Shadow

I work at a small dinner as a waitress and work went fast. It was starting to be really nice weather outside so a lot of people were out and about. For once in a long time the town seemed normal. That should have warned me that something was up. Things were never normal in Springwood. Things are only normal when something bad is about to happen or at least that's the way it seems.

My shift ends at ten thirty and at nine a woman I had never seen before came in. One look at her told me she wasn't from Springwood. She had long dirty blond hair that went a bit past her breast and the most beautiful green eyes I had ever seen.

What gave away she wasn't from around here was the way she was dressed. She was wearing a bomber jacket that looked a few sizes too big and baggy black pants. Even though it was clear this woman was in her twenties she was dressed like a teenager. Her pants had a few chains hanging from them and there was a dog collar around her throat.

People were turning at her and looking. She ignored them and walked over to counter that I was standing behind.

“Just you?” I asked.

“Yeah,” she answered.

“Follow me,” I said and started to walk.

It looked like these people would give this girl a hard time I put her in a both a bit away from the crowds. Most of the younger people had turned their heads but some of the other people were still looking at her. The woman didn't pay any attention to them as she sat down.

“Can I get you anything for starters?” I asked.

“Coffee,” she said. “No sugar.”

I nodded and walked off to get her coffee. By now everyone had turned away from the woman. I walked over to the coffee machine and couldn't help feeling nervous. Something about that woman made me feel uneasy. Maybe it was because she looked like the girl in my dream or maybe it was because she was a stranger. Chances were she was just someone who was passing through. We got a lot of those.

I took the coffee and walked back to the table. The woman smiled up at me and took the coffee. She seemed friendly enough.

“Thank you by the way,” she said taking a tip of the coffee. “For putting me in the corner I mean. People have been acting strange towards me since I got here.”

“Yeah,” I said looking around at the people. “People here don't take to well to strangers. You on your way to somewhere? Sorry for being nosy but we don't get many strangers.”

“I'm actually from here,” the woman said glancing over the menu. “I lived here as a child. I'm moving back here.”

“Well I took forward to seeing you around here,” I said extending my hand. “My name is Lori.”

“My name is Shadow,” she said taking my hand and shaking it.

I noticed she had several spiked bracelets on her right hand. I didn't want to tell her her style won't go well in Springwood because it would have sounded rude. I decided that she already knew that anyway.

“Very interesting name,” I smiled. “Is there anything else I can get you?”

“Thanks.” she glanced over the menu again. “Yeah I'll take the stake. Medium rare. You know so it's a bit drippy.”

“Alright,” I said writing it down. “I'll send that right in.”

I walked back to the kitchen and slipped the order to the cook. Shadow seemed pretty nice. I shouldn't have gotten nervous just because she looked like the girl from my dreams. I ran off to wait on another table.

During the time she was there Shadow and I talked a bit more. She had just gotten out a bad marriage and wanted to start her life over again in her home town. I gave her my phone number so that we could talk more as she signed the check She didn't need to sign the check but she must have been from some place where you had to.

“I'll be sure to call you,” she said slipping the paper in her pocket. “I was scared I wasn't going to have any friends here.”

She gave me the check and money over to the cash register. It was when I looked down at the check to make double sure that she gave me the right and gasp. Written in perfect handwriting was the name Shadow Kruger.