Rejected, Rebirth, and Revenge

Chapter Six: The Diner

I was shown to a room which I would be sharing with a woman and two children who were simply staying for the week.

“We’ll discuss things better later,” Dixon told me before he closed the door. “For now, have some sleep.”

I didn’t ask for any details. That was what I was told, and I accepted it. When I walked into the room, I saw her on the bed, two boys around five years of age on either side of her on the single bed she was occupying. They were fast asleep and didn’t stir when I walked around.

A quick look was enough for me to assess the place. It looked just like a motel—we had one in the pack, too, and it looked like that. There were two single beds separated by a nightstand, and on the left side of the room, there was a couch and a TV set.

The floor was carpeted, and when I peered inside the toilet, I saw that it was clean. All I wanted was to shower and wash the stink and blood off my body, but that would wake the woman up, and I didn’t want that, so I went to the vacant bed and slid under the covers.

I fell asleep immediately.

When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was how empty the room was. The bed next to mine was made, and there was nobody around. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. My whole body was sore. I didn’t know if it was from walking or the rebirth. Either way, I was in pain.

It reminded me of when I had the seasonal flu.

I went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face. I then decided to shower. The water was warm, which was a surprise to me. I was forced to use the soap available, and I didn’t know whether it was the woman’s or not. If it was, I made a mental note to bring it up with her when I saw her and apologize.

I had to wear my old dress when I got out of the shower. It wasn’t damaged—it just needed a good wash. The white was brown with dirt from the forest, and some blood was on it, too. It was funny how my favorite dress was now stained when, once upon a time, I took extra care of it.

It was further proof that my life had changed irreversibly.

When I was done, I stared into the mirror for the longest time, trying to get used to my new face. My hair was a much darker red when it was wet, and my eyes were even bluer under these bright lights. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to my new face.

I’d always be Vivian.

With a heavy heart, I walked back to the room. I was alone, and I wasn’t sure if I should stay here and wait to be summoned or whether I should meet Dixon outside or wherever he was.

I felt nervous, but I would have to face this at some point, so I stood up and ventured outside.

The sky was obscured by clouds and it was windy. I noticed how wet the pavement was, and the smell in the air suggested that it had rained. I took in a deep, invigorating breath before continuing down the sidewalk, eager to find someone.

It was completely empty, which made me wonder if this was some kind of ghost town. I couldn’t hear a sound that wasn’t a part of nature. Birds were chirping in the distance and I heard the trees around the motel rustling wetly. But there weren’t any people around.

I went around to the back, and from a short distance, I could see a diner of some kind. It looked like it had been built by the same people who built the motel, as the style was the same. It had a 50s vibe to it—it was very much old-fashioned, but vintage. Timeless.

And it was full of people.

I started walking toward it, still barefoot, but cleaner than I’d been when they found me in her woods. I saw many unfamiliar faces through the windows, but didn’t make eye contact with anyone. I was feeling shy, and I didn’t know what to expect.

As I neared it, I could smell grilled meat in the air. It made my mouth water, and when I pushed inside, the smell was accompanied by the smell of fried onions, peppers, and deliciously salted fries.

My stomach growled.

“Fox,” someone said to my left. I turned my head sharply in that direction and saw Dixon seated at a table with most of the guys I saw with him last night. In the daylight, they looked different. Dixon himself looked older. He just had a rough look about him that was difficult to explain.

He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket as I approached, and lit it with a golden engraved lighter. His eyes were on me, and they were framed with thick black lashes that made it seem like he was wearing eyeliner.

“Sit,” he gestured at the empty seat across from him.

I sat down, ignoring the way his cigarette smoke tickled my nostrils. His eyes were studying me thoroughly. He put the end of the cigarette into his mouth and took a deep drag before puffing the smoke out, right in my face. I tried not to cough, but failed.

This made the others laugh.

“So,” he began, “you had a big plan yesterday. A really big plan. Does it still stand today, now that you’ve had some sleep?”

I frowned. “Of course.”

“Of course,” he echoed before gesturing at someone who approached us. She appeared to be in her forties and wore heavy black eyeliner. She was also dressed in jeans and leathers, and she looked tired. “Sandy, get her a burger and a Coke, yeah?”

Sandy gave me a once-over before walking away. I turned to look back at him and caught his eyes on my face again. It was unnerving.

“You said your name was Scarlett.”

“Yes. It is.”

“And you can’t remember your surname.”

I shook my head.

I realized how this looked, but I had a perfect argument. “Most kids will know their names, but not their surnames. My parents were mom and dad, nothing else.”

“They just let you go after they killed—”

“I don’t really want to talk about it,” I said sharply. I knew that by saying this, I’d convince him that it was something that bothered me. Who talked about their parents’ deaths normally?

Dixon’s eyes hardened, but he didn’t push. I was thankful for it. Maybe it was my hunger making me feel snappy. I didn’t know. But answering too many questions to a fictional situation was bound to be problematic.

The burger came in less than five minutes and I immediately devoured it, not caring that they were all watching me. It was the most delicious burger I’d ever had, hands down. I ate all of it along with the fries in under five minutes and then I licked my fingers clean and sipped on the Coke.

They were looking at me like I was some kind of feral animal.

When I’d drunk half of my beverage, I asked Dixon, “So, what was your plan concerning—”

“I don’t want to talk about it yet,” he cut me off, crushing his cigarette on the empty plate in front of him.

I tried not to glare at him because I’d done the same thing. It was only fair.

We were completely silent, and his companions were glancing at each other uncomfortably. There seemed to be a lot of tension in the air and I had no idea why. I continued sipping my drink until I was finished, and only then did Dixon speak.

“So, this exchange program,” he said, “how does it work?”

“A student from another school in a nearby pack applies and then shows up.”

“Any pack?”

“Most of the time they’re from the nearby ones,” I explained. “Neighbors. We only had one student from a distant pack. Like two towns away.”

“We.”

“They,” I corrected, trying not to blush. “They.”

He glanced at the man sitting next to him before saying, “And for that, you need an ID, references, school results, all of that?”

I nodded.

He sat back and sighed. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Do you think the plan will work?”

“We’ll have to see,” he added forcefully.

Just then, I heard the door swinging open again and Dixon looked up. His eyes remained rooted on the person whom I realized was slowly approaching us, and when she stopped right in front of us, I couldn’t help but look up at her face.

Her vibrant hazel eyes were on me. “Who the f**k is this?”