Dreams Just Might Come True

Suspicion Creeps In

Anna ended up sleeping outside. The edge of the turtle shell rock sculpture served as her only shelter. Good thing it was not a cold night for it was Summer. Also, good thing that the pavement held in heat from the other day anyways. It was warm enough but still very uncomfortable. It was not at all like a bed. The lumps in the pavement stuck through everywhere. The worst of all, were all the strange noises that she had heard all night. They had kept her up ninety-nine percent of the night. She may have slept a little tiny wink. They were really scary noises though and she jumped up at every single one of them. She tried not to let her imagination wonder at what they were, but she was pretty sure they were not a good sign. Her ribs hurt in every place because of all the pricks they had endured. Her brain went in circles trying to calculate how little sleep she had gotten. Besides, all the spots that were hurting all over, she needed to go to work and earn some money. The bonus of not sleeping at night was not being comfortable enough to sleep in. She would not miss work and that was a good thing. Street life was a whole new life and maybe one that she would need to get used to.

She did not have time to think anymore. She was actually glad to be able to cut off her mind and not be bored. Being busy had always been a good thing for her, and man, she sure was glad for a job. She was surprised she had received a job offer like that so quickly. Anna determined she would prove them right that she was a good worker though. She gave herself a pep talk, and she knew she could do this. Then her brain kicked in. It went in to search mode and it was then she remembered that she did not know what diner she was working at. It had to be near by, she thought, as panic started sinking into her whole being. There was only about 30 minutes left to get something to eat, find a bathroom somewhere, and change into more appropriate clothing. From now on, these clothes would be for sleeping in, for they were so wrinkled that would be the best option for them anyways. She did not have night clothing so now these were now what she would use. It took too much money to wash and dry or iron clothing anyways. She did not want to risk that in any way. It just was not worth the trouble. She started running to find a place to get ready.

Anna found a run-down looking convenient store nearby. She had to ask for the key and the owner looked her up and down suspiciously. This place had to be full of crime. She had the creepy feeling that someone was following her. She kept turning her head around and looking around her. She had to be careful and being observant was a main help to her. She was becoming smarter about real life every day. She could sense that she was maturing even though no one really told her that. She had never heard real meaningful compliments in her life. Her past had shattered the hope of ever hearing anything nice again.

She spun around suddenly and ran smack into someone. "What in the world?!" quickly screamed through her head. The words seemed to pop out in front of her eyes. Panic gripped her. Then she took a step back and a deep sigh escaped her. She guessed she was just scared because she was out of her comfort zone here and was still getting used to the new environment. She was so relieved to see the guy who had been so kind as to offer her that job. He looked at her. She felt his eyes look over her. She hoped it was not in a perverted way. He breathed in quickly and looked up to her face smiling. He said," So I am sure you want to meet me for real, my name is Mark, and you actually look like you are dressed well and quite ready to start your job."

 A faint smile escaped through Anna's lips but she did not dare show some of the feelings of her heart to him. It was not time for that. It was time to get down to business. How could she feel the way she did anyways? It was too early. She had to keep all that stuff a secret. Only her and herself could know. It's business to me and myself alone she thought to herself. It was not the kind of business that was at hand though. She needed the work and she needed the money, so she got a huge grip on herself and all her emotions. It felt like she bagged up all her feelings and tied them up. She was not going to let that tie lose for a very long time, or so she told herself. Then, she reached out her hand figuring that it was best if she introduce herself to him, "Hi, I'm Anna, and yes I am ready to work." She was going to show him how well a girl should work. She was so sick and tired of this sexist world. Proving herself to the handsome guy in front of her was going to be fun. She also found herself wondering how old he could be, but that was another matter entirely.

Anna worked all day. She had never done waitress work before but she caught on quickly. She caught glimpses of Mark smiling at her quite often throughout the day. She tried not to pay any attention to them. Anyways, they were probably just encouragement for the work throughout the day. Yes, she kind of knew she was doing well taking orders, setting tables, serving food, and cleaning tables, but she did not want to seem stuck up. She was not confident in herself yet maybe she was accidently overcompensating for the lack that she had inside her soul. No one would know though as she smiled at everybody. She even smiled reassuringly back at Mark every once in a while. It couldn't hurt, and she was happy, happier than she had ever been in her entire life before. She was useful. She carried more food and did more work with one hand than she had ever done with both of her hands in her entire lifetime. It felt good to have a job. It even felt good to do tiring work for once.

She was convinced that she would have a place and the college money sooner than she had thought at first. She was ready for a whole new, amazingly good life. She worked hard all day, and Mark praised her greatly and said that he really wanted her back for the next day. She was officially hired. Even her trial period there had been cut short because she had already proven her hard work. She was sort of proud of herself just for that. Mark also said that he could help her find a cheap place. The words perked her ears up also. Work at The Diner had surely and absolutely paid itself off. She was ready to continue. Her new way of living was going to be even better than she had even looked forward to at first.

On the way home from work, she was so tired she let down her guard some and walked back to the statue where she now resided. She looked forward to having a better place soon. She was glad for that offer too. Then she heard footsteps. She kept looking behind her but it seemed like there was nothing really there. It was probably just her imagination again. Anna was becoming more and more frustrated again. She kind of wished that Mark had walked her home. She was so happy to be introduced to that guy. She was also trying not to get her hopes up about him. I mean, what if he was not as nice as he was presenting himself to be? What if he just turned out to be another jerk just like Conner had been?

Then she heard the footsteps again. They were clearly there for they had interrupted her thoughts. Usually nothing could interrupt her thoughts and she sensed that this something was serious. She sure hoped it was just Mark or some of his friends playing a prank on her. It was most likely too much to hope for though. Her senses were now on full alert. Just when she had been about to lie down, now she stood there stalk still. Her heart pumped loudly and she could not move. She was paralyzed in fear and could not think what to do. She could do nothing. She was helpless and that was for sure. She knew she was doomed. No cry of help to a world that did not even know her could save her now.

Anna now clearly sensed danger and she knew that there was no hope for the future. Instead something very bad lay in wait for her. Why did this happen? Could trouble really follow a person? Couldn't she have just had a perfect new life away from the one she had to get away from in the first place? She tasted blood. Was it her own, some weird sign of a problem to come?...