Red Snow ~ Trixya

《1》

Katya could barely keep herself up, she pushed and dragged her worn out body in hopes to find some kind of shelter. It's been about two weeks since she had an actual meal, on a real plate. It wasn't a gourmet dish, far from it, but when you sleep on benches every night you tend to not be very picky. It was snowing. Heavily. It was bad enough not to have any meat on her bones, but the cold made it twice as bad. Katya kept on walking, looking for a place that's open at such a late hour and might serve her something hot for the few dollars that she's saved up. Her past self would probably be ashamed of going anywhere in such a hideous state, but her will to live was stronger. She no longer felt shame, as it seemed so insignificant compared to survival. The streets were empty, aside from the occasional car that passed by every now and then. Everyone else were probably at their homes, sleeping soundly under warm blankets. The snow only got stronger, showing no mercy to Katya. But then again, why would it? Snow is just snow. Katya was beginning to think it would bury her. No one would know, nor would anyone care if that were to actually happen. Someone would probably find her corpse the next day by stepping on it, the police would come and they'd dispose of it. She'd be gone without a trace. Vanished from history. Just like snow.

Katya's hands were almost completely numb, she was beginning to lose hope when she saw bright lights. It was a diner. Nothing more, nothing less. Yet to Katya it looked like the entrance to heaven at that moment. With her last remaining strength, she crossed the road and nearly ran towards it.
"Mattel Diner - open 24/7!"
Read the sign outside, in neon pink letters.
Katya was so happy she nearly cried, unfortunately she forgot how to do that a long time ago. So she just took a deep breath, and walked inside.
Hot air hit her like a truck, and she already felt a thousand times better. She took a seat at one of the tables, it wasn't very hard to find one since there were only 3 other customers inside the diner.
Katya sat down, the cushioned chair felt like pure bliss. She couldn't remember the last time she sat on something so soft and clean. That's when she became aware of the state she was in. It happened more than once that she got kicked out of places like this due to her appearance. She couldn't blame them though, her clothes were ripped and dirty, her hair was oily and disgusting, and she probably smelt like a dead rat. She'd kick herself out too in their place. All she could do was pray that the owner of this diner would pity her enough to let her stay. She knew that if she got kicked out now she'd die. She was too weak to survive another night without food in the cold snow.

Katya's thoughts were disturbed by the sound of glass hitting the table.
Katya looked up to see a glass of water in front of her.
"Hello there, welcome to the Mattel diner! Here's the menu, call me when you wanna order~" the waitress spoke softly, giving Katya the prettiest smile she's seen in her entire life. She was shocked, to say the least. Katya was so used to people treating her like human garbage that having something speak to her like an actual human being felt like winning the lottery.
Katya gulped down the water in seconds. It wasn't until she took the first sip when she realized just how thirsty she was.
She then looked over the menu. All of the meals were too expensive for her, so she decided to go with coffee. That would at least warm her up, hopefully the milk and sugar will give her some extra strength.
"Uhm, excuse me"
Katya waved awkwardly, trying to get the attention of the lovely waitress.
Katya's voice was unrecognizable. She was shocked to hear the sound that came out of her own mouth, after staying silent for so long, Katya's voice was rusty. Like an instrument that was left in someone's attic for generations, covered in dust.
The waitress, who had secretly been watching Katya since she entered the diner, came to take her order immediately.
"What would ya like to order?" She asked.
Katya's stomach grumbled.
"Coffee please." Katya spoke quietly, getting used to the unfamiliar, raspy voice that came out of her mouth again. She nearly cringed at how heavy her Russian accent sounded.
The waitress raised a brow. She was certain she'd heard the poor woman's stomach growl a moment ago, but all she wanted was a cup of coffee?
Nonetheless, she nodded and gave her another one of those precious smiles that Katya didn't know she needed so badly.
"Comin' right up!" She said, and walked away, through the kitchen door.
Katya was internally crying in joy. Not only did they not kick her out, but she'd finally be getting something hot to drink. She imagined the hot coffee slide down her dry throat.
A couple of minutes later, the waitress already returned with her order.
"Here you go miss, enjoy your coffee." The waitress smiled, then walked away.
Katya stared at the table. Her cup of coffee was definitely there, but why was there a plate of wonderful looking pastries next to it? She couldn't possibly afford them.
Katya turned to the waitress.
"I believe there was a mistake... I only ordered the coffee.." Katya said, feeling ashamed.
"It's on the house, don't worry 'bout it." The waitress laughed it off.
"Thank you.. Thank you so much." Katya thanked her. The waitress just nodded, then walked away once again.
Katya took a sip of the coffee. It was the best damn coffee she drank in her entire life. She wanted to drink it slowly, savour every drop of it, but it was gone in a matter of seconds.
She then moved on to the plate of three beautiful pastries.
Blueberry, vanilla and chocolate. All of which she had forgotten the taste of. She ate them slowly, unlike the coffee. She let every single bite melt in her mouth. It was like a dream. Katya kept on pinching herself, perhaps she'd already died and this was heaven? She highly doubted that, she'd never go to heaven. If anything, hell was surely waiting for her with open arms.
When Katya finished her food, she left whatever money she had on the table, not even minding to ask for the bill.
She then went outside. It was still snowing, but it wasn't as brutal. All she knew was that her stomach was full for the first time in ages and that her exhaustion was finally catching up with her. She walked behind the diner, spotting a bench. Seemed like luck was on her side tonight. So she laid down on the bench, hoping to dream of warmth, and hopefully the nice blonde haired waitress from the diner would be there too.

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AN: Hey readers!! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, I know it was kinda slow but please bear with me, I promise this will be romantic soon~ Sometimes good plots need time. What do you think will happen with Katya? ;)