Chapter One.
AN:This story is a revamp of the previous few chapters I posted. If you've read my work before, I'd advise you to read it over since I've added some things. Thank you all for taking the time to read my story. Please, drop a review. They motivate me to write! A million times thank you for the reviews, favorites and follows. You guys are the best!
Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own TrueBlood, but I do own my OC's.
XXX
DING...
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Captain has turned on the Fasten Seat Belt sign. If you haven't already done so, please stow your carry-on luggage underneath the seat in front of you or in an overhead bin. Please take your seat and fasten your seat belt. If you have any questions about our flight today, please don't hesitate to ask one of our flight attendants. Thank you all."
DING...
She walks past the seats on the airplane in search of her own. When she finally finds it, she does as instructed and places her carry-on luggage in one of the over-head bins, taking her seat and buckling up. Once settled in, she takes a deep breath, trying to calm some of her raging nerves and exhales slowly. She reaches in her purse and grabs hold of her IPhone, searching through the contacts until finding the right one. "MOM"
"Hi mom. I'm boarded now. I'm really sorry it had to happen like this, but I need to do this for myself. I love you so much. I promise I will take care and talk to you regularly. Send my love to everyone." She presses send and quickly switches off her phone just to avoid reading her mother's instant yet disappointing reply.
Here she is... A twenty-year-old college drop-out on her way to a different continent.
Leaving home was always the plan. Since being a little girl, River dreamt of moving to The States. She just never imagined it to happen quite like this.
Her parents had big plans for her. They sent her to the fanciest schools, hoping it will increase her chances of success in society. They wanted her to obtain the status of a doctor, make lots of money and live comfortably for the rest of her life, with no worry about what tomorrow might bring.
River knew her parents only wanted the best for her, but sometimes they became too overbearing with their constant nagging and high expectations of her. Her father would always bring up the topic about studies, telling her, and everyone else, how his daughter was going to become a successful doctor.
"Doctor River Rose Conley...Doesn't it have a nice ring to it?" He would ask, his face beaming with pride, his aura so bright.
River always feared of disappointing her parents. The look of being let down often crept onto their faces when it came to her older brother, Ben. How their auras would drastically take a turn to something dark and sad. They had big hopes for him as well, but he made it very clear from the start that he'd be following his own path, living his life as he sees fit, even if it was against their strict parents' morals. That's when she promised herself that she would do everything in her power to refrain from seeing that look on their faces when it came to herself. She would keep them happy, even if it meant she'd be the opposite, slowly dying away inside.
Little did she know that she could only take a couple years of this soul torturing life. School stressed her out way too much and she found studying to be more of a chore than anything else, especially since it was studying for something she didn't give a damn about. On top of that, being the weird kid on the block didn't help matters much either. But, give her a guitar in her hand and she was the happiest person on earth. She'd strum and sing her troubles away.
She tried to subtly bring up the fact that she'd like to transfer to a different school, across the globe and change her field in school to art, music, maybe a little bit of drama, and her folks nearly had a heart attack. The practically jumped down her throat asking her -no- demanding why she would waste her life on something as simple as that.
River never had a lot of friends growing up, but luckily she had met a friend online a couple years prior to all this who she could vent to daily. They became more like sisters than best friends. Chelsea tried her best to support her friend throughout her stressful days. Every night when they had their call, Chelsea would try to persuade River into moving to where she was. As far as River knew, Chelsea lived in a little town she couldn't recall the name of, somewhere in Louisiana. River still vividly remembers how the call went, the call that made her change her mind and put her happiness first.
River was rambling on about how she wished she could move and pursue her dreams before Chelsea interjected and gave River the option of moving in with her.
"Chelsea, that's a really kind offer, but I highly doubt moving to Bontomps would make me a famous singer." River half jokes.
"First of all, it's Bon Temps! Secondly, wasn't your first goal to move to The States?"
With a defeated sigh, River answered. "Yes..."
