Season: Summer
Weather: Hot, smoky and windy.
Day of the week: Sunday
Date: 26th February, 2024
So I'm back in the house belonging to Stony Boss and THE biggest boss of all because they wanted to be able to keep an eye on me so that I can't sneak off to work anymore. They're both exhausted because of a very long night in the hospital.
I'm exhausted from all the scoldings and lectures I received. Do you suppose I deserved it? If I want to be honest with myself... Wait, why would I want to be honest with myself? If I were honest with myself, I would do exactly what I feel like doing.
Throw a screaming, furious tantrum complete with kicking, ripping and breaking of things. I'd tear myself to pieces until I didn't exist anymore, but the people who are currently angry with me would not like that. They might entirely give up on me and I don't want to be abandoned. I don't want to lose what kindness there is left.
I have to find a way to manage myself and my reactions to keep them happy. Stabilise them and hope they'll put up with me a little longer. Hope that when they're tired of me, they won't step on me and crush me beneath their feet, forcing me to remember with another painful lesson exactly where I belonged in the greater scheme of things in this big, big, nightmarish world.
But I'm not honest with myself, so nevermind all that. I'll let them think I'm reflecting and not feeling well and being quiet. They promised if I was good for a few more days, they'd let me go back to work. Start my lunchbox catering Wednesdays. That would be something to look forward to.
I really, really need something to distract myself with.
The bandages and wounds both hurt and itch at the same time. It's so irritating. Not wanting to move or go anywhere. I've been listening the the mobile phones of the two bosses ringing frequently, but they always take the calls where I can't hear them, so I can't figure out what's so urgent or troubling that they have to deal with it on a Sunday.
"Unless it's because of what happened last night," breathed a voice in my ear.
!!!!!!!
What? How? Argh!
The dark shadow lord is here. He came in through my closed window and closed door and I don't know how he got in here without me noticing until he was already right behind me. It's freaking me out.
The bedroom door was closed. The bedroom window was locked. Was, being the key word. However, the window is still closed. There's no other way in.
And now he's kicked off his shoes, gotten into bed with me, holding me in his arms while telling me to keep writing while he hugs me. It looks like he's sleeping but every time I stop writing, he opens his eyes to look at me.
I'm freaking freaked out right now and don't know what to do without waking him. I don't dare to wake him. I'm scared to wake him. He seems like another kind of big dungeon boss and I don't know how I'll ever defeat him.
"Big dungeon boss?" the dark shadow lord murmured. "I like the sound of that."
!!!
I almost jumped out of bed again but the man's holding me quite firmly. He even caught my notebook and pen when I almost threw them in surprise.
Should I laugh or should I cry? Do both?
"Tell me," the dark shadow lord said, "about how you got to come under Chef's wing. I've never seen that hard hearted man ever showing an interest in a little thing like you before. Totally not the type I thought he'd ever pay attention to."
How was I meant to explain that Chef was just like a father figure to me? He had taken me under his wing when I first started working in the clubhouse and used to feed me in the kitchens at the end of our shifts. He also clothed me and brought me home so that I could shower and have somewhere to stay until I could afford a place of my own to rent.
"You're explaining it now," the dark shadow lord whispered in my ear, making me shiver, his breath tickling my ear. "Oh, it tickles? Let's do it again."
"Stop - stop it," I tried to push or smack him away but he could guess what I was going to do.
"Calm down," the dark shadow lord wrapped his arms around me, locking me in place. "Calm down. Don't have another panic attack or heart attack or whatever. I came to visit and see how you were doing. And to tell you I have dealt with those people who made trouble for you last night. I'll be disciplining all my people and teaching them a lesson on what is right and what is wrong and not to look down on little call girls like you."
"I'm not a call girl!" I exclaimed.
"Hush. You want those overbearing bosses of yours to rush in here to find us in bed together?"
"I'm not in bed with you. I'm not together with you. You climbed into my bed and I don't want you here but can't get rid of you."
"Exactly," the dark shadow lord chuckled, tickling me under the chin to make me squirm. "Together."
I lowered my head to try and gather myself, only to find myself being gathered into the man's lap.
"Stop writing for a moment. I'm so sleepy
Let's have a nap. I haven't slept for a few days. Just give me a few moments, ok?"
What can I do?
Later, I was woken by the sound of Chef's loud voice entering the house and all the bedroom doors opening and shutting with a bang.
"Where's my cherie,?" Chef boomed, eventually opening my bedroom to find me entangled in the dark shadow lord's embrace. "What's this?" he exploded, striding over to pull the shadow lord out of my bed as if he were a chick? A child? A puppy? "Umbrey?"
"Yo!" the dark shadow lord greeted everyone in a nonchalant manner, ignoring the fact that he was being held up in the air by one arm by Chef with his feet dangling in the air.
It made me realise just quite how tall Chef was. How big he was. How much of a giant he was. Chef is so awesome, managing the dark shadow lord with ease.
"Mon Cherie, what are you doing bedding this piece of bad news?" Chef gave me a troubled look.
"How'd you get in?" Stony Boss put his hands on his hips.
"Through the window," pointed the dark shadow lord.
"Window? Don't we have security around the house?"
"When has mere basic security ever stopped me from going wherever I want to go?" the dark shadow lord upraised a palm.
