Howling Wind

Previously, I didn't know where I would go when I turned eighteen. In the orphanage, they would allow us to live in our own way once we reached that age. At first, it was really hard. But eventually, I got used to it and started to enjoy living alone.

"Sandy!"

I turned towards the source of the voice. It was my boyish co-worker, Chun. She gestured for me to come closer while holding her tray.

Today is Sunday. We were busy at the bar because people came to have a good time at the Red Moon Bar. The drinks at that bar are famous and expensive. Usually, only those who are well-off can afford them. Most of the customers there are young people from well-known families or from the elite society. The 'Elite Society' is an exclusive group of wealthy people in the country.

I, on the other hand, am just a waitress in this bar. I've been working here for several years, so my salary has grown a bit. I rely on tutoring and my job at the bar for my daily living. I use my earnings from tutoring to pay for food and rent from working at the bar. I can say that my life has been good even though I didn't have a family to grow up with.

"Can you do this for me, please?" Chun ask and pointed to the table of the Chinese customer that I knew she was trying to avoid.

She was avoiding that guy, because that customer tried to court her before. Even though Chun is a lesbian, she's more beautiful than us when she dresses up. She has more suitors here at the bar than we do. Chun already has a girlfriend, and she's loyal to her.

"Oh, the pervert," I chuckle.

Shun was pretending to feel nauseated and quickly turned away. I brought a beer to the customer she was avoiding. As expected, the customer was getting a bit touchy with me, but I'm used to him, and I don't want any trouble, so I just let it go. Besides, he doesn't do anything else with the waitresses.

After his advances, he would hand me 100. I would smile every time I received money from this customer because it meant I had money for school the next day. He's a regular and generous tipper, but he's just a bit perve.

"Thank you, Sir," I said sweetly, with a wink.

"Thank you, honey."

I chuckled as I walked away from his table, but I suddenly stopped when I felt a pair of eyes staring at me. I could sense the intensity of that gaze, and it made me uncomfortable. I quickly scanned the surroundings, but I couldn't identify the owner of those eyes, so I just shrugged it off and continued with my work.

I have a six-to-six in-and-out schedule at work. Even when I'm extremely tired, I still need to go to another job the next day. I tutor a grade school student for two hours, and after that, I can finally relax. The truth is, I hardly have a break in my whole life. But I've gotten used to it and consider it my daily routine. Someday, when I graduate and have a stable job, maybe that's when I can rest.

"That's for a VIP," the bartender Jules reminded me as he placed a cocktail in front of me.

"Noted!" I gave him a thumbs-up.

I brought the cocktail to the VIP room before heading to the second floor where the dance floor was located. I was called by others on the second floor for assistance. There wasn't much work downstairs, so I decided to go upstairs for the meantime.

The second floor was spacious compared to the ground floor, but it was chaotic due to people dancing. Just as I reached the top of the stairs, I almost fell when I collided with a girl running down. Thankfully, I held onto the stair railing.

I was surprised to notice that more people were running and panicking around me. I quickly moved aside to let the customers pass. When I saw that I could finally go up, I continued on my way. However, just as I turned, I saw a heavy glass table fly towards me.

I could do nothing but stare and wait for the table to hit my body. Whoever threw that table must have had immense strength. Even five people couldn't have thrown it.

I closed my eyes tightly. I waited for a few seconds for the object approaching me. Instead of being hit by the table, I heard a shattering sound in front of me. As I slowly opened my eyes, I was greeted by the familiar face of a man I never expected to see there. He had a serious look in his eyes as he stared directly into mine, and his jaw was clenched as he intently gazed at my face. What surprised me even more was the fact that he was holding the very heavy table that should have hit me earlier with just one hand.

My eyes widened in shock, and I kept shifting my gaze between him and the table he was holding. I gasped when he let go of the table and put on a black face mask. The entire table shattered when it hit the floor, and in an instant, he disappeared from my sight.

Feeling weak, I fell to the floor, still staring at the broken table.

His family was known because they were part of the elite society. A lot of people knew them due to their businesses scattered across the country. But I never imagined I would discover something more about them because of him.

