Tainted: A True-Blood's Tale

Job Hunt

Ravenelle

When I opened my eyes, I was staring back at my bedroom ceiling. It took a moment for the events of the night to come flooding back in. I could remember going to the club with Emma, not being in the mood, leaving the club to get some air and then running into those guys.

I gasped and sat up on my bed quickly.

They tried to kill me!

I'm alive?

I mean, I could remember them leaving before I blacked out, but... what was that?!

Who were those guys? Why did they attack me? That first guy was awfully strong, I shuddered to think what the other one would have done if he didn't go flying back.

Wait, why did fly back? I think the main question was "how"? Was it the wind? Why did they run away?

It didn't even matter, as long as I was alive and...

How did I get home?

I looked around me and found Emma passed out on my rug. Did she bring me home?

My head!

I reached up to touch the back of my head, feeling for a dent or something. I smashed my head pretty badly into the wall, there was no way I didn't get a wound.

But there was nothing there, it wasn't even sticky, no sign of blood... nothing.

How was that possible?

"Mm..." Emma murmured, turning in her sleep. Did she have any idea she was lying in a mess? She must have been so wasted that she fell asleep right there.

But I needed answers, so I got out of bed and went over to her, shaking her awake.

"Emma, wake up." I called. She stirred but she didn't open her eyes.

"Emma." I called again, firmly this time.

"Mm?" She grumbled, opening an eye to look at me. Then she turned away. "Let me sleep, I don't have classes today."

"Okay, but you need to wake up. I have to ask you something."

I didn't wait for her to refuse again, I picked up her noodle arms and pulled her up into a sitting position.

"Oh my God, Elle! What?" She whined.

"What happened last night?"

"What?" She asked sleepily.

"What happened last night?" I repeated. "After you didn't find me in the club."

"Oh. I found you passed out outside. You must have drank a lot."

Except that I didn't drink a sip. But I wasn't going to tell her that.

"Was I alone? Was anyone else with me?"

"No. But that was dangerous, Elle, passing out in such an exposed place while you were all alone. Something bad could have happened."

If only she knew exactly what situation landed me there.

I suddenly remembered something.

"Was there a car with a broken windshield there?"

She scoffed and got off the floor.

"How should I know? I was too drunk to care about the surroundings. I had my bouncer friend call us a cab that brought us back home. Can you let me go back to sleep now?" She asked as she fell face first on my bed.

"Nope. I have a lot to do today, so you have to help me clean up this mess."

She sat up immediately, all smiles.

"Well, would you look at that! My get high on alcohol therapy worked wonders. Now you want to finally get back on your feet."

It was my turn to scoff.

"Who said it was your fake therapy? I just realised that Gammy wouldn't want me flunking college and my bills aren't going to pay themselves."

"That's right. Now that we're back on the topic, your grandma left you a lot of money to last you a couple of years, why are you in a hurry to worry about your bills?"

"You're wrong. The money she left me can only last a year tops, that's if I'm not including my next tuition fees. Plus, I would really not want to go broke before finding a source of income."

"I see." Emma said, nodding slowly. "So, you're going to get a part-time job?"

"Yes. I just need to find one that actually pays well." I got distracted by the box of the Melisteia candies lying on the floor. When last did I have one?

I picked up the box, it was very light? I was out of Melisteia?! I opened the box and just one candy was left.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked me from her position on my bed.

"I'm out of Melisteia."

"What? Oh! Your weird candy tradition with your grandma. It always baffled me that your grandma lived so long without having diabetes. I couldn't even have a glass of natural orange juice with mine."

I smiled, looking down at the single candy. For as long as I could remember, Gammy and I have always had those candies. Her friend made them exclusively for us and we always had up to five candies each every day. Not a single day was missed. It was our little tradition and Gammy was very serious about it.

One time I forgot my daily stash and hurried to school. Gammy came to school in the rain and didn't leave until I had eaten one. She said it showed how much we loved each other. It was a little weird to me, but it was candy, not mud, so I didn't mind.

I may have been sad after losing Gammy that I consumed the entire box without realising. Guess, I would have to stop by at Eudora's house and pick up a new box. I hadn't seen her since the funeral, it was a good opportunity to see how she's doing. She was really close to Gammy after all.

I kept the single candy on my nightstand, saving it for after I'd had a bath.

"Alright, get up and help me clean, I have to go job hunting this morning."

Emma grumbled. "How come you're not hungover? You drank more than I did."

I didn't answer that, rather I helped her off the bed and she reluctantly helped me clean, though she got into it in a few minutes and insisted on redecorating my room.

I allowed it.

It was nearly noon by the time we were done and I got to have another refreshing bath, threw the candy in my mouth and left an exhausted Emma in my bed.

I knew just the kind of job I had in mind. It would be my first time working since I've never really had a reason to work before, but I was confident in my communication and organizational skills. Organizational skills probably sounds farfetched coming from someone who was practically living in a dump until that morning. But when I'm not grieving a loss, I'm pretty organised and neat.

Then again, I guess that was not enough, because I keep walking into different work buildings and walking out disappointed. It was either there was no opening, or they didn't want a part timer, or I lacked the necessary amount of experience.

How was I supposed to gain experience if they don't hire me?!

I didn't give up though, I kept trying more places and kept failing.

It was past four that evening when I decided to stop for a coffee break. I stopped by a small cozy café. Despite the late hour, it was still bustling with activity, filled with the chatter of nearby workers unwinding after a long day at the nearby offices. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee enveloped me as I stepped inside, mingling with the scent of warm pastries. Soft, golden light filtered through the windows, casting a comforting glow over the intimate space.

I ordered a tall mocha and settled into a window seat. Outside, my eyes landed on a towering building across the street. It looked like one of those companies dealing in hospitality and furniture. I couldn't help but imagine myself working there, surrounded by creativity and innovation.

I had to check if they had an opening. I finished my drink before heading out to the towering building. It was sleek and modern, with glass walls reflecting the late afternoon sun. The hustle and bustle of the city seemed to fade away as I approached the entrance, anticipation coursing through my veins.

Inside, the lobby of the building was spacious and bright, with polished marble floors and modern furnishings. As I walked in, the air hummed with a sense of purpose and activity. I made my way over to the sleek receptionist desk, where a friendly receptionist greeted me with a warm smile.

I thought to myself that it would really be fun to work there.

"Hi!" I said to her. "I'm here to inquire about any job openings."

Her face fell a little and I knew what was coming already. After all, I had seen that same expression over ten times that day alone.

"There are currently no openings, I'm sorry."

It was my fault, I raised my expectations too high only because I saw a nice warm company.

"Oh, okay. Thanks."

I turned around to leave, but then I felt really pressed. Why did I have to drink so much coffee?

I turned back to her.

"Hey. Would it be okay if I used your restroom?"

"That's fine. The ladies' room is down there in the corner, on the right."

"Thanks." I said and hurried in the direction she pointed at, blinded by my sense of urgency and ended up bumping into something hard and fell on my butt.

Or should I say someone?

As I looked up, my eyes met a pair of striking foxy blue eyes peering down at me. He towered over me, his dark brown hair tousled in a way that added to his rugged charm. His features were sharp yet inviting, with a hint of mystery lurking behind those intense eyes. Intense eyes that were giving me the exact same look those guys from the night before gave me.

A look of disgust.