The Crystal by Jones M (the chimp paradox .txt) 📕

the guys and I contacted some of our friends in Louisiana and England, and they were all happy to hear from us. They also wanted tickets to our tour which we were more than glad to send to them. I hoped Emery would make it easy for us like they did.

"I doubt she'll accept our apologies," Logan said in all honesty. "This is Emery we are talking about. You know, the girl we sent to the hospital?"

The rest tensed while Zane gave him a blank look.

"There's no harm in trying, right?" he said with a shrug. We were soon dressed up in black coats, black top hats, and black sunglasses. Logan wanted to go with sombreros, but Harry felt it was too flashy.

"Do you think anyone will recognize us?" Logan asked before we exited the suite.

"No," Harry replied. "I doubt anyone will."

"But we will look suspicious," I said. They all shrugged as if it wasn't a problem. Before we even exited the suite, Trevor had stopped us.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked. Apart from being our bodyguard, Trevor was also our tour manager. He was an Irish burly man with black hair and alabaster skin. His eyes twinkled with suspicion as he stared at us with his arms crossed.

Harry pushed Zane forward, almost making him fall. Once he regained his footing, Zane narrowed his eyes at Harry. He received an innocent smile in return.

"We're touring the city," Ethan replied, which earned him a shove from Logan. Trevor's eyebrows furrowed at the answer.

"Didn't you do that the past six days?" 

We were doomed. If someone else didn't have a better idea of an answer, we would be sent back into our hotel suite.

"Yes, but we want to take photos this time," Logan replied with a smile. Trevor sighed, shaking his head.

"Fine. But be back here before ten or else I'll tell everyone that you are missing."

"Thank you!" we said in unison as we quickly moved away from him.

After making sure we had put on our disguises well, we walked on the floor hallway and entered an elevator. Harry pressed the button that signified the hotel lobby. The elevator dinged as it closed then proceeded to head downwards. It dinged again just as it opened, revealing a crowd of people that moved around the lobby. Businessmen with their suitcases and the workers of the hotel moved around, minding their own business. The hotel exit was a few meters in front of us.

"This is bad," Ethan stated. I nodded in agreement.

"We can do this," Harry said as he started walking towards the exit. He managed to leave the hotel without bringing attention towards him. Seeing that he had succeeded in exiting the hotel without a problem, we rushed out of the elevator to follow him. We found him waiting outside for us while he was looking around the noisy, busy street. Once he realized we were next to him, he hailed a yellow cab. A couple of seconds passed before one parked next to us.

We were not able to fit in at first. We were too many to fit along one seat, and so we flagged another taxi. Ethan, Zane and I took the first taxi while Harry and Logan boarded the other. As we drove on, I took some time to look at the city at night.

The cab zoomed past other vehicles and buildings that varied in sizes and shapes. Some street lights had been turned on, and the digital advertising boards placed on buildings played a part in illuminating the streets. In about a half an hour, we found ourselves outside the Starbucks café that Emery worked in. Its exterior was mostly made of black tinted glass walls that blocked us from seeing anyone who would be inside. "STARBUCKS" was drawn against the tinted wall. The door was also tinted with the cafe's logo in front of it. We were all tense, waiting for any one of us to make the first move.

It felt a bit ironic. Emery was just one person, and the five of us were scared of going to see her. 

Harry took a deep breath and pushed the door open. A bell rang as we entered. We were greeted by the air conditioning that made the place feel a bit cool. I discovered that the café covered a lot more room than I imagined.

The Starbucks logo met my sight once again. It was placed above a wooden counter a distance similar to the length of a bus. The counter's top was a light brown color with spirals from the wood carved to make it. Behind, the top was painted chrome white. A coffee machine was placed a few feet behind the counter. On top of the counter was a computer monitor, probably used in making receipts. The walls surrounding the counter were painted coffee brown, and music was softly blaring around the café.

Apart from that, we saw Emery. Gone was the blonde-haired girl we used to know. Her hair was the first thing I noticed. It was ruby red and tucked into a bun. She wore a black batiste shirt with black buttons and she had a green apron that had the Starbucks logo in white. She was busy talking to two girls who were smiling and laughing with her. One of them had jet black hair that shined in the room's lighting while the other was a blonde, and they both wore the same uniform as Emery.

"Where do we seat?" Ethan asked. I turned my gaze away from the three and stared at the other side of the area. The café was organized in such a manner: four orange-red chairs with four steel legs on each chair surrounded each high-density plastic table. The table was silver in color and it had a wide steel pole that supported it at the center

"There," Logan said with a motion of his head, showing us a dark secluded corner in the café. We all walked towards the area, grabbed onto the surrounding plastic chairs and soon settled down. Harry, Ethan and Zane sat opposite Logan and me. Ethan went to remove his glasses, but I grasped his arm before he could.

"You can't. We don't want anyone to recognize us," I advised. He heeded my advice, placing his hands on the table.

