Kind of in the Zone ... Prologue Part 2/5
Eleven Months of Night
It helps when you already have a lot of stuff outlined. ;) The parts after the prologue aren't going to be so easy.
Eleven Months Earlier
December 20th, 2006
There was a light dusting of snow on the ground when Seph Ryan stepped outside of Quincy’s Diner shortly after midnight. She was working the graveyard shift at the restaurant tonight, and had desperately needed to get out of the ridiculously hot kitchen for a few minutes, so she had volunteered to lug a few bags of garbage out to the dumpster.
With a small breath of relief, she inhaled the fresh, cool air; enjoyed the sharpness of it in her lungs. Anything was better than the smell of bacon grease and burnt toast. Sighing, she tossed the trash into the dumpster and leaned against the side of the building. A year ago, this was not what she would have imagined her life would be like.
A year ago, at the age of twenty-four, she had been dancing in New York City, with the American Ballet. But one misstep during a practice for The Nutcracker had ended it all. She had crushed her ankle bone and ruptured her Achilles’ tendon. Either of those injuries alone might not have been career-ending … but the combination of the two together had proven to be completely detrimental to any future she might have had as an en pointe dancer in the troupe. Her dreams of being a prima ballerina had shattered with her ankle.
She’d had several surgeries to repair the damages, and her foot was finally out of the cast, but she could feel the difference, every morning when she practiced her positions at the bar she had set up in her bedroom.
Now she was back in her hometown, living in a small one-bedroom apartment, and working at the local 24-hour greasy spoon. She had signed up to take some courses at the local community college starting in January, and was hoping that she would find a subject that interested her as much as dance had.
There was at least one bright spot, though, and that was the fact that since she was back home, she had been able to reconnect with her former high school sweetheart, Erik Trent. They were nowhere near as serious as they had been, once upon a time, but it was nice -- comforting -- to have him around. The familiarity was something of a godsend at this point in her life. But deep down, she knew that comfort and familiarity could only take her so far.
She had loved her life in New York, loved dancing every night, loved the excitement and adventure that her life in Enna, Missouri, had never and would never offer. Some days she missed it so much that she could barely breathe. Other days, she made it through by doing what she had to do now … but she knew in her heart that this wasn’t where she was meant to be. She’d always known that.
When she’d gone to New York, she’d thought she’d found it. The bright, shining thing she was meant for. She’d been wrong. If that had been her true calling, she wouldn’t have gotten hurt.
No, there was something else, she knew it. She just didn’t know what.
The sound of muffled sobs from the other side of the dumpster brought her back to the reality of her life. She walked toward the sound cautiously, and stopped when she saw Ariana Grinaldi, one of the girls who had worked the night shift. “What are you still doing here?” Seph asked carefully, and the girl jumped.
She looked up and Seph’s heart went out to her. She was only sixteen, and her face was tear stained and mournful-looking. “I can’t … can’t go home,” Ariana choked out.
“Why not?” Seph asked, immediately concerned.
“Dad’s so mad at me. I just let everyone down,” Ariana said, clutching her coat tightly around her shoulders. Her accent smacked of Brooklyn. “Because I disgraced him or somethin’. That’s what he says, anyways.”
“Why would you say that?” Seph inquired. If there was one thing that got her back up, it was parents who treated their children like shit. Her own mother was beyond wonderful, but her stepfather … he was something else entirely. Seph wasn’t entirely sure that they had words strong or foul enough to describe him. “Talk to me. Maybe I can help.”
Ariana regarded the girl in front of her. She had known of her before she actually knew her. Seph Ryan. She had danced in New York City. Ariana’s mother had taken her to see some of the performances when she was younger.
But her mother had gotten sick about a year ago, and they had stopped going to the ballet. And her father had changed too. Started drinking more. And when Ariana’s mom had died, he’d become detached and angry at the world. He’d moved Ariana and himself away from Brooklyn and back to his hometown of Enna, at the behest of his mother. He then proceeded to drink himself into oblivion, leaving Ariana with no choice but to get a job to help her grandmother pay the bills.
She had been shocked when, at her first day on her job a few months prior, she had been trained by none other than Seph Ryan. She’d been even more surprised when Seph been genuinely nice to her, and had taken her under her wing. Ariana would even dare to say that they were friends. As much as a skinny, awkward sixteen-year-old and a poised, lithe twenty-five-year-old could be friends, anyway.
“Ari, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong,” Seph said gently.
“I’m pregnant,” Ariana said quietly after a long pause.
Seph’s mouth fell open unintentionally. “And you’re worried about your dad, okay, I get that. What about the father of the baby, where is he?”
Ariana shook her head. “He doesn’t want nothin’ to do with me now. Even offered me money to get rid of it. A lot of money.” Her hands were shaking as she reached in her purse for a pack of cigarettes.
Seph put out her hands and took the pack from Ariana. “You shouldn’t do this now. It’s bad for the baby.”
Ariana looked at the older girl, fire flashing in her dark brown eyes. “I took the money, Seph. I’m not keeping that bastard’s kid!”
