The Wiccan's Tale(Ongoing)

Chapter 1. Different

Life is hard. But I think we can all admit that it's even harder for people who are different. Let me rephrase that. Life is harder for people who are different and alone. Now, I wouldn't necessarily label myself as different, but that's how everyone around me made me feel. They made me feel like an outcast. I guess I was different from them in a way. I wasn't satisfied with the shallow, meaningless life that they all lived. I didn't want that for myself. I wanted something deeper and more meaningful. Something worth fighting for. Something worth living for, and occasionally, something worth dying for. 

But in the meantime, I really needed a friend. A real one at least. I guess you could say I had one friend which was Daisy. She was my only friend in school, but I'm not sure if you could call her a real friend. She was one of those friends you hung out with but couldn't really be your true self around. She was a bubbly girl, delicate just like a flower, was nice most of the time, but could be a real bitch if you messed with her. She had an interesting personality to say the least. Her obsession with horror movies and dark romance novels really contradicted her soft exterior. She is what I liked to call a walking, talking paradox. 

I waited outside Cute Corner, which was a tiny local cafe Daisy and I went to together on Fridays after school. The cafe had recently went under renovation and it looked even cooler than before. I wondered if I should go in and order or wait for her. She was already ten minutes late, so I decided to go in without her. As I entered the cafe, I took a look around. There was a fresh coat of pink and blue paint on the walls and delicate fairy lights twinkling from the ceiling, casting a warm, inviting glow over the cozy space.

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee mingled with the scent of freshly baked pastries, filling the air with a comforting embrace. The tables were adorned with dainty flower arrangements, adding a touch of whimsy to the charming ambiance. Soft acoustic music played in the background, creating a soothing backdrop for conversation or quiet contemplation.

 I made my way to the counter, wondering if I should just order my usual iced Americano or try something new. "Hi, what can I get ya?" the barista asked. I basically knew all the staff here since I was a regular customer but I was pretty sure I hadn't seen him before. His dark brown eyes sparkled with warmth, contrasting with the tousled strands of chocolaty hair that framed his face in an artful disarray. Dressed in a sleek black shirt, its buttons teasingly undone, he exuded an effortless charm. 

Normally, guys had no effect on me whatsoever, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't instantly curious to know more about him. I felt like I knew him somehow, maybe from a past life or something, not that I really believed in reincarnation. The feeling was hard to describe, impossible almost. I somehow felt like we just clicked, even though I hadn't even talked to him. His vibe was rather strange. 

Strangely enough, he looked at me the same way. As if he knew me or felt the intensity of this strange connection that we had. 

"Um, hi" I replied, getting a bad feeling about whatever this was. "Is there anything new on the menu?"

"Well, we have a lot of items you can choose from. But our best item isn't on the menu," he paused. "yet."

My eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "And what's that?" 

He gave me an innocent look as he replied. "Me." 

I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes and gagging. Maybe I was just hallucinating. He was probably just another cocky guy with bad pickup lines. 

A sigh escaped my lips. "Right," I pretended to ignore him. "Can I just have an iced Americano?"

He cleared his throat, realizing his mistake. "Sure," he said. "Can I get a name for that?"