Chapter 19.
Feb 2036
I look around my new house, biting my lip nervously. "So that's it?" I ask the U.S. Marshall.
He nods, "Yes, ma'am."
"I just become Breeze Evans?" I say, running my hand along the wall. The house was totally empty except for a fridge in the kitchen. "What about my family?"
He shrugs, "I don't know, ma'am. But you aren't allowed to be in contact with them because it could endanger you. I'm sure you've been briefed on that but I'd like to remind you once more. There is no contact with your past life."
I nod a little, "Great... So I'll die alone when I get discovered." I mutter. If Xander found me, I knew that he would kill me. Well, he would kill me after torturing me first. A plethora of punishments and ways he would torture me ran through my head. I shivered at the dark thoughts, feeling sick.
"You won't." He says, touching my arm in a way he saw as reassuring but the touch made my stomach churn. "We'll have periodic check-ins. I know you practiced your back story on the way over but you must keep to it. Here's your official documentation." He hands over a large box that had my new papers as well as some old fake bills and other important papers for Breeze- me.
I take the box and set it on the kitchen counter, running a hand through my hair. "I- what do I do now?"
He looks at me, almost sadly. "You'll get a check to help you start yourself off, maybe get some furniture. Once you get a job, that'll phase out slowly. You will be financially set for the first six months and you will deposit them using the bank and id cards from the packet. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to Tanya Reed. She's down the road and will be your contact person. Her card is in the box."
I nod, "Great." I mutter.
"Have a good day." He says abruptly and walks out. The clock on the microwave read 4:42 am.
I shut the door behind him, locking all of the locks. I bite my lip and look around the empty house. After my testimony to the district attorney in Verna, he had helped me get into the WITSEC program. Luka had helped me as much as he could but was not supposed to influence my testimony. Part of my deal with the DA was that I testify against Xander, but also give some family secrets to give them a leg up in fighting citywide crime. Luckily, I had not known the answers to most of their questions so I did not feel like I had betrayed my family- well, except for disappearing without any notice. The US marshals helped me come up with my new identity, knowing of Xander's reach so only two people knew my true name. They had changed everything about me including my name, hair, and age.
I walk up to my room that simply had a mattress in it and lift it up, picking up the family picture that I had hidden under it. I had a snuck it since we were not supposed to have anything related to our past. It was a picture of us at the beach when I was younger. Mama and Papà were sitting in the back while my brothers held me horizontally in the picture. I was about 8 in the picture and only remembered a little about that trip. I sighed shakily, wiping a tear that slipped down my cheek. "Guess it's just me." I murmur softly, replacing it before washing my face and hands. I brush my teeth and go back to my room before laying on the bare mattress. I was too afraid to sleep so I just stared at the ceiling until the sun crept onto my walls.
It took me two days to work up the courage to leave the house. The first day I sat in my bedroom, occasionally napping in the daylight but as the sun went down, I turned on every light in the house. It was empty and quiet, save for the sound of the occasional car driving down the street.
I jerk awake at a knock on the door, jumping up from my bed. Who was it? Was it Xander here for me? Xander would not knock though. The knock comes again and I flinch, too scared to go downstairs. My heart hammered in my chest and I felt as if I was about to cry. After one last attempt, the person leaves. After ten minutes of me panicking, I forced myself to go downstairs. I peek out the living room bay window and notice a pan out front. I swallow and with shaking hands, unlock my door. I picked up the still-warm casserole, locking the door quickly after. It smelled amazing! I had not eaten anything since I left Verna, my stomach growling in anticipation. I ate a good portion of the dish before putting it in the fridge for later.
The second day, I spent my time reading through my guide to Breeze Evans. After washing my face in the bathroom upstairs, I applied the foundation to hide my facial injuries. I hated seeing the reminders. Then, I went down stairs, reading through my old bills, credit card statements, making sure I had them memorized. Breeze enjoyed shopping, art restoration, and concerts. She was a 19 year old from Montana who had moved here to start fresh after attempting college. She had been an art major with a concentration in drawing. Breeze's family was very religious and when Breeze did not want to follow their beliefs, they said that she either had to listen or they would stop paying for college. Inevitably, she had left. As the sky outside darkened, I went down to the kitchen to take the casserole from the fridge. There was another knock on the door and the panic from yesterday rose, but I forced myself to fight it.
