POSTED 7/12/17
AN:
Just sitting here in my pom-pom beanie typing away the time. Very slowly, ugh. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER
I. OWN. NOTHING.
Summary: "Those who escape hell, however, never talk about it, and nothing much bothers them after that."-Charles Bukowski She didn't think she would be anything other than ordinary, didn't think they would lock her up for being a conduit. She didn't think Augustine would train her to kill her own kind. But she definitely didn't expect to be dumped in Seattle at the feet of her next target.
These '...' are scene changes. Most of the time, sorry.
RATED T FOR LANGUAGE, I MIGHT BUMP IT UP TO M FOR SENSATIVE CONTENT LATER ON.
"One of the main effects of war, after all, is that people are discouraged from bring its characters" – Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse Five
...
Three years before Seattle
...
Checking Account Balance $0.00
No cash. Perfect.
Aster desperately could use some at the moment, she rubbed her hands together as she climbed into her pre-owned run-down car, with the broken heater apparently.
"Another thing to fix", she grumbled as she turned the key in the ignition switch and listened to the engine rumble loudly to life and spit smoke out the other end. Pulling out of the motel parking lot, she slowly rolled her way into morning rush-hour traffic to her new part-time job as a waitress.
What a fucking dream come true, she thought.
In school, everyone dreamed of what they could be and set out to make those dreams come true. Whelp, everyone except her. Aster just barley scrummaged enough pity from the counselor to avoid the truancy courts, and then spent the rest of her time as a part-time in-and-out resident of the Health and Behavior Hospital for Troubled Youths in the next town over. Missing out on the state tests and SAT hampered her chances for collage, but she finally said fuck-it, dropped out, and got her GED instead.
"Breaking News: The second bank robbery this month erupts into total chaos as known bio-terrorist Hank Daughtry shoots out with the local police force with five dead and thirteen woun-"
She turned down the radio and began to lightly rub her temples to try to assuage her growing headache. She didn't want to hear the world's problems right now, she had enough to deal with on her own thank you very much.
The cars ahead of her sat begrudgingly on the asphalt in crowded lines due to what she could guess were idiots probably looking at an accident on the other side of the road. She dropped her shoulders and sagged in her seat as she banged her ash blonde covered head against the wheel.
"ARGH DAMINT."
She was going to be late again! This was the third time this happened in the past week and she just knew her boss was itching to lay in on her. She was only nineteen and had to grow up a lot faster than she thought she would, but your credibility was taken at face value, and a teenager drifting from job to job with nothing to show for it was a hard sell at to those HELP WANTED posters.
The car in front of her finally inched forward and she praised whatever higher power that existed that she may be on time.
...
The hostess greeted her with a plastic smile that quickly sloped into a grimace. Aster smiled innocently back at her as she made her way behind the diners small bar area, securing the apron around her waist with two knots. She covertly dialed her passcode into the clock-in device and made her way back to the front to seat her section by the front. She ignored the way the hostess narrowed her eyes and lifted a brow, the un-spoken words 'late again?' hung in the air. It was a couple hours before lunch would start, so unfortunately her section was empty and she had no choice but to talk to the woman who could put Clint Eastwood's scowl to shame.
Aster turned to her with a mocking smile, "you know if you keep it up, your face could permanently freeze like that", she jeered.
The hostess, whose name tag read Deborah, pursed her thin painted rouge lips, and turned her head away with a swish of her neat blonde highlights. "The boss wants a talk with you. Maybe we'll be rid of your unnatural tendencies' of tardiness and that horrid mouth of yours." She gestured with kissing the cheap faux gold cross. It hung just above the crest of her low riding V-neck shirt, and she continued to adjust the position of her collar to flaunt what should have been considered expired before Aster was born.
Trying not to vomit, Aster nodded mutely and whispered to herself, "With that view, you and me both lady."
…
Aster stormed out of the establishment, the entrance's glass door, vibrating from her raging impact swung open allowing the crisp colorado air to flood her nostrils. She makes a run to her car, rummaging theough her purse for that elusive pack of nicotine filled stress relievers.
This kind performance is unacceptable he says. No other place would have you he says, that we'll just have to improve your performance, he gloated.
He ran his revolting appendages down her shoulders with his greasy hair hanging near her face. His body odor invaded her senses and she rejected the strong urge to gag.
Like HELL she was going to take part in that shit show.
She made her answer clear enough with a well aimed kick between the legs before she booked it out of there.
Shit where are they?! She fumbled some more, but failed to calculate the distance between herself and the vehicle with her face stuffed into her bag; she collided into the rear passenger side door, watching helplessly as her purse flung out its contents onto the wet pavement. She growled loudly in frustration and anger and kicked her bag causing its items to scatter further down the parking space. Kneeling down she clawed for her possessions greedily and threw them back into the dinged purse, groaning once more when she found a damp container empty of life's little joys. Grabbing her bag and keys securely a second time, she hopped into her rust bucket and peeled away to the closest gas station.