"Exactly...So moving in with me will put you one step closer to your actual goal."
"I guess you have a point-"
Chelsea didn't even give River the time to finish her thought before interrupting. "It's not like its forever, River. Move up here, work for a year or so before you move to greener fields. I'll even help you. You can save all your money and not even worry about rent. You know I inherited the house when my parents passed away."
Yes, as an only child, Chelsea lived alone in a big farmhouse she inherited from her parents after they passed away. The two girls hardly ever spoke of Chelsea's parents, whenever River tried to bring them up, Chelsea would abruptly change the subject. River didn't think much of it, maybe it was just a defense mechanism Chelsea used to deal with their death. All River knows is that Chelsea's parents died in a car accident three years ago when she was a young nineteen years old, although River suspected it to be more than that.
"Chelsea, that's very nice of you, but I can't possibly let you allow that..."
"Riv, Don't let your pride get in the way here..."
"It's not about pride!" River exclaimed. "I'd feel way too guilty. You know I feel weird when people do nice things for me. Gosh, I even feel guilty if my mom buys me a pair of socks."
"You're so weird." Chelsea chuckled. "But, please. You're my little sister and I'd do anything to have you near. Please, Riv, you're not happy. Your parents will understand..."
Will they?
Will they really?
At that moment she knew she had to take matters into her own hands if she wanted to be happy in the future. She got a part-time job and saved up every paycheck, including birthday money she got from family until she had enough for a one-way ticket and funds to help support herself up until she got a decent paying job in Bon Temps.
Just like that she gets interrupted from her deep thoughts by the door of the plane finally closing, along with her chances of changing her mind.
DING…
"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is George Parish and I'm your chief flight attendant. On behalf of Captain Mayer and the entire crew, welcome aboard Cape Airlines. Our flight will be leading to the state of Louisiana. Sit back, relax and enjoy the flight."
DING…
The plane takes off and gone are all her hesitations of taking such a big leap.
She places her fingertips against the window and glances outside, breathing out softly. "Goodbye, sweet South Africa."
xxx
When River first arrives in Louisiana airport many brutal hours later, she was graced by the image of her once long distant friend staring at her from across the room. In an instant River drops all her luggage to the ground and runs to Chelsea as fast as her short legs allows her to. She abruptly attacks Chelsea with the world's biggest hug, placing kisses all over her face. Her friend just as excited as herself to express her feelings, returning the same level of affection. There were some tears, a lot of giggles and quite a high pitch squeal erupting from Chelsea as they let the excitement sink in. River could basically feel Chelsea's happiness radiating through her body.
After the hug that ironically felt like seconds as well as decades ended, Chelsea grabs onto River's hand and pulls her along with her. The beaming smile never leaving her face.
"Come on. Let's go grab your things and get you home." Her beautiful country accent even thicker in person than on the phone.
Both girl's move to retrieve the luggage scattered all across the floor before making their way out of the airport and to Chelsea's beat up old car.
"I know she doesn't look like much, but Lady here gets the job done." Chelsea winks at River as she glides her palm over the worn red paint of the car.
"Lady?" River crooks an eyebrow.
"As far as I know, if I provide lil' Lady over here with love and affection, she won't break down on me." She opens the trunk and tosses the bags in the back before slamming it back shut. "Isn't that right, Lady?" She caresses the car affectionately, making River laugh out loud. "Can you guess why I named her Lady?"
"Hmm,-" River thinks to herself for a few seconds while staring the car down. "Because it's tiny and red, resembling a ladybug?"
"Smart cookie, I knew there's a reason I liked you." Chelsea jokes before the two girls jump into the car and head to River's new home far away from home.
XXX
The first few days being in Bon Temps went quite well for River. Chelsea managed to persuade her boss into letting her stay home for a couple days until River had been settled in. River did find it amusing that Chelsea's boss would allow her to stay home for no real emergency, and the blonde would just laugh it off, saying how 'Sam' was a very nice guy.
