Hidden Sins (6 page)

I stood up and walked toward the door, hearing a few voices drift down the hall. I opened my door and walked toward the kitchen.

Claire and Rikki were sitting at the kitchen table, both eating a piece of toast. The sight of food made my stomach rumble as I walked toward where the glasses were stored.

“Good morning, sleepyhead. You missed dinner last night. You must be starving,” Rikki said.

“I’m guessing that dinner is rationed as well?” I asked.

“That it is.” Claire frowned.

“I’m grateful she didn’t put a ration on water,” I muttered, before taking a sip.

“Don’t mention it too loud. She might like that idea,” Claire laughed.

I thought back to the Starbucks card and how that would provide me something beyond a couple pieces of bread before dinner. It seemed odd that everyone who was here, running from something, was willing to put up with these rules, essentially being treated as if they were twelve.

“How long have you been here, Claire?”

“Three weeks. I hope to be outta here in a week or so. I got a job last week and should be able to save enough for a deposit and first and last. I won’t be living in my own place, but I found a couple places where people are renting a room, which seems like a much better deal to me than staying here.”

I nodded. “And you?” I looked at Rikki.

“I’ve been here five weeks. But I still haven’t found a job.”

My heart sank at her admission.

I glanced at the kitchen clock, realizing it was getting close to my shower time. I certainly didn’t want to miss it.

“Gonna go hop in the shower,” I said, waving as I walked back to my room. I felt so out of place and out of my element. Was it just because I’d left the only place I’d known or was it because I was in a place I shouldn’t be?

I pulled a pair of jeans and a red, long sleeved v-neck out of my suitcase. Most of my clothes were for a colder climate, but I had enough for a while until I could get more warm-weather items.

Walking into the hall, I heard the water turn off in the bathroom and waited until the door opened and Sherry walked out.

“Your turn,” she hummed, a towel wrapped around her head. She was dressed in a robe and slippers and padded back down the hall toward her room.

“Thanks.” I closed the door and entered the steamy palace, placing my clothes on the counter. I glanced at the sheet, wondering how long I was allowed in here. It looked to be ten minutes per person. I turned on the shower, and the water was warm instantly so I quickly undressed and stepped under the hot water. Nancy was right. The amount of appreciation that I felt toward the stinging beads that hit my skin was incredible. Feeling the water slide down my skin as I let it sprinkle through my hair was exactly what I needed. It felt like I was washing away everything from my old home and life. I was readying myself for new beginnings.

I squirted the shower gel onto a washcloth and began scrubbing my body, feeling completely revived. As the water continued to pound on me, I washed my hair and my mind drifted to Luke and his startling green eyes and the kindness that sat behind them. I let out a deep breath, knowing full well I wouldn’t be seeing him again. But maybe that was what made me feel safe daydreaming about him. It wasn’t reality. I opened my eyes to look for the conditioner and there wasn’t any. So getting a brush through my long hair was going to be a bit of a painful process. I guess once I was on my own, I’d be ever so appreciative of the finer things in life, even if it was a ninety-nine cent bottle of the slippery stuff.

A knock at the door alerted me that my time was up. It went far quicker than I’d realized as I shut off the water and quickly dried off and put my clothes over my semi-damp body. I opened the door and apologized to the next person in line, Hilary. Holding my dirty clothes, I walked into my bedroom and threw them in the corner.

The first thing I wanted to do was find the nearest Starbucks where I could grab something to eat and start looking for a job on my netbook. I typed in the home address and saw that there was one not too far away. It looked like it was in the direction of the beach, so possibly out of this neighborhood. The tricky part was that I’d need to walk through this neighborhood to get to it. I grabbed my purse and emptied it out, leaving only my wallet inside so I could slip the small netbook into my purse. No one would be able to tell it was in there. I grabbed a brush and began working the snarls out of my hair, which took far longer than I’d imagined. But a moment of delight rushed through me when I remembered I’d grabbed a couple bottles of shampoo and conditioner from a few of the hotels on the way out here.

I looked out the window at my truck and wished it was running. I’d at least feel a little safer driving than walking, but I couldn’t worry about that now. I just needed to get out of this place. As I grabbed my purse, Rikki poked her head into my room.

“Got any plans for the day?” Rikki asked.

“Yeah, was going to start looking for work,” I said, forcing a smile. “I planned on walking to a Starbucks to plug in and hang out. I’m not used to this place yet, and I think the coffeehouse might make me feel a little less hopeless.”

“You weren’t really planning on walking, were you? I heard your truck was dead, but have you not looked around?”

I nodded. “I really was planning on walking. I don’t want to spend the day here if I don’t have to.”

“Don’t. Let me give you a ride to where you want to go. I’ll give you my number, and I can pick you up when you’re done. I was planning on looking at some places to rent so I’ll be out and about today.”

“Seriously? You wouldn’t mind?” I asked.

“Not at all. Let me grab my stuff and I’ll meet you out front.”

My eyes landed on the envelope from Luke and I laughed as I stuck it in my purse. Taking the gift card with me would probably be a good idea if I actually planned on eating or drinking anything at Starbucks. I needed to get with it.

I walked down the hall and through the entry before hearing my name called from behind. I turned around to see Nancy holding something up.

“This is for you,” she said, walking a thick envelope to me. My eyes fell to the handwriting on the outside and my insides immediately turned outward. It didn’t look like Luke’s. Had they found me already?

“Thanks,” I said, taking it from her and stuffing it inside my purse. I didn’t want to alarm anyone at the house and have a reason for Nancy to boot me out. I had no money and no other place to go.

“I don’t like this one bit. Not only are you showing complete disrespect for the other house mates, you’re putting everyone, including yourself, in danger.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t expect this to happen. I’ll tell him to stop,” I replied, watching Rikki come into view.

