by Jo Ho
“I’d love to say that’s not necessary, except it actually is,” Eve said, sighing with relief. "I could never afford this place."
“I know it’s not cheap. I should have mentioned it earlier actually, but it kind of slipped my mind.”
Eve wandered just how much money Cassie’s family had that the price of a meal in this place wasn’t something she even entertained. It must be so nice to have unlimited funds.
Scanning through the delicious-sounding dishes, Eve eventually settled on the seafood pasta with a side salad while Cassie went for a lobster risotto and grilled shrimp starter. They made small-talk while they waited, steering clear of any hot-button topics. When the food came Eve could have died from just the aromas alone.
Growing up, when her parents had owned a catering truck, Eve had developed a taste for seafood, but they couldn't afford it much now, especially as it was just the two of them, so this meal was a special event to be cherished.
On top of the pasta sat mussels still in their shells, fried calamari rings, king-sized shrimp and crab claws — all the things she loved but couldn't afford. A grin spread across her face. Grabbing her fork, she speared a calamari ring, taking a bite. Her taste buds exploded; it was like heaven in her mouth. She dug in, eating enthusiastically, savoring each and every mouthful. Across from her, Cassie smiled happily, seeing how Eve enjoyed the food. "It's good isn’t it?"
"It’s amazing. I can see why this is your favorite place. I’d live here if I could.”
They dove into their food, laughing and talking about random things as they ate, discovering their mutual appreciation for old 90s movies. Eve was surprised by how much fun she was having with Cassie. It seemed that in this place that she was familiar with, she loosened up until she was actually pleasant to be around. In no time, they had finished their mains and were waiting for their desserts.
“Cassie? I can’t believe it’s you!” said a stunning woman who had been walking past their table when she stopped, doubling back.
Cassie's reaction was extreme. She froze, a look of horror momentarily spreading over her face before it was quickly replaced with a welcoming smile that she directed at the woman. "Mom? What are you doing here?" Cassie asked as her mother bent down, giving Eve an eyeful of her cleavage from the low-fronted dress she wore. She dropped a kiss on Cassie’s cheek, leaving a shiny pink stain on her skin. Behind her stood a group of people all dressed entirely in black with elaborate hairstyles — clearly fashionistas. There was even a man wearing a dress, though somehow, he managed to look cool doing it. They were all quite terrifying to Eve's eyes. Cassie didn’t seem pleased to see them either as she ducked her face, trying to hide it behind a curtain of ginger hair.
"I just got done with a shoot and the gang and I decided to grab a late dinner. It’s so lucky that we bumped into you! How are you, sweetheart? It feels like so long since we dropped you off at school. You promised to call, but I noticed you haven’t yet,” she chided in mock anger.
“I’ve just been busy,” Cassie mumbled.
“I’ll bet,” her mother replied. “All those parties you must be going to! I’m sure you’re having a wonderful time.”
Cassie exchanged a loaded look with Eve. “Wonderful,” wasn’t quite how they would describe their experience to date. Turning to Eve, Cassie's mother gave her a smile that didn't waver even when she took in her appearance. "I'm Angie, Cassie's mom. And you must be one of her new friends. It's so nice to meet you."
Eve had to hand it to her, she didn’t show even a hint of reservation and seemed genuinely nice. She was also quite possibly the most stunning woman she had ever seen in real life.
"I'm Eve." Behind her, Angie's entourage, who had been talking amongst themselves, had fallen very quiet. While they were still smiling, their expressions changed as they looked first at Eve, then at Cassie. While this was a common occurrence for Eve, it wasn’t something she expected Cassie to experience. It suddenly dawned on Eve that they were judging her unfavorably against her ridiculously good-looking mom. They didn't say anything to her, nothing that could be taken as rude or obvious, but Eve could sense it in their demeanor, in the sidelong looks they directed at her. It was obvious what they were thinking…
And it made her livid.
