Beast In My Basement.

A New Beginning

It all felt silly to Ivory. Never in her life had she done this before. Running away from the only place she's ever lived ever since she could remember. But she knew that as silly and stupid it might have been, it had also been necessary. She couldn't risk her life and stay for one more second in that house she once called her home. So here she was, a thousand miles away from her hometown, thrust into the unknown. Driving around aimlessly, stopping only at gas stations she finally got to a town called Riverdale and spent a night at a motel. Money wasn't a problem for she had stashed away as much as she could into her duffle bag before leaving. But that wouldn't last forever. She knew that last night and she knew that now.

The sun shone brightly from the room's window and Ivory struggled to get out of bed. Her stomach grumbled and she couldn't remember the last time that she had a decent meal. Hopefully she could find something to eat in a nearby restaurant that caught her eye the previous night. She had been too tired and went to sleep as soon as she entered the room without caring to change into something comfortable.

Looking down, she sighed at the creases in her shirt. She should've changed. Stumbling to her feet, she quickly took a warm bath and changed into something decent. Brushing her messy brown hair that cascaded down her shoulders, she applied a balm to her lips so that they didn't look so dry and then got out, before locking the door behind her. She had little that she owned, but those were too precious for someone to steal.

The bell on the restaurant's door chimed as she entered. She quickly did a scan of the place. Apart from the employees, there were two more people sitting in a corner having their breakfast quietly. It calmed Ivory that there weren't much people around. She knew the whole town would soon come to know of her existence if she decided to stay here, which she did since she could feel a kind of peace she never felt before in this town. But she didn't want people knowing about her all too soon. They'd be nosey and ask her questions, questions she couldn't and would not give an answer to.

Ordering two sandwiches and a fruit juice, she made her way towards the end and sat down. When a waitress placed a tray on her table, she quickly dug in. She didn't realise just how hungry she'd been until now.

When she was done with her food, she realxed back against the soft cushion and sighed. Life is pretty good when your stomach is full. Just then the door chimed again and a girl about her age walked in. From the look on her face, she looked irritated as she made her way towards the counter.

"Anyone applied yet?" Ivory heard the pretty girl ask an older woman standing behind the counter.

The older woman shook her head "Not yet darling."

The girl ran her fingers through her long blonde hair. "Mom, we can't wait forever, we need an extra pair of hands, if we don't find one soon, we won't be able to run this restaurant and then we'll have to close it down."

The older woman, who apparently was the girls mother scowled at her. "Don't you think I know this? I've done everything I could and I'll continue doing it, we won't stop working and we won't close this restaurant your dear father worked hard for either. Sooner or later somebody's going to apply and then everything will be alright, till then we'll just have to keep working as we are right now."

The young girl seemed even more irritated than before and started talking to her mother but Ivory wasn't listening anymore. The  wheels began spinning in her head. It was ludicrous to even think about it but it was either that or nothing. She shook her head and stood up. No matter what she used to be and what she did in her past didn't matter anymore. She couldn't let her pride get in the way of survival. Making up her mind, she quickly made her way towards mother and daughter.

"Um, hi excuse me?" She called out to them and they both turned towards her.

They were both frowning at her, probably for interrupting their conversation.

"Can I help you?" The older woman asked kindly, her expression turning into a gentle one while the young girl looked on confusingly.

"Yes actually, I couldn't help but overhear what you too were talking about and I wondered if I could apply for working here?"

Their eyebrows raised and Ivory knew the both  of them were shocked. They exchanged a look before once again glancing at Ivory.

"You're not from around here, are you." The girl asked.

Ivory shook her head, but before she could speak a word, the girl's mother scowled at her daughter.

"Madeline! Don't be so rude!" The older woman scolded her daughter before turning towards Ivory. "I'm sorry, my daughter's always been nosey, you were thinking about applying?

Ivory smiled gently at the woman. "It's alright and yes I've been meaning to work somewhere, I'm glad the first place I visited in this town is where I could find employment."

The woman beamed at her. "That's good to know, but I need to know if you've ever worked in a restaurant before?"

Ivory bit her lip and thought hardly. Should she tell this lady that she not only had an experience in the field but she also had worked in the most prestigious restaurant back in her hometown as a chef?

Ivory nodded. "I do have an experience of about two years and I'm sure I'll be able to manage perfectly if you'd hire me."

"Done!" Madeline shouted and her mother have her "the look" before turning towards   Ivory.

"Alright then, this is isn't how we do things normally but since we are on a deadline, welcome to El dino, we'll have to get your measurements for the uniform you'll be wearing but before we go into all that, mind telling me what's your name dear?"

Ivory let out a laugh. "Ivory Jackson."

The woman smiled "You can call me Mary."

"Woohoo! Great! Oh thankgod! You're a life saviour Ivyy! You dont know how much you're helping us! See you soon!" Madeline gushed and crushed Ivory into a bear hug before rushing out of the restaurant.

"Silly girl." Mary said and shook her head. "You can come back and start working tomorrow dear, since you've just arrived in this town, I guess you've found a place to settle down? Or is it just temporary?" Mary asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ivory shifted on her feet and nodded at Mary. "I think I'm here to settle down."

Mary smiled. "That's a good thought, no town's as beautiful as Riverdale. So have you found a place yet?"

"I've stayed  at a motel last night, but I was hoping if you'd suggest a place where I could stay and pay the rent?  Like a house or something?"

Mary nodded. "I'll ask my friend about it today, she happens to know almost everything, why don't you stay with me until then? It's just me and Madeline."

"Oh no, your too kind, but I've already paid a week's rent at the motel, it's probably best if I stayed there." Ivory replied, shocked at the old woman's kindness.

Mary sighed before smiling. "As long as it's okay."

Ivory returned her smile. "Thankyou once again for hiring me."

"There's no need to thank me, I should be the one thanking you. What do you suppose you'll be doing the whole day?" Mary asked.

Ivory shrugged. "Probably just roam about the town, explore."

"You do that, it was nice meeting you Ivory." Mary spoke before glancing at the new customers behind her.

Ivory nodded and took a step back. "You too Maam."

Ivory walked out of the restaurant with a skip in her step. She couldn't believe she got employed so soon. The restaurant was okay, obviously not as grand as the one she'd worked in before, but it was enough for her.

She breathed in the fresh air and looked around her. It was just the beginning.