Reyna peered up at the man that had her trapped. He was sitting on her stomach, and leaning forward to keep her wrists pinned above her head. His full weight kept her nailed to the ground. There was no squirming away, and she wasn't strong enough to shove him off of her.
"Please," Reyna begged. Tears were in her eyes as she thought of what fate awaited her. The rest of her body started to quake a moment later, and she felt herself begin to hyperventilate. Reyna tried to move her arms but didn't have any luck. "Please don't do this!"
Reyna laid her head back against the ground and desperately tried to catch her breath. She continued her plea, "Please! You don't have to do this. Please!"
The man stared down at her. It was impossible to read the look in his eyes. His face was only inches from hers, and she could feel his hot breath in her face. Reyna was defenseless. She didn't have any weapons, and she was helplessly confined to the floor.
"Please. I'm sorry," Reyna cried. She pressed her head against the ground. Her eyes focused on the man's Adam's apple. Reyna didn't have a choice. She couldn't just sit there and let this happen. A shaky breath escaped her.
Reyna suddenly leaped forward as much as she could, her teeth biting into the man's jugular. He tried to scream, but she bit down with all her strength. Blood sprayed into her mouth, and her teeth hit bone. She stalled for a moment before trying to shut her jaw as much as possible. Reyna tore her head backward, and she was sprayed with more blood as she tore the man's throat out.
The man fell to the side. Reyna scrambled backward, now freed from the terrible man. Before she could hit a tree, she pressed her right hand to the ground and used it to help her stand. Reyna ran away as fast as she could, with the blood of her first kill in her mouth.
Reyna gasped sharply as her eyes snapped open. She quickly sat up and looked around the dark living room. Deep breaths left her, and the only sound she heard was her beating heart. Reyna pushed herself off of the couch and walked towards the front door. Her shaking hands struggled to undo the lock, and she quickly stepped outside.
Reyna closed the door behind her as the cool night air hit her skin. There was a bright moon in the sky, and it allowed her a chance to calm her beating heart. Reyna slowly sat down and let her head hang. She placed the back of her hand to her mouth and could almost taste the blood from that night.
Why didn't she just keep running? The second she got comfortable was the second the nightmares came back. If Reyna kept moving forward, the past could never catch up. She wouldn't have to face it.
Reyna laid back on the grass and gazed up at the moon. It should have filled her with new strength. Instead, it brought back painful memories. Reyna gently rested one arm behind her head, careful not to shift too much and hurt her stomach.
How long had Reyna been on the run now? Five years? Five damn years without a home or family. She only had herself to count on. There was a time when she thought there was another person she could trust, but that backfired in the worst way possible.
An angry sigh left Reyna. It would be best just to steal whatever valuables Chiron had while he slept and then leave while the moon was still in the sky. She could walk into any store as long as she left her backpack outside. With the shower and normal clothes, she didn't look like a street rat.
Reyna's hand slowly moved to her stomach, and she felt the bandage wrapped against her skin. It took all of her money just to save her life. She would have to go back to digging through trash cans and foraging for food. If she found a forest and tried to hunt an animal down, she ran the risk of invading a pack's territory and pissing them off.
There were also the hunters to worry about. Reyna, quite literally, could not afford to get stabbed again. It wasn't the first time she had been stabbed by a silver dagger or been shot by a silver bullet, but this time had been the worst. She was usually able to get the silver out of her body before it could do real damage, but being forced to run meant the silver couldn't be extracted right away.
That damned poison nearly killed her. If she had gone a few more hours without getting the silver cure, she would be dead. All that fighting and struggling would have been for nothing. What the hell did she have to live for anyway? She didn't have any friends or family.
But, Reyna didn't want to die. For one moment to be full of life and all its trials and then for the next to have nothing. Well, it scared the shit out of her. Reyna wasn't ready for that. She just wanted to live. To be able to have the childhood that she never got. To be a teenager like she had never been able to. Reyna just wanted to live.
Another sigh escaped the woman, and she rubbed her face with both hands. Her gaze moved to her nearly broken watch. The minute hand was broken, having fallen off a long time ago. The hour hand at least told her what hour it was, and there was a smaller hand that told her the month. While Reyna wasn't sure what the exact day it currently was, she knew her birthday was coming up.
Her birthday would mark the day she turned eighteen. Wasn't that when humans were considered adults? A bitter smile came to Reyna's face. She went through more before the age of eighteen than most people did for their entire lives. Why couldn't she just be a normal kid?
"The moon is beautiful tonight," Chiron commented. Reyna quickly rolled onto her stomach and then jumped to her feet. Chiron stood by the front door and was looking at the sky. He held a mug in his hand, and steam floated out of it. "Would you like some hot chocolate? I find that it soothes my nerves."
Reyna hesitated but slowly nodded. Chiron held the mug out to her. Reyna slowly walked towards him and took it. Then, she backed up and took a hesitant sip. It tasted delicious. Reyna took another sip, and if it wasn't for the fact that the liquid was scathing hot, she would have drained the mug.
"You look disturbed," Chiron commented. Reyna didn't respond. She just took more sips of the hot chocolate.
"I should be leaving soon," Reyna muttered after a few moments. She lowered the mug. "Thank you for the hospitality."
"Are you going back to your pack?" Chiron asked. Reyna tensed and looked at him in surprise. Chiron gave her a kind smile. "I've been around many different species for most of my life. I know how to read the signs."
"What signs?" Reyna asked after a moment. She slowly moved her foot backward and turned it, getting ready to run. Chiron noticed the movement, and he lost his smile.
"You don't have to run," Chiron said quietly.
