Finding Home Ch. 01-03

Chapter 1

Hello, I've waited here for you, everlong...

Lucy slipped the earbuds into her ears as she started on her usual route. The music and her legs both began to pick up speed. She took a deep breath and scanned the tree-lined trail ahead of her.

Lucy moved to the city about a year ago. She began working in environmental compliance consulting since college graduation about 6 years ago. When a position opened up at a prestigious and well-known firm, Lucy jumped at the chance to advance her career. Not long after the interview, she packed up all of her belongings and moved into a cramped studio apartment downtown.

She enjoyed the work and got along well with her coworkers, but Lucy missed the country air. The smell of an incoming rain. The stillness when all the stars came out at night. The quiet.

But at least she had the park. A few months after starting at the firm, Lucy ventured out for a walk on her lunch break. A few blocks away, she discovered an oasis. Okay, oasis is a bit dramatic, but any amount of trees and trails was a welcome reprieve from the noise and stress of urban life.

The park had a relatively secluded 2-mile loop trail. Tall pines bordered the path on either side. It was a decent enough escape. She started slow, walking only about half the length of the trail on her first excursion. She came back more and more over the next several months, increasing her distance, then speed, each time.

Now Lucy was running.

She snorted aloud to herself. Who would have thought chubby little Lucy would be a runner? True, she wasn't nearly as round as she used to be. In school she was teased relentlessly for her weight. She would constantly hear things like, "Hey Chunky" and "You'd be really pretty if you just lost 30 pounds." Most days Lucy had rushed home and sobbed in her room alone. Her parents worked a lot and were rarely there. She had learned to be self-sufficient, and that included consoling herself. And if consoling herself included eating an entire pizza by herself, well then, that's just the way it was.

After college, she decided she needed to take more responsibility for her happiness. She was determined to make a change. Not to appease the bullies. But for herself. For her health. After some diet adjustments, it didn't take long for her to start seeing results. She bought new clothes to compliment her new figure and found she had more confidence in general. The running 3-4 times per week didn't hurt either.

"Yeah, I'm a regular Olympian," she joked to herself.

But today she felt better than she had in as long as she could remember. She could smell the luscious pines. She felt the wind blowing through her shoulder-length hair. Her lungs and legs weren't even burning yet. She felt alive. She couldn't suppress a wide, goofy smile as she leaped over a small puddle on the path.

Lately she even felt confident enough to run in just a sports bra and tight yoga pants. If only her tormentors could see her now!

The song in her ears continued, "And I wonder, when I sing along with you, If everything could ever feel this real forever. If anything could ever be this good again..."

Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of black in the bushes to her left. The branches swayed from the recent movement, confirming that she hadn't just imagined it.

She slowed to a sluggish jog and peered into the greenery. No sign of anything out of the ordinary.

Hmm... she pondered. A rabbit? No, this thing was much bigger than that. A deer? No, that didn't seem right either. Maybe someone's dog got loose? She eventually settled on this as the most likely option and returned to her pace, if just a bit faster. Lucy had the distinct feeling she was being watched. Goosebumps rose on her arms. She tried unsuccessfully to shake the feeling.

"The only thing I'll ever ask of you, you've got to promise not to stop when I say when, She sang."

She kept looking around as she finished her run and made her way back to the office. The black figure didn't return. Why the hell did she feel disappointed about that?

Chapter 2

The afternoon carried on normally. Towards the end of the day, her boss, Ed, called Lucy into his office.

"We've got a new client. A manufacturing facility a couple hours outside of the city. They want a full compliance audit and they want it fast. I'm assigning it to you." Ed stated in his normal monotone, no-nonsense manner.

"How fast?" Lucy perked up. She hadn't had the chance to work with a new client since she started her new position. The benefit to being an established firm known for quality work was they had more than enough repeat customers to keep them busy.

"I'm sending you all next week. Maybe the one after that too. Depends on how it goes. This is a rush order, so no time for the normal prep. The client will provide all the information you need once you get there. Our firm will cover the cost of a hotel since it's a bit far away. Will any of this be a problem?" Ed asked, without really asking.

"N-no. No. It won't be a problem at all. I can leave on Monday." She replied, trying to hide her embarrassingly high level of excitement.

God, I've missed field work.

"Sunday," He countered. "They want you to start bright and early Monday morning."

"Of course. Sunday it is!" She responded. She smiled to herself as she thought, At least it's finally a good thing that I never have any weekend plans. Her smile faltered a little as she realized it was already Friday afternoon. Oh shit, not much time.

She paused, wondering if she should say her next thought aloud. She just couldn't help herself. She blurted, "Oh, Ed? Thank you so much for this opportunity. Really. But can I ask why you're assigning me to this job? There's a few others here with a bit more experience with first impressions on new clients..."

He eyed her strangely for a moment before responding gruffly, "You really want to remind me that there's others I could have picked right now?"

She blushed a deep red, "No, I guess not." She thanked him again before rushing out of the office.

Ed thought to himself, Yes, it's better that Lucy doesn't know that they asked for her specifically. Don't want to put even more pressure on her for her first new client.

***

Lucy made her way quickly back to her desk. There was so much to do to prepare for a week -- or two! -- out of the office. But things were looking up! This is exactly the opportunity she needed to prove herself to the team, to Ed, and really, to herself. Plus, she'd get to spend some quality time outside of the hustle and bustle of the city. I hope the hotel is near some good hiking spots, she thought as she finished up her tasks.

Lucy was just wrapping up her last report when her cell phone buzzed alerting her to a text from her friend Melanie. She had met Melanie shortly after moving to the city. Melanie was a textbook extrovert. She had struck up a conversation with Lucy and within minutes, the two were laughing and joking as if they had been friends for decades.