They spent the days and nights in the house, watching movies, playing music and just bonding as much as possible, albeit the few days Sam agreed for Chelsea to stay home came quicker to an end than they would have liked. The next afternoon Chelsea was getting ready for work wearing a pair of ridiculously short and tight pants, with a white t-shirt with a logo on it from the bar she works at. She told River that she was going to leave the car for her so that she can drive around if she wanted to, maybe do some sightseeing if she so wished. River inquired how her friend would be going to work and she mentioned that her job is not very far from home, a walking distance.
A few hours after Chelsea left, River still found herself in her newfound special spot on the couch, just waiting for the hours to pass until her friend would be home. As on que, the telephone rings and River practically runs to the kitchen to answer.
"Hello?" She answers, trying not to sound out of breath.
"River...Can you do me a huge favor?" Chelsea asks.
"Sure..."
"I forgot my purse in Lady. Do you mind bringing it to me?"
River chokes back a scoff. The fact that Chelsea actually names her car… "Yeah, no problem. You're just going to have to remind me again where exactly the bar is."
"Okay, just drive down the gravel road until you get to the second right turn. You'll be able to see the bar from there if you keep driving straight."
"I'll be there in a few minutes." River ends the call, grabbing the keys from the counter and makes her way to Chelsea's beloved Lady.
XXX
As River drives through the little town, she easily comes across the bar called Merlotte's. She parks in the nearest empty space and climbs out, pulling on her jean shorts that have been riding up her thighs too high. She leans in and grabs Chelsea's purse from the passenger seat Before slamming the door shut.
"Excuse me, Miss? You're in my spot." She hears a man speak. She abruptly turns to see if the man was referring to her and it turns out he is.
"Oh...I am so incredibly sorry! I had no idea these spots are reserved." She explains, offering an apologetic smile to the man.
"Uh, actually they aren't reserved. Just this one. It's mine. I own the bar." He scratches his head with his right hand as he speaks.
River nods at him understandably. "Well, that's no problem at all. Just give me a second to jump in and park in a different spot so you can have yours back." She turns, about to jump in but he stops her by grabbing hold of her elbow, suddenly feeling like a jerk.
"No, please...It's no problem at all, Miss..?"
"You can just call me River." She smiles at him.
"I'm Sam. Sam Merlotte." He extends his hand to her. River immediately takes it and gives him a firm shake.
"Great to meet you, Sam... Sam Merlotte."
She loosens the grip on him and he instinctively shoves his hands in his front pockets.
"Any chance you're the girl who recently moved in with Chelsea at the Woodman farmhouse?"
River lets out a little laugh. "Yup, I'm the one...What on earth gave it away?" She asks with a faint sarcastic undertone.
"Well, for one, that little accent you have there doesn't go unnoticed." He chuckles. "We don't get many foreign visitors around here. Ever... Say, where are you from again?" He narrows his eyes a little.
River lets out a little laugh. Oh, how this guessing game never gets old…
"Where do you think I'm from, Sam?" She asks, curious to what his answer might be.
"I-uh, I'm not sure. I can't point out a specific country. I know for sure it's not here...England, maybe? Australia?"
River can't help but giggle as she feels his confusion through his aura. "One can say I'm from down under." River hints towards her south residing country on the globe. "I'm actually from South Africa."
Sam's eyes widen in disbelief. "That's a far way from home... But, if you don't mind me asking, what the hell are you doing in Bon Temps?" He asks curiously.
"Well, Chelsea is here. I wanted to be closer to her. So I'll be staying here until I've saved enough money to move somewhere else." River explains, tossing Chelsea's purse over her shoulder. "Speaking of...I'm supposed to be delivering this to her."
Sam takes a step back to his truck and grabs a box from the back. "Well, I'll lead you straight to her...Follow me." He smiles and winks at her. River suddenly feels her cheeks growing red as she notices how handsome he actually is.
