The diner smelled of burnt coffee, old grease, and the kind of cleaning chemicals that never quite disappeared.
Neon signs flickered against the rain-soaked windows, smearing pink and blue across the wet sidewalk outside.
The Friday crowd talked over each other, laughter bouncing off walls that had seen too many arguments, too many careless jokes.
Mara Quinn balanced a tray of milkshakes and fries, weaving between tables. The clatter of plates made her stomach tighten, the hum of a love song that didn't fit the room pressing against her nerves.
"Quinn. Table five again," the manager's voice cut across the noise.
She turned, hand steady. "What about it?"
"They said you messed up the order."
"No, they changed it twice," she said, keeping her tone flat.
"Go fix it. And for once, try to smile."
She swallowed a groan. Smile. Like it was something she owed.
"I already fixed it," she said. "They just don't know what they want."
His jaw tightened. "Don't start, Mara. Not tonight."
"I'm not starting. I'm just telling the truth."
He laughed, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Save the attitude for your auditions. You're done here."
Her chest seized. "You're firing me?"
"I'm done repeating myself. Take your things and go."
The tray slipped from her hands. Milkshake spilled pink and sticky across the counter. A few patrons murmured, but no one helped.
She untied her apron, folding it carefully. "Good luck smiling your way to stardom," the manager said loud enough for the entire diner to hear.
The bell above the door chimed once as she pushed through it. Rain fell in soft, irregular drops. The air smelled of wet asphalt and car exhaust. She kept walking, letting the weight of failure press against her ribs. Another job lost. Another week without rent.
Hollywood had promised her hope. She had left Ohio with the kind that made her parents roll their eyes. Her mother had predicted she'd return within a year. Her father hadn't said a word. That silence was what she had run from.
At the bus stop, the bench was cracked. Rain pooled in its grooves. An older woman sat bent over, paper bags by her feet. Oranges had rolled toward the gutter. The woman tried to reach them, hands trembling.
Mara crouched and grabbed one. "You okay?"
The woman looked at her, faintly smiling. Her accent was soft, measured, far away. "Old bones. They do what they want."
Mara hesitated. She could walk away. But something in the woman's voice reminded her of her grandmother, who had always said, If you can help, help. Mara had ignored that voice for years. Tonight, it returned.
"Where do you live?" Mara asked.
"Up the cliff road. Near the glass house."
"Let me help you get there," Mara said.
The woman shook her head. "You don't have to."
"I want to. You shouldn't be out here alone."
She picked up the bags, careful not to drop them, and hailed a cab. The woman sat beside her. Paper crinkled against Mara's arm.
The road climbed into the mist above Malibu. The air grew colder, the ocean below silver under clouds.
The cab stopped before a gate that gleamed faintly in the rain. Beyond it, the house looked like a block of carved light. Glass walls rose against stone, white and impossible.
"You live here?" Mara asked.
"I work here," the woman said. "The master doesn't like visitors."
Inside, the house smelled faintly of cedar and salt. Every footstep echoed. Every sound lingered.
The woman guided her to the kitchen. "Thank you. I don't know what I would have done without you."
"It's nothing," Mara said. "I didn't have much else to do tonight."
The woman smiled. "You have a kind heart. Not everyone does." She sank into a chair. "Please, make some tea. Ginger in the jar on the counter."
Mara moved carefully. Steam curled upward, carrying warmth she hadn't felt in years.
"What's your name?" Mara asked.
"Mrs. North," the woman said.
"I'm Mara."
Mrs. North nodded. "And what do you do, Mara?"
"I act. Or I try to."
"And in between?"
"I lose jobs," Mara said.
The woman chuckled softly. "Honesty. That's good."
She sipped her tea, hands trembling. "The master needs help in the house. Just small things. I am not as strong as I was."
"The master?" Mara asked.
Mrs. North corrected herself. "He prefers that I call him by name. But some habits are hard to break."
"I don't think he'd want a stranger here," Mara said.
"He will listen to me. He trusts me."
Mrs. North studied her. "Come tomorrow morning. Nine o'clock. If he doesn't want you here, you can leave. No harm done."
Mara should have refused. She did not belong here. But she saw the exhaustion etched in Mrs. North's face, the slight tremble of her hands. Besides, she needed the money.
"Okay," she said quietly. "Tomorrow."
She left. The mist was thicker now, and the ocean stretched dark and restless below.
Through the glass walls, Mara thought she saw a man standing in the living room. Tall, motionless, watching. For a heartbeat, a figure like a woman shimmered near the pool, then vanished.
That night, she dreamed.
Water pressed against her skin, blue and endless. Light moved like molten gold.
Something brushed her arm, soft and alive.
A woman floated before her, hair drifting like seaweed. Her eyes were dark, calm, and endless. Her voice rolled over her like waves.
"Mara," she said. "You came back."
"I don't know you," Mara whispered, chest aching with strange recognition.
"No one ever remembers the first time," the woman said. Her words rolled over Mara like the tang of salt spray, sharp and impossible to ignore.
A current tugged at her legs. She reached for the woman, hand passing through water and light.
"Find him," the voice said. "Before the sea does."
The waves rose, swallowing her whole.
Mara woke, tangled in her sheets, salt on her lips. The ocean still whispered in her ears.