Post by StoryGirl83 on Jan 25, 2010 17:43:03 GMT -5
Chapter Five – All Fall Down
Chris was alone in the restaurant kitchen. It had been a pretty busy night so far. They’d had a large party reserve the restaurant for the last couple of hours and they had only just left. Considering the amount of clean up involved, he had decided to help bus the tables and had his arms full of dishes.
“Need some help, Chris?” Emily Colson asked as she walked into the kitchen.
“No, I’m fine,” he told her as he headed toward the sink.
A timer went off near Emily and she turned to her right. There was something cooking on the stove. “I’ll get that.”
“Thanks,” he replied as he put the dishes down in an already large pile and starts washing.
“Kind of a relief to see all those people gone,” Emily commented as she turned off both the stove and the timer.
“You get used to it.”
“Cause you’ve been here soooo much longer than I have,” she retorted.
He shrugged. “Just because I was hired after you doesn’t mean anything. I’ve been here most of my life.”
“Sure, pull the owner’s kid card.”
“I’m just saying that I’ve seen crowds here and helped with them a lot.”
“I just here a lot of talk,” she informed him as she moved the food to another burner before opening up one of the cupboards. Finding it bare she turned to look at Chris. “Have you seen the extra plates? We used all the normal ones for the party.”
“The cabinets by the deep freeze,” he informed her without looking up.
“Thanks.” She got a step ladder out and headed for the cabinet.
Chris got back to work on his dishes, ignoring what she was doing.
She climbed up the step ladder and started bringing down plates. Each time she did, she unknowingly knocked into a knife set on the shelf below, moving it closer to the edge of the shelf. Each set of dishes she brought down she set down on the counter.
Chris stopped with the dishes and turned to look at her. “Can you use some help?”
“No, I’m fine,” she told him with a shake of her head. “We’re empty at the moment. The food is for some people coming in a little bit. They called ahead with orders and I’m just getting ready.”
“If you’re sure,” he replied as he started to turn back around. As he did he saw two things happen.
Emily slipped on the second step of the step ladder and hit the cabinet with her arm. This sent both her and the knives headed downward, some of the knives pointed at Emily.
Not sure what else to do or having time to think about it, Chris blinked his eyes and Emily orbed out of the way of the knives and reappeared on the floor in front of Chris.
Emily looked across the room at the over turned step ladder and the knives on the ground. Pushing herself up, she turned around to face a wide eyed Chris, who was realizing exactly what he had done. Confused she looked him in the eye and asked. “Did you do that?”
Chris looked at her in silence, unable to find something to say.
“Are you a witch or something?”
The extremely pointed question startled him. “Uh . . .”
“As in Sabrina, the Teenage,” she added, trailing off.
Chris stared at her incredulously. “You watch that?”
“Sure,” she told him as she shrugged, unconcerned and unaware that she had hit it dead on. “Doesn’t everyone? It’s classic TV, Chris.”
Chris stared at her skeptically. “Right.”
“Seriously though,” she continued. “You didn’t answer my question.”
Chris shook his head, not in answer, but in refusal. “I have to go.”
Before Emily could protest, he left the room through the back door, shoved it shut, and orbed out.
He reappeared in the front hall of The Manor where Drinka Deguilio was manning the hostess booth.
Drinka looked at him surprised. “Chris? What are you doing here?”
“I just exposed magic,” Chris informed her as he turned to look at her. “I can’t stay.”
Drinka returned the look, somewhat wide eyed. “What?”
“To Emily,” he continued. “I need you to take over.”
“What?!” This last distressed her more than the prior. It wasn’t that she wouldn’t take charge, she just preferred not to. She liked her job as greeter.
“Please, Drinka,” he requested with puppy eyes. “It’s only about a few hours. One of the wait staff can cook.”
“And how am I supposed to explain your absence to the staff?” she wanted to know.
Chris was silent for several seconds before he sighed and sad, “I don’t know.” He exhaled and repeated, “I don’t know. Seth came by and . . .”
Drinka pounced on those words. “Seth is back.” She’d known for some time that he had been missing.
“Yes,” Chris agreed.
“Okay,” Drinka decided. “I’ll try to use that. I guess I’ll get Ty to cook.”
Chris looked at her surprised. “Ty? He’s just a kid.”
Drinka gave him a knowing smile. “That kid can cook.”
Chris smiled at that. “Okay, then I’ll see you later. Thanks, Drinka.”
“Send Seth my greeting,” she requested.
“Sure. Bye.” Before she could say anything else he exits the building for the parking lot, eager to avoid Emily before he had time to think about what to tell her.
Drinka watched until the door closed behind him before leaving the greeting stand and heading into the dining room. She had a seventeen-year-old who was about to learn he was in charge of the kitchen.