Undetectables

4. Hate the uniform

“Brielle, wake up,” Bailey cried out.

Coughing a few times, I barely made it to the toilet before hurling up my dinner. The bile burned my throat and my body was weaker than I’d ever experienced.

I noticed blood in the vomit, but flushed the toilet quickly before Bailey noticed. I didn't need her to worry about anything else.

“What the f**k was that?” she questioned, wiping away the dampness on her cheeks and trying to sound strong.

I collapsed back on the tile, laying my cheek on the cool floor. It soothed the nausea.

“I...think.....took too much.....wolfsbane..” I croaked out.

The pressure in my head was nearly unbearable. I closed my eyes and if it weren’t for my sister, I’d beg for death. My body was still trying to reject the wolfsbane and it hurt like a b***h.

Every time I closed my eyes, I returned to that memory, but I didn’t have the strength to fight it right now. Keeping my eyes open required too much strength.

********

My eyelids fluttered, letting the fluorescent bathroom lighting seep in.

I groaned, pushing myself off of the ground.

Bailey must have brought me a blanket and pillow at some point during the night. I remember throwing up and passing out, but nothing more.

Prying myself off of the ground, I used the vanity to bear my weight. My muscles screamed at me with every movement. Dragging myself out of there took so much energy. The curtains were pulled back and the sun peeked over the horizon. s**t. What time is it? I glanced at the clock, reading 6:07 am. I had twenty-three minutes to get to work.

“Bailey,” I croaked out. My voice sounded raspy and foreign.

Her head peered from the doorway of her bedroom. She had managed to get up and get ready for school.

“You look.. Awful,” she murmured, frowning.

“I feel awful.”

That was an understatement. I felt like I died and climbed out of my grave like a zombie.

She disappeared from the threshold, leaving me alone to get ready for work. I moved as quickly as my body would allow, braiding my long hair to the side and throwing on some undereye concealer in hopes that it made me look less dead than I felt.

“Thanks for the pillow and blanket last night,” I smiled, popping my head into her room before I left.

“Don’t get used to it,” Bailey growled.

I frowned, taking a deep breath and ignoring the dig, “Have a good day at school. Don’t get into trouble.”

“Stay hidden, blah, blah, blah. I know the drill. See you tonight,” she mumbled.

Grabbing my coat from the rack, I was thankful that it had dried through the night. My shoes were another story.

The walk felt like it lasted a lifetime between the soggy shoes and aching muscles. I made it to the coffee shop with two minutes to spare.

“You look like a garbage truck chewed you up and spit you out,” Gabriella muttered, looking me up and down.

She may have been blunt, but her honesty was refreshing. Most girls would tell you that you looked great to make you feel better.

“That’s one way to greet someone,” Piper’s muffled voice came from beneath the counter before she stood up, shock in her eyes, “Good lord, what happened to you child?”

I chuckled at her reaction, “I get migraines from time to time. Last night was a rough one.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. The pounding in my head was worse than what I’d read about the human migraine.

“There’s some ibuprofen in my office drawer if you need any. Don’t hesitate to go up there and close the door if you need a minute. There’s a little lounger in the corner,” Piper explained, giving me a look that I’d only seen from my mother.

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

She nodded, giving me a warm smile before leaving me with Gabriella.

“Now that the boss is gone, you gonna tell me what really made you look like that?” she whispered.

“My migraines cause nausea and vomiting, so I was up all night. Ended up sleeping on my bathroom floor.”

She tilted her head in disbelief, narrowing her eyes, “Keep your secrets then,” she huffed, before walking over and flipping the tiny sign on the door to open.

Customers trickled in and before I knew it, I was rushing back and forth to make drinks. My body protested every movement and I had to continuously fight to keep going. I received a lot of looks given the state of my face today.

I need to be more careful next time. Too much wolfsbane could kill me just as easily as not having enough immunity.

I wanted to go back to when my life was just simple. As I fight to push through today, my mind wanders back to my mother. How she managed to move on after my father’s death and fight for us with a smile was beyond me.

A mother and her young daughter came in, sitting at a small table by the window. The way that the girl's mother looked at her reminded me of the way my mother used to look at me.

