Skaydal - Runaway Luna

⁂2

⁂Sierna

“Is she yours?” he asked curiously and the scream came out as quite an embarrassing squeak. I quickly shut my mouth and nodded. “I didn’t see a collar…” he added as he stepped back and looked over his shoulder. He was a big man. Tall and well-built with short brown hair and brown eyes. He had a bit of a beard going and his clothes looked comfortable and well-worn. Was he a resident of the motel?

“Right…collar,” I muttered as I folded my arms across my chest.

“My advice is to put a collar on her as soon as possible,” the man said before he left and I sighed. I was in so much trouble. Once again, the urge to run hit me, and I hurried to the door and whistled for Zoey. Luckily, she came immediately and I shut and locked the door. Zoey went ahead and got comfortable on the bed while I went back into the bathroom to take a shower. As soon as I was done, I got dressed and called for Zoey.

“Come on girl, time to do some exploring and stock up,” she followed me out the door and I headed over to my car. I didn’t see the man or anyone else around and I shuddered with confusion. This town wasn’t like the others and as I held open the door for Zoey, I wondered once again if I could settle down here. The petrol light was still on and I hoped the petrol station wasn’t too far away. Pulling out of the motel parking lot, I was able to take in my surroundings easily now that it was daylight. The motel was rather small and I was surprised to see that the town itself was rather close by – for which I was grateful. My first stop was the petrol station and after filling my car up, I made sure to check the water and oil before I paid and left. What I had to assume was the main street was much busier and I could see that all of the stores were open for business. I spotted a café or diner and next to that was a supermarket. Across the street were a hardware store and a clothing store. I also spotted a library, a building that looked like some type of corporate office, as well as a police station. I decided to backtrack to the café for breakfast and once I was parked, I glanced around carefully. Although I spotted quite a few people walking around going about their business, I realized that no one was paying much attention to me. I breathed out in relief and looked at the outside of the diner. I could see a few tables and chairs had been set up outside and I wondered if I would be allowed to have Zoey with me. I got out of the car and headed inside the diner.

“Good morning,” a woman came around the counter and greeted me with a bright smile. She was wearing a light blue dress which I assumed was the diner’s uniform. “Oh, and who might you be?” she asked curiously.

“Janet,” I said.

“Well, welcome to Skaydal, Janet,” she said. “And welcome to May’s Diner…I am Samantha and I’ll be your server this morning,”

“Thanks…um…can I sit outside with my dog?” I asked slowly. Few places allowed that but she immediately nodded. “Thanks,” I said again before I headed back outside. After I made sure to put on Zoey’s collar and leash, I led her to one of the tables and sat down. Samantha was waiting there with a menu.

“Oh! Aren’t you beautiful,” she cooed as she crouched down to pet Zoey. “What is her name?”

“Zoey,”

“Well, hello there Zoey,” she said as she continued to pet her softly. “Would you like something to eat too?”

“That would be great,” I said.

“Alright, here is the menu,” Samantha said as she stood up and handed me the menu. “Would you like some coffee?”

“Yes, please,” she nodded and hurried back inside while I looked over the items on the menu. My mouth watered and I realized I hadn’t stopped to have a proper meal in over a week. When Samantha returned with coffee, sugar, and cream, there was another woman with her.

“Howdy there, I’m Felicia…” the other woman looked remarkably similar to Samantha with the exception of her thick red hair that was cut short and rested on her shoulders. Felicia had brought a bowl of water and another bowl – I frowned at the contents. “This is for Zoey…it’s rice with gravy and there are some offcuts from the beef…is that alright?”

“Oh yes, she will enjoy that,” I said with a shy smile. Zoey was seated like royalty as she waited to be served. Both bowls were set down and the three of us watched as my dog happily dug into her meal. Felicia left but Samantha stayed.

“Have you decided what you would like?” she asked me.

“I’ll have the maple pancakes with a side of bacon and eggs,” I ordered, as I poured a bit of cream into my coffee.

“Excellent,” she said before she hurried off. I watched Zoey as I sipped my coffee. I had to admit, this diner was a lot more friendly toward Zoey than other diners and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. However, I couldn’t be fooled. I would stock up and get the hell out of Skaydal.

“Whereabouts are you from?” Felicia asked as she wandered back outside. I nearly spat out my coffee at her seemingly innocent question.

“Ah…north,” I lied easily.

“Oh? Whereabouts?” she pushed and I felt my face flush with heat.

“Doesn’t matter,” I muttered.

“Oh deary…trouble back at home?” she asked, just as Samantha came back outside.

“No…just…it was time to move on,” I said as I looked between the two women.