“You’re sure it’s him?”

I nodded, knowing my words would betray me. But Nancy glared at me, waiting for something more. “I’ll have him stop.”

 “Please do.” Nancy turned on her heels and walked away.

“Off to the Arden Street Starbucks,” Rikki announced, almost bumping into Nancy. “What was that all about?” Rikki eyed me.

“Long story.”

“Being here makes me feel like I have nothing but time, so please, indulge me.”

I laughed as I followed her outside toward her silver car that looked a little dinged up on the passenger side. Okay. It wasn’t a little dinged it up. It had obviously been in a wreck. A bad wreck.

“It was like that when I got it. Promise,” she said, noticing my apprehension. “Now tell me how you got Nancy all roiled up by day two. I think that’s a record.”

“I always was an overachiever,” I laughed, climbing into the Chevy Spark. I began relaying everything that happened from the moment I’d rolled into the infamous parking lot at the coffee shop yesterday, all the way to landing at the house. Rikki nodded and laughed every so often as she drove us away from the ramshackle buildings that surrounded our house.

“Well, this Luke guy sounds very interesting. Are you sure you shouldn’t be worried about him though, with your… with everything?”

I knew what she was asking, and we’d all signed releases that we wouldn’t ask one another about our pasts, what led us to this house. Rikki was trying to ask without asking. I turned to her and smiled.

“He’s harmless. Just the right guy at the wrong place and time,” I assured her, trying to push away my fear about what really was in the envelope and who’d sent it.

She pulled into the parking lot of the coffee shop, and I glanced around the tidy strip mall in awe. I just didn’t quite understand how things could turn so good or bad by driving less then fifteen minutes in any one direction.

“Give me your cell and I’ll program my number in for you,” she said, as I handed it to her.

“Thanks for the lift and I’ll call you when I’m ready for a ride. But I think it will be several hours from now. Being here makes me feel far safer than being at the safe house.”

She laughed and nodded. “Tell me about it.” But then her eyes darkened. “You got a new cell after you left your home state, right?”

“I got it right before I left. We didn’t have cell phones so they wouldn’t think to look for one, if that’s what you mean. Only the elders and house ma…” I had said too much.

“There’s always a way to be tracked. I’d toss it and hope it’s not too late.” She eyed the garbage can.

“Really? You’re serious?”

“Definitely.”

I sighed. “I’ll toss it after I text you to come pick me up.” I grinned, not as worried about the predicament as she was. There would be no way for anyone from back home to track this phone. I got it the weekend before I left, under my new last name. No one saw it and I never used it, but I respected her opinion and would toss it this afternoon.

“Good call,” Rikki laughed.

I closed the door and she drove off. I glanced at the coffeehouse and felt immensely better. Like I was part of a functioning society, rather than someone who was living on the fringe of it. I walked inside and smelled the familiar aromas as I stood in line. When I reached the counter, I was shocked.

“This time, I’m using a gift card,” I said victoriously, pulling it out of my wallet.

The barista narrowed his eyes on me and then started laughing. “Oh, yeah. Hope you got everything settled.”

“I did. Some sort of fraud alert,” I lied. “So you work at this one too?”

“Yeah sometimes. Someone called in sick at this location so I volunteered. I’m trying to get as many hours as I can before school starts up again. So what can I get you?”

“I’d like a caramel macchiato and a ham breakfast sandwich.” As I placed my order, I realized that I actually had no idea how much money was on the card. I could be in the same predicament all over again. I also couldn’t stop thinking about what was in the envelope that was dropped off.

The cashier took the card and slid it through, handing it back to me without hesitation. “Would you like a receipt for the balance?”

“Yeah, that would be great.” I took the receipt and my eyes landed on how much remained on my gift card.

$193.76

 My stomach tightened as Nancy’s words ran through my head. “There’s always strings attached.” But that wasn’t true. It couldn’t be. Not all of life was about getting what you could from people, was it? I folded the receipt and shoved it in my purse, unsure of what the kindness of this stranger actually meant.

Luke

Driving into the small town, I got the distinct feeling that visitors weren’t welcome. There was one main street that housed a pharmacy, a gift store, a Laundromat, a bowling alley, police station, and a grocery store. There was a gas station at the end of town but that was about it. As I drove through the town, the people walking along the sidewalk kept their heads down and attention turned away from me. The women were dressed in grey dresses that went to their ankles, and the men were in black pants and boxy shirts. I felt like I had landed in another century, except that cars dotted Main Street. A woman in the gift store watched me as I drove by, but once my eyes landed on hers, she pulled back into the shadows. What struck me as more bizarre than her disappearing act was her outfit. It matched the others on the street.

The GPS instructed me to take the first right off of Main Street. I drove another ten minutes or so in the country until the GPS wanted me to turn down a private drive. No Trespassing signs were posted along a stone wall, but that had never stopped me before. If they really wanted privacy, they’d have a gate up, not just a fence. The private road turned to gravel and led deeper into the country. I glanced at the address again and wondered if this was just one large estate, but then I spotted more of the friendly people from earlier. Two women were walking in the snow. One held a shovel and the other had a baby on her hip. They stopped walking as I drove past them. It struck me as odd that they weren’t in coats. It wasn’t that cold out, but there was still snow on the ground. I wondered where they were coming from or where they were going.

As I slowly followed down the road, several buildings came into view. They were all similar in design, typical saltbox structures, very plain in appearance. One was painted brown, another grey, and another almost black. There were several cars parked in front of each one. I couldn’t tell if these were dwellings or used for something else. I continued driving down the tiny lane and more of the same buildings came into view, but these were much smaller. There was a group of men, dressed just like the others, congregated in front of one of them. A man from the group spotted me and held his hand up as he began walking toward me.