Chapter Two
1129 Words
Eowyn's POV:
BLAM—!
"Eowyyynn... It's your tuuurrrnnn!!!" I heard my Aunt Teressa yell from her bedroom.
"I'm coming!" I shouted back, a smile tugging at my lips.
My name is Eowyn Kirsten Jones. I'm sixteen—well, for a few more hours at least. Tomorrow, I’ll be seventeen.
One more year, and I’ll be an adult. One more year until college. Freedom. A future.
I live in Florida with my aunt, Teressa Marie Steward. She’s 32 and works as a nurse at the local hospital. When I was ten, my world turned upside down. My parents died in a car crash, and Teressa, barely out of her twenties, took me in without hesitation. She became more than my aunt. She became my entire world.
Our apartment is modest. Two bedrooms. One bathroom. A cozy living room and a tiny kitchen that always smells like coffee and cinnamon. It’s not much, but it’s home.
Every morning, we draw lots to see who gets bathroom rights first. Silly, I know—but it’s our tradition, and it always starts our day with laughter.
I walked into the kitchen just as Aunt Teressa was grabbing her car keys. Dressed in her scrubs, her long auburn hair tied back, she was the picture of calm determination.
“Heading out already?” I asked as I poured myself a cup of instant coffee.
“Morning, sweetheart.” She smiled. “I’ve got a 24-hour shift today, so I won’t be home tonight.”
I nodded. “Okay. I’m working the night shift too. I’ll bring you something hot when I come home in the morning.”
Her smile softened. “That sounds wonderful. Be careful, okay?”
“I will. Love you.”
“Love you more.”
Once she was gone, the apartment fell into quiet. I ate a quick breakfast, grabbed my keys, and headed out.
My car—a dented but loyal Honda Civic—roared to life as I drove to school, the Florida sun already baking the pavement.
At school, I parked under my favorite tree. Shade in Florida was gold.
I wasn’t one of the popular kids, but I wasn’t invisible either. I kept to myself, mostly because of my job. Between classes and shifts at the diner, I didn’t have time for parties or gossip. But I had Alexa and Sam, my two best friends since seventh grade.
“Eowyn!” Alexa called, waving as she walked over with Sam in tow.
“Hey guys,” I greeted.
“Did you do Mr. Black’s homework?” Sam asked sheepishly.
I laughed. “Yes. Here. But copy fast—class starts in ten.”
Alexa hugged me quickly. “You’re the best!”
Somehow, despite everything, my life felt normal.
That night…
After my shift started at the diner, I settled into my rhythm. I’d worked here since I was fourteen, helping with dishes and slowly moving up to waitress. It wasn’t glamorous, but it paid the bills and saved for college.
By 10:30 p.m., the diner was nearly empty.
Then they walked in.
Five men, dressed in expensive clothes that didn’t belong in our little roadside diner. Their presence changed the atmosphere instantly. It wasn’t just the way they looked—it was the weight they carried. They were dangerous.
I spotted the manager rushing over to them. One of the men handed him a thick stack of cash. Bribe. Whatever it was, it worked. The manager turned to me with wide eyes.
“They’re hungry. The cook’s gone. You mind…?”
I glanced toward the group. Most were seated, but one hadn’t joined them yet. He was hidden beneath a cap, silent and still.
“Sure,” I said.
I approached the table, pen in hand. “Hey,” I greeted softly. “We’re technically closed, and our cook’s gone for the night. But I can whip something up if you don’t mind simple food.”
One of them smiled—Benji, I would later learn. “Anything you make is fine. We’re starving.”
“Alright then,” I said. “Give me fifteen minutes.”
As I walked away, I could feel their eyes on me. Not in a creepy way, but... assessing. I didn’t like it.
I went to the back, threw on an apron, and got to work. Grilled cheese, burgers, fries—quick and easy. The whole time, something gnawed at me. That silent man who hadn’t spoken. There was something about him.
After plating the food, I carried the trays out, placing them one by one on the table. That’s when he returned.
The quiet man. He walked out from the restroom.
And everything shifted.
His presence sucked the air out of the room.
He didn’t look at me right away. But when he did, just for a moment, our eyes locked.
Piercing gray eyes. Cold. Controlled. Dangerous.
I looked away quickly, my heart thumping against my ribs.
Then—
BANG!!
Glass shattered.
A bullet tore through the front window of the diner, embedding into the wall inches from where I’d just been standing.
Screams erupted. The men around me were on their feet in an instant, weapons drawn.
“Get down!” one of them barked.
But I was already moving. I didn’t think. I didn’t have time to.
I dove across the floor—just as the shooter fired again.
BLAM!!
I saw him—one man outside, hidden behind a car. He was aiming again.
Without thinking, I grabbed the tray I’d been carrying and hurled it at the silent man—the one who’d just stepped into the room. The force knocked him down, just as the third bullet flew past and struck the counter behind him.
He stared at me. Shocked. Breathing hard.
I had just saved his life.
For a second, everything stopped.
Then his men burst into motion, returning fire. Chaos followed. Shouts. Screams. Gunfire.
And in the middle of it, that man—Aiden, I would later learn—looked at me not with fear or anger, but with something else.
Curiosity. Confusion.
Recognition?
Then, before I could speak, Benji was grabbing my arm. “You need to go—now.”
I stumbled back, dazed. “What just happened?”
“You don’t want to know. But you saved his life.”
“Who is he?”
Benji hesitated. “Someone no one dares touch.”
My heart pounded harder. What had I just stepped into?
The police would come soon. The shooter was gone, but the questions would remain.
I looked at Aiden once more. He was watching me. His expression unreadable.
And in that moment, I knew—
My life would never be the same again.
---------------------------------------------
- Writer