I missed her desperately. The way her warm, brown eyes crinkled when she smiled. She had thick, long blonde hair that mirrored my own. The way she knew just the right thing to say. I would forever carry an emptiness in my heart without her.

After the morning rush was over, I decided to make a coffee of my own. After all, what would it hurt to try and nurse my headache with a bit of caffeine?

The hot liquid slid down my sore throat, stinging at first, but was quickly replaced by a warm, soothing feeling. The smell of our house roast was like heaven. I'd buy a candle with its scent if I could.

The bell over the door dinged and my break was short-lived.

I froze as a group of men in uniform came in chattering away. They walked over to one of our larger booths, filing in one by one. My feet refused to move as I just stared.

Each one wore a tan Camo jacket, pants, and matching tan boots. Every uniform donned a tiny, rectangular nametag.

“Can you go take care of the booth? I’ve got to finish cleaning these machines,” Gabriella shouted over the sound of the blenders.

I’m so f*****g tired of seeing those stupid uniforms. I can’t escape them. I feel like my entire life revolves around the uniform.

I walked slowly over to the booth, ignoring the growing feeling in my gut. Disgust, anger, frustration.

‘We could probably kill them all if you’d just let me out.’

As much as I wanted to, it wasn’t worth it. I couldn’t kill them all, and it would only prove their point. That we were monsters.

The only person I’d ever actually considered killing was Colson. I’d grown to hate him over the last two years. He was responsible for my mother’s death. I remember the look in my mother’s eyes every single time I think about letting my guard down.

The goal was to blend in until I was out. I slapped on my best fake smile and headed over to their table.

“Morning boys. What can I get for you?”

“Haven’t seen you around here before,” a man named Samuel winked.

“I just started here yesterday,” I responded, trying to stay cordial.

“Are you new in town?” he questioned, receiving an elbow from the man next to him, whose name tag read Silas.

He held his hands up, “I was just seeing if she might need someone to show her around town.”

“I’m sure Janelle would love that,” the man, Dakota, added, rolling his eyes. Sam's face flushed from embarrassment and he elbowed Dakota.

Gritting my teeth, I held my fake smile. As if being a hunter wasn’t bad enough.

“I apologize on behalf of these fools. We’d love a carafe of your house blend and an order of muffins. Any variety is fine,” the final man spoke up. His name tag read Oliver.

“Gotcha. I will be right back,” I nodded, plastering a wider, fake smile.

As I walked away, I heard their whispers. ‘You can’t ignore how hot she was.’ ‘Seriously, do you see her ass?’ If I wasn’t a wolf, I wouldn’t have been able to hear them, though I found it to be more of a curse than a blessing in most instances.

‘Are you sure I can’t kill them? I promise to make it quick.’

I’d bite my tongue for the sake of this job. That, and I’m not sure Piper would appreciate a quadruple murder in her coffee shop. While I loved horror movies, it wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

Quickly grabbing their order, I delivered it to the table, dropping it off and nearly running away.

“Those kinds of men are the worst. They’re stationed not far from here and I’ve found myself in more sticky situations than I’d like to admit,” Gabriella whispered.

“Outside of being a hunter?”

Gabriella nodded, “They might be a good f**k, but nothing more. I’ve learned my lesson the hard way.” I made a mental note that Gabriella seemed like someone I might be able to get close to. She was spunky and blunt and paid no attention to my mention of them being hunters.

The four men left without another word, which I was grateful for. Just their presence was suffocating. Walking over to the table, I noticed a small piece of paper as well as a twenty-dollar tip. On the paper, a phone number was scrawled in sloppy writing and labeled Samuel.

In his dreams. Stuffing the bill in my apron pocket, I added the phone number to the pile of trash, chucking it directly where it belonged.

“Way to go girl. I saw that,” Gabriella cheered from behind the counter.

“I don’t do men.”

She wagged her brows, “Oh. OH. Okay. You swing for the other team.”

I felt my cheeks heat, “No, not like that. I am just not interested in anything right now.”

Talking to someone about my life was so foreign to me. Not that this was really diving deep or anything, but I typically stayed as invisible as possible anymore.

She tilted her head, “How long has it been since you’ve been laid? You don’t have to date to have fun,” she shrugged.

I wanted to tell her that I don’t have time to have fun. My life is focusing on work, taking care of my sister, and making sure we don’t get caught.