Hesitantly, I grab the pepper spray and open the door after the second knock. There was an older woman standing there with another casserole between two oven mitts. She was fat with a round face and grey hair which was pulled into a low bun. She smiles as she sees me, her teeth slightly crooked but still gleaming white. "Hi honey, I saw that you were moved in and I thought I'd welcome you with a casserole." She smiles, "I'm Christine Wilkins."
I put the pepper spray behind my back, the feeling of panic subsiding. "I'm A-Breeze," I say, almost giving my real name.
"I live down the street," She says, nodding behind her. "The house with the blue Christmas lights." I follow her gaze and look over her house. She continues, "I know you probably didn't eat everything from last night's but everyone should have a hot home cooked meal when they are new to town."
I nod, forcing a smile. "That's seriously very kind of you. You didn't have to do that for me!"
"You are a very beautiful young lady." Mrs. Wilkins says, bustling past me into the house. Normally, I would have been stressed about it but she reminded me of Greta in more ways than one. "Do you live here alone?"
"Yes ma'am," I admit.
"That's not safe... Oh, dearie, you have no furniture!" She frowns deeply as she looks around the empty living room.
"Yeah, I don't...." I murmured, gesturing to my empty living room.
"My grandson is coming by tomorrow to drop off some stuff in my basement because they are moving into a bigger home. I could give whatever they don't want to keep," She offers, raising her eyebrows.
"That's too kind," I murmur, casually setting the pepper spray into the closet.
She bustles into the kitchen and sets up the fresh casserole on the counter. "Yes, I'll make sure that Ray donates his stuff for you. It's so empty here! Lovely place though. The family who lived here before you, Kendra and Deanna, they were such a lovely couple. They adopted two children and their kids grew up so the two decided to travel the world together. I think I last heard that they were in the UK!" She chats aimlessly, taking off the aluminum foil. "Tomorrow I'll come by in the evening with the furniture. I think Ray said that he was coming with Jen sometime in the late afternoon so we will drop in after that. Does that work for you, dear?" Mrs. Wilkens turns to me finally, folding the foil. I nod mutely. "Oh dear, do you have sheets upstairs?" With that, she invites herself upstairs and makes a tsking sound as she sees the mattress. "This won't do!" She comes back down, shaking her head. "I'll run over to my place and bring back some sheets and a blanket. I cannot believe I didn't think of that. They really left nothing here and you have nothing, you poor thing!" I saw stars as she pats my cheek in what was supposed to be a gentle gesture, squeezing my eyes shut until the wave of dizziness. Mrs. Wilkens gasps, "Oh, are you alright dear?"
I open my eyes, trying to play it cool. "Y-yes, sorry! I'm just tired," I lie through gritted teeth as my cheek throbs.
She frowns deeply before spinning around the empty house then she turns back to me. She reaches out and slowly takes my hand. I allow, confused. She lifts the sleeve and sees the dark bruising on my arm, her eyes widening in understanding. "Oh, sweetie!" She breathes. "Oh my sweet girl!"
"I-I..." I started and then stopped. "I had to get away," I finally whispered.
Mrs. Wilkens nods gravely, "I'm sure you did. He does not know you are here?"
"No." I shake my head, "Lord, I hope not!" I drop my eyes and pull my sleeve up to reveal the long gash from the vase shard. "T-this was because I threw up on his carpet." I pause, staring at the long red gash. "He threw me into a table... I came here to start fresh. I've left everyone."
Her eyes drop to the wound and then she looks back up at me. She was about a head shorter than me but she carried herself as if she was a giant. "These wounds will heal," She says, pulling my sleeve down. "You have to make sure you heal here," Ever so gently, she places her hand on my heart. "And here." Mrs. Wilkens reaches up and taps my head. I look at her, nodding. She reminded me of Greta so much that it hurt. I felt a tear slide down my cheek. She gives me a reassuring smile. "You might have left everyone, dear, but you are not alone."