River follows Sam to the front entry of the bar. She steps inside and studies her surroundings. Her initial thought is that it's a very cozy place. Looking around there are a handful of customers sitting in a booth and a few more playing a game of pool. Clearly business isn't booming this time of day.
"Nice place." River admits with a smile.
"Thanks!" Sam beams at her as he places the box on the bar. "I promise it tends to get more crowded at night." He explains as if he could read River's mind. "Why don't you have a seat; I'll get you a bite to eat while you wait for her. What will it be?"
"Can I just have a water please?" River asks while sliding into an empty booth, placing the purse on the seat next to her.
"Coming right up." Sam smiles and grabs a bottled water from the mini fridge behind the bar and walks over to River, placing it on the table. "I'll go call her for you." He smiles and turns on his heel, heading to the kitchen."
As River waits for Chelsea, she sips on her water and studies the bar some more. With only a few souls inside the building, it wasn't hard for River to pick up every emotion in the room. Ever since she was little, she's been able to feel other people's emotions. It didn't matter if they were sad, mad, happy, she would feel it all. Thus having this 'gift' as her grandma would call it, kids in school would call her a freak. The older she got, the stronger it had become. She hasn't shared this with Chelsea in fear of her thinking she's a freak too. Hell, she is a freak. But she loved how normal she felt when being around Chelsea.
There had been numerous occasions where she noted she had moved objects accidentally just by looking at them for too long. She was sitting bored in class one day, staring absentmindedly at the pencil on her desk and it tuned a full 360* a couple of times. It took her by complete surprise. Unfortunately for her, the kid sitting next to her saw it all and spread rumors that she was some kind of witch who would cast spells on everyone and it resulted in her not having any friends. That was eight years ago, since then it had just gotten stronger, more powerful and sadly also more frequent.
Lost in her thought again, River fails to acknowledge her friend talking to her and gets a little fright when Chelsea shakes her around from the side.
"Earth to River!" Chelsea waves her hand in front of River's face.
"Oh...Sorry." River smiles up at her blonde friend.
"You better be lost in thought and not checking someone out. Cause literally none of those men are hot..." Chelsea raises a brow at River, pointing to the men playing a game of pool across the room.
No...No... They are definitely not hot.
"I was just thinking. That's all." River justifies herself.
"Did you bring my purse?" Chelsea asks.
"Yeah...It's right here." River reaches for the purse and hands it to her.
"Thanks. A girl from work needed to borrow some money… Again." Chelsea sighs out loud before the sound of glass scattering makes them both divert their attention to Sam who is standing behind the bar, attempting to clean the broken glass he "accidentally" dropped.
River knew better though, she felt his mood shift as soon as it happened and she knew it wasn't an accident. Sam seemed so happy minutes prior, what could have possibly upset him so quick?
"Sam, what's wrong?" River asks worried.
He looks in her direction and sighs. "My damn waitress just called me and let me know she's not coming in. We're busy at nights and one waitress won't cut it. I'm screwed."
"Who's not coming?" Chelsea asks curiously.
"Sookie..." Sam growls out irritated. "Probably off parading with her leech boyfriend."
Chelsea feels her stomach twist as Sam says the word and River catches her friend giving Sam a warning look before he speaks up again.
"Anyway...Arlene can't come 'cause she's got the kids...As for Dawn...God only knows what she's got herself into" He sighs heavily.
"Hold on, hold on, hold on!" Chelsea crooks her brow. "Dawn isn't coming? She was supposed to pick up some cash from me tonight!"
"I don't know what's going on with those two, Chelsea." Sam sighs out defeated.
There's a long pause of silence before Chelsea so graciously breaks it. "Well then, I'm just gonna go ahead and say what everyone else is thinking."
River arches her brow, feeling intrigued to what Chelsea has to say.
"I'm your best worker." She states simply. "Just save yourself the trouble and admit it, Sam." She places her hands on her hips, waiting for Sam to comply.
"Yeah, I guess you are, thank you, Chelsea." Sam chuckles.
