(A/N: Little fickle-minded me is back! Three cheers... I thought I'd publish this chapter as well, so people have something to really look at and read... Sometimes just reading one chapter isn't enough... In this case, it might not have been... So review, and you'll get that Morph clone! And if you have any ideas, I'll gladly hear them out, and if I like them use them! So I hope you enjoy this next chapter! P.S. I'll update once a week usually, or twice if I can... But I take three honors courses, play production, and run cross country. I also am in several clubs, so my time off is pretty rare!)
Disclaimer: I didn't own it last chapter, this one is no different. Maybe next chapter that will change! Maybe it won't...
Chapter 3
It was noon, and I was late for work. I was running down the crowded streets and I was stopped by the Robo-Cops, yet again. The guys are real idiots; just 'cause I'm running doesn't mean I committed a crime. Or maybe it does…
"Sorry Mrs. Hawkins," I said as I ran into the kitchen. Customers were staring at me as I darted back there. "The cops held me up again." She smiled nervously.
"It's okay, you're here… You didn't do anything wrong again did you?" She asked as I tied a dirty apron around my waist.
"Of course not, it's only when I don't do stuff they stop me," I said smiling widely. Her face dropped. "Just kidding Mrs. H, besides, I stopped all that stuff a while back. They're just keeping me toeing line… and making me late for work." I grabbed a small sketch pad and headed out to the restaurant, tying my hair up in a messy bun.
"Rose, have you seen Jim at all today?" Mrs. Hawkins asked me, clearing a table off. I nodded my head slowly wondering what to say so he didn't get in trouble with his mom for being late again. "Well, did he mention where he was going?" She asked coming back from the kitchen. I shrugged.
"He didn't say, but he did say he was coming in to work around noon or one," I said, lying slightly. So what if I covered for him, he covered for me on some of those bad days…
"Well, when he comes in, tell him to come see me," she said hurrying off to do some washing and whatnot.
"Hi, what can I get you today?" I asked a small group. It was a family, the mom and dad were playing with the little boy and girl. Even though they weren't even human, I still felt a very small bit of jealousy towards the children bubble up inside me. They left you, I told myself quickly, they didn't want you. These kids aren't aware of how awesome they have it though…
"We'll all have the usual please, Mrs. Hawkins knows what that is," the large man replied. I nodded; so did I.
"Okay, I'll be right back with that, anything else?" I asked, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear. I ripped the piece of paper off the pad and sent it to the kitchen.
"Excuse me, Mrs. Hawkins, my juice!" a tentacle clad customer yelled above the loud chatter.
"Yeah, but I'm not Mrs. Hawkins," I said, setting a juice on her table. It sloshed threateningly, I hoped it wouldn't spill, prayed it wouldn't spill on her, and left the bill on the table for the woman to pay. The front door flew open and two Robo-Cops rolled in, Jim stuck between them.
"Jim!" I heard Mrs. Hawkins gasp. She dropped her tray on the ground, glass shattered, and the Benbow became deathly quiet. Oh no Jim, you said you wouldn't get caught, I thought.
"'Kay guys, see ya' later, I can handle it from here," Jim said. He headed forward, but one of them held him back, pulling him back to the doorway. They always had to make a scene of something as simple as this. Jim looked angrily at the ground, avoiding the laser-like gazes people were giving him. He looked up for a second and found my eyes, he shrugged and frowned.
"Hold up boy," he said in a monotone. Couldn't they at least give these freakish things emotion? It bored me to listen to their voices day in and day out like I'd always ad to. "Mrs. Hawkins," he said to the pale mother. She nodded her head, shock still visible on her face. I'd thought Jim was turning around… "We apprehended you son operating a solar vehicle in a restricted zone, in other words, trespassing."
"This is moving violation nine-zero-four, section twelve, paragraph, um-" the one that hadn't spoken yet said.
"Twenty," Jim mumbled, staring at the ground when he spoke.
"Yeah, paragraph twenty," he amended quickly. "This is a violation of his parole; any more slip-ups will result in a one-way ticket to juvenile hall."
"Don't worry," Mrs. Hawkins said through clenched teeth. "It won't happen ever again." Jim's head hung, he avoided eye contact with everyone at this point, knowing if he didn't, he was screwed.
