The Alpha's Fated Outcast: Rise Of The Moonsinger by Ejiofor Dorcas

33 Night shift (1)

33 Night shift (1)

Lyla

After my ‘heroic‘ act in the cafeteria, I tried to remain as invisible as I could.

Someone had recorded me in action and the video was making rounds in our social chat network. I was so ashamed of myself. I wanted to stop them from bullying me and not become like them.

So, when the final bell rang, I hurried out of the school building, ignoring pleas from some of my classmates ‘who were trying to offer me a ride.

It was a weird feeling, to be pooular.

As I made my way out of the building, my mind was still reeling from the day’s events – my confrontations. with Marissa, the new transfer student, Xander who had a weird aura around him and the unsettling presence of Mr Dupree his father. But there was no

time to dwell on those thoughts. I had a shift at ‘Coffee Nook‘ to get to.

The quaint coffee shop stood on the corner of a sleepy

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33 Night shift (1)

village (I liked to call it that because most of the residents around the coffee shop were mostly seniors and were our main customers). As I pushed open the door, the familiar scent of freshly ground coffee beans and pastries greeted me, bringing a sense of comfort I

hadn’t realized I missed.

“Lyla! You’re back!” the enthusiastic greeting came from Sarah, one of the baristas working in the cafe. She was done with high school and was applying for college, so the café was just her trying to save up enough money before her admission.

She was one of the many human friends I liked who genuinely liked me back. In the past, we would greet with a hug but today I felt out of sync, so I managed a

small smile.

“Hey, Sarah… yeah, I’m back.”

my uniform when I caught sight of my Nanny, Miriam or Mrs

and the story was; that she was

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shift (1)

Humans always loved

ours always

late!” she called out

at school. I’ll give you the details later. How are you?” I called over my shoulder as I pulled on the dark green apron with the café’s logo. The uniform was simple – black pants and a white shirt – but it felt like a shield, a way to blend

run from my complicated past. I was just Lyla, the friendly barista.

will be fine as soon as I figure out these Excel

in

are

tongue drawing a laugh from

say you need my help,” I chuckled

to her.

next ten minutes, showing her how to enter data on the Excel sheet and to

calculations.

I took my

immediately that

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<33 Night shift

bustling with regulars.

ordered the same thing – a black coffee with two sugars and a slice of lemon pound cake. He sat at the window table every afternoon, reading the newspaper. “Thought you’d

some time off, Mr H. Went to see my grandparents,”

gave me a wink before

paper.

Nguyen, a middle–aged woman who always came

cup of chamomile tea after her yoga class. “Lyla!” her over–penciled

dramatically “Where have you been?

day and she said

know me – I never stay away for long.”

that, a gruff but friendly voice belonging to Mr Thompson, one of our

shift

came in every day at 4 pm for his afternoon cappuccino. “I missed you around here, kid. Everything alright?”