"Dollars in my hand will be more appreciated than any verbal 'thank you'" Chelsea suggests.
River nudges Chelsea on the side, clearly her attempt to lighten the mood did not help for the irritable looking Sam.
River looks at him apologetically. "Would you allow me to help you tonight?" She surprisingly hears herself offer.
Damn...Why did she have to be such a nice person? She could easily think of how she would have rather wanted to spend her night. Albeit he is such a nice guy, and he truly is feeling upset. Plus, Chelsea is working tonight too, so she'd get to spend some time with her as well. Even if it's just a bit of a banter when they pass each other during the night.
"Yes! River can help!" Chelsea exclaims. "She's been wanting to find a job anyway. This would be great! We can carpool together! Plus, wear a little something tight and the tips are great!" She says a little too enthusiastically while slapping her ass.
Oh...The outfit makes so much more sense now...
"You looking for a job?" He asks River.
"Well, yeah. I kind of am. But I don't have a clue about waitressing, so I doubt I'd be an asset to your business here." River jokes.
"There's really not much to it." Sam chuckles. "But, let's call it a trial night? Work tonight and if you see yourself doing this in the future, you're welcome to work here whenever you want."
"Deal!" River giggled at them.
xxx
River's job basically just consisted out of taking orders, handing them to the kitchen and then serving the meals to the customers. You would be surprised how rude some people can be. River had to bite her tongue quite a few times since she had no idea what Sam's policies are in terms with giving clients a piece of her mind. Ironically enough, some woman got aggressive because she claimed she had an extra burger charged to her bill, but River however saw her sneak the extra one she claimed not to have received into her purse. It took al River's self-control not to use her 'gift' to make the old bitch spill her drink all over herself while she took a greedy gulp from it.
She passes Sam by the bar and grabs a bottle of water from the mini fridge. "Hey Sam," She calls for his attention. "Do you mind if I take a little break? I just want to catch some fresh air."
"Yeah, no problem. Take your time." He says with a smile tugged on his lips.
With her water in hand, she makes her way to the entrance, stepping outside and into the crisp night air. She grabs her phone from her back pocket and checks the time. 12:10am it reads. She shoves it back into her pocket and thanks God that the shift would be over in 50 minutes.
There is no denying that her feet hurt really bad. She wasn't used to being on them for such a long period of time. She presses her back against the wall and slides down until she plops down on the floor with her butt. She stretches her legs out before herself and tries her best to suppress a moan that was threatening to spill from her lips. Yup, her feet thanked her dearly at this moment.
She wasn't left alone in her moment of bliss for long. The door creaks open and the flamboyant cook walks out, taking a stand next to her. She smiles up at him to be polite and rolls her head back against the wall, exhaling slowly. Oh, how she loved the night air.
He brings a cigarette to his lips and lights it before taking a long drag from it, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke around him.
"Yous want one?" He looks at her and juts out his arm to offer her the cigarette.
"Oh, no thank you, I don't smoke." She explains and offers him a smile, not wanting to seem rude.
He nods at her and smirks. "Good girl...So yous the white girl from the mother land."
"Yup, that's me..."
"Maybe yous more black than me inside." The smirk never leaving his face.
River doesn't verbally answer him but his statement does make her chuckle.
"So what yous doin' in this fucked up town anyway?" He asks, feeling very curious what this foreign girl would be doing in this specific town.
"What's wrong with Bon Temps? I think it's a charming little place."
He furrows his brows "Yeah, yous definitely don't belong here. All these motha fuckas care about around here is fucking, gettin' wasted and drugs." He sings the last word and the smirk returns, his hips doing a sensual twirl as he says it.
"Yeah, well then I really don't belong since I don't do any of those." She smirks back.
He chuckles at her response. "Oh, a little good girl yous is." He drags from his cigarette. "Maybe not for long..." He trails off.
"What is that supposed to mean?" She asks with a crooked brow.