"Don't worry," the first one said. "We see this type all the time, more now than ever. They make bad choices, become losers." It seemed like it looked directly at me when the thing spoke. He turned to the other Robo-Cop, "Let's motor." Their little hats raised and they whistled as they left through the door. "How about we go get some coffee and donuts at a respectable place?" I thought I heard it one of them asks the other.
"Get to work, we'll talk about this later," Mrs. Hawkins said. Her voice sounded strained, like she was trying her hardest not to burst at this very moment. Jim picked up a bin and started to clear empty tables, still avoiding eye contact. Everyone was still staring, but slowly they went on with eating and talking. I slowly cleaned up the dishes that Mrs. Hawkins had dropped and dropped them in the trash.
"Excuse me, Miss Rose," someone called. I looked up, and saw a man sit down. He waved me over. I took out my little notepad.
"Hi, welcome to the Benbow Inn. What can I get you?" I asked with a fake smile on my face. Suddenly I wasn't in the mood to play waitress. I wanted to just sit down and stare at the sky like I always did.
"I'll just have some coffee please," he said, staring intently at me. Coffee, now that's one we don't get too often, I thought.
"I'll be right back with that," I muttered. He was a little freaky, and you can trust me on that one; we see some pretty freaky ones at the Benbow. I hurried to the kitchen, and served a few meals and handed out more purp juice. Every time I looked his way, the man was staring at me. We locked gazes, and I bumped into someone.
"Sorry," Jim mumbled.
"It's okay," I said, totally distracted. I hurried to the back, looking for Mrs. Hawkins. "Sarah, come here quickly!" I said loudly. Both she and Jim appeared in a flash.
"What's wrong honey?" She asked.
"Who is that man out there, the one sitting alone at table twenty-six? He's wearing the old coat and a hat," I asked; pointing him out through the tiny window food was sent through.
He was staring at me still; a chill kept going up my spine when our eyes would lock, which was very often. Her mouth dropped and she gave a small gasp upon looking at the shady man. Jim and I remained wondering who it was. I didn't like be left in the dark.
"I'll be right back, you two stay here," she said leaving through the swinging door. He was still staring at me. Sarah arrived at is table and I watched him ignore her for a moment.
"You have no idea whom that the guy is?" Jim asked. I shook my head, and then tucked the same piece of hair back in place.
"Do you know him?" I asked.
"He looks familiar, but I can't think who he might be…" he said trailing off. "It seems he must like you," Jim taunted. I hit him lightly on the arm. Mrs. Hawkins was now talking to him, pointing to the back where the two of us stood. The conversation seemed to be a little heated, but neither of us could make out what they were saying. Their voices were hushed, not even the people sitting around them looked very interested in the conversation. The man stood and left, Mrs. Hawkins returned to the back. I realized he didn't pay.
"He thought he recognized you Rose, that's all," she said.
"But he knew my name," I said. She shrugged.
"Someone else might have said it and he just picked up on it," she said. "Now go back to work honey, if he comes back in, just come get me." I nodded and carried some plates out to the dining area. I felt a little shaky now… no one had said my name yet today.
"Excuse me, miss, I would like to rent a room please," an elderly woman said.
"Okay ma'am, I'll be right back with Mrs. Hawkins," I said setting my last plate down on the table. "Mrs. Hawkins, a woman would like a room," I called into the kitchen. I dropped a dish as I loaded a stack onto my arms. Oh crap, not again. How many dishes am I going to break while working here? This must be a record for any waitress! I bent to pick it up, but Jim grabbed the broken piece quicker.
"Go serve those," Jim said, "I'll clean it up and bring you a replacement dish."
Soon, the Benbow began to empty, and as it did, I became bored.
"Mrs. Hawkins, I'm going to bring out the trash," I said. "Then I'm going home."
"Go ahead honey, take a jacket with you, it's raining pretty hard out there. I'll see you tomorrow," Mrs. Hawkins called. I took a cape from one of the pegs on the wall and tossed it on, tying it below my chin. I retrieved the two bags of trash from kitchen and carried them out the backdoor.