"Can you believe that's her?" Harry asked in a whisper. As if on cue, we all turned to face Emery. She was still talking to the other girls who kept on glancing at us. I could hardly hear what they were saying, so I believed we didn't need to whisper to each other.

"Guys, I can't hear them. I think it's safe to speak," I announced.

"Do you think they recognize us?" Harry asked with worry in his voice.

"Hey!" someone shouted in a whine and we looked towards the source. Emery was still talking to the two girls, one of whom I recognized as Selena. She was the one with the jet black hair. She was pouting, and I found it adorable.

"No, they don't," Logan replied to Harry's question.

"She's coming!" Zane whispered in a panic. We didn't need to ask Zane who was coming. 

All at once, I found myself rethinking of the ways I could have spent my evening. I could have been watching a movie while lying around the hotel suite.

However, being at Emery's workplace was important. I couldn't go on with a guilty conscience. I needed to make things right and to carry on with my career without my past bringing me down.

"Hello. What can I get you guys?" Emery asked. She seemed a little bit uneasy when she looked at us. I found myself mentally thanking Zane for suggesting we wear sunglasses. The black tint blocked her from seeing my eyes. Could she recognize me from my eyes?

That was how nervous I felt.

"Emery?" Harry said her name with awe. My eyes went wide behind the glasses. Ethan nudged him as Emery's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"How do you know my name?" she asked. None of us dared to answer that. She changed the subject and asked for our orders. When she left, we had a chance to relax.

"What were you thinking, Harry?" Zane asked as he nudged him with his elbow. Harry grabbed the injured rib and glared at Zane.

"What? It was a slip of the tongue," he replied.

"Well, we may need some time to plan how we'll talk to her. We can't go on and say, 'Hi! Remember us? We were the ones who bullied you in high school. Let's call it even and start over as friends!'" he said with fake sarcasm.

Emery was coming to us with our coffee in mugs on a tray. I was glad that she hadn't recognized us. I hoped it would be like that for a little longer. 

Unfortunately for us, someone in the café was a fan, because What Makes You Beautiful blared rather loudly. We all tensed just as Emery did. I faced her, and by the shocked look on her face, I felt she realized who we were. 

She knew because of Harry's dumb slip-up.

The coffee she had been bringing us fell onto the floor with the mugs. I itched to go help her, but then I thought against it. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe Emery didn't realize who we were. Maybe it was just the song that freaked her out.

If that was the case, I doubted a simple apology would make up for all the crap we did to her.

Emery turned around and stood, unmoving. That was weird, but what was even weirder was that she clenched one of her fists and unclenched it. 

Selena soon came yelling towards Emery with a mop and a bucket. Emery told Selena she had something to tell her. The rest of us stayed quiet as Emery spent the next minutes informing and explaining to Selena about her high school past.

It hurt to sit there and see her cry over what we did to her. I didn't want to sit at the table any longer pretending that we weren't there, but we were there, listening to every word she spoke.

I went to get up and head towards her form. 

"Liam! What are you doing?" Logan whisper-shouted at me, but I did not listen. Soon, the others were walking behind me.

At the time, Selena was hugging Emery as she sobbed on her shoulder. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" Selena asked Emery as she hugged her.

I didn't manage to hear what else Emery told Selena because my heart was beating. I had not thought of what I would say when they would see me.

"I have to leave, Selena. I don't want to see them. I can't see them," Emery said with a hint of fear in her voice as she retracted from the hug.

Selena's eyes stared sympathetically at her before they averted themselves to me. A look of shock appeared on her face when she saw that we were all staring at them.

"Too late," Selena said, and I noticed Emery instantly tense.

"What are you talking about? I froze time, thereby freezing them. It wouldn't have worked unless they were..." she caught herself from finishing the sentence, which was mostly filled with words I didn't understand. Emery turned and stared at us with wide eyes.

"...witches," Selena finished for her with the same shocked tone.

"Hello, Emery," I said with an uneasy smile. Emery continued to stare at me and someone behind me. I turned with a confused expression, but that was cleared up when I spotted the rest of my bandmates. Just as I was turning to face Emery, she was losing her footing. I was quick to catch her before she fell on the ground.

"Emery!" we all yelled just as she passed out.

CHAPTER 04

Emery's P.O.V

My eyes fluttered open as I slowly regained consciousness. Bright lights glared at me, their intensity slowly reducing as I began to regain focus on my surroundings. I looked sideways and realized that I was still in the Starbucks café. A groan escaped my lips as I slowly got up to a seating position and cradled my head on my hand. 

Someone approached me and helped me stand.

"What happened?" I asked no one in particular as I closed my eyes, wincing at the loud voice I used. I opened them again, only to realize that I was facing the people I least expected to be there. It was Ethan, Zane, Liam and Logan. 

Just like that, my headache intensified.

The four of them had removed their