Persephone's Journey

Chapter One

 Never in a million years did Persephone Rosario think she would end up here in Eloy, Arizona population 17,448. When she decide to run and leave her past behind this was definitely not the place she expected to end up at; but then again no one would find her here and she could start off fresh, which is exactly what she needed.
Moving to Eloy was relatively easy. When she first arrived she stayed in a local motel not expecting to stay but to gather some rest while she determined what she was going to do with her life now. After a week of roaming around the town she decided this would be the place. When she went around town the friendly neighbors all turned their heads to look at the new arrival to their town.
It was not hard to see why everyone turned their heads, Persephone was a beauty. She was a 5'5" half Puerto Rican, half Black woman with long black curly hair, caramel complexion, voluptuous body and proudly sporting tattoos; who came riding into town on a motorcycle. The one thing she had been able to bring with her when she escaped, her royal purple and black Ducati Multistrada 1200. She had worked hard to purchase that bike and she was not going to leave it behind. The day she left she took nothing more with her than that bike, the clothes on her back and a backpack full of money and all her important documents.
Persephone found a small two bedroom house that she was able to pay half of the asking price for the house and continue making reasonable monthly payments directly to the former owner. The couple who owned the home did not ask many questions when she gave them half the payment for the house in cash. They even took care of all of the paperwork and left all of the furnishings in the house for her convenience. They did warn her of a local motorcycle club that was near the house.
"If I were you I would stay clear of the garage shop that's a few blocks from here. There is nothing there but a bunch of racist criminal who claim to be a motorcycle club." said the husband. "Yes please stay away from there, if I was you I would go out of town to get my repairs done they are nothing but trouble." inserted the wife. Persephone nodded and said, "Thank you for the advice I will keep it in mind. After completing the signatures on the necessary paperwork she now had a place to call home; of course she would need to do a few repairs but the house would definitely do. The next thing on the list to do was to find a used vehicle so that she could park her bike and stop raising so much suspicion especially with a motorcycle club so close to her house; that would be the last thing she needed.
Persephone found a 1974 Chevy Malibu SS burgundy in color and in almost perfect condition. She bought it from an older woman whose husband had died recently and she couldn't bear to keep it any longer and sold it for a reasonable price. Now that she had a car and a house all she needed was a job. She began scouting the local newspaper and found an opening for a nurse at the local hospital seeking a neo-natal nurse immediately. The hospital's administration did not question her previous experience once she showed them her credentials and were happy to bring her aboard.
Life in Eloy seemed to be perking up. It has been now 3 months and everything is going well. All the curiosity about her arrival has passed and even if some of the locals might not like her because of the color of her skin at the least they have become cordial.
Fixing her house had now become her priority. The house didn't require much fixing but working on the house allowed her not to think on her troubled past. Hammering on things allowed her release some of the anger that was pent up inside her. She wasn't getting much sleep at night, she would have nightmare about him finding her and keeping his promise to kill her. She slept with a 9mm pistol under her pillow every night and almost always carried it in her purse.
The reason for her constant fear was a man whom she once loved, his name was Trey Jefferson. She met Trey her first year of college at the restaurant she had been working at. He was tall dark and handsome and by all means a gentleman when she met him. He did not attend the same school he told her that he attended one of the local college. The started seeing each other every day and for the first six months everything seemed to be perfect. Her graduation was quickly approaching Trey decided to propose to her. The proposal was everything a girl could wish for. She was surrounded by her friends and family on a beach, candle lit pathway. Trey even got down on one knee when he proposed. The engagement only lasted three months, Trey said he couldn't wait any longer for her to be his wife. For almost the entire year of their relationship Trey had hid what exactly he did for a living and he also hid the fact that he had a very bad temper and abusive tendencies.
After the first four months of marriage Persephone experienced this first hand. She had begun working as a nurse at the hospital where she lived. She truly enjoyed her job; on this particular day Persephone was running late because there was a problem with a patient's medication. When she arrived home she saw Trey's car in the driveway; as she walked through the door Trey hit her across the face so hard it felt like she had just rammed her head into a brick wall and she fell to the floor.
"Next time you come in late it will be more than your face. I want you in this house before it gets dark. No wife of mine is going to be out in the street at night time like a fucking whore" Trey barked at her. Crying and holding the side of her face "Trey I was at the hospital a patient's medicine got messed up and I had to fix it. How did I make you mad?" she responded. "Just do what the fuck I told you and we won't have any problems. Ok?" he answered back. "Trey be reasonable I'm a nurse I'm going to be late sometimes". "If you know what's good you will do as I say" he yelled and then proceeded to kick her in the stomach so hard all she could do was crawl into a fetal position and absorb most of the blows on her back. She cried and begged him to stop, when he had satisfied his rage he simply walked out the door leaving her there battered on the floor.
"Should have left him that very day", Persephone thought as she hammered a nail into the wall to hang a picture. The house was coming along just fine, she stepped back and looked around, and she was pleased at how everything looked. "I think a drive is in order" and with that she put away her hammer, changed clothes and got her bike for an evening ride.
The highway was relatively clear. She loved to speed her bike up and hear the wind whistling thru the helmet. She loved seeing the scenery just flying by her and at those moments she was lost in herself. Not worrying if Trey was after her, not bothered about the whispers the small minded town folks said about her. Here on the open road she was free. She wasn't running from no one and nothing she was who she needed to be; just Persephone.
All of a sudden she heard a roar coming behind her. She turned to look and saw that another cyclist was behind her. She swerved a little to the side to allow the rider passage. She thought he would pass her by but he kept following close behind her. Persephone decided to speed up to see if he was going to do the same. Sure enough the rider increased his speed and all of a sudden a panic set in her heart; "He has found me!" She continued to increase her speed in an effort to shake him, when she saw that was futile she pulled over and before he could reach her, Persephone had her 9mm in hand and shot a warning at him. The rider was caught off guard, causing him to brake suddenly.
Persephone still had her pistol in her hands when the rider approach her, now he had a pistol of his own and was pointing it straight at her.
"What the fuck is your problem and why the fuck are you shooting at me? The rider said.
"Who are you and what do you want", she shouted through her helmet which she had not yet removed. The rider was still coming at her as if he was ready for a fight. Persephone immediately removed her helmet and shouted, "Stop! Stop now or I'll shoot you!"
The rider stopped dead in his tracks when he realized that she was a girl. "Why the fuck are you shooting at me crazy ass woman?" he asked. "Why the hell are you following me; who sent you?" she asked in return. "I don't know what the hell you are talking about nor who the hell are you." Persephone lowered her gun and asked him why he was following her. The rider looked at her and seeing how scared she was he stopped in his tracks. "Look I wasn't following you; well I was following you but not for the reasons you might think. I was rather following your bike. I honestly don't know who you are." "You're lying he sent you didn't he." shouted Persephone raising her weapon once again. "Look lady I really don't know who the fuck you are and this is getting tiring, if you raise your gun at me again I will shoot you." he said this time raising his own 9mm.
Persephone stared at the barrel that was pointed at her and stepped back. "I don't want no trouble, all I was trying to do was go for a ride. My name is Persephone, I just moved to town and don't want no problems." "That gun in your hand would suggest otherwise." he replied. "The gun is for protection not problems. Look I'll be on my way, no harm no foul." she answered. The rider looked at her, halfway smiled and said "You continue your ride if you can really enjoy it on that thing. Next time don't be so quick to draw the next person might not be as nice as I have been"; and with that he got on his Harley-Davidson and rode away. When she looked at him while he left she realized he belonged to the motorcycle club that was near her house the "Pride Brothers" Eloy, Arizona Charter.