Days Gone By

CH 1 - Homecoming

The autumn breeze was chilly and uninviting, carrying with it the promise of an early winter as it blew across the bus station, irritating the lone soul occupying the bench nearby.

Shannon Beveridge wiped at her reddening nose. She could already feel the early symptoms of a cold creeping into her, and it did nothing but dampen her sour mood even further.

"Damn...as if running back home with my tail between my legs wasn't punishment enough."

The brunette knew that she was being a coward, and the townsfolk who had pegged her as nothing more than a delinquent would see this as an opportunity to gloat...and they'd be right. She didn't get through college like she thought. Or rather...she couldn't...

Shannon sighed, staring at the mural on the station wall depicting the town of St. Lucius in an awfully...inaccurate light. The painting itself was fairly new, and Shannon guessed that it must have been put up less than two years ago, as it wasn't there when she left. The obnoxious colors and desperate attempt to stand out amidst the drab gray was working, and it was damn near impossible to miss.

Shannon scoffed, reading the description that had been so neatly set underneath the painting. "Welcome to St. Lucius, where hopes and dreams come to fruition......" She shook her head. "Seriously? How much cheesier can they get?"

Stepping away from the painting, Shannon checked her watch. "Huh...8:34 PM. I guess the folks must have forgotten I was coming. Well, this is a great start." She reached into her pocket to fish out her phone, only to curse under her breath upon realizing that the battery was dead. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

Shannon squinted her eyes, peering into the darkness as she tried to get a glimpse of what she was searching for.

"Ah! There it is!"

Just a few feet away from her was what looked to be an old, rusted fence with a faded warning sign tacked onto it.

A smirk formed on Shannon's lips. "If that sign didn't stop me before, then it sure as hell won't stop me now!"

The area used to be a former playground. But the kids eventually grew up, some leaving town, others staying to support what was left of their diminishing community. As far as Shannon knew, her generation was probably one of the last to use the place. The playground...lost its purpose.

Now, folks just use it as a shortcut to get to places, and today was no different. Shannon ran towards the old fence at full speed, gaining momentum before she launched herself towards the top, her lithe build easily being able to hold on and just scale the rest of the way up.

However, just as she was about to jump down to the other side, a blinding flash of light caught Shannon off-guard.

"Argh! The fuck?!" Instinctively, Shannon raised her arms up to block the light from her face. Unfortunately for her, it also meant losing her balance, and the young woman soon found herself hitting the ground with a hard thud. "Well....shit."

"Huh? Shannon? Is that you?"

Shannon sat up slowly, her body throbbing from the fall. "Yeah, it's me...and just who the hell are you supposed to be?" The voice was certainly familiar, but it was too dark to see, and Shannon just couldn't bring herself to care at the moment. She was having a shitty night.

"Wow, way to be an ass! It's me! Vanessa! Remember? Childhood friend? Tit to your nipple?!"

The woman aimed the flashlight at her own face, and sure enough, Vanessa's cocky grin and messy black mane of hair came into view. "Recognize me now Lil Bev?"

Now THAT was a nickname Shannon hadn't heard in a while. For the first time since she'd gotten back, the young woman finally felt some of the tension leave her body. "Ness! I can't believe it...and who are you calling an ass when that damn light nearly killed me?!"