Chapter 2
REBEKAH
Standing in the kitchen, I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face. This was going to be my new beginning. Perhaps the house needed some TLC, but it had character. YouTube University existed for a reason, and I knew that I could handle the remodeling.
The best part of it all was that there was no one around who could tell me what to do. I’d had enough of that; it was time to start living for me. With no family around, I had to rely solely on myself, but I was okay with that.
Tomorrow was the first day of job hunting, and I knew I should be well-rested for what that meant. After turning the brand-new locks, I installed and made my way into the bedroom, I dropped onto the mattress on the floor and wrapped myself up in my blanket.
The tattered, light green blanket had seen better days, but it was one of the last things that I had of Alicia.
It no longer smelled of her, but I liked to believe that wasn’t the case.
I held on to the fleeting memories and handful of items, knowing that they would never bring light into the dark part of my world that had ended so many years ago.
Pulling Ophelia, my stuffed otter, toward my chest, I closed my eyes, hoping to catch a few hours of sleep before the sun came up. Tomorrow was going to be a big day, and I couldn’t wait to get started. It was time to start finally living, instead of just existing.
The next morning, I sat on the floor of my kitchen holding my cup of gold close to my chest. I was a beast in the morning without coffee, so of course, the very first thing I made sure to have set up when I moved in was the coffee pot.
I might not have a lot of furniture in my house, well, actually, I didn’t have anything beyond my mattress, but I made sure to have a coffee pot.
Priorities, right? I could live without other things, but not without my morning cup loaded up with so much creamer it would send a diabetic into a coma. At least that was what I told myself.
Knowing I should probably get to work on taming my hair into obedience, I crawled off the floor and walked to the tiny bathroom.
After pulling my silk bonnet off my head, my hair bounced out, poofing into a massive afro.
Some days I loved my hair, other days, like today, I hated it and wanted to shave my head.
When my hair would cooperate with me, it was beautiful. The days that it didn’t? Well, let’s just say there were often tears and a few colorful words that, if my grandma ever heard me, would get my mouth washed with soap.
With the product rubbed between my hands, I worked on taming the poof and pulled my hair back into a twist. It was wishful thinking that it would stay that way all day, but that didn’t stop me from hoping.
Once I was done with my unruly hair and had put on a very light layer of makeup, it was time to slip into my clothes and head out to start job hunting.
I knew that I should just go to the library and use their free wi-fi and computers, but it didn’t hurt to also check in with businesses before that.
There had to be somewhere that would hire someone with no experience beyond babysitting. I was a quick learner and knew that whatever was thrown at me, I would handle. I just needed to find somewhere that would take a chance on me.
Smiling, I threw my purse across my shoulders and kissed Ophelia goodbye.
I darted out the door and started walking toward town.
I didn’t have a car yet; it was going to be one of the first things I worked toward buying when I had a job.
For now, I would be walking everywhere, and that was fine with me.
Maybe it would help me lose those last few pesky pounds I’d gained following my rescue during my hospital stay.
Skipping down my driveway, I noticed that my neighbor had already left for the day. I had seen a truck come home late last night, but I didn’t get to see who was in it. I hoped that the person was friendly. Living beside a grump wouldn’t be any fun.
It didn’t take long for me to make it into town, which was a good thing. I had forgotten my water bottle at home, and I was dying of thirst. For it being the beginning of September and fall, it was hotter in Shadow Heights than I was prepared for.
I loved fall! All things pumpkin spice, apple cider, and pretty colors just warmed my heart. It reminded me of happier times. People who picked summertime over fall were crazy, in my opinion.
I ran into the small gas station and headed over to the fountain drinks. I only had a few dollars in cash, so it was best if I grabbed a water cup and saved that for later.
While I filled a small cup with water, I waved at the attendant. “You wouldn’t be hiring by chance?” I asked, stopping at the counter.
“We aren’t, but you’re welcome to put in an application. I can pass it on to the owner for safekeeping if we ever start hiring again.”
I grabbed the application, folded it, and slid it into my bag to fill out at home. Waving goodbye, I headed back down the road with my water in hand. At store after store, I stopped in each one, asking if they were hiring.
After collecting applications from the hair salon, diner, ice cream shop, and bank, I made my way toward the last building on the street.