Thankfully the town was small enough that she was locking her car door and running to the counter within minutes, waiting impatiently in line as the attendee fumbled with what appeared to be a broken coffee maker. She cleared her throat to get his attention and smiled tursely when his head swung her direction with dramatic flair and eyes wide in surprise.
"OH! I didn't hear ya com'n mam. What can I getcha today?"
She gestured to the counter, "Just the cheapest pack you got back there, and make it fast." Her agitation leaking into her speech and scaring the poor lad even further.
He raised his hands over his shoulders, trying to hide his fear of people behind his sympathetic tone.
"Don't worry Mam, no judgin'. I getcha, we're all having tough times." He walked back to the case. The TV in the top corner above the register was set to the local news channel, a mug shot -who was she to judge- of Caucasian man with a clean shaven head and several tattoos displayed with one of those police hotline numbers displayed below his name Ha- Her attention was diverted after the attendee returned from the unlocked the case and pulled out a red carton with a small illustration. Turing back to the counter he rang her up whilst continuing with more bravado, "Hey, I haven't seen you 'round before. You new to town?"
She didn't have to mentally roll her eyes at his fishing tactics and simply stated, "No, but I'm leaving." She grabbed her items as the employee stumbled from her retort, and whisked her way to her car as fast as she could.
...
Driving towards her home, Aster mulled over her words. She could feel that she meant it. Really meant it. She had been ready for this moment before 'quitting' her job, hell even the last three jobs before that too. What she needed was a fresh start outside of this town. She had very little baggage and nothing but near poverty tying her down there, she thought, and she'd better leave before she's swallowed up and spat out of the shithole. She needed a plan. She just needed a little money-
She was jolted out of her train of thought by the sputtering of her engine, her eyes roving over the shaking dashboard to the little blinking light over her gas mileage.
"No no no no no nonono..." She pleaded to the meter to stay above empty, feebly pressing the gas peddle to the floor as the car rolled to a stop.
"Fuck. Fuck. FUCK!"
She screamed into the sleeves of her jacket. Her frustration at its peak she threw open he door climbed outside and began kicking the good for nothing car siding with tears in her eyes. "ARGHH" she screamed into the mountain air. "GOD FUCKING DAMINT." Emotionally and physically exhausted she slid her butt down the rear of the car, elbows meeting her knees half-way, with her head in a down cast position. Taking another moment to herself, she breathed deeply in and out, the mantra everything is okay, everything is going to be just fine running over and over in her head, desperately trying to regain some self control.
Everything is okay.
Everything is okay.
It's just fine.
Just got to figure out what my next fucking move is.
Why did this happen to me?! Of all days!
Nope, no self pity- you gotta just get up and move forward.
It's all about survival. Just gotta get up.
GET UP DAMNIT!
She raised her head from her forearms letting her eyes wander above the all pine trees to the blue sky, dusty clouds floating thousands and miles above her head. She sat there for quite a while, becoming numb to the situation letting everything go in this rare tranquil moment that most let just pass on by without a single thought. She dazed at each cloud analyzing the shapes the would form, each noise the rusting brush of the trees and dead grass would make in the breeze, every small crack that would come from deeper within the woods made by whatever wildlife that lingered there. Maybe they were watching her, waiting for her alien self to invade their world further than she already has. It was 'whatever', she let out a small breath, she had her moment. She fumbled as she tried to straighten to the human upright position, but resembling an old crouching bear more than anything. Her joints popped and she rubbed her sore backside, sitting on cold dirt wasn't all what the hippies made it out to be she mused. But hey, now she calmed down enough to think logically about what her next step would be. If she walked back the way she came she could go back to that shoty gas station, find the nearest payphone, and call AAA to get a tow.
But she had no money.
What little she had, she used to previous day for rent and well, living expenses you could say, and she hardly had enough cash on hand to break a five much less the towing cost. She raised her arm to scratch the back of her head stalking around in a circle to face the other direction towards her so called dwelling. She lived closer to the city where her bank was than to her recent hunting ground in the job market. Maybe if she could walk that far, she could make a withdrawal- if she had any money left in there, which she severely doubted, or option three she could apply for a small cash loan enough to get on her feet, and get the hell out of dodge. A slim chance it was, but the idea was sounding better by the minute...
She groaned as the back of her shoes rubbed painfully against her ankles, it's a really far walk... But it was getting closer to mid day and if she didn't want to become a bear's home ready-dinner by night fall, then she had better get going.
...
AN:
And end scene. It's 4 am and I'm dying here, trying to revise all of the previous chapters, and finish anther whole new chapter in one night. I am officially worn out.
So kiddies (if anyone else but me is reading this story), if you caught onto any of the clues back there you can guess who Lil' Miss Aster Coulson will run into next. What will be the result of that I wonder... Well the first two 'prologue' chapters make it pretty obvious, but the journey there is always the fun part! Pretty soon we're going to be neck deep in stolen jewels and DUP check points, and if that wasn't enough of a spoiler for you then well... I hope you enjoy your anticipation as much as I will.. or won't.. I haven't given the matter much thought...