Rare Blood

Chapter Six: Waiting

CHAPTER SIX

Faye felt much better after a nice hot shower, but her plans for a nap didn't really work out. She was trying not to think about Cyrus and failing miserably. She kept replaying what happened wishing she could do it over. There was something weird about the whole damn situation. Normally she was suspicious of everyone. She watched enough Cold Case to know good looking people did bad things all the time, but there she sat, talking with him, eating with him, letting him drive her home. She wanted to kick herself. She should've dialed 911 the second she woke up.

Sure Cyrus seemed nice, but what kind of sane person brings an unconscious girl they don't know to their home to play doctor then cooks her breakfast?

He said he didn't have a girlfriend which she found hard to believe. Maybe Roxy is an ex... Roxy is a way better name than Faye, she thought feeling a strangely jealous pang. And why wouldn't he tell me what he did for a living? What twenty-four year old has a house that nice and a new truck... And wouldn't want to involve the authorities... Her mind cranked into overdrive as she came to a conclusion, Cyrus was a drug dealer; a hot as sin drug dealer.

Unfortunately, Faye exhausted her free time wallowing in her bad decisions and needed to get to work. She tried to cover the cut on her head with makeup which only made it worse so she cleaned it and put a tan band-aid over it. She strategically pulled some strands of hair out of her ponytail and swept them to the side so they kind of camouflaged the big band-aid. She was just going to hope it wasn't too noticeable or at the very least, people wouldn't ask.

The collar of the black polo style shirt she was required to wear covered the marks on her neck but she still felt like she looked ridiculous and would have called-out if she could've afforded to. Plus, if Cyrus showed up she had no clue how she would react. She wasn't ready to see him and have the whole I-know-what-you-do conversation. Glancing at the clock on her nightstand Faye realized she was already late. "Shit," she said grabbing her plum colored jacket and dashing out the door.

AJ's was a small diner but the food was good. The daily breakfast shift and Thursday thru Saturday dinner shifts were usually pretty busy. Faye hardly found her name on the schedule for the busy times, but when she did she got excited because it meant better tips. Waiting tables was not her strong suit, but she earned enough to keep a roof over her head, and sometimes that was all that mattered.

By the time she got to work she was twenty minutes late for her shift. Charlie, the owner's wife, and her manager came walking over as Faye was putting her purse and jacket in her employee locker. There were about eight, two feet by one foot wide metal lockers with keys you put in your pocket until your shift ended. "You're late Faye."

Thank you captain obvious, "Sorry. I'm not feeling well. It took me a little longer to get out of the house than I realized."

"Four-o-clock means Four-o-clock."

"I understand."

"Don't let this become a habit," she said bitchily walking back to the office.

Faye went to the hostess stand to see what tables she was responsible for then she got to work. She ran back and fourth between the kitchen and her tables for the next four hours straight. Things slowed enough that she was able to take a little break about eight-thirty. She was on the clock until midnight and all the moving had her feeling sick again. She ordered a coke and a burger with fries hoping the food would help. She was sitting at the breakfast bar waiting for her meal when another waitress, Lauren, came over, "That was a busy rush, huh. I'm getting good tips though," she said pulling up a stool. "Yeah, I think I'm making out pretty good myself," Faye said as she absent mindedly rubbed at her neck.

"Oh my god Faye, what is that," Lauren question as she grabbed Faye's collar. Man... she grumbled internally and fixed the collar so the wounds were once again covered. She really didn't want to talk about it, "I think, I think I got bit by a snake."

"A snake? We live in Pennsylvania not the freakin' Amazon. I don't think a snake bit you. Let me see." Faye reluctantly pulled her collar back over and let Lauren see the marks.

"Oh my god, you're serious?"

"Yeah."

"What happened?"

"I was out running and I fell, when I came too the marks were there."

"You knocked yourself out... and you think a snake bit you. Oh my god. When did this happen?"

"Last night."

"Where?"

"The side of Old Mill Road."

"Faye, that's the craziest thing I've ever heard."

"Tell me about it," she said wondering what Lauren would think about the parts she left out of the story. "I can't believe you got bit by a snake," Lauren said again as Derek, one of the bus boys walked by, "You got bit by a snake," he asked and all Faye could think was, please shut up. She didn't want to talk about it. She got lucky when Derek simply shrugged and said, "It was probably a Northern Copperhead. They don't hibernate til' like, the first of November. You must have fallen right on it though because normally they take off if you get close. My brother and I used to try and find them when we were little. Their poisonous but it's not serious. A bite mainly just feels like a bad bee sting."

Lauren and Faye both shook their heads and Lauren said, "Farm boy," as he walked away.

Thankfully Faye finished her shift without discussing the snake incident further and without pissing off any of the patrons. She tallied up her tips then headed home to pass out with a hundred and seventy-six bucks in her pocket and a smile on her face. If she could get a few more shifts that paid like that things would be a lot easier for her.

That smile stayed on her face until she turned onto the drive leading to her loft style apartment over the Windsor family barn where she spotted a big black truck parked out front. Her nerves started rapid firing. It was Cyrus.

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