When all the staff, including me, finally made it outside, we found the police interviewing our manager. They said the owner of the Red Moon Bar would be arriving soon.

"The head officer will talk to our boss. Due to what happened, the bar might not operate for about a month. She said she has to renovate the bar. Many things were damaged because of the brawl," their manager explained with a lowered head. Even he would be temporarily out of work.

"I'm not sure if humans were behind that. Based on the damage, it seemed like heavy construction equipment did it."

I wanted to speak up and reveal that I saw who was responsible. However, if I spoke without any evidence, I could end up in trouble. I would be going up against a well-known family, and I don't even have my own house, plus I struggle with my studies. If I spoke up, I'd only making my life worst.

"I'll look for another job for now," I said, and a few of them turned to look at me.

"Don't you know how to relax?" Jules chuckled.

"The word 'relax' isn't in my vocabulary, especially now when I desperately need a penny," I responded.

Some of the others were also on the verge of tears as they realized they had lost their temporary source of income. Like me, I relied on this job for my daily expenses at home.

We sighed and began to go our separate ways. Instead of thinking about what to do next, my thoughts were consumed by the male schoolmate during those moments. It seemed like I wanted to uncover his identity. Being curious about unusual things was a part of my nature. Sometimes, I even got annoyed with myself for paying attention to things I shouldn't. I had a lot more to do at the moment, so maybe I should prioritize those.

......

"Hey! You're daydreaming again," Demie teased.

I turned to her, remembering that we were studying for a report due later. I lowered my head and continued what I was doing.

"I'm just lost in thought," I explained.

"Thinking about your job? Don't worry, everything will go back to normal," she reassured me, patting me on the shoulder.

I hesitated to smile. "I hope so. It's hard to find a well-paying job these days. That's why I hope we can get back to work soon."

But that wasn't really what I was thinking about at the moment. What was on my mind was the guy from the bar. And speaking to that guy. I saw him entering the library, which prompted Demie to nudge me in the shoulder again.

"There he is," Demie almost squealed with excitement.

I hesitated to smile. At first, I was happy if one day Demie ended up with that guy, but after seeing his unusual stunt last night, I felt like I wanted Demie to forget her feelings for him. I was worried for my friend.

She needs a normal boyfriend, not someone who seems like an alien like that guy.

"Is it really that hard to catch someone like Daniel Zeldorgue?" she said, raising her hand in the air as if going crazy.

"Why him, though? Is it because he's hot?" Her forehead wrinkled as she looked at me.

"No, no. His handsomeness is just a bonus. The truth is," and she sighed, seemingly daydreaming again. "I really have a crush on his personality. It's that part where everyone knows he's handsome but it's like he doesn't care. He's not arrogant, and he thinks very maturely, you know?"

I looked at Daniel's behavior. I swallowed when our eyes met. I remembered what he did at the club. It really gives me the creeps whenever I remember that.

I want to pay attention to what I'm reading, but I'm not comfortable with what I'm feeling. I feel like someone is observing me. And when I turned to look at Daniel's direction, our eyes met again. I swallowed and took a deep breath. I can't stand those drowning eyes for too long.

"Oh! Where are you going? Are you finished?" Dem remarked when she noticed my sudden act.

I quickly gathered my belongings from the table. I'm not done yet, but if I try to study in this place while continuing to feel that unsettling gaze, I might not understand anything I read anyway.

"Uh... yes, I'm done. I'll go ahead to the canteen. I'm getting hungry," I explained. I'm not really hungry yet, but we planned to eat after reviewing a while ago.

I'm just going early.

"O...Okay. Order for me too. I'll be done soon anyway." I noticed that she still seemed confused. We used to always go together.

"Sure, no problem!"

Every day at school is different now. I don't get to spend much time with Demie because I'm avoiding Daniel. Every time he looks at me, I feel uneasy. There's something unusual about Daniel, and I want someone to talk to about it because it's weighing on my mind. But maybe Daniel's life is already complicated, and he doesn't deserve the worst. He saved me, and I owe him my life, and that's all I'll give him despite how weird he was. And if I speak up, aside from no one believing me, I won't gain anything either.

