Survival: Chapter three

"I found a job for you", Sierra's father, Joshua replied in a tone of indifferenece.

"A job?", Sierra asked in surprize as she looked up from her book, a novel of Beauty and the Beast. Only it had nothing to do with fairies or enchantments, but was about a lovely young woman who'd been beaten by a mob of men and rescued by a man whom as a child was experimented on by his own father. Then after seeing the effects it had on his son, that it altered his appearance into an animal, left him to die.

"Yes, at Sean's grocery."
"Doing what?" Sierra asked in both wonder and horror. 'Sean's Grocery that is the worst possible place to work in town...'

"As a clerk. He'll be calling you with the details soon." her father said then turned around to leave but swung around in anger when Sierra proclaimed," But dad! I don't..."

"SHUT UP! You are going to take this job. You HAVE to."

"What's going on?" Lisa, Sierra's mother asked in concern by her husband's tone, as she stepped into the room.

"I've found a job for her and the ungratful wretch doesn't want it!' he yelled at both of them.

A pain filled expression filled Sierra's face as she turned from her mother's glance toward her. "Doing what? Where?"
"At Sean's Grocery, as a clerk." Sierra said quietly.

"Sean's Grocery? But that is one of the worst..." Lisa began to reason with her husband.

"And we need more income coming in Lisa. The girl is strong and healthy enough to take it."

"I see..." Lisa said in a disapproving tone. He wsa picking at her fragility again, she hated him when he did this, "Well, what will she be paid and how many hours and days will she work?" Lisa asked as she thought, 'Sean's Grocery is the filthest, most rat and bug infested place in town. It pays often below minimum wage and makes employees work without benefits 40+ hours a week. Sexual harassment is also prevelant there, plus it is in the most dangerous area in town. Is he nuts?'
"$4.20 an hour for 45+ hours a week."
"45+? With her duties on the farm it'll kill her Joshua!" Lisa cried.

"45 hours, 6 days a week." he said nastily.

Sierra couldn't hold it in anymore, "Father, you call THAT a job? Who'll tend to things here? The crops... the animals... I can't take this job dad!" Sierra said getting up.

"We need the extra income. You ARE going to take it whether you want to or not." Joshua replied in a disguisted tone, then turned and left. They heard the phone ring. It wasn't the store, but someone equally as bad- Peter Charden. He came froma rich family, had good looks and knew it, and because Sierra didn't like him, he liked her.

"It's Peter." Joshua announced, prancing in, thrusting the cordless phone at Sierra. There was nothing more that it seemed to Sierra, that her father wanted than for her to marry Peter. then she'd be out of his way and have a nice little bank account to go with it. Sierra however, detested Peter.

"I don't want to talk to him." she said queitly, she already felt sick to her stomach with the news of this job.
"TALK TO HIM!" her father said through gretted teeth.
She took the phone, feeling a turn in her stmavh. Her father left to go back downstairs.
"Yes?" Sierra asked, trying to shake the feeling that the whole world was coming down on her. Her mother listened to her answers which grew more anxious and irritated.
"Look, I said NO! I don't want to! Goodbye!" Sierra yelled finally and clicked it off.
"Did he ask you out?" Lisa asked gently. The aulburn crowned head of her daughter nodded. She shook her head and muttered," Le so." without thinking.

"What?" Sierra asked. Sometimes her mother spoke in some strange song like language that Sierra never heard before. this was one of them.
Realizing what she'd done, she tried to brush it off, "Nothing. Why don't you go outside..."

The phone rang as she was speaking, this time it was the new job calling.

"Sierra, I don't want you to work there. Say no." Lisa told her as her son came charging in yellin who it was. Again, Lisa listened. Sierra looked up at her after a few minutes. Lisa mouthed the word, "NO!", then said aloud, "I FORBIDE it."
Sierra nodded, "Ah sir, I'm sorry but I must decline your job offer. Thank you for the oppurtunity though." Sierra said then hung up.

"Good... now go outside to the garage. I found some things you might be interested in. You can keep them if you want." lisa said smiling tenderly.

Sierra was often described by others as a feline in human form, and the famous curiousity of the cat was not lost on her disposition either. trying desperatly to have some thing divert her mind, she ran throgh the house and out the back door. Slowly she went inside the garage. After finding nothing new on the ground level of the two story garage, she took a flash light from the shelf where her father kept his tools, and climbed the ladder tot he second level.

Safely making it up, she turned the flashlight on. She moved it to and fro until finally she spotted two luminous eyes shining back at her. She cautiously walked forward and about five feet away se bent down. The eyes blinked for a moment then their owner crept out and came to her. Now being able to see the cat clearly, she realized it was the same one from two nights ago.

The cat purred furiously as she stroked it, as it also wove a web around her; brushing up againest her back and sides. Then it stepped on her lap gingerly and laid down.

Suddenly hearing footsteps on the ladder , Sierra turned to her mother's voice," Beautiful isn't she?"
"Yes." Sierra replied pleasantly as she felt some of the emotional strain vaporize. Her mother walked past them and went to a stack of boxes in the corner and pulled out two objects from the top.

