Chapter 8

Zendea's P.O.V

Taking off all my clothes I dive in and start swimming, relaxing in the water as it washes my troubles away. Damn this water feels so good.

After swimming and floating around for a while I decide to get out so I swim to the shallow side , pushing my hair back as I walk out, I hear my wolf howling loudly. I feel this sensational pull in my chest and when I look up I see the most handsomest man I've ever seen. His eyes are basically commanding me to come to him but, when I look behind him I see armed men heading towards me. Is he a hunter? I can’t risk it, I need to get out of here. Grabbing my clothes I quickly put them on and run as fast as I can , if they catch me they're going to kill me. "No! Turn around." Katani cries out but I ignore her and keep running.

"Wait!" He shouts from behind me , damn he's fast, but how? Unless he's a wolf ? No it can't be. As I run I see a cliff and decide last minute to jump it , I hope I make it. Sprinting towards it I jump and make it then keep running. After running for a while I stop to catch my breath. Spotting a tap I go to it and start drinking.

"I need to keep moving or they're going to catch me." With that in mind I start running again. I've been running for hours and the sun is setting , just then I see buildings coming into view. "Is that a city?" What do I do? Do I risk it and head into human territory? Maybe if I act normal then they won't know , I can't blow this. As I get closer to the city my heartbeat quickens, I'm scared.

Straightening my hair, as I’m walking I see a cap tucked in in someone’s back pocket, swiftly pulling on it I put it on and keep my head down. As I walk around I notice people staring at me but look the other way. I need to find refuge somewhere and I need to make means to get food and a fresh change of clothes. What do I do?

Walking past a couple of stores I see a restaurant with a "Help Wanted" sign on the window so I head inside, when I reach the counter I'm greeted by a pretty girl with red hair. "Hi , how may I help you?" She asks smiling.

"Uhm hello, I saw the sign outside saying you were looking to hiring someone, I came to apply for the job." I say with a small smile.

"Oh okay, great. Well here is the form you need to fill out, when you're done you can hand it back to me. Please take a seat anywhere you'd like." She finishes off as she hands me the form and a pen , I take it and head to a far corner where the light is more dim. Looking over the form I contemplate on whether to write my real name or not but decide not to. Just to be safe.

Name : Zoe

Age : 21 years old

Cell phone no. : (no cell phone)

Residence: (in between places)

Experience : (no experience but I'm a fast learner and determined)

Cooking skills : I can make anything from pastries to French cuisine.

Education status : Graduated from Yale with honours

Attended culinary college for two years.

Criminal record : (no criminal record)

Ok well when the owner sees this he/she is not going to hire me. I have no experience except for cooking cause I went through a chef phase , but other than that I basically have no skill set and I don't have a place to stay or a cellphone.

After filling in the form I take it back to the counter and give the red haired girl the paper, "All done?" She asks.

"Uhm yeah , I don't have a cellphone so can I come in daily to see if I got the position or not?" I ask nervously. She starts laughing but when she sees my serious facial expression she stops.

“Are you serious?" She asks shocked. Yes you idiot I am.

"Yes." I sad coldly , she blushes and apologizes.

"Sure , you can come in daily although you could just wait for our manager to come back , she's on her lunch break right now but if you wait, she’ll probably give you an answer today." She says.

"Ah sure .. can I sit anywhere or should I stand?" Please say sit , I've been running for more than 24 hours and I'm exhausted.

"Of course you can sit silly , how about you sit anywhere you'd like and I'll bring you an espresso and a slice of our famous blueberry and choc chip cake." She says as she moves to the coffee machine to make my espresso.

"No!" I say too loudly causing her to jump a little. I scratch the back of my head nervously.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to yell , it's just I d-don't have any money." Ugh this is embarrassing, couldn't I be like a normal person and run away with money , clothes and a cellphone.

"It's on the house ah-" She looks at the form I filled in and continues. "Zoe." She says with a genuine smile. I smile at her , she seems really nice.

"Thank you, what's your name?" I ask.

"I'm Makaila , but you can call me Mak or Kaila, whichever you prefer."

"Mak, thank you." I say walking back to the far corner I was sitting in before. I hope I get this job , I mean I know I don't have the qualifications but I can learn and I'm a hard worker. My thoughts are interrupted when Makaila puts my espresso and slice of cake on the table. "Thank you." I say to her softly.

She looks at me then sits down. "I may not look it but I've been where you are, lost and confused with no allies." She says softly and I look at her as she touches my hand , she looks so sad , not as happy as she was 5 minutes ago. She must have really went through something too.

"How did you end up here ?" I couldn't help asking. Sighing deeply, she gazes out the front window.

“I found this place just like you. Amara , the manager, hired me and gave me a place to stay, she even helped me finish college. Without her I would have been really lost." As she speaks I can't help but remember my mom , she was as kind as this lady. They even have the same name. This stirs up old emotions.

"Your boss reminds me of my mom." I say as a tear slides down my cheek and quickly I wipe it away.

"Oh what's your mom's name?" Mak smiles

"Her name was Amara and she was an angel , to everyone." Looking at her face I can tell she caught on , now she's going to pity me, I really don’t like that that’s why I don’t like speaking about my mother. But when she touches my hand again all I see is hope in her eyes no pity.

"Well , I know she's watching over you right now and she's holding your hand for support." She says as she gets up , "Let me get back to work , we'll talk later okay.”