~
The next morning, I found the courage to leave the house. I had slept the entire night after Mrs. Wilkens had donated some spare sheets, blanket, and pillow to my cause. She told me I could keep them for as long as I needed. I planned to give them back as soon as possible, not wanting to be a burden. She did not ask about my past, and spoke about her children, grandchildren, and great grandchild. It had taken some prompting to get her to leave because she certainly enjoyed talking. Without curtains to block the sun, I woke up with it. I grab my purse and house key before walking outside. I lock my door before walking down the street. I walk to the end of the road before turning towards the main road, continuing to walk until I come to the bus stop. I wait until it comes at 6:30. I step on, "Does this go to town?" I ask. I had never taken a bus before, only seeing it on TV, but it did not seem too hard to figure out.
The bus driver nods, "Yes girlie."
I take a seat, looking around nervously. We continue driving until the next stop where two men get on. One of the men stares at me and I feel my heart sink as Xander walks towards me. He was here. He had found me and he was going to kill me. I look down and back as the man sits down. He was dressed for construction work and was definitely not Xander. I swallow and run my hand over my face, trying to clear my head. I walk back to the front of the bus, "Which stop is at the grocery store?"
"Three more," He says, "Are you new to town?"
"Yes, I'm totally lost," I admit, giving him a shy smile.
"I'll let you know when to get off." He says, flashing a grin to me before returning to the road.
"Thanks," I say, going back to sit.
We pass another stop and I swear that I saw Orlando on the street, but when I whip around to see, it is just a kid walking to school. I shake my head, getting off at the grocery store when the bus driver lets me know. I thank him and walk into the store. I grab a cart, walking in. I walk through aisle by aisle, getting things that I liked. I get the essential basics like eggs, milk, cereal, pasta, sauce, bread, and butter. I grab the ice cream and am rounding the corner to head to the cashier when I crash my cart into someone else's cart.
I jump, stepping back. "I'm sorry." I squeak, swallowing.
"Woah there." He laughs softly. Hesitantly, I looked up and my breath was taken away at the handsome man in front of me. He was absolutely stunning with his dark tan skin, hazel eyes, and a whole tattoo sleeve running up his arm. He had a sharp defining jawline and a day-old beard. "You alright?"
I nod quickly, gripping the front of my cart tightly, "Yes, you? I'm sorry again for knocking into you."
He grins, "It's no problem at all. Have a good one." He says, moving on with his cart.
I wave and proceed to the cashier where I pay for my groceries with one of the cards left for me. I assumed it was linked to that bank account the marshall had told me about. "Can you double bag them? I have to walk to the bus stop."
She nods, "Of course, sweetie."
I drive the cart out and begin taking the groceries from the cart. I wince as the bags lie heavily on still healing cuts and bruises. I start walking to the bus stop, struggling. The bags were heavy and I was not that strong. I reach the end of the parking lot, starting to walk uphill towards the bus stop. I jump as a car pulls up next to me. My heart stops and I keep walking but it moves with me. I turn and look in. "Need a ride?" It is the man whose cart I hit earlier.
I bite my lip, weighing my options. "I... I don't get in the car with strange men."
"That's fair enough... but you're struggling." He points out. "Throw your stuff in my trunk and I'll give you a lift home."
I think for a long moment, no one knows me here. I could meet someone and begin making connections. Or, I could get kidnapped and brought back to Xander. He gives me a small smile from the car, awaiting my answer. I look up the long hill and my heart sinks. I would struggle to carry all of this all the way home, even with the bus. Hesitantly, I set everything down and opened the trunk, putting them in. I climb into the front seat and roll my window down so that in case the door is child locked, I can still escape. It was cold in the January air but he did not bring it up.
"So where do you live?" He asks, pulling away from the side of the road.