Knowing this would be my final stop before I went to the library, I took a deep breath and said a quick prayer to whatever God might be out there and headed inside.
After walking into what looked like a tiny office building, I read the name on the back wall: Shadow Force Tactical. That didn’t sound ominous at all, I thought, walking up to the empty front desk and looking for any signs of life.
After letting out a huff, I turned and decided to leave, not seeing a single person who might help me. This place was a bust, but I didn’t let that get to me. I had plenty of options and still planned on looking online. Just as I was reaching the front door, I heard a voice behind me.
“I’m telling you, Seth, Call of Duty is way better than Fortnite.”
“I’m not denying that they both have their qualities, I just prefer Fortnite. I’m sorry your old ass can’t see that.”
“Ouch! Old? Dude, I’m only two years older than you.”
Whoever Seth was, his reply was cut off as soon as the guys rounded the corner and spotted me standing in the doorway like an idiot. Why didn’t I leave before they could see me?
“Well, hello, pretty lady. Did you get lost?” the guy who looked like Adonis said.
“Actually, no, I’m not lost. I stopped in to see if your company might be hiring,” I replied after my shock wore off.
“I don’t think you would fit in here, Little one. I’m Seth, and this is Josh,” the other Greek god said, pointing at Adonis. They both looked like they had just stepped out of an Abercrombie magazine; honestly, it was a crime against mankind to look that hot.
“What did you say your name was?” Josh asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I didn’t. My name is Rebekah. I just moved to Shadow Heights, and I’m looking for a job. If you guys aren’t hiring, maybe you can point me in the right direction of someone who might be.”
I stood there, watching, as they looked back and forth between each other. This was getting awkward, and I didn’t want to continue looking crazy. “Well, since you aren’t hiring, I guess I’m going to go. Thanks for talking to me.”
“Wait!” Seth placed a hand on my shoulder as I turned to leave. “We don’t do the hiring; our boss, Beau, does. Why don’t you leave your name and number, and we can pass it along.”
“Yeah, he’s always complaining about all the paperwork piled up on his desk. He might be open to hiring someone to help with that,” Josh added after I gave him a puzzled look.
Letting out a small sigh, I nodded. Better than nothing, I guessed. I followed Seth over to the desk and took the pen he offered. Since I didn’t have a phone yet, I wrote down my name and email address. No harm in leaving it, though I’d already concluded that nothing would come from this place.
“Thanks, guys.”
Josh smiled at me as Seth responded, “You’re welcome, pretty girl. Be careful now, I’m sure we’ll see you soon.”
Waving, I turned and headed back outside. Deciding I’d had enough going door to door, I made my way toward the library to start my search online.
The sun had set hours ago, making my walk home dark.
I wasn’t terrified of the night, but it wasn’t something I enjoyed being out in.
It brought up memories that I wanted to stay buried deep in the back of my mind.
Suddenly, the sound of something moving down an alley had me picking up my pace.
After dashing up my driveway, I quickly unlocked the door and slipped inside.
Resting against the door, I caught my breath as my heart rate settled back to normal. It was just an animal or something; there was no reason for me to be this freaked out. I was safe now, nothing was going to harm me.
When I was finally calm, I pulled my bag from my shoulder and dropped it on the counter. I pulled the hair tie out and threw my hair into a bun on the top of my head. The humidity had done a number on my hair today, so I currently looked like a hot mess.
From the cabinets, I pulled out a mac and cheese cup and popped it in the microwave.
It was a blessing that the person who owned my house before decided they didn’t want any of the appliances when they moved out.
I was able to cross off quite a bit of the list of things I needed to buy because of their generosity.
Everything was old and dirty, but nothing a little elbow grease couldn’t fix.
It was a task I had decided to do this weekend after I was done job searching.
Thinking about a future job, I reached over and pulled out all the applications I had collected today.
It was going to take me a while to fill them all out, so I grabbed my food and a pen before heading to bed.
After I completed them all out to the best of my ability, I carefully slid all the applications back inside my bag until tomorrow.
I made sure the house was locked and stripped out of my clothes before crawling into bed.
With a sigh, I pulled Ophelia into my arms and snuggled up with Alicia’s blanket, ready to finally go to sleep.