"Lots of men gonna want a piece of that fresh, fine ass." He states simply.
River can't help the slight blush that appears on her cheeks.
"Listen, I's been watchin' you tonight. And from what I's can tell, yous a sweet lil thang, a sexy bitch too. Yous got that special golden South African sun kissed skin with tha long brown hair, looking like a goddess walking up in this motha fucka-" He points to the bar before taking another drag. "Yous seem to have a brain in there-" He points to his head. "But if yous really is smart, yous best be getting in yous motha fuckin car and hurry the fuck outa here. Fucked up place this."
"Oh, it's not so bad. I rather enjoy it here." She admits honestly.
He raises his brows at her "Bitch, yous haven't been here long enough to find out. If I was you I wouldn't stay long enough to find out." He takes another drag. "I'm Lafayette by the way" He says as he finally flicks his cigarette to the ground.
"I'm River. It's nice to meet you, Lafayette."
"River...." He says her name in a sing-song to test it out on his tongue. "Well River, we best be gettin' back to work. Wouldn't want yous fired on yous first night." He extends his hand for her to grab hold of.
She laughs and takes his hand in hers, allowing him to help her to her feet. "I guess you're right." She agrees and follows him back into the bar and finish the remainder of the shift.
XXX
The night comes to an end and the last customer left. She sees Sam at the bar counting money and Chelsea chatting up some man she'd served tonight. Weighing her options, she finds the safest choice to sit at the bar and wait for Chelsea to finish her little pickup attempt. River walks over to Sam and pulls out a barstool before plopping down. He looks at River and smiles before going back to counting the cash before him.
Sam hands her a few notes of cash and she looks at him confused. "For your help tonight. Wouldn't have been able to handle it without you." Sam explains.
She shakes her head at him and smiles. "Sam, it was a trial night, remember?" She gets off the stool and stands on her aching feet.
"Please, take it." He slides the money over to her again.
River shakes her head again and slides it back to his direction but notices how he's about to slide it over to her once more.
She stops him. "Sam, try to offer me that money one more time and I swear I'm going to shove it up your ass." Her promise makes him chuckle hard.
"You ready to go?" Chelsea asks from across the room, the man she had been chatting up gone.
"Yeah!" River exclaims, feeling joy at the thought of going home after such a long night.
River walks towards the front entrance with Chelsea hot on her heels.
"Did I hear you say no to money?" She asks, narrowing her eyes at River.
River tries her best to suppress her giggle.
"We don't reject money!" She exclaims, making River laugh out at her friend.
"Night, Sam!" River yells over her shoulder.
"Yeah, night Sam...I'll be back for that money real soon..." Chelsea jokes, or does she?
The blonde and the brunette both walks out the door, crosses the parking lot and finally reaches their car. With some effort to open the passenger door, River wiggles it roughly until it gives way. They climb inside and Chelsea's car roars to life with a cloud of smoke being spit out by the exhaust.
"What a night..." River speaks up.
"You did really good today, Riv." Chelsea smiles at her.
"Thanks... I hate to say it, but I kind of had fun tonight." She chuckles.
"And just think...If you choose to keep this job, I'll always be there to amuse you!" She exclaims.
Maybe life here won't be so bad after all...
As they make their way down the gravel road home, River plugs her IPhone in Chelsea's audio system and they start singing obnoxiously loud along to their favorite band.
You saved my life.
With blood and through sacrifice.
The lessons that I've learned.
I promise you I said never again
Never again!
No never!
Hey! It began with an ending.
Hey! We were fighting for the world.
Hey! My desire never ending.
Hey! The-the-the race. Race
Thirty Seconds To Mars...
AN: That's the end of chapter one! Again, thank you all for reading. Do feel free to PM me anytime, I'd be happy to hear from you all. Don't forget to review, favorite and follow!
Some people have been asking me what River's accent would sound like since she's from South Africa, and the best way I can explain it is that it sounds more British.