I frown, not really knowing. I pull out my phone, opening the address from my notes. "Um... it's 355 Josephine st."
He laughs, "You just move in?" For a moment, I panicked. Mrs. Wilkens already knew about why I was really here. Would this man find out too?
"Yes." I said truthfully after a moment.
"Here, plug it into the GPS." He says, pointing as he pulls out onto the main road. I do and it asks us to make a U-turn. "That's a far walk."
"I was going to take the bus... But thanks for driving me." I murmur.
"Of course, I am always down to help a woman in distress. I'm Zayn by the way." He smiles, reaching over to shake my hand.
I initially flinch but then shake his hand. "I'm A- I'm Breeze."
If he notices that I flinched, he does not acknowledge it. "That's a dope name!"
"Thank you," I smile a little. The agency had asked me if I wanted to choose my first name, Evans, my last name already chosen for me. I had done some research on cool names between my witness statements and ultimately decided on Breeze. I felt like it suited me.
"How is moving in?" He asks, lifting one arm behind his headrest. I caught a whiff of his deodorant, birch and firewood. He smelled amazing. "I remember when I moved, it was so hard to move the boxes, furniture, and everything. Then, once you unload everything from the truck, you still have to unpack. It's legitimately one of the most stressful things!"
I nod in agreement but say, "It's easy actually, I don't really have a lot of stuff."
Zayn shrugs a little as we pull into my driveway. "Lemme help you with your groceries." He offers and we climb out of the car. I bring some in and he takes the rest. He looks around, "Wow. Nice place but this is empty." He says. "When you said you didn't have stuff, I thought you meant like- this is so empty!" He rambles awkwardly as he sets the bags on the kitchen counter.
"Yeah," I say, blushing a little. "I literally have nothing." I murmur.
"I'm free all day if you want to run to Target." He offers, gesturing around the empty house. "I can help you get some things."
"Oh no, I can't inconvenience you like that," I say, putting the essentials in the vacant fridge.
He opens a cabinet, "I'm putting the rice, pasta, and bread up here." He says.
"Thanks," I say, placing the bags in one bag under the sink.
"Do you have silverware?" He asks.
I facepalm myself and groan. "I literally have nothing," I say again, my bottom lip quivering. I felt myself begin to hyperventilate, feeling overwhelmed. How would I manage to cook without pots or pans? How do I even cook? At home, Greta did the majority of the cooking though I helped her on occasion. We had done some cooking at school but it was not a lot, mainly essentials. I could probably make Mrs. Wilkens' casseroles to last a week but those were not a long term solution.
"Hey, Breeze, deep breaths" He walks over and touches my arm lightly. "It's gonna be alright." He smiles easily and squeezes gently. "Let's make a list of things that you need." He takes out his phone and begins listing off things.
I look up, sniffling. "Okay."
~
We go to Target nearby and fill the car with necessities. I get toiletries from shampoo, razor, soap, toothbrush and toothpaste, and sanitary products. I also get cleaning supplies from laundry detergent to Lysol wipes and a broom. We get kitchen supplies like dish soap, sponge, pots, pans, mixing bowls, bowls, plates, silverware, cups, and kettle. We also get sheets, pillows, a blanket, and a shower curtain.
"This was really too nice of you to do," I say softly as I pay for everything.
"You really seemed like you needed a friend." He smiles a little, dragging the cart to the car.
We drive back to my house and he helps me bring everything in. I arrange the bathroom cabinet while he puts up the shower curtain. "Looks good." He says, admiring his handiwork. We go back downstairs and put the cleaning supplies in the closet.
"Can I make you dinner?" I offer softly. After everything he did for me today, it was the least that I could do to repay him.
He nods, "Sure, I'd like that."
For as hesitant as I had been to interact with him, it was surprisingly easy. He kept it light as we chatted while I made a lasagna, putting it in the oven. I had seen Greta cook a thousand times, though I had never done it myself, it was not as hard as I thought it would be. "Good thing that we bought everything." I smile softly.