Cassie, who literally just seconds before had been happy, suddenly had her head ducked so low that Eve couldn’t even see her face. Is this how people treated her when they realized who her mom was? No wonder the girl had issues! Angie herself seemed completely oblivious to the situation. She couldn't see their shady behavior or read how uncomfortable her daughter was. Despite being a model, she was oblivious to Cassie’s body language, which seemed ironic. Laughing at her friends, Angie gave Cassie a hug as she made her promise that they would have more contact in the future, then she swanned away with her adoring fans just as their desserts finally arrived.
Cassie had ordered a chocolate soufflé while Eve had gone for the ice cream sundae mostly because it was the only thing on the menu that she had recognized. Though her soufflé looked amazing, Cassie didn't touch it. "I'm kind of full. I don't really feel like any more food,” she said quietly.
Eve knew immediately why she suddenly didn’t want to eat. She had lost her appetite herself, but she picked up her spoon.
“We came here to eat a really nice meal, and it has been a really nice meal so far, so don't let those idiots get to you. It doesn't matter what people say or think about you. What matters is how you feel about yourself. Do not give your power away. Pick up your fork and eat your dessert."
Cassie’s eyes suddenly started to water as she gave Eve a grateful, if wobbly smile. Wiping away a tear, she picked up her fork and took a bite of her soufflé. Smiling supportively, Eve dove into her own dessert, determined to end the meal as well as it had began.
Chapter 13
Across town, in a lower key neighborhood, Marley sat in a booth across from Paul.
The diner was a small but bustling joint filled with junk food-seeking patrons. Burger patties sizzled on the grill in the nearby kitchen, their juices causing smoke to billow into the restaurant, though no one seemed to mind; it all added to the atmosphere.
Diving into a towering burger that contained two patties, cheese, pickles, and onion rings, Paul took an enormous bite while Marley watched on in amazement. Somehow, he was able to eat without half of the burger’s contents sliding out of it. Marley’s own burger was a smaller version of his, but wanting to talk to him, she left it alone, picking up a French fry instead. Dipping it into a pool of ketchup, she chewed on the end of it as she thought about how she could broach the subject on her mind, weary of upsetting him. Swallowing the fry, which seemed to have lodged itself in her throat, Marley reached for her water and took a sip.
“Hey Dad?” she began, psyching herself up.
“Mm-hmm?” he responded, still working his way through the mouthful of burger he had taken.
“You never talk about your family much…”
Paul’s eyes turned curious as he swallowed, clearing his mouth so he could speak. “There’s not really much to say. You know my mom died when I was a kid, and I never really got along with my dad. He wasn’t exactly what you’d call a nice person. Our relationship took a turn for the worse after she died.”
“What happened to her exactly? I know you must have mentioned it before, but I can’t remember you ever telling me,” Marley asked hoping she was being gentle enough.
Paul set down his burger, picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth. “There was an accident. A fire. She died of smoke inhalation.”
Marley reeled, her whole body turning rigid with shock. “A fire? That’s awful. I’m so sorry dad, I didn’t know that.”
Paul gave her a small smile, fighting to shield the terrible memories. “I never really mentioned it before because you were too young and I didn’t want to upset you, but you’re an adult now. I suppose it’s time you heard the truth.”
He picked up his burger a
gain, taking another big bite. At least the conversation wasn’t having an effect on his appetite, though Marley found hers rapidly dwindling.
“What about any other family? Where are they all?” she pushed on.
Paul swallowed again before speaking. “My dad’s somewhere in the South, but I don’t have any details on where. I cut ties with him a while ago. I have a brother somewhere, but we’re not close either. Last I heard, he was living in New York trying to make a living as an artist.” Setting down his burger, Paul’s eyes turned serious. “What’s with your sudden interest in all this anyway? What brought this on?”
Marley fidgeted with the napkin in her lap, hoping her dad couldn’t see. “It’s for school. I’m doing a project on our family tree but I’m not really getting anywhere as I don’t know much about it.”
