Chapter Four
Abby sighs, tossing the damp towel she had used to dab at her hair, on the floor. She slips on a white hoodie which Christie had borrowed her and a pair of black pants which seemed a bit bigger than Abby, considering Christie's body had gone through motherhood.
Shutting the door to her room, she hops down the stairs. Even though Richard was at still chasing after them, she could still smell freedom. She was close and she could feel it. Heck, it was going to be war before she got to where she wanted but she was willing. Abby wanted her life back, she wanted to find her parents who hadn't been able to find her for the past five years.
What had happened to them? Had they finally split up after everything? Had they forgotten about her?
Frowning at the idea, she shakes off the negative thought and walks into the kitchen where Christie and Tracy stood in front of the stove, speaking in hushed tones. Both women spot Abby and stiffen immediately. Tracy swallows a lump at the back of her throat.
"You told her, didn't you?" Abby asks Christie, studying both of them and she nods. "I just felt like she had to know. I mean we're staying with her, what if something happens while we're here?" she says, trying to make her understand but Abby's already lost interest.
"That's why I'm moving... You guys can stay here but I'm leaving," she replies and for a minute there, she thought she had seen Tracy sigh in relief. "But you can stay here. Tracy isn't bothered," she says , looking over at her cousin for a reassuring yes but she doesn't get one.
"I'll be out by tomorrow morning," she states. An awkward silence hangs over them as Abby stares at both women. "Wanna have breakfast with us?" Christie offers, breaking the tension. "I'll find something, don't worry about me," she replies and walks out the door.
Abby had already been to Wisconsin before on one of her numerous missions and knew that there was a diner about ten blocks away. There was no point in taking a cab, she was going to walk. It would give her time to think about her next move.
Pulling the hood over her head, she slips out into the hot sun almost wincing at the heat. Puffing out a breath of air, she begins to walk down the streets.
It was a Saturday and men and women dressed in workout clothes jogged past her, warm smiles on their faces as they chatted with one another, sending waves every now and then. Abby couldn't help but envy their freedom but one day she was going to be able to walk down a street without having a hoodie on or a gun tucked into her clothes or even a dagger. She was going to get a good job, a nice home and a nice man to love.
Abby bites down on her bottom lip, hindering a chuckle. When was the last time she had dated someone. That had to be back in high school, grade ten. It was Simon Peterson, the same guy who had been able to take her first kiss. As she came to stop in front of a green light, she wonders what may have happened to him. Had he gotten married now and had kids or was he in a motorbike gang?
She chuckles at the thought and crosses the streets when she sees the light change to a red.
A little diner stood a few steps from her as she got to the other side of it. As she passed little bakeries and restaurants, her stomach rumbles at the sight of the cookies, cakes, dunkin' doughnuts and burgers. Pushing the door to the diner open, the sound of the karaoke machine playing a song from the 80's floods her ears.
She strides up to an empty table close to the window and takes a seat. Picking up the menu, she flips through it, carefully scanning it. There was so much to try but then she had limited amount of money.
A waiter approaches her, an apron tied loosely around his waist. If Abby was to judge, he didn't look like someone who would be caught dead working in a diner. He looked like a model, with his hair styled back and trimmed nicely, almost perfectly, his tanned and muscular skin glimmering under the light from the bulbs above him.
He notices Abby staring at him and frowns. "What would you like?" he asks coldly and Abby snaps out of her trance. "I'll have a spicy cheese burger, a box of fries and a can of coca-cola, " she replies. He doesn't write anything down but nods and walks away.
As far as Abby was concerned, Wisconsin looked way better when she wasn't zooming off on her bike after terminating someone. Cute little shops and houses stood at almost every corner, painted in bright warm colours. There even seemed to be a calm aurora about the place.
One of these days when she was officially free, she'd come back here to build a life. Once the tray of order had been set in front of her, she digs in, ignoring the disgusted look on the waiters face. " Seems like you've not better to do, " she mutters and he scoffs. "Yeah right." Abby watches as he walks away. Unfortunately such good looks had been wasted on such bad personality.
As she sunk her teeth into the cheese burgers, she begins to think of her next line of action. There was no way she was going to stay here. So far, she had no one to contact, someone that could help her and that would mean sleeping on the streets. That was what she got for losing contact with her parents and friends for five years.
After several minutes of thinking, she resigns to the thought that she'd have to catch a train going to Kentucky early the next morning. With the little money, she had been able to get, she was sure she'd be able to stay fed for the next two days after she'd arrived.
Fishing out a ten dollar bill, she places it on the table, wipes the sides of her lips with a napkin and walks out of the diner.
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