"Here's your ice coffee, sweetheart," I said, placing the cup in front of a little girl, who sat with her parents at a table in our diner. "Have a great day."
The little girl grinned at me and I smiled back. Turning around, I went back to the counter and waited behind it for my next order. While I waited, I looked around the cafe.
There weren't many people - like usual - in the small cafe, but I enjoyed that. It was peaceful and staring at the tables that were set up in rows, filling up the entire room, I ended up sighing lightly. My guardians deserved more customers, even if I preferred the current quiet environment.
Suddenly, someone bumped into me, causing me to fall forward a bit. I straightened myself out and went to apologize to whoever bumped into me, but then I saw Blake, my best friend, grinning at me. Shaking my head, I couldn't help but smile back due to his contagious grin.
"Hey weirdo," he said, ruffling my hair. "Were you about to apologize to me for bumping into you?"
"Psh, no," I said, rolling my eyes to hide my embarrassment. "I'm not that lame."
Blake rolled his eyes. "You're too nice, Luna."
I opened my mouth to disagree, but he poked my forehead, causing me to narrow my eyes at him. I wasn't actually mad at Blake. He was my best friend and we were incredibly close because his parents took me in after my dad got arrested. We lived together for five years and we had a tight bond.
"Today's not busy, is it?" Blake asked, his eyes drifting around the cafe.
"No," I said, knowing that even though he didn't show it, Blake probably worried about the cafe going out of business.
Blake's parents, Chelsea and Peter Daniels, owned the cafe we worked at. It was their only source of income and it didn't earn an incredible amount of profit. Due to that, sometimes I feared we would end up poor and eventually be left to the live on the streets. The Daniels didn't deserve that, so I hoped that wouldn't happen.
"You know, you could've went to university," Blake said. "My parents would've been fine paying for it and finding a new worker."
"I know," I said. "But I didn't want to go to university."
That was a lie. I wanted to go, but I felt like it was too much to ask for. University was pricey and with the business at the cafe dropping, I really wanted to help the Daniels out. After they'd been kind enough to let me live with them, I owed them the world.
"I'm happy here," I added, being honest this time. "I like this place."
"I'm glad you do." Blake grinned. "I like having you here."
I smiled. Blake was a sweet guy. He always complimented me and made sure I knew he cared for me. I really enjoyed his company and everything, but sometimes, I would think that he wasn't the same as Haiden.
"I'm going to deal with that customer," Blake said, walking off.
I didn't respond because my mind was now on Haiden. He'd been my best friend five years ago and he'd been someone I really cared about. But all of the sudden, he disappeared from my life and now I was left to wonder about him every day. Even after all this time, I missed him.
I noticed more customers entered the cafe, so I went over to them. I greeted then and took their orders, forcing a smile as my mind remained on Haiden. He'd only been in my life for about six months, but he still consumed a large part of my heart.
Walking to get their drinks, I pondered over Haiden. Where was he? What was he doing? Was he okay? Those questions consumed me everyday and as I walked back to my customer's table, I wondered if I would ever stop. Deep down, I didn't want to stop.
Suddenly, the small television that hung in the corner of the room sprung to life. A breaking news report was on and everyone eyes drifted to the lit screen. Even I froze to seen what was on the tv. Our town was boring and it was rare for anything to happen.
"Breaking news!" the reporter exclaimed. "This is critical. Keep your houses locked. Keep your children safe. Five criminals have escaped from jail!"
A few customers gasped. I stood planted in my spot as a frown slid onto my face. What was going on in the town of Tesla?
"These criminals are a group called The Demons and they have been serving time for murdering," the reporter continued, growing serious. "The police have no idea where they are, so be careful everyone. You never know where they might lurk."
"Oh god," someone in the cafe said. "I wanted this town to get more interesting, but I didn't mean having murderers running around on the loose."
People laughed and I frowned. The idea of murderers on the loose was unpleasant. And unable to help it, I hoped Haiden, wherever he was, was safe.
"Be on the look out for the following people," the reporter said.
The screen showed a mugshot of a young man. He was glowering at the camera, his dark eyes blazing. His skin was a dark brown and he had a buzzcut. Admittedly he was handsome with his muscular build and he looked a bit older than my age of eighteen.
The next mugshot shown was one of a blonde woman. Her hair was silky and wavy, and her features resembled the Victoria Secret models I'd seen on tv. She was beautiful, even though she was smirking towards the camera.
A picture of a young man was then shown and he had pale skin. He wore glasses and his curly black hair was a mess, and he was grinning in his mugshot.
Next they showed an Indian girl who looked bored. She was beautiful with her brown skin, big eyes and rosy lips. Unlike the others, she had a joyful aura about her - as if she wasn't a criminal and I frowned.
Lastly, they showed a picture of a young man and my heart froze upon seeing him. My eyes widened because the person I saw was the exact person I had been thinking about. Although he looked much more mature, there was no denying it - not when the green eyes were exactly the same.
Haiden. It was my Haiden.
The first thing I couldn't help but notice was that Haidan was gorgeous. His face had matured in the five years we hadn't seen each other and he changed from a cute boy to a gorgeous young man. His jaw was sharp, his facial hair subtle but there. His hair was cut better and was now a bunch of waves that flowed to the right side of his head, and his eyes were just as stunning as I remembered them to be. My Haiden looked like art and my heart lurched forward to grab him - as if I could yank him back to my life and stop what he had become.
I caught the tired look in his eyes and the slight eye bags beneath them, and reality sunk in. Haiden was a criminal. He was a murderer. This was what happened to him. This was what he'd been doing. All my questions were answered and nausea rose within me.
My knees buckled and I slid to the ground, my eyes still fixated on the screen. It went back to the reporter and I immediately began to miss Haiden, which angered me as I told myself that he was a criminal. My Haiden was not the good person I knew and I was both stunned and crushed.
Blake rushed to my side. He crouched down beside me, looking worried, and he brushed my brown hair behind my ears. I stayed where I was, still staring at the tv as I wondered if I imagined everything. It was too unbelievable - it had to be a lie. Haiden being a criminal couldn't be true.
"Are you okay, Luna?" Blake asked, concerned.
I nodded, too speechless to speak. I was used to lying about my feelings, so this lie came easy to me. No one knew about Haiden, so I couldn't say anything to Blake anyways.
Blake didn't look convinced, but he didn't say anything. He just sat at my side as I absorbed what I discovered. Haiden, the sweet, kind kid I knew and cared about was a criminal. It was too unreal. Too horrible to be true, but I knew it was. My heart hurt as I knew Haiden had left my side to become what he was now.