New Light (My Inner Demons)

Chapter 2: Discovery

"Damn it, Winona! I told you to quit calling me with these last minute requests. What about that can't you understand? I've told you this twenty times already." A young woman's voice broke through the chilly morning air.

A tall figure stood on the dark stained wooden porch, foot tapping lightly against it. The figure had a phone pressed to their ear, body shifting back and forth as they spoke. It was the owner of the irritated voice, a woman with messy brown hair and pale skin that warmed up a little in the early sunlight of the dawn hours. Her attire was a little lacking for the colder temperature but she didn't seem to care.

"No, don't even bother coming by here. I'm not giving you a dime, you hear me." She told the person on the other end, stopping the call abruptly before jamming her phone into the pocket of her sleep shorts. A deep sigh left her, shoulders tense from the interaction. She brought her hands up to rub her face, running her fingers through her hair after to push it back.

Lonnie often found the start of her days stressful for one reason or another, the one of the current morning being a particularly awful one. Winona was a relative of hers, one she unwillingly had a connection to. It wasn't uncommon for the older woman to come asking for money for whatever reason, it seemed different every time. Lonnie had always tried to help when she could, especially in the beginning when she was eager to help the woman that had raised her. That sense of duty was strong and hard to escape.

She was jolted from her thoughts by a buzz in her pocket, something she ignored along with all the subsequent notifications. If she ignored Winona long enough, she would give up and pester someone else.

Taking one last look at the dirt road of a neighboring field, she stretched and headed inside to warm up and change for the day. It was one of the rare ones she had off and she planned to spend it doing whatever she felt like. She slipped into some longer pants and a thin jacket, sliding on her work boots. Tick season was coming to an end but she didn't want to risk it.

Her house was quiet for the most part, the one real source of noise being a rather rowdy canine that had noticed his owner was awake. His claws tapped against the hardwood floors outside of her room, his shadow moving around the crack under the door. She grabbed a few more items, jamming them into whatever pockets they would fit in before she stepped out of her room, the lanky dog not hesitating to jump on her.

"Hey, calm you chops, Lady, I'm taking you with me" Lonnie grinned, nudging her dog off of her and motioning towards the front door. The dog, ironically named Lady, knew just what to do and sped over to the door, brimming with energy from a good night's rest. Lady was a particularly large greyhound, a rather funny looking thing if Lonnie was honest.

The young woman grabbed water and a few snacks for the walk before getting her four legged friend ready with a harness and a sweater. Clipping in his harness, she left without wasting any more time. Lady wasn't all that well trained so there was some tugging on the leash from the excited dog but Lonnie was just as eager to get out into the fields.

Circling to the backside of the house, there stood the majority of Lonnie's land, a field of grass and wildflowers, her personal safe haven. Whenever she wanted a break from whatever was going on, she went out into the field and just wandered about. In the colder months, she would take Lady with her so she didn't have to worry about ticks, bees, and all sorts of other critters that would bother her sweet boy.

The walk started off slow, a casual pace so she could get in the right mindset, forget about all the issues bothering her. This was her day to relax, spend it how she pleased, and she planned on using up every bit of that day.

With persistent tugging on the leash, Lonnie gave up and unclipped it. She would often let Lady off leash when she knew it was safe, giving the canine free roam of her property to get all his energy out. He gladly bolted off, his black fur easy to spot through the grass. She watched him zoom around the field, continuing at her slow pace.