Reservation Scalping

The hostess looked down her glasses at Heidi Deitra. “How can I help you?”

Heidi crossed her arms and stood straighter. She didn’t answer for a long, purposefully awkward ten seconds. Her eyes never left the hostess’ face.

The hostess was young, likely not even old enough to drink the alcohol in the fridge behind her. From her stance, she wasn’t a newbie, neither in the restaurant industry nor in the current establishment. But her chipped, chewed fingernails and thinning hair told Heidi that she didn’t handle stress well. Twice, the chefs yelled from the kitchen (heard through the open window that separated the front of the house from the back), and the hostess had winced each time.

Though she hadn’t intended to, Heidi wore frumpy, ill-fitting clothing that she knew made her look several years older than her thirty years. Usually, it would have upset her to be mistaken for an older woman, but now she was thankful that she’d forgotten to do laundry this week.

As she’d hoped, the snarky expression left the hostess. She bit her lip. “Uh, ma’am?”

“I have a reservation.”

Heidi’s tone was unflinching. She could have been a store manager, or a stay-at-home mom with five kids under four, or the busiest of the busybodies at church. Heidi was someone who was accustomed to people jumping to action when she talked, or else she was going to be the biggest thorn in their side. She was the boss of all bitches.

“F-for now?”

“Why else would I be standing here?”

The hostess gulped. “Yeah, of course.” She glanced down at the reservation book open before her. “Jecklins?”

Heidi rolled her eyes. “Yes.”

“Uh, um, it’s a reservation for two.”

That put a slight hitch in Heidi’s plan for dinner, but not by much. She knew if she complained loud enough, she could get her meal quick enough to avoid trouble.

“Obviously, the other person isn’t here yet. Is that going to be a problem?”

The hostess shook her head. “N-no.”

There was a pause.

“Seat me, will you?”

“Sorry. Sorry!”

The hostess jumped to action. She grabbed a menu from under the counter and raced around it to guide Heidi to ‘her’ table. It was at the back of the restaurant, near the bathroom and the small selection of toys available for any visiting children. It wasn’t the ideal spot, but Heidi had had to get herself out of more difficult situations. She had the dead fly she always carried on her person. She never knew when she’d get hungry for a free meal, and her charm wasn’t always enough to seal the deal.

Though if that option fell through and she was lucky, the restaurant didn’t have a large staff, and she hoped she’d be able to sneak out through the back with a fuss.

The hostess pointed to the table. “This is our only two-top available at the moment. I—is that all right?”

Heidi raked a hard glare over the offering. She sighed. “I guess this will do.”

“O-okay.”

Heidi sat, and the hostess placed the menu in front of her. “Your waitress will be Billie—wait! No, Sheena.”

“Well, which is it?”

“Sheena.” The hostess nodded. “Yeah, Sheena.”

“This place isn’t big enough for you not to remember where everyone’s section is. Maybe you should pay more attention to your job.”

“I didn’t—Billie and Sheena just switched at the last—” The hostess shook her head. “Sorry. I’m sorry. I’ll go get her, okay?”

Heidi huffed, but she offered no other reply. The hostess scampered off. When it was safe, she’d likely cry in the back of the house. Maybe she was friends with one of the chefs and would convince them to tamper with her food in a petty, insignificant way.

Well, to counter this, Heidi was going to take a wildly different approach with her waitress and with every other employee at the restaurant. Partially, it was a way to—hopefully—make it easier to get her meal comped. Also, if the real Jecklins did arrive, Heidi could pin the mix-up on the unstable hostess.

“Hello,” a cheerful, slightly hesitant voice said right before an older woman with faded blue-dyed hair came into Heidi’s field of vision. Her apron was spotless, though the food-speckled blue jeans underneath spoke of chronic clumsiness. Her simple black shirt had so many wrinkles, Heidi wondered if the waitress had slept in it or if she’d been running late getting ready for work.

“Hi,” Heidi said, slapping on a pleasant smile. “Are you Sheena?”

Sheena smiled back. “Yeah, that’s me. Sorry it took me a moment to get over here.”

“Oh, that’s all right. Everyone’s out and about tonight.”

“It is the summer season and Friday night.”

“True.”

“Have you heard about our fish fry?”

Heidi hadn’t, but from the way Sheena’s face lit up when she mentioned it, that was the choice to go with. “Of course. My one co-worker raves about it. I finally managed to get out this way to try it.”

“Is that what you’re ordering?”

“Yep.”

“Oh, okay.” She pulled out her notepad and pen. “Wait. I never asked what you wanted to drink.”

“Do you have any house specials?”

“A strawberry spritzer and blueberry cobbler cold brew.”

“At night?”

Sheena shrugged. “It’s a pretty popular choice.”

“Hmm.” Heidi tapped her chin. “Do you have a favorite?”

“You can’t go wrong with the cold brew. That is, if you can have coffee this late in the day.”

Heidi chuckled. “I’m like a raccoon. I can eat or drink anything, any time.”

“All right, so I can jot you down for that?”

“Yep.”

Sheena made several notes. Then she pointed at the empty seat. “Should I wait until the other person arrives to bring your dinner?”

