As a new worker, I tolerated his behavior thinking he just a bit friendly to everyone but his friendliness gradually stronger that made me wanted to explode and barked at him right there.

Always stuck his nose with my life affairs and asked too many questions like,

“Where do you live?", "Can I walk you home?", "Do you need anything?” and “How can you be so… beautiful, you make me blind, really!”. I thought that he was really getting on my nerves until one day I let my angry outburst that made him shut his mouth for one week. At that time, without giving a damn on anything, I said this after he asked me for the ninth time,

“Ash Jasper, I really don’t know what you’re thinking in that pea-sized brain of yours, but as far as I knew I’m not your friend and I didn’t like when you’re keep pestering me, asking about my life. To me you’re nobody so shut your mouth and go make your own happy life. Don’t bother me and I don’t need a bubbly friend so cut it out already!”. I fumed at him, letting the fire spread on him if it was possible.

Ash looked astonished. Something’s didn’t right because I thought I caught a smirk from the corner of his mouth and saw an amuse glint in his eyes. He’s indeed had a few screws loose in his head, so I just shrugged it off.

Now there he went again,

“Tia, I called you just now, don’t you want to look at me for a bit?”. He batted his eyelashes while pouting his lip. Disgusted, that’s what I felt. I heaved a sigh and turned my head to look at Ash.

“I told you don’t call me that, it’s cringe you know. Step away, I want to put these boxes on the shelves”. I remarked. When I was on my way to put the boxes, Ash asked me.

“Don’t you need help with those boxes, they’re looked heavy”. I looked at his sincere face. Well, I thought I resisted him too much, so I decided to give him one chance.

“Alright, just this one if you insist". I replied with a small sigh.

Ash was taken aback with my agreement because it was my first time that I ever accepted his help. He hurriedly took half of the boxes and helped me to arrange it on the higher place of the shelves where I couldn’t reach.

“Done!”. Ash remarked and glanced at me after I finished put the last box.

“Yeah, thanks”. I replied. Out of the blue, Ash grabbed his head with frustration.

“I can’t take it, this is my first time you replied what I asked you in a full sentence, I can’t contain my happiness!”. He said with a huge smile.

“Yeah, I guessed so”. I curt a reply and then walked away to continue my work before I heard his chirping voice any further that could make my ears bleed.

After the working hours, I jogged home to get a good rest to preserve my powers and recover my fatigue. A long time off for my body.

Time skipped and at midnight, I would run in the forest to enhance my stamina so that I could use my ability a bit longer in order to hide my true form.

“Let’s rock it!”. I got readied in my starting position and ran through out the forest without giving a care in my surrounding. I ran until I couldn’t see the ground anymore. I thought all the training paid off. I could see the clouds that obscured the full moon, but a flicker of light disturbed my trance and my peaceful time. landed and got alert with my surrounding. Suddenly, I heard a ‘click’ sound from the bushes.

“Who’s there?!”. I looked around but still, no one. ” You’re better show yourself right now”. Then I heard slow footsteps from behind, approaching me.

“Wow, I didn’t know that my hunch was correct, Tia". The man whispered in my ear, and with that nickname he addressed me, I couldn’t think of anyone other than him.

“How did you know I was here; has you’ve been spying me all this time?”. I squinted my eyes and looked at him, still processing what’s his intentions. Wait, did he know what am I? God, I didn’t have the time to hide my true form! When I looked at his annoying smirk face, I couldn’t be more anxious right now.

“Tia, look at you, maroon-coloured hair, a pink hue of beautiful eyes and a perfect body at that. I didn’t expect that you can be a Muse. At first, I saw you, I thought that you’re really beautiful, an angel straight out from heaven, so I decided to court you. I’ve been following you, wanted to know your whole self but what I found was that you, being a different creature that did not exist in this world anymore, it’s shocked me for a second, but everything makes sense now”. He replied with a smirk that I wanted to punch so bad. I gathered my courage and faced him in the eyes.

“What do you want?”. I glared to the point that my eyes hurt.

“Woah there, chill Tia your eyes pierce my heart!”. He replied with a fake sad face. Ash then took out his phone and showed my picture in the sky looking at the moon. Oh my, he really made me furious.

“You don’t want this to leak right?”. What the hell, he wanted to expose me! This guy, he’s mental. I step forward to grab his phone but he’s fast to keep his phone back in his right jeans’ pocket.

“Why you’re doing this to me, I asked you before, what do you want?”. I asked him for the second time. Ash chuckled and stared at me, hard.

“What I want is for you to listen to me before I expose you to the world. Whatever my demands you should obey me. That’s what I want". My eyes went wide when I heard his explanation. "Why should I? You’re the devil one here yet you want to make an agreement that obviously is a threat!”. Ash grabbed my chin tightly when I talked-backed him.

“If you don’t want everything about you will be known to the world, you’d better listen to me”. If my sight didn’t lie, I thought his eyes got darker for a second before he released me.

“I want your answer tomorrow”. He looked at his watch,” Well, today, actually. At the store, give your answer to me. Till then, Tia”. Ash walked away from me and there was me, standing alone in the middle of a thick forest, thinking that my effort to hide my identity all this time crumbled into pieces.

I stomped my foot, hard on the ground.

“What I’m going to do now?!”. I sighed loudly, releasing my frustration to that two-faced, psycho mad man. That was why I didn’t want to make any friend even let someone neared me. It’s dangerous, this whole world was dangerous to me. If I made a simple one mistake, it was like I walked in an endless pit with hungry beast chasing and wanted to devour me.