Built for Sin

It was a cool spring day in Brattleboro, Vermont. The crisp breeze ruffled the newly sprouted leaves on the Beech trees out front of the tavern. Elizabeth Kelly leaned against the bar with her piercing emerald green eyes analyzing her surroundings. Her fingers absently played with the pendant attached to a leather choker around her neck. It was an oddly quiet day thus far and it made her uneasy. Things in Elizabeth’s life had started to turn around, finally. Six months ago her mother died in a car accident. The doctors had suspected that she had a heart attack behind the wheel and veered off the round. Someone had found the car in the trees, a tree limb piercing her mother’s chest which had ultimately sealed her fate. It had been hard to breathe after that. Her whole world had crumbled, leaving behind a girl with no voice and no one to turn to. Elizabeth had inherited her mother’s home and the land on which it sat, including her two horses and a Weimaraner, Amethyst. She had been enrolled in college but after the accident, she came home and decided to put her studies on hold. Elizabeth soon realized that even with the money her mother left behind she would have to find a job. So she ended up at the bar where her mother used to work, living off the low hourly wage and the tips. The locals knew her and often talked about her mother, giving their sympathy and offering any help if she ever needed it. But the words they spoke were just as empty as the small house she now calls home; pale yellow walls and cigarette stains, the faint smell of her mother’s favorite leather conditioner lingered the hallways. After the news of her mother’s death she ventured through the empty halls of the house, reliving her child hood and discovering what her mother had been up to in the recent months. Elizabeth explored her mother’s craft room and found dozens of dream catchers, some finished while others were waiting for the finishing weaves and feathers. She had gotten her love of dream catchers from her mother and the culture from which she came, but now regretted never learning more from her mother and what was left of the tribe. As the world became more modernized, less and less children of the tribe were interested in the culture and continuing traditions, Elizabeth included. She had been fascinated as a child but lost interest the older she got, the more involved she got with animals. Her mother had always encouraged her to become more involved with tribal life, especially with the love of animals she had and the interest in healing them. Elizabeth was now left wishing she had gotten more involved and gotten more time with her mother. This was not where she saw herself but unfortunately, she landed right back where she was desperately trying to run from. She had felt trapped here as a teenager, walking among the same faces and passing the same structures. Her mother’s land was the only safe haven she had left and she cherished it. She would watch the horses graze, sitting in the long grasses with Amethyst lying by her side. The long faced, grey canine was slowly coming around and out of the depression that losing her owner had sent her in. Some days she would visit her mother’s grave, she was laid to rest on the very edge of the acreage, close to the reservation. It gave Elizabeth comfort to have her mother so close, but it also gave her grief because she lacked the physical bond she yearned for. This is where her life began, ended and now it was beginning all over again as she was on a journey to rediscover herself and find where she belonged in the world. Maybe it was destiny that she had left her home and was brought back by the sudden tragedy, but only time would tell. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The day had started off slow and there was only a trickle of customers coming through the door by 11am. With all of her customer’s content and duties for the day complete, she took the time to breathe and collect her thoughts. She hadn’t had much time to herself lately and took every opportunity to relax that came her way. A deep voice booming from the kitchen caused her to knock a shot glass off the counter and she let out a shaky breath, looking down at the shards of glass. She closed her eyes and pressed her knuckles against her temples, murmuring to myself. “Don’t lose your cool, Lizzy. Kill him with kindness. This is only temporary...” "Lizzy!" The young woman gained her composure and walked through the swinging doors into the kitchen. Her hand reached up to smooth down her hair. "You called for me, Daniel?" She bit her lip nervously and fingered the pens in her apron. The hair stood up on the back of her neck; his cool voice and empty eyes always gave her an uneasy feeling. The man stood over by the prep table and tousled his dirty blonde hair. He turned to her quickly, his face contorted with frustration. The muscles along his jaw were tense and contracting, nostrils flaring more than they would if he were calm and at ease. "I need you to work a double. Jessie called in. Her kids are sick." Lizzy forced a smile and nodded. She tried to hide her irritation. This had been the third time this week that Jessie had called in. Her exhaustion was starting to get the best of her. "That's fine. I'd be happy to stay. I need the extra cash." Daniel waved her away as he dialed a number on his cell phone. She turned on her heels and walked back through the kitchen doors. She walked over to the sink and grabbed a clean disinfecting rag and started wiping down counters, tables and chairs. The dull hum of the music playing through the loud speaker rang in her ears as she began to hum along softly. Lost in thought she had almost missed the small group of well-dressed business men that had walked into the tavern, looking around as they talked amongst themselves. She threw her rag back into the sink and trotted over to them; smiling the entire way over and finding them a seat. She took their drink orders and made her way back to the counter and grabbed three water glasses, two Jameson’s on the rocks and a tall red Kilkenny. She placed all the glasses on the tray, balanced it gracefully, and walked over to the booth the gentlemen were seated in. They glanced over the menus very briefly, closed them and set them at the edge of the table. She scribbled down their orders and grabbed their menus, handing the order slip to Mike in the back. He grunted and snatched the paper from her, returning to the stove. She turned around and headed back toward the bar, kicking the broken shot glass from earlier. She sighed, wiping a hand across her forehead, setting her serving tray on the counter as she stooped down below the counter top. Just as she bent down to pick up the broken shot glass, the door chimed. She stood up quickly, plastering a smile on her face. But the atmosphere immediately changed within the tavern. The air seemed still and dense. She looked toward the door as a tall, bronze-skinned young man walked through the door. She didn't know it yet, but this was the beginning of a very interesting chapter in her life.