The room had its usual calm, the sun had not risen yet and the all house was in profound darkness, no noise could be heard except one
"Ring… ring" the alarm went on breaking the calm as it did every day, she rose from her bed and stopped it. She noticed it was 6 o'clock, she did not know why she always checked the time when every other day she awoke at the exact same time. Her day always started the same way.
She will leave her slightly uncomfortable bed and walked up to the bathroom making sure to not disturb the silence inside the house, she will switch on the light and enter the shower. The hot water will fall on her naked body waking every sleepy muscle; washing over the remaining sleepiness. After her shower, she will face her bathroom mirror and cleaned the steam of it until she could perceive her reflection and she would smile practicing the costumer smile or simply to push herself trough the hardship of the day.
After getting dress, she will go into the kitchen and by rote; she will cook the breakfast for her brother James who would be sleeping soundlessly. Before leaving for the supermarket where she worked she would grab an apple always an apple or maybe an orange for a change and she would finally leave the house without making any noise.
- "Thank you for your visit ma'am, we wish you a bright day," she said as a record, adding her corporate smile.
She took a deep breath and hold it as long she could closing her eyes for few second, the sound of a carol brought her out of her head, she automatically started singing it
"Sea lion woman
She drinks coffee, she lies
She drinks tea, she lies
And a rooste..."
Her voice broke abruptly when her mind made sense of the carol, she loved that carol as a child but as an adult the carol was attached to the unsettling feeling of abandonment, as the carol unfold and the lyrics revealed she was again the little girl calling after her mom, the little girl dealing with the biggest reject for a human being, maternal abandonment.
- "Sally Ann? Sally Ann, earth to sally Ann" a distance voice filled with worries asked, it was martin her co worker
- "Yes, sorry you were saying?" she answered a bit embarrassed
- "Everything is okay, sweet heart?" he asked with concern
- "Oh yes, just a bit tired… "
- "Was offering you to take your break now, we're both in closing duty .it might be your only chance till the end of the shift"
Sally Ann stood and start walking away from the casher, she could hear him shouting from the back that she needed to be back in the ten following minute. She left the supermarket leaving the echo of the carol behind.
"Fucking stupid carol" she shouted kicking a rock on her way
Her surrounding was filled with silence… she raised her eyes toward the sky contemplating it, envious of those free clouds, and she wanted to be as free not stuck at the casher of a shop. The air was mainly charged with autumn smells but winter was not far away, it will be early this year, she could feel the bitting cold. A cool breath of air caressed her and she shivered. She had left her jacket inside to eager to run away from the oppressing carol. She couldn't get back yet, so she kept looking at her surrounding and inevitably her eyes fell on the shay mountain, the curse mountain as the local called it.
Since her childhood people would tell her horrific story about it and the people who lived there. Sally Ann was no different from any child, so as any of her friends, in her young age she had found the courage to go up to the mountain but did not make it far enough. As always, before the tree and the path became scary for her, she immediately went down and went home with torn shoes. James was always furious and went on a rant
- "You done lost you damn mind lil girl" he shouted "do you know what lives in this mountain, animal, them farrell are animal, stories are out there and there are not fairy tales .if I ever catch you up there , I am gonna kill you myself, never get near them you hear me" he ended
She smiled …
For such thing she needed opportunity her younger self thought.
As an adult sally Ann saw the mountain as a creepy place, never she would dare set foot there, so much rumors was told about the Farrell and the few locals who had cross path with them never had anything good to say and she was not one for trouble. And adding a so call curse ,they were supposed to make fall on anyone who had wronged them, she was happy staying far away but again everyone who talked about the curse had never been a victim - except the local sheriff, Wade who was now a scared alcoholic- still… everyone agreed the Farrell was abnormally strong.
Again sally Ann has her reserve on the subject since most in the city were drunkard; you couldn't take their words for gold.
- "Sally Ann!" martin shouted
She got startled by him and looked at him
- "Do you want the boss to come for your ass? You have been out for 20minutes! Get out of that head of yours and come help we have client"
She gave her coworker a pleading glance and rushed in, the last thing she wanted is to be fired.
Few more hours she thought as she glanced at the clock, she let out a heavy sigh
- "Will be done in two, this day was a pain in the ass" martin responded to her sigh "but… can't really complain about having a job in this damn city, can we?"
