Reborn by Hailey A Fowler (have you read this book txt) 📖

I didn't think so and I had ran away only hours ago, not enough time for my mom to even claim I was missing, which took at least forty-eight hours. She must have known me through my mom.

Minutes later Ella was walking back to my table holding a pen and notebook smiling. I gave her my order. Ella turned, still smiling and for a second I could swear her skin was a green almost as bright as her eyes. I blinked and swiped a hand across my face, wondering if maybe I really had gone crazy after my fathers death. I looked back up at her and saw her looking at me from the corner of her eye as she walked away, a slight smile playing across her lips. what the hell was that? running away from home and seeing things, what was next, thinking I'd sprouted feathers and turned into a chicken?

As I waited for my food to arrive I sat with my chin on my hands, looking out the window across the room from me. After five minutes of a whole lot of nothing, and really no one, to look at. A man walked by who looked maybe about twenty five with a strong jaw, prominent facial features and high cheekbones. He had short spiked hair that was dark at the roots and blonde streaked at the tips. When he turned his face in my direction I saw his eyes, they were such an odd colour. His eyes were electric blue. So blue it was haunting and completely unnatural.

The man stopped in front of the restaurant and walked in. He didn't stop at the "please wait to be seated" sign, just walked right in, waved, smiled at Ella and sat a few tables over from me, facing my direction. He was beautiful. I couldn't help but stare at him. He had the most beautiful eyes I'd ever seen but if they were that purple then that couldn't be natural, they had to be contacts. Still, something in the back of my mind kept insisting that they were really that insane colour.

The man looked up then and I realized I'd been staring. I blinked fast and looked around, craning my neck and hoping he'd think I was looking behind him. I saw him looking at me, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips. I tilted my gaze over to the floor just beside his table and watched him from the corner of my eye. After a few seconds of looking and smiling at me he seemed to tense all over his smile vanishing, eyes slightly narrowing, brow furrowing. Then just as fast as it came, it went. Ella came out and stopped beside his table, grinning.

“Hey Jessie, how you doin' today hon? The usual?” She asked.

“Thanks Ellie, the usual and I'm good-” They launched into a conversation that lasted at least ten minutes before she finally picked up her notebook and pen, brushed off her pants and walked away, leaving him with a complementary news paper. I looked up at the clock hanging on the wall just above the kitchen door.

The clock was a stuffed duck perched on top of a shelf, the clock piece sitting on the ducks back between the neck and wings. Whoever decorated this place had no sense of style.. It was just about ten o'clock in the morning and the business men and women had started clearing out and off to work.

Ella came out with my food and a pop re-fill glass jug. I noticed the man from earlier, Jessie, peering intently over at Ella and I. Ella set my food down on the table in front of me and was just about to grab the jug of pop on her serving trey when it tipped over the edge of the trey and fell onto the floor shattering, pop going everywhere. Ella gasped, putting a hand to her mouth in a silent “oh jeez”. She apologized to me then stormed off to get something to clean it. I thought I saw her shoot a glare at Jessie when she walked past him and would've thought I saw wrong had he not burst out laughing as she did. Was I missing something here?

Jessie strode over to my table, still smiling and sat in the seat across from mine.

“Don't worry kid, she's always clumsy like that” He said with a chuckle.

“Please don't call me kid” I said “I'm eight-teen, and I-”

“Don't try to grow up too fast kid, there’s no rush” He cut me off “The only thing to look forward to in adulthood is hard work, chores, more hard work and eventually death.” Well isn't he just peachy? I thought to myself.

He leaned back in his chair, tipping the legs off the floor slightly and put his arms behind his head.

“Got a name?” he asked, and for some reason I really felt the need to tell him.

“Taylor” I mumbled, looking down at my hands on the table and feeling a little shy.

“That’s a very nice name, I had this friend once-”

It was my turn to cut him off “Is there something you needed sir?” I said then instantly regretted it, how had I gotten so rude?! But when I looked up I saw him smiling, amused, with one eyebrow raised.

“I rather like you Taylor, you have spunk” he chuckled and I blushed.

“No one says that anymore” I murmured “Spunk”.

This time he burst out laughing, so loud I started a little in surprise. I'd just insulted him, shouldn't he be angry with me?

“The names Jessie, as I know you heard when I was talking to Ella” He smiled. “And no I don't need anything, I just wanted some company.”