"You don't know anything about me," Reyna growled, and she tightened her grip on the mug. "Don't act like you do."
"I don't know much about you," Chiron admitted. He took a step away from Reyna. "I do know that you had multiple chances to rob me blind, but you didn't. Most people that I help out do just that. I also know that you're not wanted for any crimes."
"How do you know that?" Reyna asked with slightly narrowed eyes.
"The police stopped by the bar to get a statement on the men we had to kick out: ogres who just wanted to cause trouble," Chiron explained. "The police watched the cameras, and they ran your picture through the system. Brought no criminal activity of any kind back. Nothing recent at least."
"Why help me?" Reyna asked after a moment. She relaxed her foot and took another sip of the hot chocolate. "You could have called it even after I woke up at your house. Instead, you let me stay. Why?"
Chiron looked at the sky for a few moments. "I've seen many people in a situation like you. Human, satyr, werewolf, vampire, elf, cyclops, and anything else you can name. They usually don't take my help and just leave. I see on the news that they died weeks later."
"Why I help people I can't exactly say. I just want to," Chiron elaborated. "I've always wanted to help people. Especially those who have been dealt a bad hand."
"But why me?" Reyna questioned. She finished her mug and crossed her arms. "Why would you choose me? Why didn't you just kick me out of the bar when I fell asleep?"
"I would never kick anyone out of my bar if they needed a place to stay for a few hours," Chiron replied. "And, I heard what happened. I watched the videos. You didn't have to jump in and help Annabeth, but you did. You were already injured, but you still jumped to the defense of someone else. That tells me you're a good person."
"I'm not," Reyna muttered. She sighed and hung her head.
"It is because you're a werewolf?" Chiron asked softly. "Or the things you've had to do?"
"All of the above," Reyna said with a shake of her head. She slowly walked towards Chiron. He made no movements as Reyna inched closer. She held out his mug. Chiron took it back. "You never told me how you knew I was a werewolf."
"You hide it well," Chiron complimented. "If I hadn't spent so much time around the different species, I would not have known. Especially because you didn't seem to react to the moon. But, your appetite gave you away. A human doesn't eat an entire pot of spaghetti and then a whole pizza hours later. Not one as skinny as you, at least. No offense."
"There were also the nonverbal signs. How your lip twitches when I get too close, almost like you are ready to bare your teeth and bite. Your eyes kept squinting when I first talked to you. Your head slightly tilts to the side towards whoever is talking, and I've seen your ear twitch once or twice," Chiron explained. Reyna studied the centaur. Those small movements were so integrated with her that she didn't think twice about them.
"I have an offer, if you would like to hear it," Chiron began. Reyna took another step backward. She heard those words before, from another person that she thought she could trust. Reyna would be damned if she let it happen again. Chiron watched her, and a sad frown came to her face. "I understand if you decide to decline, but please listen to my offer first."
Reyna hesitantly nodded, but she already knew her answer. Chiron studied her for a long moment. He spoke, "We have a shortage at the bar. Security. I think you could fill that role well."
"I don't need charity," Reyna muttered, and she stepped back again. Her body was twitching, and she was ready to bolt.
"It's not charity," Chiron said softly. He turned away. "Maybe, it is for someone who has been fighting and clawing for everything they've had in their life. Aren't you tired of running?"
Reyna flinched slightly. She had been asked that once before, and of course, the answer had been yes. It was the worst mistake of her life to answer that question. Now, she was going to keep her mouth shut.
"I don't want anything in return from you," Chiron continued in a gentle voice. He spoke to her like a rabbit that was being hunted. As if the wrong word would send her running. "You would have a job at my bar, and in return, I would pay you fairly."
"Define fairly," Reyna muttered through gritted teeth.
"You would start at eighteen dollars an hour. When you finish with training, it increases to twenty," Chiron answered.
"And, how much do you keep?" Reyna pressed. A look of understanding, and then maybe pity, came to Chiron's face.
"You don't give me anything," Chiron promised. "I'm not like that. I would never be like that."
Reyna didn't respond. She looked away and stared down at the grass. She finally exhaled a deep breath, "You would let me in? Just like that?"
"I would," Chiron confirmed. "I can tell you were given a bad hand in life. How bad I won't speculate or pry into. I can imagine that you've been doing everything in your power to survive, but what is the point of survival if we cannot enjoy life?
"Many species who come to my door are trying to outrun their past, but eventually, everyone has to stop running. I can help you, Reyna. Only if you want it," Chiron said softly. "You don't have to decide now. You should sleep on it. And, I won't tell anyone that you're a werewolf. I can see that is something that you must share when you are comfortable."
Chiron smiled at her and stepped back inside. He held the door open for her. Reyna just stared ahead of her, and she knew she had two choices in front of her. Run and keep running until something happens. But, she didn't know what she was looking for. Would she ever stop running?
On the other hand, could she see herself taking this job? Would Chiron hold up to what he was saying, or was he just trying to trick her? Having enough money to feed herself would be amazing, but she couldn't trust Chiron. Or anyone for that matter.
Granted, she could take this job for now and then flee the second things go south. Reyna looked down and rubbed her forehead. Chiron spoke, "Would you like to come in?"
"Okay," Reyna finally said after a moment. She walked towards the front door but didn't step inside until Chiron had let go of the front door and stepped a few feet away. Reyna stepped inside and slowly made her way to the couch.
Reyna waited until Chiron left the room to lay down. She wrapped the blanket around herself and stared at the surrounding darkness. Could she really take this job? Could she see herself staying somewhere and actually making a life for herself. Reyna closed her eyes, and it took a minute of conflicted thoughts before she finally drifted back to sleep.