Paul’s face turned sympathetic. “I’m sorry hon, I’m not sure how much help I can be with that.”
“Do you know if we’ve ever had any family live around here?” Marley asked.
“Not that I know of,” Paul responded.
“Is there anything you can tell me that might be of interest? Anything special about our family line?”
There. Marley had asked the one question she had been leading up to this whole time, though what she really wanted to ask was if he knew of any witches in their family. Instead of responding to her question, Paul’s eyes slid down to his plate where he suddenly focused on his food.
“I honestly can’t think of anything,” he replied without looking at her. While Marley had always been a terrible liar, she had clearly inherited this from her dad, who could never make eye contact with her if he wasn’t telling the truth.
Like now.
Marley knew he was hiding something from her, but what? What didn’t he want her to know?
Chapter 14
The soufflé stuck to her throat, thick and cloying.
Not wanting to let Eve down, Cassie diligently ate her dessert, though she didn’t enjoy a moment of it. All she wanted was to rush back to the dorm so she could hide away, pretend this never happened. She was so sick of their stares, so tired of their judgment.
It wasn’t her fault she looked like this. She wasn’t even ugly! Not really. She just couldn’t match up to her fabulous mom. Then again, who could? She was one in a million — and unfortunately for Cassie, the DNA jackpot hadn’t been as kind. It wasn’t like she didn’t have to face this cruel fact every day.
Setting her fork down, Cassie knew she had to admit defeat. If she tried to swallow another mouthful, she might just throw up. Setting her napkin on the table, Cassie slid her chair out. “I’ll be right back. Restroom break.”
Eve nodded, though she wasn’t quite able to hide her concern. She hoped Cassie wasn’t going to cry in the restroom. She’d done so well at ignoring their rudeness. All the way through dessert, Eve had been wondering about Angie; how could the woman not see that her colleagues were being rude to her daughter? Was she that self-involved? She did seem to love Cassie though, so the whole thing just taxed Eve’s brain. Steeling herself for another spoonful of the never-ending ice-cream, Eve watched Cassie’s small figure as she wove through the restaurant.
Lights flashed on above as Cassie walked into the marble restroom.
A sigh of relief left her lips when she saw she had the place to herself. Moving into a cubicle, she sat down on the toilet, locking herself inside. She’d managed to keep her composure until now, but the tears simmered just under the surface, threatening to let loose.
Every time this happened, it shook her to the core, though contrary to popular belief, it wasn’t just what people thought about her that unraveled her — it was how their judgment made her resent her own mother. She resented being anywhere near her, fearing the comparisons that she knew would come… invariably, that would make her feel even worse about herself.
Breathing deeply, Cassie fought to control her emotions. She didn’t want to let Eve down, not after she had shown her such kindness. She was going to sit here until she was composed. She wasn’t going out there again until she could face the world with a smile.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the restroom door swinging open, followed by the patter of several pairs of high-heeled feet, the owners of whom hovered outside Cassie’s stall, chattering a mile a minute.
“This place is so gorgeous, I could just hang out in this restroom,” said a perky female voice.
“Forget the decor, what about our waiter? Did you see how cute he is? Of course, he only had eyes for Angie, but I can dream,” came a more wistful voice. At her mom’s name, Cassie froze, hoping to God that they were referring to a different Angie.
“Angie’s married to that hunky anchor, so he’s got no chance. Maybe if you try a little harder though, you might get lucky tonight,” said yet another person.
Cassie’s heart dropped to her stomach. These were her mom’s friends; her dad was the “hunky anchor” they mentioned. She was trapped in here with the very people who had made her feel so terrible about herself.
“Did you see her daughter though? I’d never have guessed they were related, not in a million years,” one of them said, sending Cassie deeper into shock.
“I know. If she was my daughter, I’d fix that face with surgery, pronto!”
“Be cheaper just to use a brown paper bag wouldn’t it? After all, there’s only so much surgery one can do.”