Seph was hit with a wave of nausea that seemed to come from nowhere. This whole situation was frighteningly, sickeningly familiar. “Ariana. Listen to me. This is important. What’s his name?”
Ariana shook her head, the terror in her dark eyes evident. “I can’t. He made me promise I wouldn’t say anything!”
The knot in Seph’s stomach tightened. “What’s his name?” she repeated evenly, coolly.
Ariana noted the icy look in Seph’s hazel eyes and swallowed hard. “It’s just that, I don’t want you to think I’m a slut. He’s a lot older, and married, and … I just … he was nice to me at first. And it was nice to have someone pay attention to me again. But then, one night, he … and I … I couldn’t tell him no. He’d been so nice to me, and he bought me things. Real pretty, expensive stuff. But I didn’t really want to.” She was crying again, and Seph felt her hands clench into fists as her blood began to boil.
Taking a deep breath, Seph put her hands on the younger girls’ shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes. “His name, Ariana. What’s his name?”
Ariana sniffled. “Xavier. Xavier Zacharias.”
Seph stepped back, her mouth drawn in a firm line. She fought the urge to punch the dumpster. Breaking her hand right now wouldn’t solve anybody’s problems. “Son of a bitch. Son of a bitch,” she cursed.
“He said no one would believe me, because of who he is,” Ariana went on. “Said I was just some poor, stupid little whore …”
“It’s okay, Ari,” Seph said, trying to calm herself down. “I just … I can’t believe he did it again, that’s all.”
“What do you mean? I mean, I know I’m not the only one. He goes to the high school football games and hits on the girls. But he does it so smooth, you don’t even know. That’s how I met him. He was sitting behind me and my friends at one of the games, back in October.” Seph’s eyes widened in shock. She wanted to bellow, and scream, and curse the gods. But instead, she just shook her head, her anger and sadness threatening to overtake her.
“Don’t worry about it right now. Just go home. Go home and sleep. Don’t worry about Xavier. Just take care of yourself, okay?” She grabbed her order notepad from the pocket of her apron and scribbled down her cell phone number on the back of one of the pages. “Call me if you need anything, okay?”
Ariana nodded. “Okay. Thank you, Seph,” she said after a moment. “For everything.”
Seph nodded and, on a sudden impulse, reached out and gave the younger girl a hug. “It’ll be all right,” she said, hoping that she sounded convincing. She stood and waited until she saw Ariana get in her car and drive off before turning and going back inside the restaurant.
First thing in the morning, Seph was going to pay her stepfather a visit. One that was long overdue.
It helps when you already have a lot of stuff outlined. ;) The parts after the prologue aren't going to be so easy.
Eleven Months Earlier
December 20th, 2006
There was a light dusting of snow on the ground when Seph Ryan stepped outside of Quincy’s Diner shortly after midnight. She was working the graveyard shift at the restaurant tonight, and had desperately needed to get out of the ridiculously hot kitchen for a few minutes, so she had volunteered to lug a few bags of garbage out to the dumpster.
With a small breath of relief, she inhaled the fresh, cool air; enjoyed the sharpness of it in her lungs. Anything was better than the smell of bacon grease and burnt toast. Sighing, she tossed the trash into the dumpster and leaned against the side of the building. A year ago, this was not what she would have imagined her life would be like.
A year ago, at the age of twenty-four, she had been dancing in New York City, with the American Ballet. But one misstep during a practice for The Nutcracker had ended it all. She had crushed her ankle bone and ruptured her Achilles’ tendon. Either of those injuries alone might not have been career-ending … but the combination of the two together had proven to be completely detrimental to any future she might have had as an en pointe dancer in the troupe. Her dreams of being a prima ballerina had shattered with her ankle.
She’d had several surgeries to repair the damages, and her foot was finally out of the cast, but she could feel the difference, every morning when she practiced her positions at the bar she had set up in her bedroom.
Now she was back in her hometown, living in a small one-bedroom apartment, and working at the local 24-hour greasy spoon. She had signed up to take some courses at the local community college starting in January, and was hoping that she would find a subject that interested her as much as dance had.
There was at least one bright spot, though, and that was the fact that since she was back home, she had been able to reconnect with her former high school sweetheart, Erik Trent. They were nowhere near as serious as they had been, once upon a time, but it was nice -- comforting -- to have him around. The familiarity was something of a godsend at this point in her life. But deep down, she knew that comfort and familiarity could only take her so far.
She had loved her life in New York, loved dancing every night, loved the excitement and adventure that her life in Enna, Missouri, had never and would never offer. Some days she missed it so much that she could barely breathe. Other days, she made it through by doing what she had to do now … but she knew in her heart that this wasn’t where she was meant to be. She’d always known that.
When she’d gone to New York, she’d thought she’d found it. The bright, shining thing she was meant for. She’d been wrong. If that had been her true calling, she wouldn’t have gotten hurt.
No, there was something else, she knew it. She just didn’t know what.