I looked up at him, His eyes were such an amazing shade of blue.. I had to ask.

“Where did you get your contacts? They're amazing.” I tried to make it sound casual but my voice shuddered slightly and I had to suppress a grimace.

He smiled, stood and did a little old fashioned bow, right arm crossing his chest, left flung out behind him.

“Twas nice meeting you ma'am but I should be on my way.”

Why had he avoided my question? He straightened up again as I glanced nervously around the room, preying no one saw that. When he saw me peeking around he gave another booming whoop of laughter and patted me on the head.

“See you around kid” he said with a wink. He sauntered over to his old table across from mine and grabbed a fry off of his barely touched meal leaving a couple twenties on the table and walked out the door. Ella came out and dropped a mop and big bucket with some soapy cleaner on to the floor beside the pop spill.

“Can I help you with that Ella?” I asked and started getting up from my chair.

“No, no hon, you just work on finishing you meal”

I obeyed.

After I finished eating I sat for another twenty minutes, dreading going back out into the cold streets. As I prepared myself to leave Ella came out of the kitchen and walked over to me.

“Hey hon, heading out already?” she said with a sweet but oddly sad smile. Why was she sad?

“Is something wrong Ella?”

She smiled a happier smile and replied “No hon, I'm just worried about you.” Shocked, I took a step back.

“Worried, why Ella?” I half expected her to say “Nothing” and carry on over to the door, instead, she answered. “I know your running away Taylor” I took another step back, heart pounding. “Don’t worry hon” she laughed lightly. “I know your step mom. She called and told me to keep an eye out for you. She told me she found a letter on your pillow about how you blamed yourself for your dad's death. Hon, it's not your fault.”

I hadn't realized I'd been crying until then, I wiped my eyes and shook my head.
“You don't understand, It is my fault, I lead him right into traffic. I didn't realize-”

“Stop. Right now. Just stop. It's not your fault, he was murdered. I knew your dad too hon and I guarantee you, he was not so stupid as to run out in front of a car. Not even to chase you.”
I hiccupped a sob and wiped my eyes. “Ella, please. Just don't tell my mom where I am. I can't go home, not yet.”

She pulled me into a hug. She smelled sweet, like cookies and vanilla and she was warm, so warm it was like hugging a pile of laundry after it just comes out of the dryer.

“Taylor, Your mom didn't ask me to send you home.”

“What?” I asked, shocked.

“She told me that if you thought you needed to come home you would. She said she trusted you to make the right choices.” She said as she stroked my hair. “She told me, that if I saw you I was only to tell you that she understands your note. That it's not your fault. She said to tell you she really wants you to come home and that if you need anything from the house but don't feel ready to stay, your welcome to get what you need. You know where the key to the back door will be.” Ella stepped back, out of our hug but kept a hand on my shoulder.

“Taylor, if there's anything you need, anything at all, let me know, I'll do all I can to help. Okay?” She smiled and patted my cheek “Do you need a place to stay?”

“Thank you Ella, that means a lot to me” I said, voice cracking slightly. “I'll be fine and thanks for the offer but I know where I'm going to be staying for now. If you talk to my mom again, could you let her know I'm fine and that I'll leave letters in the mail box telling her I'm okay?”

“Of course sweetie. As long as you promise to stop by here now and then so I know your okay too. If your hungry it's on the house here.”

I wiped at the tears on my cheek again annoyed that they wouldn't go away. “I will. Promise.”
With a smile and one last pat on my cheek she said “I'm sorry hon, I really need to get back to work now. I wrote down my address on a piece of paper in case you ever needed a safe place to go. Come to the front and I'll give it to you.”

After she gave me the little slip of paper she gave me one last hug before she scurried off to the kitchen.

I took a breath and looked up at the clock. It was already two thirty in the afternoon, I needed to go out and find a spot to sleep. When I left the house I had brought my wallet with me.

In my bank I had at least five thousand dollars saved from the last two summers when I worked at McDonald’s. I saved every penny and had planned to do it again this year.. Oh well I guess. I stepped outside and looked around for the closest seven eleven. I was debating whether to risk wasting my money away faster by getting a hotel or just take my chances with the streets, when I found an Esso. The next closest thing to a seven eleven. More variety in grocery-like