Stuffed to near bursting, Lavandula's reusable shopping bag at last gave up and ejected a single food can, which tumbled to the ground and began rolling across the supermarket parking lot as if with a mind of its own.
"Darn it!" She cried and looked to be sure no other cars were moving in her or the can's direction. Holding the straining bag tight against her chest, she shifted her balance and dashed after the rogue can, which ceased its roll of freedom when it smacked up against the tire of another parked car.
She ran up to it in just enough time to see a boy, presumably her age -but definitely very tall- pick up the can. He regarded it with a mildly interested stare and looked at her. His expression was eerily blank but his eyes were somehow intense.
She had gotten lost staring at them that she at first didn't register that he was holding the can aloft.
It was late spring but he still wore heavy winter clothes, as evidencef by his dark green coat.
"Uh--sorry for staring," she apologized. She looked away awkwardly and quickly grabbed the would-be escapee can. His hands felt rough, littered with callouses.
"I'm used to it," he responded and her breath hitched. His voice sound like liquid velvet, she wasn't even sure what that sounded like before she heard it.
Looking reluctant, the boy began to back up.
"Sorry, I better go," he said casually.
She looked back.
"Oh but wait -" she trailed off looking back to see that he was gone.
She scowled "my fiance had better not have scared off any more potential friends,"
She didn't see anyone behind her when she looked, but that could have simply meant they were better at hiding now.
As she returned to the car, her eyes landed on the pure white sports car that her adoptive older sister Stephanie had lent her for this errand. The pristine paint job was a perfect reflection of Stephanie as a person.
However, a keen eye might've noticed that the luster of the car's hood didn't quite match the rest.
Stephanie had told Lavandula that when the hood was being repainted, they couldn't match the original color exactly, and every time Lavandula spotted that inconsistency, the memories would come flooding back. Memories of that day. The day she had first met Stephanie's family and been adopted.
She shook away the memories and fished out the car key from her pocket. With a relieved sigh, she put the key in right as her phone buzzed.
She opened the door and shoved the bag and the can in the backseat.
As she looked at her phone and saw the new message.
'How's your shopping going?'
'Can't talk now I'm driving back' she typed after locking the doors.
After a moment she added another message:
'It went well'
She opted to not mention the boy she ran into at the parking lot.
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Once at home she fled to her room where her sister was expecting her.
She gulped. "Is my fiance... Here?" She asked.
"No. Does he have a reason to be?" Her adoptive older sister asked casually.
She tensed up. "No. No of course not!"
Stephanie gave her a curious look but didn't question it.
"Your computer lit up with a new notification
A job offer or video game notification or something," she remarked as she stood. She twiddled with a lock of her silvery white hair as she shut the door.
Lavandula pulled off the wig of platinum blonde hair to reveal her own lavender hair, pinned down as much as possible. Her hair was momentarily a bundle of ringlets due to how long they had been pinned up but they would fall out when she went to sleep.
Lavandula grimaced she had four new notifications in the time she was out.
DreamHunters version 3.11.983.22
Setsuna finished all her tasks. restart hunt?
"The game can wait.. what are the other notifications.?"
'New Job application notice...' She clicked on it and started reading the email.
'Application declined. We are not currently accepting job roles in this field but will remember your application in the future -'
She stopped reading and sulked 'why do they feature the roles they aren't looking to fill as part of the options in the application?'
She ignored the second game notification and went to the last one.
"Grave Cleaning and Companion...
"Whoa one night covers a month worth of rent? It sounds opportune and .... Too good to be true. But Father and Mother would kill me if I came to them and suggested I could work in a night club as a waitress." She mumbled.
She slowly took out her hair pins and massaged her scalp. Looking at her reflection and seeing what she knew she looked like couldn't compare to seeing her sister over her own body.
She loved her sister, even envied her to a degree but she liked her appearance as it was. The secrecy of her adoption and the questions surrounding it.. were for another day, or so she told herself.
"So Lavandula, how is your job searching going? Find anything within the city that is promising?"
"Ugh don't ask me," she facepalmed.
"If trying to balance the costs is too much for you we can arrange a friend to help out," her father suggested.
She blanched knowing exactly who they would ask. If he was going to get involved, she felt more threatened than reassured.
"Ummm.. no no I've got it actually!" She said quickly.
There's a job ... At the cemetery I can take up... I can do it whenever
"The cemetery?"
Stephanie scrunched her nose. "I thought you were terrified of the place," her wolf ears appeared and flattened against her head.
'Noooo I'm terrified of sudden sounds. The cemetery is cool and my job is simple. The hours work well with the time I'd have to be in school or at the Art center & studio. Best part is I can start today-" She corrected and began rambling as she tried to sugarcoat some of the details.
"It's a night job," her father said distrustingly.
I prefer the term late evening?" She tried.
"It's a night job," her father repeated.
"..Yes" she admitted.
"We'll loan you the money for this month's rent. Surely you can find something else-" her father began.
"I can't keep borrowing money from you guys as easy and great as it's been. I owe you a lot for adopting me when I was seven. I feel very grateful for everything but I should try to manage on my own," she interrupted.
"Someone went through a lot of trouble to ensure my safety. To ensure I would be okay," she said parroting the words her adoptive parents said all her life.
"I think it's time I step up and prove that I can." She decided. "I'll be fine."
"Worst case scenario is some kids playing a prank or grave robbers," she laughed saying the end quickly as her adoptive father narrowed his eyes at her.
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Lavandula regretted coming to the cemetery.
It was colder here, now at six thirty, than it was earlier when she bought groceries in her sister's car!
Gritting her teeth she walked up to the registration not far from the funeral home.
Gulping she warmed her fingers enough to write her name on the paper. At least if she did something dumb like attempt to burn the place down trying to get warm, people would know who to look at.
She glared at nothing in particular.
She screamed. She froze.
Her body caught up before her mind did and she chucked her flashlight at the guy before her.
He dodged and there was a sound suspiciously of her flashlight hitting another tombstone a few feet away.
He gazed at her with a bored expression.
"I do hope you weren't aiming for that to hit me,"
"No I was aiming for that to kill you!" She screeched.
He hummed disinterestedly then looked mildly bothered. "Oh I see you're the new grave cleaner! Yes?"
"No I'm just here scoping out the place - visiting my parents!" She lied frantically.
"Oh well then don't let me stop you," he mused casually.
"I'm expecting someone anyway," he said walking away.
She turned and saw a woman with red eyes fangs and her features twisted in a mid screech. Lavandula opened her mouth to scream in return but was interrupted by the man she was sure had left, grabbing the terrifying woman and launching her out of the cemetery.
"Sorry banshees appear here too," he shrugged.
"....Were you expecting her?" She asked.
"No,"
"Why did she have mechanical parts?" She questioned.
"I imagine it was something she had before she was turned."
He blinked "why are you still here?"
"I'm here to observe my workplace obviously!" She yelled.
"I see you don't mix family with business, seems fitting," he remarked recalling her previous comment as to why she was there.
She sputtered in surprise.
'I'll let you keep coming here if you promise to be more quiet," he decided.
"You'll let me?" She parroted.
"Well yes, this cemetery is owned by me,"he answered.
" I agreed to work here! I answered the email invite!" She retorted.
"Then welcome, as your new boss I'll introduce myself, as I sent out the request." He responded. "I am Salazar Poltergeist,"
Her mouth fell open. "I-" she started.
"Right so see you at 6:00 tomorrow," he said.