"Okay" I nod and she leaves. Drinking my espresso I moan as I swallow, wow this is damn good. I could drink this all day or maybe it's because I haven't eaten anything in hours. I use the small fork to take a piece of the cake and eat it , oh my goodness! This tastes amazing.

After finishing my coffee and cake I head to the counter to give them to Mak , "It was delicious." I say as I hand her the cup and saucer. Just then a really pretty lady walks in.

"That’s Amara, our manager." Mak says and I take a better look at her. She's beautiful! Long blonde hair with blue eyes , plump pink lips and a nice body. Mak walks to her and they start talking, when she looks at me her face shows sadness and that's when I see that I'm not getting the job. Oh well at least I tried. As Mak walks towards me I stop her by putting my hand up.

"You don't have to say it , I didn't get the job I know. It's written all over her face." I say softly.

Mak giggles and pushes my shoulder lightly.

"Zoe , you got the job." She says smiling. Shock consumes me and my body freezes.

“W-What? Really?" I got the job, that’s what she said right.

"Yes, really and the reason she looked sad is because I told her that you're exactly where I was when I first got here. She's giving you the job and she's also offering to giving you a place to stay. Is that okay?" Wow ! These humans aren't at all what I was told as a child , they seem so kind and seem to have compassion. They're not monsters but, maybe I shouldn't be so quick to trust anyone just yet.

"Of course Mak." I smile. “And thank you so so much." I hug her tightly as she giggles and she hugs me back.

"Would you like to meet her ?" She asks and I nod , walking towards Amara I start to feel nervous, why am I getting nervous? Maybe because she's given me a job and a roof over my head.

"Hi Zoe , I'm Amara , the manager of Justine's , one of the many restaurants owned by Mr Jacobs. It's very nice to meet you." She says as she smiles.

"Hello Mrs Amara , it's nice to meet you too." I say shyly.

"Kaila told me you needed a place to stay so I was wondering if you wouldn't mind living with me?" I nod.

"Thank you very much, I don't know how I could ever repay you." I say.

"Well you can repay me by doing a good job and keeping the promise you made on your application form, to work hard and be determined." She smiles at me.

"I will, when should I start?" Oh I just had to didn't I.

She examines me before replying, "You look a little tired plus the day's almost over so , how about I take you to my place where you can rest and you'll start tomorrow. Is that alright?” It must be really obvious of how tired I am.

"Yes , thank you." I say as I tuck a piece of my hair behind my ear. I cautiously hug Mak then leave with Miss Amara to get into her car. Entering the car I choose to sit at the back and look out the window to see the way to her house, after a 10 minute drive we pull into her driveway. Her house is beautiful, it's a double story but isn't too big , just big enough. She must be rich.

"Come on Zoe." She says interrupting my thoughts.

I step out of the car still in awe of how beautiful her house is , she giggles , "Do you like it ?" She asks looking at me.

"Do I ever , it's beautiful. You must have a lot of money." I say without thinking ugh now I sound like I love money. "Uhm sorry for being too forward."

"Oh no it's ok , you weren't being forward at all. And no I'm not rich but my boss pays me well. That's why I can afford this house and the car , his restaurants make a lot of profit monthly, what also helps is that he owns other businesses. He's a billionaire." Wow, must be nice, to be able to make something of yourself like that.

"Wow that's amazing, is he a nice boss?" I ask as we enter her house, it's even more beautiful on the inside.

"Yes he is , just a perfectionist." She laughs then turns around to look at me , "Welcome to your new home. Make yourself comfortable while I go into the kitchen to make you something to eat then, I'll show you where you'll be sleeping. Is that okay?" She asks.

"Yes , thank you." That's the one thousandth thank you I've said today but I don't know what else to say , she keeps on giving and saying thank you just sounds right.

"You're going to have to stop saying thank you at some point Zoe , it must be tiring." So she can read minds too.

"It's the least I can do after everything you're doing for me Miss Amara."

"Please call me Amara , Miss sounds too formal." She says disappearing into what I'm assuming is the kitchen. After eating Amara shows me my bedroom which is pretty and has it's own bathroom, she also shows me the kitchen, bathrooms , theater room, tv room , sitting room and the pool.

"I'm gonna head back to the restaurant to lock up , I'll be back in an hour or two, here's a phone to get you started. It has my number in there and Kaila's so you can call us if you need anything." She’s too nice but there’s a limit to what someone can do for you, I feel like she’s already done too much.

"I can't accept this Amara." I say handing her the box back. She chuckles.

"Zoe please, that is my gift to you and you need a phone , it's important to have one since your shifts will be changing from time to time. Tomorrow after work I'll also take you to the bank to get you a credit card so I can transfer your salary there." She extends her hand.

"Okay, but please doing so much for me. I feel as though I’ll forever be indebted to you." I plea.

"Deal. Well, I'm heading out , there are spare clothes in your closet. Bye." She waves before walking out.

"Bye Amara." I yell.

Heading upstairs to my new room I throw myself on my bed and smile. This is where I live now and I have a job ! I'm so blessed but just then an image of Titan pops into my head and my mood changes, I'm such a horrible person. Here I am smiling when I left my brother to worry about me, I don't deserve to be happy but I just couldn't stay in that house anyway, it was killing me slowly. Sighing I head to my bathroom, turning the shower on. Slipping out of my clothes I get into the shower and let the water consume me.

After getting out, I dry myself up and throw on a loose tee shirt I found in my closet and get into bed, letting sleep consume me with one thought in mind, that this is my new life.

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Zendea - is Zoe now (don't get confused)

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- JD