Page 15 of A Bloody Merry Christmas
“Tootaloo!” She fluttered her fingers at me and spun on her beige heeled boots, striding down the through the snow as though she owned the neighborhood.
I shook my head, not quite sure what to make of her, and closed the door gently. I didn’t think too hard on everything that had just happened. It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours and my life had taken a dramatic turn. The streets weren’t my home right now and I had food and a shower and a flickering fire with warmth that seeped in my bones.
Smiling at the thought, I went back to Samael’s bedroom and searched through his armoire. When I found a pair of jeans, some underwear, and a T-shirt that would fit me, I walked into the bathroom. I tossed up the idea of a bath or shower, both sounding amazing, but decided to hit the shower quick before I went to the store like Samael had suggested.
I made sure to give my teeth a good brush, the beautiful taste of mint toothpaste heavy on my tongue. It was the little hygiene things I missed the most, and after ten minutes of just brushing and brushing and brushing, I knew I couldn’t clean them any more than I had. Then I went for a shower. After I bathed myself with the sponge and soap and washed my chin-length hair with shampoo and conditioner—twice!—I twisted the knobs off.
I dressed once I got out of the shower and dried off, and then I stared at myself in the mirror. I looked a little better than I had yesterday morning. My brunet hair was softer, instead ofclumped together, and the dirt on my face had swirled down the drain last night. The bruises on my cheek, chin, and corner of my eye had darkened overnight, with the deep purple shiners prominent on my pale skin. Fucking bastards. I was glad Samael had dealt with them; although, I also wished he hadn’t so I could’ve done something to them, too. Didn’t I deserve to get a few hits in?
Shaking my head at the thought, I grabbed a spare coat from the armoire before I went back downstairs and grabbed the credit card I’d left on the table. There was a grocery store a few blocks away and there was a collapsible cart leaning against the front door, so I decided it was easier to take that.
Mind made up, I grabbed the spare key he’d given me and strode out the front door with more confidence than I actually felt. My ribs still ached, a constant throb reminding me of the feel of the asshole’s foot on my chest. He didn’t use as much force with his kick as he did with his fists, though, and the pain radiating from my face proved that. The bones in my cheek were tender, but I didn’t think they were broken.
I locked the front door behind me and headed down Samael’s freshly plowed walkway to the suburban street filled with pretty, little quaint houses. They all looked very similar, with snow-covered lawns, brown peaked roofs, brick walls, and wide windows. Samael’s was the same, except he didn’t have garden beds scattered around the front lawn. Instead, his was plain, with only a winding path that led to his front door.
Who had plowed Samael’s driveway and walkway? I glanced around and caught sight of an elderly man talking to another lady a few houses down, a shovel clutched in his hand. He gave me a short nod and I suspected he’d done it, so I gave him a smile and raised my palm in thanks.
Annabella stood on her doorstep across the street, and when she saw me, she waved. I returned the gesture awkwardly, notsure what else to do. Is this what neighbors did in this kind of area? Shoving my hands into the thick leather jacket I’d found in Samael’s armoire, one hand still clutched around the credit card, I shifted down the newly ploughed sidewalk and past more houses with overly friendly people who yelled out their good mornings. I returned the greetings but only because I had no idea what else to do. These people didn’t know me, yet they still acknowledged me. It was weird. I wasn’t invisible anymore, and it almost felt like I belonged to a community even though most of them didn’t know my name.
The frigid air danced across my exposed cheeks, and I buried myself deeper into the coat. At least now I had clothing that protected me from the weather. My boots, on the other hand, didn’t save me from the cold of the snow seeping through to my socks. I needed to buy a new pair at some point. Hell, I could buy a whole new wardrobe and finally get rid of that ratty backpack, so if Samael ended up kicking me out again, I’d have some possessions worth keeping. As it was, my bag was stuffed in the guest room’s closet, forgotten. I’d thrown the stale bread out, of course, because that wouldn’t last.
It took me half an hour to get to the supermarket, mostly because I was stopped by a lady running along the sidewalk with her chocolate Labrador. She introduced herself, then proceeded to tell me how lucky I was to have hooked Samael. Apparently this neighborhood were a bunch of gossips and she’d already been told what I looked like and who I was. I listened before fleeing for my life when she’d finally lost her grip on my arm.
By the time I reached the grocery store, I was done with socializing. I’d talked to more people in the last hour than I had in my entire time on the streets. I didn’t like it.
With the credit card clutched in my hand in the coat pocket, I unfolded my cart and moved directly to the bakery section. I’d always had a love for pastries and bread, ever since I was a kidand my mom took me to the local French patisserie. That was before my real dad walked out of our lives.
A grocery store’s bakery had nothing on the patisserie, but I didn’t care. It was warm and smelled like freshly baked food that made my mouth water. I immediately reached for some white bread before I moved to the pastries and sweets. The macarons were my first choice, but I added a bear claw to my cart as well. I had the damn cart a quarter full before I got to the fruit section.
It took me another twenty minutes of salivating over the most wonderful food I’d seen before I arrived at the cashier. A girl that didn’t look much younger than me blinked at me from behind gold-rimmed glasses. She smiled, flashing her braces.
“Do I know you?” She began to scan the groceries I’d added to the conveyer belt.
“No,” I answered immediately.
“I think I do.” She popped her lips at me.
When I had all the food and essentials on the belt, I took a moment to really stare at her. She had frizzy crimson hair she’d pulled tight at the back of her head and freckles splattered across her nose and cheeks. Her lips were bright pink, but not by any kind of makeup product. She did look familiar, but I couldn’t place her.
“You don’t know me.” I crossed my arms.
She narrowed her eyes on me before her face lit up. “I do! You used to go to high school with my sister. Melody.”
Melody.The name bounced around my head. It was a rare and very familiar name, one that I didn’t care to remember. I winced.
“Your name starts with E, right? Is it Edward?”
“Can you please finish scanning my stuff?” I snapped before I could stop myself. The lady waiting behind me frowned, but she didn’t say anything like I’d expected. She clutched her handbag closer to her side, and shame curled low in my stomach. Iglanced away and held the credit card a little tighter in my pocket.
The redhead stared at me with wide eyes as she continued with her job. I used the credit card, then shoved the cart out of the store before she could say anything else to me. My heart jumped in my chest when I nearly ran into someone. I glanced back, but the cashier had forgotten me already, serving the next lady as though she hadn’t said a damned thing to me. And here I was, heart beating so rapidly I thought it would rip itself from my chest and run away, leaving me to die.
My past danced around me like a ghost. Even in a pretty neighborhood like this, I was mocked by Melody’s sister.Fuck.Fear crept up my spine and my grip tightened on the handle of the shopping cart as I pushed it into the parking lot. I transferred the groceries into the collapsible cart before I dragged it back toward Samael’s house. I breathed through my nose, suddenly aware of the throb in my cheek, nose, and in the corner of my eye again. The cold wind didn’t numb the pain like I’d hoped it would, but the chill prickled at my skin, even through the layers of clothing.
I walked faster, ignoring the friendly hellos until I’d forced the cart up onto the cement path that led right up to Samael’s front door.
I carried the groceries into the house and folded up the cart before I returned to the warmth of the kitchen to store the food and essentials away in what I assumed was their rightful place. Then, I chose to sit on the couch, staring at the fireplace which I hadn’t lit yet. The furnace was running and I reveled in the comfort.
I closed my eyes, not even realizing I’d fallen asleep until I woke with a start. Rubbing my cheek carefully, I glanced around the room, then at the clock hanging on the wall. It was later in the afternoon. I must’ve slept for at least three hours.