The rain was pouring down; I stopped to adjust my hood, and then threw the bags into a dumpster. I slowly made my way back inside. It was closing time; the only customers were this older couple and Doctor Doppler. The doctor was talking to Mrs. Hawkins, most likely about Jim's little encounter with the law today. I shook my head, sad that Jim was still getting caught. A rock landed close to where I was walking. I looked up on the roof and saw Jim sitting there, a smile on his face. I waved up to him.
"Come on up," he yelled. I ran over to the side of the building and climbed up the trellises that ran up the side of the inn. Jim's strong hand helped pull me all the way over and we sat under the eaves of the house, safe in the most part from the rain.
"Thanks," I said softly. He nodded his response.
"They're talking about me," he said, gazing through a window at his mother and the doctor. He ran his hand through his drenched hair, sighing deeply. "Nothing I do is right. I mean, I wasn't even doing anything wrong when they found me. I was walking down the road, they pretty much made that stuff up about the violations; I was long gone from the industrial park when they found me. Those jerks just won't get off my back…" I felt bad, and I really wanted to say something. But what could I say?
"You could hang out with me," I said. "I sit on a bench and they slap the cuffs on me for something weird." He smiled and laughed softly.
"That's because they have to make up for the times you weren't caught," he said. I punched his arm.
"I'm a little angel, I never did anything wrong," I said, having trouble hiding the smile from my face. He laughed and I blew it, cracking up really hard.
"I wish I could do something right for once," he said, serious again. I stared out at the dark clouds, watching as they moved swiftly across the sky.
"Hey, that guy is back," I said jumping up and hitting my head. I rubbed it hard, hoping there wouldn't be any blood, and laughed once at my own stupidity, scowling at the same time. Jim followed my gaze and we saw the man pacing by the entrance of the Benbow. "Something is telling me he's going to be trouble," I whispered. Jim remained silent, eyes glued to the dark figure, trying to guess who he must be. He's so familiar, yet so strange at the same time… Alright, he's more strange than familiar, but still…
"Jim, where are you?" Mrs. Hawkins called from the doorway below us. She stepped into the rain, but jumped back to avoid being soaked. "Jim, come here!"
"I better go see what she wants. I don't think she'll stop until I go down there. Are you working tomorrow too?" He asked; stalling because both of us knew what was coming.
"Mhmm, yeah, I need some money, as usual," I said forcing a laugh to come. I was still staring at the guy. He was still pacing back and forth, but he stopped every few steps and looked at the inn.
"I'll see you then I guess," he said as he disappeared down the side of his house. "And be careful," he said, poking his head back up and motioning towards the guy.
"Yeah, I'll watch my back… A little more than I usually do," I said waving bye to him.
"Jim, where are you?" Mrs. Hawkins yelled again. Her voice carried and echoed. She was just visible to me. "Where are you?" I smiled at her, she was too kind.
"Right here Ma," he said, "What's up?" She ushered him inside, away from the rain. I listened, ear pressed to the glass.
"You know what's up," she said, her tone serious, almost harsh. I took that as my cue to leave. I jumped down from the roof and headed down the path, I noticed the man was still standing there. I ignored him as I went by.
"Miss, excuse me," he called. Do I stop or not? Jim said be careful, Mrs. Hawkins said to tell her if I saw him again, what do they know that I don't? "Miss," he said, catching up to me and turning me by the shoulder. Stop it is I guess. But if he even thinks of trying something funny…
"What buddy?" I hissed; venom in my voice. He stared at me, I felt uncomfortable; so I turned and continued on my way.
"Rose, come here," he called. I ignored him, but my pace quickened. I wasn't afraid, but something told me I should be, that I should be wary of this man, whoever the hell he was. "Rose, stop and come here now!" What does he want!
"What?" I asked irritably. He remained silent, so I ran off.
"Rose, I'm your father, listen to me!" Those words made me stop dead in my tracks. You heard him wrong, he isn't your father. Your father left you, he wouldn't come back.
"Who are you!" I asked, I knew what he'd say, but I dreaded it. Ignore him Rose, don't listen. Block your ears, this is only going to bring you trouble. The piece of scum left you, he didn't want you. Don't give him a chance to drag you back in!
"I'm your father. I'm sorry I left, but you know it was a hard time in my life. Your mother left me alone with a daughter. I didn't know how to raise you, so I panicked. I'm sorry I left you, but I didn't know what to do," he said. We were standing close now, his face only a few inches from mine.
