Something tickling my face. Just lightly running down it. A light tap then it trails down towards my pillow. Oh, Crap! Its raining again!
"Damn shitty weather," I muttered, opening my eyes to the leaves that were blotting out most of the sky from my view. Sleeping on a leather duffel bag actually was pretty comfortable, if you didn't have anything too hard in it. The problem was this mulch. I brushed off as much of the reddish brown chunks of wood as I could, sighing while I sat up. Clouds covered the sky so I couldn't really try to gauge what time it was by the sun. Another abbreviated night of sleep. At least it was something different waking me up this time.
"Where are you gonna go man? I ain't gonna make you stay but what else do you got?"
"I don't know. I just can't do this anymore, man. I just can't do this."
I'd walked out. On my brother, on the only family I had ever known since my mother's death eight years ago. I'd taken my entire life's savings, which was only about thirty five hundred dollars, some of my clothes, and just left. I loved him, loved all of them, but that gang was going to kill us and what was it all for? Some stupid honor? Some stupid money? Who even cared about that shit? Wasn't there more to life?
I'd slept at the bus depot that first day, after buying the cheapest ticket to somewhere I'd never heard of. The gray chairs that were in rows twelve long were actually less comfortable than the floor. If you stretched across them, the edges dug into you, and they didn't have arms or a big enough back to let you try to fall asleep sitting up. It'd been three days since I left, and I hadn't spent any money except for that bus ticket. Could seventeen year olds rent rooms? I'd slept outside last night, saving money. Walked out with some chicken and bread two days ago for food. That food was gone now. And now it was raining on me. Not as bad under this oak tree as it was out in the open, but enough to make it hard to sleep. I pulled out one of my blacks and lit it up. Of course I brought them and my lighter. They never leave my side. My shaking hands settle down a little as I take a long drag.
It had been about two weeks since I really slept. Nothing made the nightmares go away. I looked at the shining surface of the zippo. One word etched into it. Family. My brother had given it to me on my last birthday. And now I was gone. Not him leaving me, like that punk ass father of ours ran out on us. Not some act of god, taking him away. No, this time I made the choice. I stuffed the lighter back into my pocket.
My stomach growled, breaking my train of thought, and I decided that I needed to get some food. I surveyed the street, trying to find a good spot to eat through the a thick curtain of water. I finally settled on a what looked like a diner up the street about half a block. It was tough to tell through the rain. I plotted out the least water logged route towards my goal as I finished up my cigarette, making sure to let this one last. I'd have to ration these last three packs until I could find a new way to get some.
Finally, after waiting for a car to past, I shouldered my bag and began my dash across the street. I leaped over the puddle that had accumulated at the curb, and ran to the other side of the street. Another leap onto the sidewalk, then duck under the roof of the building. Then I just had to run between the buildings till I got to the diner. Not the shortest route, but I was only mostly drenched when I finally sprawled against the door to the restaurant. Of course its a pull door, as I crash into it full speed coming out of the rain. Steak 'n Shake, says the sign. A lone old man looks at me funny from inside as I try to pull it open and still don't manage to get in.
"We're closed!" he shouts.
"What? I thought these places were open twenty four hours a day."
"Not when there's a hurricane on. Whole area's bein' evacuated."
Well shit. That explained the rain.
"Can I use a phone then? I need to call a cab."
He looked at me suspiciously. "I'll call one for ya."
"Ok. Thanks. I'll just wait out here." I slid down the wall as he went behind the counter to get a phone, looking down at myself. I can see why he wouldn't want to let me in. Six foot two, dirty blond hair in my eyes. A grimy t shirt and jeans that had seen better days. I looked like I lived on the street. Which, admittedly, was pretty accurate for the past couple of days. Living on the street. Running from a hurricane. What the hell was I doing? I'd never lived out on my own like this.
"You ever change your mind, Jasper, we're always here. Family."
"Family. I know, Rob. I just need to get out of here. I can't take this anymore. It isn't right."
"We do what we have to."
"I can't."
I couldn't just go back to Rob. Not that they wouldn't take me. Would they even still be alive and out of prison? But even if they were, I just couldn't. Pride and fate and hope and God knows what else made me want something different. I prayed that it was something more, something better than I deserved, that I was heading towards.
"Taxi said they'd be here in about ten minutes. What are you doing out in this kinda whether?"
That's the question, isn't it? I sighed. "I don't know. I just couldn't take where I was."
"Hmmm. I know the feeling. Where you going to ride this storm out?"
"I don't really have any place to go." Easy enough to be honest about that. Anyone could guess it just by looking at me.
"Well, the nearest shelter that's got any space left, from what I hear, is all the way in Morehead City."
"How far's that?"
"'Bout an hour car ride. Maybe more in this weather."
"Are you sure there's nothing I could get to eat?" I asked, feeling a pang in my stomach.
"Nope. Everything's gone or locked up so no one can get at it."
"Ok. Thanks for your help." With a nod, the old man disappeared back into the restaurant. I sat there, starring out into the rain. What did I need to do? I needed to find food, shelter, and employment. Food was the most immediate concern. But I'd need to balance that with safety and shelter from this weather. So I would probably wait until I got to Morehead City to eat. Hopefully there would be something open there. Then I would head to a shelter for now, before looking for a place to rent. I could manage a down payment and a deposit, plus I could keep my eyes open for any jobs that might be nearby while I looked for a place. I'd need to look into transportation too. It felt good to be thinking of a plan, rather than just laying around. The previous plan of get away was too vague, and I was only really coming up with details right now. I started to reach for another cigarette, but stopped myself. I needed those to last for a while. Couldn't just smoke a pack a day like usual.
