You Don't Belong Here

Chapter Sixty Nine

Brielle stood behind a tall counter dressed in a light blue button-up top and form-fitting slacks as she counted out a stack of bills for an elderly man before tucking the wad of cash into an envelope and handing it to the aged customer. "Five hundred dollars per your request, Mister Flannigan. Is there anything else I can help you with today?"

"No Samantha, I think that'll do me just fine dear." The man smiled kindly to the young woman, a gesture which she eagerly returned.

"Have a great rest of your day Mister Flannigan. Be safe going home, I heard there are supposed to be storms tonight."

"Tornadoes." She nodded at his correction. "Did you do your research like I suggested?"

She nodded again.

"Get in the center hallway or northernmost closet, place blankets or a mattress on top of yourself if possible, and keep a light and emergency reserve of clothes and food with you in case you have to be dug out by emergency responders."

Flannigan smiled proudly as he placed a shaky hand atop her own. "I'd best see you when I come back next week, ya hear?"

"Yes sir."

She offered the man another goodbye before placing a small white sign that read 'Next Teller, Please' atop her portion of the counter and tucked her short, brown hair behind her ear. "You headed out, Sam?"

She turned to see a woman with a badge displaying her branch manager position counting out a till. "Yeah, I'll be gone on vacation for a few days. Is there anything you need before I go?"

"Just count your till and you can go. Take lots of pictures while you're away though."

"You got it, Barbara."

The brunette hummed quietly as she completed her task before marking down her ending amount and turned her drawer and tally sheet over to Barbara's capable hands. With a quick 'goodbye' she headed out the door, grabbing her light rain jacket as she went.

Small droplets of condensation were falling all around and she sighed before pushing her way to the outside world. The air was uncomfortably warm, and the increased levels of humidity only worsened the conditions. Thunder rumbled in the distance as lightning flashed across the dark clouds above. The crisp scent of fresh rain filled the air, and the woman found herself inhaling deeply as she walked through the crowded streets of downtown Huston, Texas.

It had been nearly three years since she'd returned from her abnormal ventures, and the memories of it all felt so surreal. At times she would see mirages caused by the extreme southern temperatures and she would find her heart racing in her chest and her blood running cold in her veins.

Just your imagination. She often told herself that when she experienced these optical illusions. Don't be foolish.

Upon her return to human civilization, she found herself longing for a painfully normal career path as opposed to her previous choices. That's when she'd found the classifieds ad looking for a bank teller, and that's when she'd officially taken on the persona of Samantha Jennings. She flourished in her job, and she lived in a modest apartment with a small black cat - until it had died of a heart defect, that is.

Despite her newfound comfort, she often found herself missing her former acquaintances and even going as far as distancing herself from all of her new prospective friends. She longed for the exotic experiences that she had been deprived of for years now. She missed the sights, smells, sounds, and tastes that were so abundant in the foreign environment that had been her home for over a year. The hardest part of her adjustment period had been getting used to breathing the heavily polluted air.