Chapter 1 - Werewolf Tale Take III

So, I write (haven't in awhile to be fair) and this is my third attempt, if not more, of this story that has floated around in my head for years.

Chapter 1

The line extended outside the small cafe spilling out onto the sidewalk outside bustling with commuters and students anxious to get to their destinations before the words “you’re late” could be ushered. Being one of a handful of shops not belonging to any big chain, Caffeine Wonders drew a large crowd who wanted something out of the ordinary. Most of the customers who entered understood that orders took a little longer than other places but were satisfied that their beverages were made with more care and better ingredients but today one of the customers didn’t get that memo.

She stood near the counter wearing a flashy, most likely expensive, suit ensemble carrying a designer purse and tapping the tip of one of her red heels against the tiled floor in a show of exasperation. When her tapping didn’t garner the attention she hoped for she pulled out her phone, glared down at the screen, let out a loud sigh, and repeated the set of actions several times. A few moments later when the woman didn’t have her coffee in hand she nearly shouted, startling a few others standing nearby, “Where is my coffee? I ordered it over five minutes ago and I don’t have time to waste.”

    

Knack having worked whipping up caffeinated beverages for a living for close to two years had experience her fair share of irate customers but the woman still using her shoes as a carrier for morse code picked the wrong morning to expect miracles out of the swamped worker. Knack raised her eyes for a brief moment from the cup and mug in her hand to fully examine the woman. In the short span of time that her lids closed and plummeted her into darkness Knack imagined throwing the contents of her hands onto the floor, coffee splattering in every direction, leaping over the counter towards the woman in the fancy suit and in one swift movement striking her hand through the delicate skin covering the neck and ripping her vocal chords from her throat. The image of the woman crumpling to the floor, hands failing to stop the blood pouring from the open wound, begin to form in Knack’s brain right before her eyes opened back to the actual world around her.

Instead of making her fantasy a reality, Knack mumbled a quick apology as she dumped in the non-fat half and half and two scoops of brown sugar the woman requested, popped the cap over the steaming liquid, and handed it over with a smile and their courtesy “hope you have a nice day” line. The woman snatched her coffee with a grunt, turned heel, and stormed out the door. Knack couldn’t help but smile at the look of some of the other patrons’ faces due to the woman’s behavior and gave quick thanks that the last phase of the full moon had finally passed giving her a short break before it all began again.