Sally Ann smiled closing her casher and turn her head toward him to answer when she saw him turned pale and his mouth dropped, his eyes were filled with terror. She turned to face the source of such reaction and her heart skipped a bit;
All those stories she has heard came to haunt her at once
Sally Ann swallowed hard
"Those animals are as quiet as death, always in pack as wolfs" the sentence resonates in the back of her mind
4 men were standing nonchalantly at the entrance. They looked out of this world, their clothes seemed made of rags, and it was a mix of style. They looked as they were dressed out of necessity to cover their nudity, but outstandingly a certain elegance and charisma were emanating from them.
They observed their environment lazily. The oldest one of the pack, tilt his head and the group quickly scattered in the shop section.
A woman screamed her lung out arriving at the casher, dropped her bags and run to hide.
Barely worried by the chaos, they started to pick grocery and packing bags. As they were moving toward a department of the shop, scream would erupt from there.
The two others - the oldest one and the youngest - were still standing. They exchanged few words and separated. The old one who seemed to be called Foster or something similar as Sally Ann heard one of them calling him, passed in front of her not sparing her a glare but his presence seemed enough to send chills through her all body. He was imposing but there is more about him, predator vibes .She felt fear. The one you feel in lethal situation. He was surely the alpha.
"It must be what you feel when you are locked in a cage with an hungry lion" she thought
She was watching the scene as if it passed in slow motion. When another jar hit the floor, the noise dragged her out of her terror. She had to do something, she thought. She exhaled, letting air leaving her mouth slowly, regaining control of her mind and think about a way out. Slowly, she redirected her eyes toward the last man, the youngest one, the one wearing a kilt. He was standing partially in the dark. She couldn't get a clear vision of him but soon she had to drop her inspection… he had notice it. She quickly dropped her eyes and redirecting it to the old one.
« Dam nit ! » she thought, « don't be coward girl ! you're not a coward »
Once again she exhaled, inhaled. Her heart started pounding, adrenaline rushed through her body she started to open her mouth
Two Inaudible words came out of her mouth
- "Stop please…"
Another object broke; Sally Ann jumped a little and turned her head toward the sound. Her plea was not heard.
- "hey,you maam" a masculine voice directed toward her
She looked behind her but quickly focus back on the chaos going on after another broken glass
- "hey,no,no,no, look here , hey look here ,focus on me" said the individual moving his finger
- "don't worry maam"
Sally Ann turned and swallowed hard. It was the man standing before in front of the door, the look out. She held her breath. He had a stature less impressive than the alpha, still his presence was oppressing.
He had long wavy dirty blond hair, he was tall maybe 5.9feets, dark grey eyes filled with emotion and ripped arm. His feline allure emitted an animalistic energy as the other but he looked way more majestic to sally Ann. He was fascinating.
She was staring.
- "That's better" he said leaning and taking support with his arms on the casher facing her with a nonchalant confidence "What's the pretty lady name?" He said with a playful tone tilting his head in a side "oh pity, you are the shy type, I am sorry maam"
Sally Ann raised an eyebrow getting back from her shock "so they do speak, of course dummy" she thought
He pointed toward her name tag.
- "Sally Ann" she said
- "Sally Ann" he repeated as he was tasting each letter in his tongue "that is a beautiful name two name in one , pretty name just as you , Hasil Farrell" He pursued
- " Y'all no you can't just take things like that"
- He ignored her statement as he continue his small talk " tell me Sally Ann, how you get your hair like that? It look like shinning crown, light is getting out of it" he said giving her a smirk
She couldn't stop the little laugh that escape from her « smooth ». She tilt her head as she was about to answered when a voice came from behind her
- "We done, let's go"
Hasil turned his head toward the oldest one and returned his attention to sally Ann
- "Tell me sally Ann are you married"
- "No"
- "A boyfriend?"
- "No"
He looked at her with a bright smile about to add something but loud noises of motorcycle caught his attention.
- " … hope to see you soon … Sally Ann ..." He said with a strange smirk as he put a small wooden bird sculpture on a casher before leaving
She picked the bird, smiled a sincere smile this time and added
"Thank you for your visit, please have a great end of the day."
As she arrived home, James was sitting in the coach watching the TV and drinking his beer. She entered the living room he raised his head and asked
- "How was your day, baby girl?"
- "As usual but surprisingly different" she smiled adding "exciting" in her mind
She went up in her room, letting to James no opportunity to analyze her words.
She walked toward her bed cupboard and put the wooden bird, now the first thing she would see after opening her eyes would be this bird, and the last thing she would think about before closing them would be the mysterious man who offered it to her, his smile and his hypnotic grey eyes.
