Caitlin took in the morning air with a deep inhale and a slow exhale.

"Are you ready to head out?" Her father called from the front porch. Despite Caitlin being twenty-three years old, she still lived with her parents. Together they all managed The Burger Bun.

"Yup! I will be right down." Caitlin hollered out the window. She took in the morning air one last time before going back inside and heading downstairs. Once she reached the kitchen, she grabbed a waffle from the toaster and followed her father to his car. "Did mom and Ashley already head out?" She asked as she buckled up. Her father gave her a sharp nod as he backed out of the driveway, "They left early to make sure the place was cleaned for the party today."

Caitlin had forgotten about the party. She slid her hands up her face and through her hair, placing her hair in a ponytail. "I forgot we had a party today. How many guests are coming?" She asked her father. "Thirty or so." He said as he turned on the radio. "Have you given any thought to what we will rename the restaurant?" Caitlin asked as she watched the clouds go by. Her father shook his head no, and Caitlin knew not to push any further. Her father was the odd man out; he didn't want to rename the restaurant in the first place.

-

"Took you guys long enough!" Ashley teased Caitlin, and their father came through the front doors. "Not all of us like to wake up at five in the morning," Caitlin said as she put an arm around her sister's neck. Ashley laughed, "Mom had me up at four in the morning, actually."

Caitlin shook her head, and the two went into the kitchen to start their morning prep work. "We already got the party supplies out," Ashly told Caitlin. She placed a few gallons of ice cream back in the freezer. "After the party, we should stop by a theater or something," Caitlin suggested. After doing big events, she didn't like to hang out with many people.

Ashley chuckled, "I mean, I guess I can?" She shook her head. "You should go meet the people you're going to be going to school with or something," Ashly said as she began looking over the menu for tonight's party.

"I still have a couple of months before I go. Anyway, you know how I get after we host a big event." Caitlin said as she took out some extra napkins. "Well, alright, as long as you don't have anything better to do. I will go to the theater with you, but I get to pick the movie." Ashley said quickly. Caitlin groaned. She knew this meant they would see a chick flick.

-

Eventually, guests began pouring into the restaurant. Caitlin did not envy her mother, who was working on getting the guests seated. She watched her father fire up the grill and her sister go around and take orders for drinks as soon as each guest sat down.

This party is weird. It seems very formal. Caitlin thought as she watched a few more people arrive. Something felt wrong. A nagging feeling was weighing on her. She couldn't explain it, so she tried to walk it off. Caitlin went into the kitchen to speak with her father.

"This is a weird event," Caitlin said as she watched her father place corn on the cob into a pot of boiling water. "Apparently, there will be a guest of honor arriving shortly." Her father said before turning to Caitlin. "Please go help your sister with the orders."

Caitlin felt like such an idiot. "Yeah! Of course." Why didn't I go do that in the first place instead of standing around? She placed a hand on her forehead and went to go take orders.

-

The event was going fine, although Caitlin noticed the guests were getting antsy. Course after course, she would hear people complain about the man of honor not showing up. She thought it was strange that no one had mentioned him by name. After making sure everyone got the final course, she approached her mother.

"The people are starting to get mad. Some guy didn't show up?" She told her mother. "I heard." Her mother sighed. Caitlin could tell she was worried about something. "Did something happen?" Caitlin asked as she leaned on the counter.

"I'm worried about this man not showing up." Her mother admitted. "What if they start requesting refunds?" Caitlin chuckled, "They all ate; there is nothing to refund them. Did the guy leave his name on the reservation?" Caitlin asked her mother.

As her mother walked to the computer to check the list, a guest screamed. His scream made Caitlin turn her attention to the dining area: Ashly cried out, and Caitlin watched as she tried to run to the back of the restaurant.

Caitlin ran after her sister; as she took her first few steps, the front windows shattered. She turned around as fast as she could and watched in horror as a truck plowed through the front of the restaurant. It was like her world was moving in slow motion. She watched as two people stepped out from behind the car and tossed molotovs inside.

-

"What we are about to do is in direct violation of all the rules we have in place!" A scrawny man shouted over the mumbling in the room. "We promised every outsider would get a chance to decide their fate. We can't force this on her!" He screamed.

"I have a feeling about this one. We will mark her as a knight but cut her off from all the systems. I want to see how she fares on her own." An ironclad woman said from her throne. No one dared speak.

"Make sure she has a bag and a weapon. When it is time to give her proper access, I will do it myself." The woman said seriously.