Melanie: Hey girl! Guess what!!

Lucy: Hmm... you won the lottery??

Melanie: Ha ha, you wish!! I'M PREGNANT!!!!

Lucy: Finally!!! Omg, Mel! I'm so happy for you!!

Melanie: Thank you! I still can't believe it! Horrible timing to find out though. Jeremy has to go out of town tonight :( You HAVE to come out to celebrate with me and Bri! We're going to The Den.

Lucy: The Den?! A nightclub wouldn't exactly be my first choice for a baby shower...

Melanie: Oh come on, you know I've been dying to go since it opened. Besides, I might as well take advantage of my last few opportunities to shake it before my belly sticks out further than my ass!!

Lucy chewed her lip staring at her friend's words. On the one hand, hanging out with Melanie and her sister Briana was usually a guaranteed good time. On the other hand, going to the hottest nightclub in town while trying to mentally prepare for a big assignment didn't seem like the best use of her time. She was brainstorming a gentle way to decline when her phone buzzed again.

Melanie: Nope, don't even think about it! I will not take no for an answer. Not tonight. You're coming.

Lucy sighed and replied back with the response both women knew had been coming all along: "OK fine."

Chapter 3

"I know I keep saying this, but I still just can't believe it! We've been trying for so long, now we'll finally have our own little family." Melanie smiled broadly and basked in her own good news as the girls prepared for their big night out. Melanie was in such bliss, she looked like she was getting goosebumps on her chocolate brown skin just thinking about her growing new adventure. She ran a hand absentmindedly through her curly hair.

"Yeah, it definitely sounds amazing." Lucy replied, trying to keep the vague wistfulness (or is this jealousy?) out of her voice. She was happy for Melanie and Jeremy, truly. But their evolving family unit only underscored Lucy's lack of any romantic prospects.

Melanie rubbed Lucy's shoulder, "Your time will come, Luce. Don't sweat it. Besides, I'll be counting on you and Bri to let me live vicariously. I don't have much time left to really let loose..."

Briana laughed and rolled her eyes at her sister, "Bitch, you're not dying! Come on now, it's not like having kids ever slowed Mom down anyway." Briana brushed a thin dreadlock over her shoulder. Briana was basically a supermodel—tall, thin, gorgeous smooth skin the color of a Hershey's kiss, plus the confidence and attitude to match. Briana turned to Lucy, "Girl, we're gonna find that special someone who's gonna take your V-card tonight. I can just feel it!"

Lucy let out a deep belly laugh. She was feeling too loose from the shots of liquor they had just taken to be offended. And she knew Briana didn't mean any real harm—Lucy's long overdue virginity had become a common joke for the girls. A little piece of her was even hopeful that Bri was right about tonight.

"I got a feelin' ooohhoooo that tonight's gonna be a good night!" Melanie burst into song as she grabbed her makeup bag and pounced on Lucy. Mel and Bri worked their magic, fixing Lucy's hair and applying her makeup flawlessly. The sisters were so strikingly beautiful it's a wonder they ever learned to do makeup at all—it's not like they needed it. But when Lucy turned and saw herself in the mirror she actually gasped. The sisters high-fived each other and nodded approvingly.

Melanie zipped up the back of the tight-fitting champagne-colored dress Lucy had borrowed from her. The color worked so well with Lucy's skin tone that a quick glance might have mistaken her for nude. The neckline dipped low, but left enough of her bountiful cleavage to the imagination to be alluring. The smooth fabric hugged Lucy's wide hips but cinched tightly at her small waist. The dress stopped just above the knee but a slit up one thigh showed off just how well the frequent running had toned Lucy's legs.

Briana whistled and Melanie laughed, "Damn girl, get it!" Melanie playfully slapped a hand on her friend's nicely round ass.

Lucy couldn't stop staring at herself in the mirror. Even the small jolt she felt from the slap to her backside wasn't enough to distract her. She glanced from her expertly curled shoulder-length chestnut hair, to the delicately applied eye shadow, glamorous false eyelashes, and plump red lips "I... I look..."

"Hot!" The sisters yelled in unison.

Lucy blushed and giggled. She normally considered herself exceedingly average at best. Completely ordinary. And well, until recently, pretty fat. Now she had not one, but two, people calling her hot OUT LOUD. And she kind of had to agree. A big toothy grin began to appear on her face.

Maybe tonight IS the night... She could feel the wetness form in her panties just thinking about it.

***

The three girls finally stumbled up to the club. Lucy wasn't sure if she was feeling giddy from all the laughter rather than all the alcohol she and Briana had shared back at Melanie's apartment. Lucy started to feel guilty about how much of her friend's alcohol she had consumed, then thought, Well, it's not like Mel's going to drink it any time soon.

A line of at least 30 people were waiting outside The Den. Guarding the door was the tallest man Lucy had ever seen. He scanned the crowd, making sure no one was getting too rowdy.

"Jesus, he's huge." Lucy whispered to her friends.

Briana rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah. I got this. Watch and learn." The tall thin girl casually sauntered up to the bouncer and placed a hand on his elbow. The bouncer visibly relaxed and laughed at something she must have said. Before Lucy knew it, Bri was waving her arm to them, indicating they could pass through the now open entrance to the club.

"One day you'll have to tell me how you do it..." Lucy trailed off as she met the eyes of the bouncer. His bright blue eyes seemed to glow as he stared directly at her. He nodded towards the door, gesturing that she should enter. He abruptly broke eye contact and was already talking to another club employee. When Lucy looked back at him, his eyes appeared normal and not glowing at all. Must have been the lighting out here... or the shots.

Melanie grabbed Lucy and the three girls walked arm-in-arm into The Den.