"You're a piece of scum, you know that right?" I hissed. "You left a little girl- a little helpless girl- alone, I had to fend for myself. I was only eight, and I learned to take care of myself, by myself. I had no help from you- none! Now you come back and want my forgiveness? What, are you? Like a retard or actually stupid?" I yelled. His hand collided with the side of my head suddenly, hitting just below my temple, near my eye. I didn't see that coming and fell to the ground.
"You little piece of crap!" he yelled at me. He kicked me once in the chin; my head snapped back, and I saw stars and tasted blood. I was hit again in the stomach, I felt sick. I was now soaked, the rain was pouring down and I was covered in mud. I looked up at the man and he looked evil, outlined by a flash of lightning. Talk about a freak.
"Get away from me!" I yelled, tears coming to my eyes. This freak has snapped; what a freak!
"I came back to take care of you, and how do you repay me? You little bitch!" He yelled, kicking me again and again, not caring where he hit me. My stomach and chest, luckily, got the worst of it.
"Dad, stop," I cried.
"At least I came back for you! Where the whore you call mother gone? Hm, has she come back yet? She doesn't are about you. And frankly, I don't either." He was a fricking nutcase, I just wanted this to stop, and I didn't care what he said. He had snapped in two seconds.
"Stop," I said softly. I was in pain, every time he'd kick me, new pain was released. I was getting tunnel-vision, and knew this wasn't good.
"Hey, leave her alone!" I heard a familiar voice yell. A solar-surfer landed nearby, the familiar sound of it bought me back to reality.
"Who the bloody hell are you? She's my daughter; I'll do what I want with her!" My "father" roared at Jim. If I wasn't on the ground, I would have laughed at his attempt to scare Jim.
"I think I heard her tell you to stop, so stop buddy. I don't care if you're her father. If you touch her again, you'll pay," Jim said, he sounded so calm and cool.
"Don't tell me what to do kid, and learn to pick your fights better. You have no clue what's going on." My father stood between Jim and me, so as Jim tried to get in between us, my father kicked me again, hard in the head. Jim lunged at him and caught "dad" off-balance.
"Get off me, you freak," I heard one of them yell. My head hurt too much to figure out who had said it. Their little fight resumed on the ground, and then, when it was over, my "father" was running off. I couldn't make out what he was saying, but I knew it was a threat.
"Rose, can you hear me?" I heard Jim ask.
"Mhmm," I said. I nodded my head, but that hurt too much, so I stopped quickly. I took a deep breath and found that even that hurt. My damn "father" had really snapped, how could you hit your daughter if you loved her?
"Come on, I'll take you back to my house. My mom will fix you up," he said, lifting me up.
"Ow," I said louder than I intended to.
"Sorry," Jim said as me to his solar-surfer. He stepped on and we sped off. I could feel everything getting kinda fuzzy again, but I fought it off. I had to stay conscious.
"We're here." The little trip seemed too quick too me; it too a few minutes to get back to his house usually. Maybe I lost consciousness after all; maybe my attempts to stay awake were useless. He stepped off and hurried to the front door. "Mom," he yelled as he kicked the front door open.
"I'm in the kitchen Jim honey," she said. I could hear water running.
"Hurry in here, Rose needs help," he said. I felt the soft couch under me, and heard Mrs. Hawkins in the room.
"What in God's name happened to her Jim, did she get into a fight!" She exclaimed when she saw me.
"It was that guy… her dad," he said quietly. I felt soft hands on my face.
"I knew this would end badly, but not like this. I told that man to stay away, that she didn't want anything to do with him," he mother said rambling.
"Mrs. Hawkins," I said softly, "why didn't you tell me he was my father?" She paused with all her flitting around. Something cold as pressed against my temple, sending shivers up my spine.
"I didn't want for you to chase after him or anything. He doesn't deserve to have a daughter as good and beautiful and kind as you," she said, wiping my face with a cold cloth. It stung when it touched my new bruises and cuts. "Why don't you rest now Rose, we can talk about this in the morning?" A light turned off, leaving me in the cool dark, and I slowly drifted to sleep. I didn't want to sleep yet, I wanted answers to all the questions that were bouncing around my head.