Deathless Maiden

"Look at her, Vince. Our daughter looks beautiful and dazzling as you gaze at her," my mom said as she touched my face and held my left hand while smiling. My father lands his arm on Mom's shoulder and speaks. 

"Yes, she is; she resembles you, honey," he said, smiling while holding my right hand. They both look at each other, and they kiss in front of me. I smiled, looking at them loving each other and treating themselves as king and queen, and our house was their palace. 

It is me when I was young, around I was three months old, I think? As time went by, I saw myself running and rolling around the flowers that my mom planted in front of our house. There are fruit-bearing trees like apples, oranges, and lemons. I think this is the time that we spend our time having a picnic. My mom loves to plant flowers and bake some cookies for our afternoon snack, while my dad loves to build things and help my mom decorate our home. I also help them with any chores! 

It was such a lovely and memorable day for me, doing the things that we love and spending our time happily as the sun shone bright and the birds chirped. 

I saw myself again sitting on a tree while reading my favorite book; it is all about a woman who falls in love with a prince. She's a commoner with no gold, no mansion, just wearing a simple dress and living in a small town. The prince meets the girl and falls in love with her, but the king and queen don't want the girl to be the prince's bride. 

As I saw myself reading, one guy approached me and sat beside me. I was confused as to why that man sat beside me without saying anything. I saw him yesterday walking around the town while the girls looked at him with love. I also knew that their family moved to this town. They are also a wealthy and well known family in the city; that's what I heard. 

Many girls fall in love because of his looks, but I do not want to get involved with this. I am currently happy reading books and falling in love with the fictional characters that I adore. I closed my book and stood up, but before I could take a step, he suddenly spoke out of nowhere. 

"I just want to talk to you," he said, looking at me while smiling. I raised my eyebrows and replied to him. 

"I do not want to talk to you; do not you see that I am reading a book? It is such a waste of time talking to a guy; this book is much more important than talking to you," I said, and took a step. I halted and turned around to speak again. "Also, please speak first before sitting beside me. You are making yourself creepy in my eyes." I turned around and walked, but he suddenly stood up and held my hand. 

"Wait, sorry. I just really want to talk to you; you got my attention." I heard him running towards me, but I did not bother to look at him. 

"It is not a good excuse," I said while walking. 

"I love reading too." My eyes widened at what he said. Most guys here in town just love to flirt with other girls; it is new to me to know that there is one guy who also loves to read. I turned around and looked into his eyes to see if he was telling the truth. 

"How many books did you read?" I asked. 

"Hm, I think it's about hundreds of books. You know, since I was a child, I have loved reading. If, by any chance, you can come to our house, I'll tour you in my room. I will give you one book that you want in my library." My eyes were shining and sparkling as I heard that he would give me one book. 

"Are you sure about that?" I asked again to make sure that he gave me a book. He nodded in response, so I smiled. 

We spend our time reading, laughing, talking, and wandering around the town. It is a good memory for me to see him smiling and laughing like that, but these happy moments are not an epilogue to my story. 

"Kalsey, no!" 

I heard someone scream. When I turned around, I saw the man bleeding, holding the knife that was stabbed in his heart, but he was smiling? My eyes started to cry; the tears in my eyes were so warm, and they kept falling and falling. My hands were now shaking; I couldn't control my anger; I was hurt. The pain that I feel right now is out of control. I touched his face. I want to speak, but I cannot move my lips. 

"I love you." 

I opened my eyes as I heard my alarm ringing loudly, which made me get up from bed. I turn off the alarm and stretch my body to prepare myself. I dream of that again every night. His smile and his voice. I miss him. I shook my head and fixed the pillows and blanket. 

"It will be a long day of work." I stood up and went to the bathroom to wash my body. After that, I picked up my uniform to wear to work. 

I am a waiter in a café, but most of the time I do many jobs like cleaning and helping the customers with what they need, and I can also be a cashier. I looked in the mirror and stared at my face. 

"You are still beautiful, Charlotte. Keep that on your mind," I said to myself while touching my face. It is full of pimples. I also have curly hair, a flat nose, and skin full of scars. I already tried everything, but it did not have any effect at all, so I decided to accept who I am. 

Finally, I arrived at the café! I looked around and saw them preparing for the opening. 

"Charlotte, good morning!" One of my coworkers here greets me with a smile on her face. She is one of my friends here; she is also good looking, with dark skin, round eyes, short black hair, and a pointed nose. 

"Good morning too, Chel," I replied to her with a smile. 

"Charlotte, finally you are here. Come, come help me with these." The café owner, Missis Matilda spoke and gave me a sign to go where she was. I helped her arrange the table and chairs before we opened the café. 

"Yo, Charlotte." I looked at where I heard that voice; it was Leandro, one of my friends here. I smiled and waved at him. "You are early today, huh? Most of the time, you are always late to go to work," he said. 

"Leandro, don't mess up with her. She's working; you need to work right now too," Missis Matilda scolded him. I just laugh softly and speak. 

"Tomorrow is our day off, right? How about the three of us spending our time together in the park?" I asked him. 

"Oh sure, Chel, you'll go, right?" Leandro looked at where Chel was and asked her. Chel nodded in response. Leandro smiled when he saw Chel's smile. Leandro has a crush on Chel, and I support these two lovebirds. They look so good to each other; every time we go to the park or a place, it feels like I am just a third wheeler. 

We finally opened the café, and after a couple of minutes, there were so many customers arriving. The café of Missis Matilda is famous in our area. Mostly, students and workers come here to drink, read books, do their homework, and such. It is such a nice and quiet café that I have ever seen, especially Missis Matilda; she is a good person to her staff. 

While I was giving orders to our customers, I looked at the clock, and it was already 2 in the afternoon. I took my handkerchief from my pocket and wiped the sweat on my forehead. I am already exhausted. 

.

It is already night, and we have already closed the coffee shop. I am currently cleaning the table and the floor; some of my coworkers here have already left. I am the only one here with Missis Matilda, who continues to fix things. After that, I decided to go home. I went to Missis Matilda and was first to say goodbye to her. 

As I walked, there were so many streetlights, cars that continued to beep, people who were laughing and talking, teenagers who were still strolling even at night, and some people who were walking home. Gosh, it's been hundreds of years; this generation is different. As I was strolling around, the barbecue that the woman was cooking in the street smelled so delicious. I went to where she sold her barbecue and bought two. 

"Here you go, miss," she said with a smile on her face. "Thank you," I replied. 

I continue walking while eating the barbecue I purchased earlier when my heart rate increases and it hurts. I'm slowly kneeling due to the pain I feel. I look around and realize that the man walking in front of me is the source of the pain I am experiencing right now. What is this feeling? Who is that guy?