"UUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHH!"
Vicki rolled out of bed to start another morning. She was really getting sick of this daily grind, but that seemed to be her world these days. She pushed herself out of bed and strolled into the bathroom, turning the shower on. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and let out another moan before stripping to jump into the shower.
A half hour later, she was out the door and dressed for work. She had escaped Dimmsdale, but her past hadn't quit chasing her. She had taken the money from her youth and tried to invest it, but that all came falling apart and she now spent her days working at a fast food restaurant just to cover the bills. It made for long weeks, but it was her life. Luckily she was in a small town on the east coast now, so not too many people knew about her past. Unfortunately that also seemed to make it difficult to make friends.
So Vicki strolled through the front door of work with her hair up in a bun. She pulled in through the cap she had to wear at work and slipping the headphones she had to wear on over. As she clocked in, she saw the lunch rush already on its way in.
It was going to be a long day.
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About 12:30, an hour into her shift, Vicki was busy working the front counter. She was managing the lunch rush as the only cashier. Lucky it was a Tuesday, because on a weekend having just one register open would be hell. She did her best to smile and make it through, but the customers were really starting to test her patience.
Then he came in. A tall stranger, over 6 foot, probably 6'1" or 6'2". He was wearing a suit and incredibly handsome. He had a chiseled jaw and carefully crafted blond hair on his head. He looked like he had jumped out of a magazine and his green eyes were to die for. He smiled as he strolled up to her, finally reaching the front of the line. When he spoke, Vicki almost felt her knees give out. He had an English accent, and Vicki was just like many others, positively adoring any accent from beyond the US border. Particularly those from the British Isles. Vicki pulled herself together as he ordered, carefully putting each and every item in. Then, when he tried to hand her the money to pay, their hands bumped. As their hands touched, Vicki felt a surge. It felt weird, but she liked touching him.
And their hands touching led to him dripping the cash and change on the counter. As she reached down to pick it up, he leaned down and placed something in her hand. He whispered in her ear as he did.
"There if a young man about three people behind me wearing a grey coat. Could you be so kind as to give this to him?" Vicki could only nod dumbly as he stood back to his full height. She took the cash, the exact amount and offered him his receipt, but as she looked up he was gone. She sighed and motioned for the next customer to come forward.
As the man had predicted, about three customers behind him was a young man in a grey coat. He was not nearly as tall nor as handsome as the previous gentleman. This guy stood about 5'8" with brunette hair, though she could see hints of auburn in the right light. He was not as chiseled as her previous guest. He wasn't ugly, but he also wasn't Hollywood handsome. He certainly could be from the right angle, but all in all there was nothing special about him. He wore glasses, had a slight beard shaped around his face, wore a double breasted suit jacket open with jeans and a black t-shirt. Around his neck was a silver chain with a ring on it and he had earrings in too.
As he came to the counter, he offered her a lopsided smile which gave Vicki a warm feeling she couldn't quite place. Shaking her head, Vicki pulled herself together and prepared to take his order. As she did, she heard him begin in the softest, sweetest Irish Brogue she could ever imagine. It wasn't think, but just enough to tell he wasn't American. As he paid, Vicki took his change and handed it to him with the paper the previous gentleman had given her on bottom. As it fell into his hand, the Irishman's smile changed into a knowing grin.
"Tank ya lass." He offered with a wink. Suddenly Vicki thought her judgement about him not being handsome may have been too harsh. But before she could say or do anymore, he was gone.
After the incredibly odd exchange, Vicki went back to work. She found herself, however, highly distracted with thoughts of the two men on her mind for the rest of the day.
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After helping close the restaurant, Vicki strolled home. Lucky for her, she didn't live too far away so she could walk. It was nice to save on a car. It gave her a chance to save her money a bit more. Being as late as it was, however, Vicki decided she would chance taking her short cut through the alley even at night.
As she came around the corner, she was surprised by the sound of voices. What surprised her even more was that they were the Englishman and Irishman from before, or at least they were the same accents. In the harsh whispers, she couldn't tell if it was the same people. Vicki almost thought about changing directions when she backed into a trash can. The noise cause both of the voices to stop talking. Vicki held her breath.
Then she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head. As she felt herself falling, fading into unconsciousness, she looked up and saw something standing over her. She could not describe it, but she felt an immense sense of fear while looking at it. She screamed in that instance. As she faded she heard the voice.
"Stop now, that is not appropriate!"
There was a flash of light and Vicki faded entirely into the darkness.