The sound of muffled sobs from the other side of the dumpster brought her back to the reality of her life. She walked toward the sound cautiously, and stopped when she saw Ariana Grinaldi, one of the girls who had worked the night shift. “What are you still doing here?” Seph asked carefully, and the girl jumped.
She looked up and Seph’s heart went out to her. She was only sixteen, and her face was tear stained and mournful-looking. “I can’t … can’t go home,” Ariana choked out.
“Why not?” Seph asked, immediately concerned.
“Dad’s so mad at me. I just let everyone down,” Ariana said, clutching her coat tightly around her shoulders. Her accent smacked of Brooklyn. “Because I disgraced him or somethin’. That’s what he says, anyways.”
“Why would you say that?” Seph inquired. If there was one thing that got her back up, it was parents who treated their children like shit. Her own mother was beyond wonderful, but her stepfather … he was something else entirely. Seph wasn’t entirely sure that they had words strong or foul enough to describe him. “Talk to me. Maybe I can help.”
Ariana regarded the girl in front of her. She had known of her before she actually knew her. Seph Ryan. She had danced in New York City. Ariana’s mother had taken her to see some of the performances when she was younger.
But her mother had gotten sick about a year ago, and they had stopped going to the ballet. And her father had changed too. Started drinking more. And when Ariana’s mom had died, he’d become detached and angry at the world. He’d moved Ariana and himself away from Brooklyn and back to his hometown of Enna, at the behest of his mother. He then proceeded to drink himself into oblivion, leaving Ariana with no choice but to get a job to help her grandmother pay the bills.
She had been shocked when, at her first day on her job a few months prior, she had been trained by none other than Seph Ryan. She’d been even more surprised when Seph been genuinely nice to her, and had taken her under her wing. Ariana would even dare to say that they were friends. As much as a skinny, awkward sixteen-year-old and a poised, lithe twenty-five-year-old could be friends, anyway.
“Ari, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong,” Seph said gently.
“I’m pregnant,” Ariana said quietly after a long pause.
Seph’s mouth fell open unintentionally. “And you’re worried about your dad, okay, I get that. What about the father of the baby, where is he?”
Ariana shook her head. “He doesn’t want nothin’ to do with me now. Even offered me money to get rid of it. A lot of money.” Her hands were shaking as she reached in her purse for a pack of cigarettes.
Seph put out her hands and took the pack from Ariana. “You shouldn’t do this now. It’s bad for the baby.”
Ariana looked at the older girl, fire flashing in her dark brown eyes. “I took the money, Seph. I’m not keeping that bastard’s kid!”
Seph was hit with a wave of nausea that seemed to come from nowhere. This whole situation was frighteningly, sickeningly familiar. “Ariana. Listen to me. This is important. What’s his name?”
Ariana shook her head, the terror in her dark eyes evident. “I can’t. He made me promise I wouldn’t say anything!”
The knot in Seph’s stomach tightened. “What’s his name?” she repeated evenly, coolly.
Ariana noted the icy look in Seph’s hazel eyes and swallowed hard. “It’s just that, I don’t want you to think I’m a slut. He’s a lot older, and married, and … I just … he was nice to me at first. And it was nice to have someone pay attention to me again. But then, one night, he … and I … I couldn’t tell him no. He’d been so nice to me, and he bought me things. Real pretty, expensive stuff. But I didn’t really want to.” She was crying again, and Seph felt her hands clench into fists as her blood began to boil.
Taking a deep breath, Seph put her hands on the younger girls’ shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes. “His name, Ariana. What’s his name?”
Ariana sniffled. “Xavier. Xavier Zacharias.”
Seph stepped back, her mouth drawn in a firm line. She fought the urge to punch the dumpster. Breaking her hand right now wouldn’t solve anybody’s problems. “Son of a bitch. Son of a bitch,” she cursed.
“He said no one would believe me, because of who he is,” Ariana went on. “Said I was just some poor, stupid little whore …”
“It’s okay, Ari,” Seph said, trying to calm herself down. “I just … I can’t believe he did it again, that’s all.”
“What do you mean? I mean, I know I’m not the only one. He goes to the high school football games and hits on the girls. But he does it so smooth, you don’t even know. That’s how I met him. He was sitting behind me and my friends at one of the games, back in October.” Seph’s eyes widened in shock. She wanted to bellow, and scream, and curse the gods. But instead, she just shook her head, her anger and sadness threatening to overtake her.
“Don’t worry about it right now. Just go home. Go home and sleep. Don’t worry about Xavier. Just take care of yourself, okay?” She grabbed her order notepad from the pocket of her apron and scribbled down her cell phone number on the back of one of the pages. “Call me if you need anything, okay?”
Ariana nodded. “Okay. Thank you, Seph,” she said after a moment. “For everything.”
Seph nodded and, on a sudden impulse, reached out and gave the younger girl a hug. “It’ll be all right,” she said, hoping that she sounded convincing. She stood and waited until she saw Ariana get in her car and drive off before turning and going back inside the restaurant.
First thing in the morning, Seph was going to pay her stepfather a visit. One that was long overdue.