“Nah. They’ll get here when they get here.”

“Do you know what they’d like?”

“I wish I did, but they’re really unpredictable with their food. One day they love something, swearing they’ll eat it until they die. Then the next one, they hate it and never want to see it again.”

Sheena laughed. “That sounds like my four-year-old granddaughter.”

“At least she has the excuse of being young.”

“That doesn’t make it easier to deal with.”

“Oh, I bet.”

Sheena laughed again. “I’m going to put your order in and get your cold brew.”

“Okay, thank you. I can’t wait.”

With a genuine grin, Sheena left.

While she was gone, Heidi took out her cell phone, hoping to play a game while she waited. She frowned when she found that there was no free Wi-Fi. What business didn’t provide Wi-Fi? It’s the least they could do for overcharging on their lackluster food.

Heidi sighed. She didn’t have the cell data to waste. She’d almost reached her plan’s limit, and Lila had threatened to cut her off if she asked for another extension. It was a threat that her sister made often, but she’d looked serious this last time. For the next few months, she had to play nice with Lila. The last thing she needed was for her sister to put her foot down. Then she’d have to get a job and likely have to pay rent, and she wanted no part of that.

Loud, deliberate footsteps approached Heidi’s table. Whoever it was wore stilettos, and she knew it wasn’t Sheena. Heidi braced herself, thinking through a quick story to explain the reservation ‘mix-up.’ If she stuck to her script, she should be fine. Most people jumped at the opportunity to brush problems under the rug.

Her visitor stepped around her and plunked down in the chair across from her. Immediately, the scent of wet moss filled the surrounding air. From the stranger’s appearance, Heidi wouldn’t have expected it.

The newcomer was a woman somewhere between the ages of nineteen and forty-five. Her dewy, light skin was as flawless as a makeup ad, leaning toward youth. But the hard, predatory glint of her so-blue-they-were-gray eyes and the sharp lines of her face hinted at an older age.

She was beautiful and unapproachable, and she oozed wealth. She was a CEO, or the head of a mafia family, or she’d gained her millions from being widowed three times. What was she doing in a place like this?

“I can’t believe you’ve made me come here,” the woman said.

Her words were clipped with an accent Heidi had never heard. It was as captivating as her beauty, but it sounded like she wasn’t used to using her mouth to speak.

Maybe she had a disability. She didn’t look like she did, but Heidi knew that not all disabilities were obvious. That would explain the odd aura that the woman pulsated with.

“Well, with that attitude, I’m not paying for you.”

The woman scoffed. “As if I’d let any of this slop pass my lips.”

“Then why come?”

“You insisted on being fed before completing our deal. I am bound by my word to fulfill my end of it.”

Alarm bells sound in the back of Heidi’s mind. Whoever the woman thought she was hadn’t shown themselves prior to this dinner, but they were working on an agreement. Whatever the agreement was, it definitely wasn’t a legal one.

Was the woman really a mob boss?

If she was, what could she possibly want from someone like Heidi currently looked like? She had no money or clear connections to anyone influential. She was an unassuming loser who had no better plans on a Friday night than to eat fish.

Soon, she was going to excuse herself to the bathroom and hope there was a window there that she could sneak out of. Or maybe she could pass a note to Sheena and have the waitress help her escape.

However she did it, Heidi just had to get away. This woman was trouble beyond what Heidi was used to dealing with. One thing she’d learned early and fast in her grifting game: recognize when you’re outclassed and disengage. That was one way she’d avoided jail and a broken nose all these years.

“Uh, yeah,” Heidi said, glancing around for Sheena.

“Have you changed your mind?”

“Of course not.”

“Your tone says otherwise.”

“I’m just nervous, is all. Wouldn’t you be if you were me?”

The woman smirked. “Knowing what I do, I’d kill myself if I were human.”

If she was—

Oh, this woman was certifiably insane. Heidi was in deep over her head. She had to get away the moment an opportunity presented itself.

“Yeah, being human sure sucks. Oh, hey, Sheena!”

Sheena cocked an eyebrow as she came close enough to set Heidi’s drink down on the table. She hid her confusion as she turned a shining smile on the woman. “Hello, my name’s Sheena. I’ll be looking after you tonight. What can I get you?”

“Bring me lemons,” the woman demanded.

“Lemon… water?”

The woman’s gaze raked over Sheena. “Come now. You’re not so old that your hearing is gone. Did I say anything about water?

“No, sorry. I just assumed—”

“And that is how your lot gets in so much trouble.”

“Uh, okay. Yeah, I’ll get you lemons. Do you need time to look over the menu, or are you ready to order?”

The woman grimaced. “Your food is little more than poison. The lemons will do.”

“Sure. No problem.” She glanced at Heidi. “I’ll check on that fish fry for you.” She turned away.

“No, wait. I—”

But Sheena was long gone. She hadn’t even bothered to take the menu with her.

Heidi was on her own.

“That was incredibly rude,” she said.

The woman shrugged. “Most humans are nothing more than gnats. They don’t deserve respect. I certainly wouldn’t waste it on a lowly server.