"Yeah," He laughs. "It was a comprehensive list!"
"So tell me about yourself," I say, getting him a glass of water from the filtered water tap.
"Well, I'm an Assistant District Attorney." he begins, amending his title as he sees my confused face. "A prosecutor. I work primarily with criminal courts, but I have done a few civil cases in the past."
"That's cool." I nod, resisting the urge to smile. He was on the right side of the law while I had grown up on the wrong side.
"What about yourself?" He asks.
"I am unemployed right now. I am looking." I murmur, starting to set the table as he leans against the counter.
He nods, "I have a buddy who is a restaurant manager and they are hiring if you would be down to work there. I can hit him up if you want."
"That would be awesome actually!" I say, smiling.
He smiles back, "Yeah, no problem!" The timer went off after a few more minutes and I took off the aluminum foil before putting it back into the oven. "Where did you learn how to cook?" Zayn asks.
"I... My mom kinda taught me." I murmur, "Well a family friend. She was basically like a mom to me. She really helped raise me." I look down, frowning a little.
"You alright, Breeze?" He asks.
"Yeah, I just miss my family." I shrug.
"Where are they?" He asks.
I bite my lip, "Umm we fell out of contact."
He nods, "I understand. My ex-wife was not really close with her family either" I take out the lasagna as the timer goes off, "Oh it smells good." He hands me back a knife and I cut the lasagna. I serve it on a plate and pass it to him and then serve myself. We sit down, talking quietly, and I feel very at ease.
"Wow. I am stuffed," he says, patting his tummy.
"Me too." I smile. We talked for a little while longer and I avoided his questions about myself and my past. He did not press me for details, for which I was grateful. When he headed out, he gave me his phone number and told me not to hesitate to call for anything.
~
The next morning, I take the bus into town again and ask people until I make my way to the restaurant that Zayn had recommended. It was a cute olden times diner. I look at the menu, burgers, hot dogs, milkshakes, fries, and soda. I walk in and a man looks in from the kitchen, "Sit wherever you want. Come tell me what you want to order!"
I walked over to the bar that separated us, "Hi, I'm Breeze Evans, I'm looking for a job..."
"You the girl that Zayn recommended?" He asks, drying his hands on a rag that rested over his shoulder. His name tag read Hector.
"Yes, sir." I nod.
"Put your hair up and come round back." He says as something starts beeping in the kitchen. I do as he says, walking into the kitchen. "What can you do?"
"Whatever you need me to do, sir!" I say quickly.
"Can you waitress?" He demands briskly.
"Uh, yes, I suppose so." I stammer, lying through my teeth, never having done manual labor like this before.
"Good. The lunch rush is about to hit. Put on the apron from the closet, get a name tag, and write orders on that slip. Make sure they pay." He says, waving his hand.
At 12:00 sharp almost, people started pouring in. I had to quickly adjust to people's orders. Everyone was very friendly, saying how they did not recognize me, but welcoming me when I said that I had just moved to town. I moved through the different tables, placing orders, bringing orders, and taking dishes. To my surprise, people left tips which I put in my apron pocket.
Around 2:30, things started slowing down and I brought the last pile of dishes back to the dish room. Hector leans his head out, "That was good work, Bre."
I smile a little, "Thank you, sir."
Hector nods, "Keep the tips you made. Come back tomorrow with your social security card and I'll help you fill out the forms to get you a salary."
"Thank you, sir!" I say, utterly surprised.
And that was that. I began working at the diner from 11:30am-7 pm from Tuesdays through Saturdays. The weekend hours were a bit different but that was my schedule for now. Hector had a buddy who was a mechanic who found a car for 3,700 $ that was functioning and did not have that many miles on it. Zayn checked in on me to make sure that everything was going okay. I even started befriending my other neighbors which surprised me. Mrs. Wilken's grandson had given me a couch, matching chair, bookcase, a few lamps, and two small tables for 250$. He refused to take any more from me, making me wonder if she had told him but I doubted it. The community that WITSEC had placed me in was so welcoming a lot less alone.