Chapter One
Her tired hands were making circular repetitive motions while holding the worn cloth against the cool surface of the marble countertop. With a soft sigh she placed the bottle of Windex down and ran shaky fingers though her dark blonde bangs. Her waves had been pulled back into a tight bun, and after a 6-hour shift, strands were beginning to stubbornly make their way out of their prison.
Her small hips involuntarily swayed to London Calling playing softly from the speakers behind the bar as she picked up the cloth once more and repeated her previous actions, carefully cleaning the shimmering surface.
The snow was falling outside making its way down in a wet mess. The beginning of the winter was always unpleasant in terms of the weather, for the temperature was not yet cold enough, leaving the ice that attempted to gather in the ground into a brown muddy slush. Thus weather usually succeeded in putting the students at Dartmouth University in a foul mood that lasted from about early November to mid December.
Regardless, Meredith continued her job, wiping table after table, making sure that the sticky remains of the alcohol consumed by thirsty students were no longer visible on the cool glass tables in the lounge area.
The bar was big compared to the other facilities owned by the student union. It was more of a lounge with three of its walls made of thick glass, and covered with sheer ivory-coloured curtains. The chairs were a deep wine red that made a nice contrast against the cool off-white atmosphere and the sparkling white marble countertop, making the bar a favourite hangout amongst the alumni of the University.
It was on nights like these when the bar closed at two in the morning that Meredith wondered why she held the job at all. Her mother was paying for her education and living expenses, and the only reason she had applied for the job was that she thought the opportunity would give her a break away from the study sessions, caffeine fixes and never ending all-nighters she was forced to pull as a pre-med junior.
When she was finally done with the tables, she headed towards the locker room. Taking off her apron, she slipped on her thin jean jacket and the knitted scarf she had received as a gift from her roommate during Christmas of her freshman year. A vague memory of a pair of blonde girls sitting underneath a large tree in the common room of a freshman dorm building filled her memory as she slammed her locker shut for the night. She made her way towards her boss' office before calling it a night to hand him the keys to the storage room.
"I'm done, Joe."
She knocked on the door, popping her head into the room. It was a modestly decorated room, with a tropical plant that took up more than half of the small space. His friendly smile lit up his face as soon as he saw Meredith at his door.
"Hey there, tips."
Meredith smiled at her nickname. Joe had called that since her first night as a bartender, when she had brought in close to $350.00 in tips all on her own. She was instantly a favourite amongst the customers of the Emerald City Bar.
"I'm going home. I'll see on Monday, okay?"
She offered him a smile and a little wink and walked out as he gratefully thanked her for covering the night shift.
She walked out of the glass doors and breathed in the cold night air, enjoying the difference between the smell of wet snow and the smell inside of the bar, a mixture of beer, bar mix, and hard liquor.
She crossed the street, stepping on puddles with her rain boots as she walked across the football field to take the shortcut to her apartment, lost in her own thoughts about upcoming finals and returning home for Christmas, when she heard rapid footsteps behind her.
Suddenly, a forceful arm grabbed her waist, thick fingers digging into her skin as a hand covered her mouth shut. She fought the urge to scream and her emerald eyes widened in horror as a scratchy low voice ordered her to keep still. Slowly, a knife pulled down her scarf and situated itself right below her chin and the other hand moved to grab her purse.
When her attacker had a firm grip on it, he started to slowly move away, keeping the knife as close to her throat as possible. She took this as her chance and hastily turned around and punched him in the mouth with all the strength her little frame could muster.
She could barely make him out in the moonlight, but she could clearly see that he had dropped her purse and was touching his bottom lip with dirty fingers. When he turned to face her, she could see a small trickle of blood down his chin.
"You bitch."
He yelled angrily, before his large fist connected with her face, knocking her down to the ground. Across the street, the light in the lobby of one of the apartment buildings turned on, casting a glow on the man's face.
"Hello? Is somebody out there?"
A voice spoke in the dark, causing Meredith's attacker to run away, disguised by the darkness the cold winter night offered. Once more, Meredith heard footsteps heading in her direction.
"Are you alright? Here, let me help you."
A kind voice spoke to her as a pair of arms helped her up.
"I'm fine, thank you."
She mumbled incoherently, wondering if her face looked half as bad as it felt. She watched with hazy eyes as her rescuer bent down to gather her purse and turned around with the intention of handing it to her, when the moonlight decided to once again make an appearance, highlighting her features. That's when, to her dismay, she heard her rescuer gasp quietly.