A horn, barely audible through the rain, brought my head up. I could see a car idling on the curb. This must be my ride. I stood up with my bag, turning to wave at the old man from the Steak 'n Shake, but he was no where in sight. Must have left while I was waiting. I dashed to the cab, skidding in a spray of water. I wrenched the door open, then pivoted around it to jump into the dry vehicle.
"Can you get me to Morehead City?"
"Sure. Five hundred bucks."
Now, I don't know cab fares, but bull shit. "Are you out of your mind?" I asked the squat greasy fellow in the front seat.
"Five hundred, up front. No one else would ever come out in this weather."
"I don't even know where Morehead City is. How do I know you won't take my money and leave me in the middle of nowhere?"
He, laughed, and somehow that was squat and greasy too. I'd never heard a laugh that matched up with the person better. "I guess you'll just have to trust me then."
Fat chance of that. I tossed five twentys into the front. "Here's a hundred. I'll give you the other four hundred when I actually get somewhere I wanna be." He seemed to consider it, before pocketing the money and starting the cab. I hoped I'd be able to read the signs through the rain, because I was out of this cab as soon as it hit Morehead City. A hundred dollars was more than I could afford already.
"So where do you need to go?"
"Take me to somewhere I can rent a room till this storm's blown over," since I don't want you knowing where I'm actually headed.
"Ok. It'll be a while though." Great, I'd have to stay awake the whole ride. Couldn't afford to sleep through the jump off point.
We sat quietly for a while, until I noticed the rain starting to lessen. "Are we passed where this hurricane is?"
The driver laughed again, "You were only in one of the bands that a hurricane throws off. The real storm isn't coming ashore for a few hours. Another band'll come through in a minute and I won't be able to see again."
Comforting. At least I could make out the signs at the side of the road now. After another period of quiet, I finally saw a sign that said we were in Morehead City. Oh joy. I'd need him to slow down a bit, hopefully I'd find a grassy spot. Or if he just came to a stop light or sign, I could do it without any chance of injury, though I'd have to run like hell. Actually, I'd have to run like hell either way. But then there was no more time for consideration, as he put on his blinker in front of the grassy lawn of a restaurant. I threw open the door, tossed out my bag, then followed it, rolling as best as I could when I hit the ground. My left shoulder sent sharp pangs shooting through me in protest of my exit strategy, as I grabbed my bag and tore off down the street the cab had just turned off of. I heard the taxi coming to a stop, as I reached the edge of the building. At the angry shouts, I looked back, but he hadn't rounded the corner yet, so despite the smell of recently rained on partially decayed food, I immediately cut to the alley between the two buildings right by me. Another alley turnoff soon presented itself, and I took that one too, finally sitting down to rest by a dumpster in the back of a business.
I patted my pockets, finding everything still in place. Bag, check. Various bruises and a larger, though not debilitating injury to the shoulder. One hundred bucks lighter. But I was here, now I just had to find food and get to a shelter. After the storm I could look for a more permanent residence, then, assuming that there was no improvement, get my shoulder looked at. Next would be a job. So, up, and off to find food. I wandered out of the alley, still heading away from the taxi that I had just stiffed. I passed a dentist's office, and something that had one of those names that made it sound like it could have been anything. Probably a temp agency. I turned left onto what the signs informed me was Arendell Drive. Should I double back towards the restaurant by where I left the cab? He probably wasn't there anymore. I would honestly take just about any food at this point.
Across the street I saw what almost looked like a pair of yellowish houses. One of them had a large green circle on it that read "Bistro by the Sea." I don't know what the hell a bistro is, but I know they have food, and this one still had several cars in the lot. I made my way across the street, no traffic causing a delay this time.
As I pulled open one of the wooden doors at the entrance, it occurred to me that this place was a probably a little pricey. Oh, well, looking at the menu wouldn't hurt, and I could always ask for directions if it was too much. I stepped into a room with slightly dimmer lights than I prefer, though it helped the candles stand out. The walls were a deep reddish color, and I saw a large bar in the back. A large piano bar. Yeah, this place was gonna be way outta my league.
"Hello, how many for your party?" asked a woman whose name tag read Libby.
"Um... actually.."
"You've kept me waiting," sang out a voice from the back.
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So, a while back I had this crazy idea that a bunch of authors should get together and write the same story from multiple perspectives. Five other people promptly said it sounded like fun, so we threw a first chapter together from each person's point of view, then..... life caught up with me. School, family, relationship drama, finances, even my laptop broke. So I never sent the secret coded message to start posting to the other authors, who are Sierra Echo Bravo, Shaps, luvvampluvdog, gatorzgurl07, and Madame Meg. Hopefully everyone got the signal, now that it was finally sent. You can find other perspectives to this story on their accounts if everything went as planned, though all the versions should stand on their own. Hope this works.
Happy Halloween.
Update (December 22) We're up and running! The new cast for our tale is
Eevy Angel writing Rosalie.
Sierra Echo Bravo writing Emmett.
Luvvampluvdog writing Edward.
gatorzgurl07 writing Bella.
book2romantic writing Jasper
Shaps writing Alice
Happy Holidays!