"Your security is truly very shoddy," Chef agreed, speaking to my two bosses before turning his head back to glare at the man he was holding up in the air, giving him a little shake, "but that doesn't tell me what you were doing in mon cherie's bed, Umbrey, you rascal."
"She has this nice, calming quality about her," Umbrey yawned and patted Chef's arm, resulting in Chef finally being willing to put him down. "Very soothing. She smells nice too. I've been up for three days in a row and had to deal with those rascals who caused trouble last night. And then I had to investigate this cute little chickadee that you're all claiming to be your girl. Good thing you're out of the running, Chef. You're just a father figure. As for them two guys, she doesn't seem as close to them as I thought. And then since she was here, her bed was here, what better opportunity is there for me to catch a few winks. You woke me up by the way. I'm still feeling a bit grumpy about that. You should all be glad I didn't go on a killing spree in my irritation."
"You keep spinning yarn," Stony Boss snorted, sitting beside me to glance at what I had written in my journal so far. He then looked at my window.
"I'm not. I'm really not," the dark shadow lord yawned again and then boldly tried to slip into my bed again.
"You are not taking advantage of her while I'm here," Chef growled at him, blocking the access to my bed. He lifted his chin at my window and spoke to my two bosses. "You bots might want to replace the lock on her window."
The dark shadow lord yawned.
"Aw, come on. Do you all know what kind of mess the underworld can get into if I don't get my beauty sleep?" the dark shadow lord complained. "What's the point in finally finding a cure for my insomnia when you won't let me hug her and use her as a body pillow?"
All the men seemed to pause for a moment and then Chef stepped aside.
"Thank you," the dark shadow lord grinned and slid into my bed, wrapping me up in his arms again.
"Just this once," Chef warned, "and only because I'm watching you."
Ugh. There was no way for me to have any say in all this was there?
The dark shadow lord snuggled up to me while I looked at the three more awake men with a pleading expression.
"That's the boss of the underworld in our city," THE biggest boss of all told me apologetically, pointing at the man snuggling up to me with his face pillowed on my arm and a look of bliss on his face. "If the underworld falls apart because he went mad due to lack of sleep, the entire city would be in trouble. Even we can't deal with him if he loses his temper. Put up for it for one night, ok? Just one night."
"I might be able to take him," Chef eyed the dark shadow lord who was hugging me in my bed and rubbing his thimb in circles on my waist, making me want ro cry. No. Wait. My eyes were already wet. Never mind.
"Sure," the dark shadow lord yawned, "but not with out pulling this house down around our ears and putting our cherie in danger. Im going back to sleep. Goodnight."
Mon cherie," Chef knelt down by my bed and pointed at THE biggest boss of all, who now didn't seem such a big shot compared to Chef and the dark shadow lord. He spoke in the usual gentle voice he seemed to used to always reserve for me. "Last night, this man said he wants to make you his girlfriend. What are your thoughts on this matter? I won't meddle if you like him. I just want to make sure you are safe. I don't want you coming back to work in the clubhouse again. That kind of place is not for you."
"He - he's my big boss, you know," I told Chef. "It seems like he likes me but we're not from the same world. I keep telling him but he won't listen. Also, he's been really nice in taking care of me. I offered to sleep with him for a night. I can even do a few nights if it'll help him get over me. He just wants my body, right? It's only right that I should repay him somehow and I have no other way to repay him."
Chef clapped a hand over my mouth, glaring at me while Stony Boss and THE biggest boss of all face palmed.
I pulled Chef's hand away from my mouth.
"It's not like I'm a virgin anymore, Chef. There's nothing to be ashamed of anymore, right. Like the manager last night said. There's no dignity when you're desperate. It's not like it can be eaten."
Chef pulled me out of the bed, out of the dark shadow lord's arms while he murmured sleepy complaints. But seeing the way Chef was holding me in his arms like a little child and rocking me like a baby, he just rolled over and went back to sleep.
"Have things gotten worse, mon cherie? Are you so angry and upset that you've even given up on yourself now? Tell me who the jerk is. I've respected your privacy until now, but it seems he's somehow gone and broken you. Tell Chef, cherie. Let Chef take care of everything for you. I'll make sure he can never bother or trouble you again."
I looked around the room and into the serious eyes of my bosses. They glanced away, not wanting to get in between Chef and me. I knew Chef wasn't just a kind and friendly giant now. When he said he was going to deal with someone, it likely meant that the person would die.
"Chef," I murmured in a tiny voice, "I don't want to know."
"Then you won't know," Chef said in that gentle voice. "Tell Chef?"
"Can you talk to them?" I pointed at my bosses. "I can't," tears filled my eyes and my voice broke. My stuffy chest felt like it was overflowing and the stacked towers of stress I had been building internally had lost their balance. Everything was tumbling. Falling apart. A surge of emotion I could no longer press down or control surged from my abdoment, up through my chest and straight to my head. "I can't - can't - can't..."
"Shhh, cherie," Chef comforted and patted me. "It's ok. Chef will make everything ok for you again. Go to sleep. I'll talk to these gentlemen. You don't need to know what you don't want to know. They'll never trouble you again."
"Don't hurt my parents," I tugged at Chef's shirt. "Don't hurt my little sister. Don't make me an accessory."
Chef seemed confused and troubled but nodded. And then he hugged me and held me and rocked me to sleep.