The North Star | COMPLETED ✔️

Chapter 9 ~ Welcome Wagon

Chapter 9

The old man woke me up with a smack to the face.

I never thought I'd be grateful for someone hitting me, but in that instance, I was. My head would explode, my abused stomach finally wanted to run away, and the long and lonely walk to the shop might as well have been a climb of Mount Everest.

Regardless, I made it, lacking the bells but still whole. Zeke looked up from behind the counter when I stepped inside. He had a mug of coffee in his hand, and a paper in the other. He sat them down and stood when he saw me.

"Hey, now! There she is." He smiled. "Charlene!" His smile widened as he turned back to me. "You're gonna get it, girl."

I paused, but before I could even process what he meant, Charlene bounded out of the hallway with hands on hips. She clasped her chest when she saw me standing there, as if she's been... worried.

My brow furrowed.

She closed the gap between us like she'd known me all my life and wrapped me in a hug. "Goodness, girl. You took off before I could get to you." She pulled away but left one arm draped across my back. Before I knew it, she was leading me away.

A look over my shoulder revealed an amused Zeke.

Charlene pulled me down the hall and into a door at the end of it. It was a break room of sorts. Two couches, a television, a counter with a coffee maker. Wood paneled walls and unstapled carpet was a good attempt of setting it apart from the rest of the shop.

She left me standing inside the doorway and walked to a small closet in the right corner. "I've got you some stuff," she said, pulling out a plastic shopping bag. "It's not much." She handed it to me. "But you seemed like you could use it." She smiled, then grabbed another bag from the counter, this one a pouch.

I eyed the bounty she'd handed me. The plastic bag was packed neatly with clothes, and the pouch had a clear window that revealed the basic toiletries inside. My throat constricted.

Her eyes softened. "Come on. I'll show you where the bathroom is. You can freshen up before your first day."

My heart skipped. A shower was among my top ten things to do before I died. It was something I'd taken for granted. The amount of grime on my skin felt solid, and no sink bath would ever be enough to fix it. My hair was a grease trap. A mixture of shame and gratitude tightened my chest.

Charlene took my hand in a light hold then squeezed it. She pulled me back through the door and down the hall. The next door had been hidden, and looked more like the cover to a pantry than a room, but behind it might as well have been a spa.

A shower fitted within the corner. Just big enough for me to stand in one spot, but glorious all the same.

I'm going to live in that fucking thing.

Charlene patted my shoulder. "Take your time. There's nothing he needs you to do that can't wait."

I grinned at her back as she stepped away, then closed myself into the tight room. What little space I had to move wasn't quite enough to get comfortable. I rested the bags onto the toilet lid and opened the larger one.

One by one, I pulled out each item and draped it wherever I could. Across the small sink, the back of the toilet, then the little floor space around my feet. All in all, I had three pairs of jeans, a sweater, two new t-shirts, and one soft leather jacket. I ran a hand along the jacket and swooned. It would be warm. The fleece lining combined with the thick hide would be a godsend as the temperature dropped. I left it out along with one pair of jeans and the sweater, then packed the rest back how it'd been.