It's probably why I often catch him staring at me. Maybe he thinks I might reveal his secret to everyone. What if he comes up to me and starts a conversation? Can I confront him again? I'm already anxious whenever he gazes at me. It'll be even more nerve-wracking if he comes closer to me again.

On Monday morning, Demie shared some exciting news with me. She looked really happy, holding a card in her hand.

"I've been invited to a birthday party!" she exclaimed cheerfully, waving the card near my face.

I smiled. Though a bit puzzled. She never used to care about such things like parties and etc. It's just surprising how interested she is in this kind of stuff.

"Whose birthday is it?"

"Ruby!"

I blinked several times. Ruby is well-known on campus, just like Daniel. Plus, I often see that girl around Daniel. I used to think she might be Daniel's girlfriend. But I haven't heard if they're in a relationship. It's good though; my friend here might get hurt again.

"I'm sure Daniel will be there. Now, I don't know what to wear. You should come with me," Demie nudged me.

My eyes widened. "I wasn't invited, and I don't have anything to wear. You know I'm not into that."

"Come on!" It even gave me a playful hug on the arm.

"I really have nothing to wear."

"I'll find something, or we can just go to the mall."

"What are you talking about? I hardly have any money left, and you want me to go to the mall?"

She grinned. "I'll cover it!"

I frowned. "When it comes to that guy, huh, really?”

And she grinned all giddy. She convinced me, and I couldn't do much about it. I'd just watch over her that night so my presence would have some purpose. It's better to be safe; who knows what might happen to her. Especially because I knew she was getting closer and closer to Daniel. She might even be planning to confess her feelings. I hope she won't do that, she hardly doesn't really know the guy for Pete's sake!

Demie couldn't sit still as the day of the party nearer. It was as if it was her own birthday.

The mentioned party wasn't formal; it was going to be a pool party at Ruby's own house, located on their private property.

"I'm feeling cold," she said, hugging herself. She's wearing shorts and a sleeveless crop top.

We were waiting for a taxi because buses weren't allowed to enter that private land. I was wearing a hoodie and jeans, not the backless and short outfit she had been insisting on. It was around seven in the evening, and we would arrive somewhat early.

“You better used to that. I told you to bring a jacket. You're just so stubborn."

She pouted. In a moment, we had already hailed a taxi. She even complained about the taxi's air conditioning being too strong. Eventually, we reached the large gate leading to Ruby's private property. Their family is really wealthy, and it's astonishing how much land they own.

Before we reached the actual mansion, we passed by large trees along the road. It looked like a preserved forest. The mansion itself was stunning, with its beauty further accentuated by the golden lights scattered around.

“Wow! This is so amazing," Demie exclaimed with her mouth wide open. She even forgot to pay the taxi fare. If the driver hadn't nudged her, she might have completely forgotten to pay.

I pondered. Were we going to walk out of their property later? No taxis will get here.

"Let's go! I'm so excited," she said as she pulled me along, and I followed her in surprise. "My God! What if Daniel's already there? We need to hurry."

I gulped. I prayed that Daniel wouldn't be at this pool party. I'm sorry I can't support you on this my dear friend.

“Welcome!” I heard Ruby's greetings to those who had arrived. I saw her at the entrance of the party itself. Her party is a combination of black and pink. Loud music echoed around from the speakers. Everyone was standing and the others were paddling in the water. It's not new to me to see people kissing at the party because I often see that at the club where I work.

"Hello, welcome! Enjoy.” Ruby's sounds fussy.

Well, I know that it's just a show to say that she knows how to get along. She eventually shook hands with us and with those who came. When I turned to Demie I noticed that she was busy looking around. Might looking for someone and maybe I know who.

"Tell me? When you see Daniel," she said. I haven't felt any heavy presence yet, so, certainly, what she's looking for hasn't come yet. Daniel brought that heaviness to me.

"Hi, girls." Someone greeted us. One of a ran