"Time Ticks"
And, so it is. The shorter story, no love, no glory, no hero in her skies- Damien Rice, "The Blower's Daughter"
When Allison had first arrived in Beacon Hills, she noticed almost immediately the quiet atmosphere her parents had told her about before they moved. That description included people like Scott, Stiles, Jackson and her oh-so-dramatic best friend, Lydia. Not to mention the chaos that soon followed due to a crazy giant lizard, a blood thirsty alpha pack, and her psycho grandfather. However now- now the city was practically a ghost town. Three excruciatingly long days ago she had received the news from him. It was as if she was the new girl again from her lack of friends that were home. She felt like a stranger when she went on her daily jog or had to make a trip to the grocery store. The feeling made her grumpy.
She lay on the plush tan comforter that was settled over her bed with one of her three summer reading books out in front of her. It was tragic that she had resorted to doing her summer homework two weeks into her summer break. A piece of her dark brown hair fell from the hold her ear had on it. Sighing, she blew it away and decided to turn over so that in her new position she was lying on her stomach instead of her back.
A mother's love is a blessing, she read, no matter where you roam. Keep her while you have her, you'll miss her when she's gone...
She slammed the book shut before her mind had time to register the action. Her eyes closed and she fought against the upwelling tears that were threatening to spill. Everything reminded her of her mother. There wasn't a single day she could remember where the memory of her mom didn't cross her mind. Despite her mom turning out to be nearly as evil as her grandfather, the woman that cared for her and gave her so much was the version that lingered in her thoughts. A dull ache began to grow in her chest.
"Enough for today," she muttered, setting Angela's Ashes on her bed stand. She needed a distraction to block the pain out. What to do? Suddenly a tune she identified as her alarm started chiming from her phone.
What in the-
She sat up and slid off her bed to the phone that was connected to her charger, which was currently plugged into the outlet on her wall.
First day of work! The phone beamed, continuing to buzz excitedly.
"Oh shi-" she started to say, but never finished because the time of her event read 5:00 and the clock on her dresser read 4:45.
Allison grabbed her phone and made a mad dash to her bedroom door, swinging it open and racing toward the front door, reaching for her keys and purse. She slipped on the first pair of shoes in sight, then was out of her apartment and heading onto the road before any of her neighbors had the chance to utter a single 'hello.'
How could she be so forgetful? She had been anxiously counting down the days from the moment she had gotten the call informing her she was now apart of their management team. Plus, she had waiting for what felt like centuries for Beacon Hills to get a place like the business she would now be working at, or may be working at, if she wasn't fired by the time she got there. It was an organic frozen yogurt chain that had made its way from Los Angeles to Beacon Hills and she happened to find it ten times better than regular froyo. This was also an opportunity to gain experience in the work place, even if it was only a frozen yogurt shop.
She pulled into the newly paved black top parking lot, after driving close to ten miles per hour over the designated speed limit, and adjusted her shirt as she hurriedly made her way into the building.
"Allison, I assume." A dark haired man who looked to be maybe in his early thirties, greeted her, his tone rather unfriendly.
She nodded quickly and turned to look at the other employees, she assumed, and took her place beside them feeling all eyes fixed on her. Heat crept up her neck and she tried ignoring their stares.
"As I was saying before I was interrupted," the man said, turning his head toward her, "I expect all employees to be on time for their shift, unless informing me otherwise. And I'd appreciate a days notice if you could be so kind." Sarcasm. That was all she heard in his last sentence. "Keep in mind, the customer is always right. Oh and if I get any complaints from any one on your service, you're gone. I won't stand for rudeness. Last, but not least, positions." He took a folded sheet of paper out of pocket. "Marissa and Carlos, you will be refilling the toppings and frozen yogurt. Tara and Allison are on cash register." He then refolded it and bent down to pick up a box. "Today is training, tomorrow we open. Grab a t-shirt and hat and we'll begin."
Allison moved slowly behind the group, glancing around, admiring the artwork hanging on the walls and the cleanliness of the sparkling floor. When she reached the man, she was able to take in the face she would have to see every day for the next two months.
His green eyes startled her as they made eye contact. They were frighteningly dark, almost the color of the enchanted forests described in fairytales. He raised an eyebrow in question to her look.
She snapped out of it when he did this and said, "I'm sorry, your name is...?"
"August," he replied, narrowing his forest colored eyes. "Don't be late again, Argent. I'm not always as lenient." He brushed past her, leaving her confused. It wasn't that any of his words were hard to comprehend, but she found his overall presence strange.
Six hours passed by faster then she expected. During those six hours, August explained how to work the tablet that was replacing the traditional cash register, the art of properly cleaning when they were done for the day, and that he was manager. In fact, she retained the title of his position more then anything else he taught them. The first few times he mentioned it was okay, however, by the end of their training they were all rolling their eyes. He was not going to be easy to put up with, she could already tell, yet she would tough it out for free froyo employees got when their shift was done.
It was a relief to walk out that evening and the thought of sinking into a bubble bath was calling her name. She found her keys in her purse and unlocked the doors, hand connecting with the handle on the drivers side. That's when she heard it.
The noise of an animal.
The girl froze and listened, waiting.
All of a sudden, a figure appeared on the opposite side of the black car. Piercing blue eyes flashed as light from surrounding stores hit them.
"We need to talk," came the voice of the boy she had stabbed twenty times with Chinese ring daggers.
A/N: Aaah! Sorry to leave you all on a cliffy. I'm going to try my best to update at least once a week, but like Allison, I have summer reading to finish. I think I know the direction I want to take this story. Thank you for the reviews!