They laughed bitchily as if they’d said the funniest thing in the world while Cassie could feel herself wanting to die.
“Imagine being Angie then having an unfortunate-looking daughter like that. I’d be surprised if the poor thing ever found a guy who’d want to date her.”
“Well, maybe Angie can help incentivize some poor soul. Failing that, they could just buy her a boyfriend.”
More laughter came, cutting like a knife. Two of the women went into the stalls on either side of her as Cassie shoved her fist into her mouth to keep from making any sound. The women did their business, then one of them spoke again.
“Christ, there’s no paper in here,” she exclaimed. She tapped on Cassie’s stall, her nails clicking against the metal. “Excuse me, could whoever is in the middle stall please pass me some toilet paper under the door? I’d really appreciate it.”
Cassie couldn’t believe this was happening. After what they had said about her, now they needed her help. She had half a mind to ignore her. Adrenaline kicked in, causing her blood to pound. What she really wanted was to leave her stall now and face these women directly, letting them know exactly what she thought of them. Then she’d march up to her mom and let her know too. Her mom would ruin them. All she had to do was open that door and let them have it.
But she couldn’t do it.
Even though she hated herself for it, Cassie pulled several squares of paper from her toilet roll, handing it to the woman on the other side.
“Thanks, sweetie, you’re a doll,” the woman called out to her. Cassie didn’t reply. She couldn’t trust herself to say anything. She continued to sit there while the women spent forever tidying up their makeup before finally leaving.
As soon as they had gone, Cassie left the stall as the tears started to fall. Unable to hold them in any longer, she sobbed. She had to get out of there but she was afraid to bump into those women again. What if they came back? What if her mom was with them this time? She couldn’t do it. Not as herself…
Turning to the mirror, Cassie started picturing Marley’s face. Calling up her power, she began changing her features into Marley’s. First the eyes, then the nose. The air hummed with energy as she worked through each of her features until Marley’s face stared back at her. Then she changed her outfit, morphing into the first thing that came to mind, which just happened to be the tight-fitting dress her mom had been wearing. Eyes still blurry with tears, Cassie fled the restroom. Back in the main dining area, she glanced at Eve, who sat across the room from her, still working away at that ice-cream. She kne
w she should go back to her, but people were beginning to notice her distress. She couldn’t face making a scene: she had to get out of there.
Though she knew it was a horrible thing to do, Cassie hurried out of the restaurant.
Eve’s spoon froze halfway up to her face.
She watched, astonished, as Marley — dressed in an identical dress to Angie’s — rushed out of the restaurant. Except, she knew it wasn’t Marley. It was Cassie, and she was wearing their friend’s face. Eve didn’t know what had happened in the restroom, though clearly, she had no intention of coming back.
Stunned, Eve set her spoon down as the ramifications of this suddenly hit her. Cassie was supposed to be paying for this meal! There was no way she could afford this. As if by some great streak of bad luck, their waiter chose that exact moment to appear with the bill. He smiled at Eve, having no idea what had just transpired. As far as they knew, Cassie was still in the restroom.
Eve blinked, unable to believe what was happening. Cassie had stiffed her for the bill! She had come here to make up with her, to be her friend, yet this was the kind of stunt she pulled in return. Uncontrollable rage started building inside of her. Eve let herself feel it at first, until she remembered what would happen if she didn’t put a lid on her negative emotions. She forced herself to focus, trying desperately to bottle the rage… then her eyes slid over to the bill. Seeing the ridiculous figure written on it, Eve lost any last vestiges of control she had left.
She felt the air hum with electricity as everything stilled. Then the screams came. First one, then more, as a sea of mice surged over the floor towards her. Panicked customers shot to their feet. Some jumped onto the tables while others ran for the exit. Everywhere she looked, mice and people converged. It was complete and utter chaos.
Shooting up to her feet, Eve realized this was the break she needed. Joining the mass exodus, she hurried out of the restaurant.