[ COMPLETED ]
German Translations Provided By @vanessanats
BOOK 1 of the ORPHIC series
ZEITGEIST
/ˈtsītˌɡīst,ˈzītˌɡīst/
the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time.
...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"You know I can control things with my mind, right?"
Brooklyn, New York June, 1943
LUCY OPENED HER CASH REGISTER as she fiddled with the rolls of crumpled bills that'd been handed to her by the average customer, looking nothing out of the ordinary. A few days had passed since James's shipment, and she'd returned to her ordinary schedule- wake up, work, sleep, repeat. It wasn't anything fun but the fact she could choose when to wake up and when to sleep was enough, even if her job came with crappy customers. She hummed under her breath, wary of the impatient man tapping his index finger against the counter. He was smoking a cigar she was adamant in avoiding, maneuvering the finicky molecules in the air and breathing oxygen. She didn't complain because more than half the Brooklyn population smoked, and it wasn't her business. She shot him a brilliant smile, mumbling a half-hearted apology. His annoying tapping stopped and she thanked her looks for what seemed to be the thousandth time that day. He smiled at her pleasantly and she handed him a few pennies and nickels for change. With groceries in hand, and money pocketed, he left the building.
The man didn't bother to say goodbye, but Lucy wasn't expecting him to, not with the way he was jutting his chin out, practically swimming in arrogance.
She turned to the next customer, a patient woman holding a child to her chest. The baby was attempting to sleep, looking around with a small grimace on his face. Lucy felt slightly guilty for the amount of sound traveling through the air- it must've been hard for the poor child to close his eyes and doze away. The woman held a few ration tickets towards her, and Lucy scanned the sugar, oil, and canned goods placed in front of her.
She said nothing as she wordlessly grabbed the ration tickets and waited for the woman to hand her another pile of crumpled bills. She watched as the woman fumbled to grab crisp dollars that reflected the ceiling light. It looked like the money hadn't seen the sun for years, and Lucy took it without a second glance.
"It's my son's first birthday." The woman explained without any prompting. "I thought his older sister could think of it as somethin' special. Baby brother growing on up!"
Lucy smiled at the enthusiastic woman as she gently maneuvered her baby. She caught a glimpse of the baby's hazel colored eyes, before quickly looking away. She wouldn't want a murderer observing her child, not that they knew she was a killer. A small sigh escaped her lips as she counted the amount of bills she'd been given. She furrowed her eyebrows and paused, recounting the money a few times. She looked up at the woman who was staring hopefully at the money, as if it would sprout a few brothers or sisters. Lucy stared at her and the woman reluctantly grabbed the oil and pushed it to the side.