Was the woman a serial killer? This was the ramblings of one. Heidi had watched enough true crime documentaries to spot the signs.

“Look. I think I’m done with you.”

“Because of my attitude toward the insignificant human?”

“N-no. I just want—”

The woman reached across the table and took Heidi’s hand. Her skin was too cool, like she’d held her fingers under icy water for ten minutes. Heidi imagined this was what a corpse felt like.

“Let me go!”

The woman’s grip tightened. It wasn’t painful, but it hinted at her hidden strength. She could snap bones with ease if she chose to.

Heidi’s panic flared to a new height. Maybe the woman wasn’t crazy. As impossible as it was, maybe she really wasn’t human.

“You’re not Caroline, are you?”

Lying would not work in Heidi’s favor. “No,” she uttered.

“Did she send you in her place?”

“No.”

“You stole her spot here?”

“I was hungry.”

The woman smiled. “An opportunist.”

“I’ve been called worse.”

“I’ve no doubt.”

“Yeah, so since I’m not who you’re looking for, I’m going to go.”

“And miss out on your fried fish? It’s my treat.”

“There’s always another time.”

The woman frowned. “It’s unwise to turn down my kind’s hospitality.”

“Y-your kind?”

The woman’s features shifted. Her eyes no longer had irises, and her nose and chin grew absurdly pointed. Her canines were so large that they protruded from her mouth to rest on her bottom lip. The woman’s hair turned the color of mushrooms, while the scent of moss grew unbearably strong.

Despite her otherworldly look, she was still beautiful. A part of Heidi was thrilled that they were touching. She wanted more, if the woman would grant it to her.

“I am fae.”

Confusion pulled Heidi from her sudden desire. “A fairy?”

“Fae,” the fae snarled, throwing Heidi’s hand away. She once again looked like she had when she first arrived. “You humans and your insistent need to downplay the threats around you.”

“You’re going to hurt me?”

“I didn’t come all this way to return home without a human.”

“But I’m not Caroline.”

“Human souls all sell.” The fae sniffed loudly. “Yours may not fetch such a heavy price, but it’ll do.”

“You can’t have my soul.”

“Fine. Then I’ll eat you. I don’t really want to, though. You’re a bit too fleshy for my liking, but I am hungry.”

“I don’t consent.”

The fae cackled. “It doesn’t work like that.”

“Sorry to interrupt,” Sheena said, materializing by the table. She placed a small bowl of lemons in front of the fae. “I didn’t mean to take so long, but I had to cut some new lemons.”

“Oh, it’s no problem,” the fae said. She smirked at Heidi. “We were just having a lovely conversation.”

“Uh huh.” Sheena looked at Heidi. Her expression was unreadable. “Your fish fry will be out soon.”

“Okay,” Heidi whispered.

Sheena nodded and walked away.

“Oh, don’t look so down. You’ll barely miss your soul. You humans rarely do anything with them. They’re more of a burden.”

Even if that was true, it was hers. She hated that she’d gotten herself into a situation that had taken her choice from her. Was this the consequence for her terrible behavior that Lila always warned her about?

The fae picked up a lemon slice. “I’m doing you a favor, taking it off your hands.” She popped the lemon slice into her mouth.

Immediately, she started coughing and clutched at her throat. Her face turned the bright red of a fresh tomato. Heidi saw that the lemon slice was stuck in her mouth, and it wouldn’t dislodge, no matter how hard the fae tried.

Chaos erupted from the nearby tables. Someone screamed for a doctor. Someone else yelled for an ambulance.

Heidi was too stunned to act. It wasn’t until someone pulled her out of her chair and toward the front counter that she registered her surroundings.

“No, I—” Heidi stopped struggling against her guide when she saw who it was. “What are you doing?” she demanded.

The hostess gestured to the fae, who’d gathered an even larger audience as she fought to breathe. “Undetachable iron shavings on the lemon slices. Iron is fatal to the fae.”

“Why?” was all Heidi could ask. Shouldn’t the hostess be the last person to want to help her?

“Soul poaching is illegal.” Then the waitress shrugged. “And we humans should stick together. Others are everywhere, always looking to get us.”

“Other what? Fae?”

The hostess snorted. “They’re just the tip of the iceberg, but we don’t have time to get into it. You need to leave.”

“Will she die?”

“If we’re lucky.”

“Will her… people come for you?”

The hostess winked. “They can try.” She shoved Heidi toward the front door. “Go. Oh, and be less of a bitch.”

Then she darted back toward the ruckus.

Heidi didn’t linger. Bewildered as she was, her body went into autopilot to protect her. Usually, it only intervened when she was too drunk to think straight. Granted, now she felt as off as she did when she drank.

Stumbling down the street, all she could wonder was how one stolen reservation had led to her discovering that humans weren’t alone. Oh, and that she undeniably had a soul, which she’d almost lost. Was this even real? Could it all be some vivid dream?

Heidi’s cell phone chimed with a notification. It was a text from Lila, upset that Heidi had used her special body wash from Greece. Again.

That settled it. This couldn’t be a dream. It was both too odd and normal. This was her new reality, whatever that now meant.

What did she do now?