“Are you planning on staying in Skaydal?” Samantha asked and I shrugged. I didn’t want to commit to anything and I didn’t want to say too much. “If you do decide to stay for a while, let me know if you need a job or something,”

“Yeah?” I asked as I looked at her curiously.

“Yes, one of my other waitresses is on maternity leave and although we aren’t always that busy, I like to have the extra help,” she explained.

“Um…I’m not sure…I don’t have any experience,” at least that much was the truth.

“Not much experience needed to sweep and mop floors,” she said with a wink. I heard someone call for her from inside and she quickly left while Felicia remained outside.

“You should think about it, deary,” she said before she too headed inside. I didn’t want to settle down anywhere. I needed to keep moving but I was running out of money and I could sweep and mop floors. Maybe I could stay for a while. When Samantha returned with a stack of pancakes and a side of bacon and eggs, my stomach was growling with hunger.

“When would you like me to start?” I asked her before she could leave.

“Oh? How about tomorrow morning?”

“Sounds perfect,” I said.

“Great, I’ll bring you the employment form to fill out and when you are all done eating, you can hand it over before you leave,” before I could say anything, she was gone. I looked down at the plates of food in front of me and suddenly my appetite was gone. I couldn’t fill out any kind of form. It was bad enough that I was using my mother's bank account. If I got caught...I shook my head, trying to clear those thoughts, and tried to eat. Zoey had finished eating and was lying quietly by my feet. Samantha dropped off the employment form and I glanced over it while I ate. At first glance, I realized that the form was mostly about myself. I picked up the pen and filled in the required information. Name and surname. Age and race. Favorite food, movies, music, and so on. It was quite a relief to fill out such an easy form. Of course, at the bottom of the page was the option as to whether I wanted to be paid via the bank or cash. I ticked the cash option and sighed in relief. I wasn’t sure why it would be this easy, but I was grateful.

“Did you enjoy it?” Felicia asked as she came back outside. I looked down to see that I had finished everything.

“I did, thank you,”

“Would you like anything else?”

“No, thank you,” I said as I stood up. “Stay here, Zoey,” I said to my dog as I went inside to pay. Felicia was right behind me with the dishes and Samantha smiled brightly as I handed over the employment form. She went over it and she nodded.

“This looks great,” she said.

“How much for the meal? And for Zoey?” I asked.

“Oh no, it's on the house,” she said with a wink, and I flinched. I didn’t want handouts.

“Are you sure? I really don’t mind paying,” I argued.

“I am one hundred percent sure. Besides, employees get a free meal a day, so…consider that your free meal for the day,” she smiled once again and although I felt awkward, I did my best to smile back.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” I said before I hurried out of the diner. I made sure that Zoey was comfortable in the car before I headed into the supermarket. It was small but it had everything anyone could need. I pushed the trolley through the aisles as I picked out some items. I didn’t have a lot of money left, so I chose wisely.

“Hello,” the cashier greeted me when I was finally done picking out my items.

“Hey,” I greeted him in return as I unpacked the trolley. The cashier – a young man, probably around my age – worked efficiently as he scanned the items. Once he had packed my items into bags, I paid and was soon back on my way to the motel. Overall, I had a good feeling about this place. It was small and, obviously, everyone knew everyone. It made me feel welcome and relaxed. I unpacked the bags once we were back in our room and I wiped down the TV screen before switching it on. Zoey and I then got settled on the bed and I relaxed against the headboard as I watched whatever romantic movie was on TV while I ran my fingers through Zoey’s fur. It wasn’t until I jerked awake a while later that I realized I had fallen asleep and it wasn’t until I saw Zoey by the door that I realized someone was knocking. I frowned as I slowly got out of bed. Zoey’s tail was going at a rapid speed, which meant whoever was on the other side was a threat. I pulled open the door to see the same man from this morning.

“Hi…ah…sorry to bother you,” he said and I smiled shyly as I waited for him to explain his presence.

“Irene said that you had booked this room for about five days?”

“Yes,”

“Right and Samantha said you'd be starting to work in the morning?”

“Yes,” I wasn’t sure what was happening right now, but clearly, I was big news in this small town.

“Well, I just wanted to stop by and introduce myself…I am Jack,”

“Hello, Jack…I’m Janet,”

“I’m Irene’s husband,” he further explained, and I struggled to see the two of them as partners.

“Ok,” I wasn’t sure what else to say.

“If you need anything, just let us know,”

“Ok, I’ll do that,” I said awkwardly. Jack leaned in and petted Zoey before he hurried off. Maybe this town wasn’t all that bad. Everyone seemed friendly enough.