"Here. I found these up here too. I thought you'd like them." her mother said crossing the room and handing her a heavy rectangular object and a necklace. Sierra shone the liht ont he necklace. It was silver trimmed with a pendant on it. the background on the cameo like pendant was midnight blue, a pearl and some small diamonds were on it. They resembled the moon and stars on a clear night. The cat on her lap began batting at silver chain playfully. Sierra slipped the long chain over her head, before the cat could break it or snatch it.

Then she turned her attention to the rectangular object. It was a wooden box, decorated on it's top a red English Rose. She opened it and inside laid an old book inscribed on the cover in gold was "Beauty and the Beast", and in the swirls and jewels the center was another rose. A smile crossed Sierra's lips.
"Thank you mom, thank you so much." was all she could say.
"Your welcome. I've got to go to the store later anyway. I'll pick up some catfood then. Pick her up and bring her inside. take her to your room so your brother won't torture her." Lisa said picking up the book and the wooden case and replacing the book in the box, then she started dwon the ladder.

Delicatly, Sierra carried her new feline friend down, Then proceeded intot he house, cuddling the ball of fluff in her arms. Upon entering the dining room to go upstairs, she stopped when her brother chanted from the table softly," Somebody's in trouble."

As if on cue her father stormed in. "How could you do that? You turned down that job AND didn't even give Peter Charden a chance!"

"But dad!" Sierra cried out grasping the cat closer until it yelped. She loosened her grip and like a baby the cat relaxed. "Why do I have to take a job that I'll hate and go out with a guy I dislike even more? Why?"
"You KNOW why! it wouldn't have been so bad if you'd done what I told you and not messed it up by refusing that job!"
"But Joshua, that is the worst possible place for ANYONE to work at! YOU know that. Plus with the farm work it'd killed her! And as far as Peter goes, she doesn't like him- neither do I!" her mother shouted.
"Lisa I wasn't asking her to marry him, just get to know him. But what should I expect? I don't understand it. He's probably the only man who'll ever want you Sierra, though I can't understand why! All you ever do is read and daydream. you can't even stay healthy. Your not normal. You don't fit in ANYWHERE!" Lisa's mouth dropped open... 'How dare he say such things...'

"As fo the job I'm extremely disappointed in you. You could've taken it. I don't know what gets into your head or why I put up with it. you never do anything right!"

Sierra dropped the feline who was desperatly it seemed trying to comefort her by prompting her to pet it and purring louder. Sierra's eyes were starting to mist up, and she screamed out, 'Is all that money more important than I am?"
Sierra shook her head and feeling the tears about to explode out of her she ran up the stairs, the cat running after her. She burst into her room and began to shut the door when the cat yelped. She opened it some more and the cat pranced in like a queen. But unable to find the humor in it, slammed the door shut and she looked at herself in the mirror.

Her father was right, who would ever want her? Her features werelong, framed in a long aulburn hair. Large brown eyes stood out with shimmers of tears. 'Everything about me is wrong, I'll never pass for a perfect bride, or a perfect daughter. Why am I here? I don't belong anywhere. Is it possible I wasn't meant to play my everyday part? Masking the insecurity, the unbelonging... Now it's as plain as ever that if I were truely to be myself that I'll break my family's heart.

'Who am I? Who is this person staring back at me? Why don't I know myself? Will I ever see in my reflection who I really am? Or will I always have to hide behind a mask? Will I ever be soemone worthwhile?..." She curled up in tears on her bed. She laid there crying until she heard the expected knock on the door.
"Come in."
She turned to see who it was, but it was the last person she expected it to be. Her eight year old brother, Geoffry. He shut the door and looked at her for a moment. She noticed his eyes were red, he'd been crying too. She sat up and saw he had his favorite toy in his arms, a little pound puppy. He came to the bed and sat down.

"Here," he said extending the toy to her. "Tommy always helps me feel better."

Sierra smiled and took the pound puppy gently from him. She squeezed ot to her chest in a hug and plye with it's ears and paws for a moment. Then laughing to herself, she looked up and smiled, "Thank you."
"Why was everyone so mad? Mom and Dad are arguing downstairs. Why?" he asked.

"Well, daddy wanted me to be friends with a person I didn't like, and I didn't take a job Dad recommended me for." she tried to explain in as innocent terms as she could.
"Why?" he persisted.
"Well, this job wasn't really a good place to work. They treat employees bad. And Peter well, he's rich..." she tried explaining uncertain if she clarified it all correctly.
"You mean Mr. Smiles? I didn't like him either. he always looks at you funny." The boy said getting off the bed, "Can I pet the cat?" he asked imploringly.
"Sure, if she wants you to." she told him as he hopped on the other side of the bed and started stroking the cat. the cat rewarded him with a purr.

Sierra couldn't believe at times how innocent Geoffry was. She knew he wouldn't always be this way. But when he was, she felt he wasn't such a bad brother afterall.




 

Zenobia