Chapter 4: Beatriz

~ The worlds within a pen and paper are just waiting to be released, the scary part is not knowing which one is going to be released until it is too late. ~

I picked up my bag, dropping my apron off in the office in the back.

"Alright thanks again for the shift, I'll be back after school for the normal shift!"

"No problem, Beatriz. Are you sure though that you're okay doing this, I mean doing an early morning shift with the tables, going right to school, and then coming right back for more waiting? That has to be a lot."

"I'll be alright, don't worry!"

I grabbed a coffee and walked out the back entrance to avoid any customers that might be coming in. Thankfully the restaurant was close to school, so it was easy for me to walk there. Once I made it into the school, I went to the locker room real fast and changed into some different clothes. I learned early on that to try and avoid attention, it's best to make sure that I bring a change of clothes. I tucked the restaurant clothes into the bag, put it in a free locker, and got ready for classes. As I sat down in the homeroom, I realized I had some extra time, so I pulled out my fountain pen and artbook and began drawing. Even though I was tired, there was something calming about being able to just sink into my art.

"Oops, didn't see you there."

Suddenly my desk shifted and the ink from the pen splattered, ruining the scene that I was creating, as well as getting ink on my shirt. I felt my face grow hot, but I knew better than to try and say anything back to Jenny. I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat and began gathering my stuff, trying to put space between myself and Jenny.

"It's alright Jenny, hope you have a good day."

"Thanks! Oh, and you might want to check the mirror, I think you got some egg on your head."

I turned and walked out the room, as my ears burned hearing Jenny and her cronies laughing. Thankfully I had time to clean up and get to the next class. Thankfully after that the day passed by quickly. I was left alone and was able to get through classes. For the last period, I decided to stop by and say hi to Evelynn.

"Hey Evelynn, how're you doing?"

Hey Beatriz! It's going alright, how are you?"

Evelynn was one of the few people I felt comfortable talking to, they never brought up my messy look or about me working at the restaurant. I wanted to tell them all the stuff that happened earlier venting about how tired I was of it, but I didn't want to put any more on her, she had enough on her plate as it was.

"Its going alright, a bit busy, but nothing out of the ordinary. I'll talk to you later though, I just wanted to say hi. I got to get to work."

"Alright, make sure to take some time for yourself!"

I smiled, trying to cover how mentally drained I was from all that was going on.

"Only if you do the same, Evelynn."

I packed up my stuff, speaking to the teacher to make sure they were aware I was leaving early. I went into the locker room and got my work clothes back on. Thankfully this time, nobody found them and messed with them. I really didn't feel like having to go back into work and ask for a spare uniform again. As I got to work, I grabbed another coffee to try and wake up and sat in a booth. The owner was always so nice, letting me grab a meal before my shift started. I decided while I was waiting to draw a bit, and pulled out a work pen, starting to draw on one of the napkins I had pulled out. As I was about to finish the scene, I noticed a presence on the opposite side of the booth.

"I'm sorry I didn't realize that someone was sitting here, I'll move out of your way."

As I began grabbing my stuff to move, the woman put her hand out.

"It's alright I actually wanted to talk with you if that was okay. Your name's Beatriz, right?"

I sat down and nodded.

"Sure, how can I help you?"

They looked at the napkin I had drawn on and continued, "This is really good. Anyway, we need your help, Beatriz. I can't really answer a lot of questions here, but I can promise that they'll be answered soon. Do you mind coming with me for a little bit?"

"I mean but I have work tonight."

"Don't worry I already talked to your boss; they were very amicable about the whole thing."

"I mean I wish I could, but I really need to work, I got some stuff coming up that needs to be paid for."

"I mean it must be hard having to take care of yourself and your siblings. Give me five minutes and after that you can decide. How does that sound?"

I froze at the mention of my siblings, that was something that I tried to keep quiet about. I didn't want to lose them, so I did everything I could so nobody would notice. I sat back down, worried for what was about to come.

"Don't worry Beatriz, we are here to help, we aren't CPS, but I think we can definitely help you. All you need to do is come with me, and I promise we'll make sure that your siblings are comfortable and taken care of. We'll even make sure that you can see them once you are done helping us."

"I need you to promise me they'll be okay." I was worried about what was going to happen, but just hearing that they'll be comfortable was something they hadn't experienced for years.

"I promise. Why don't we get out of here, once we get there, I can answer all your questions, sound good?"

I nodded and packed up my stuff. I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared, but my siblings deserved the best, and if this was going to help them get it, then I would do whatever I had to do.