Snippet #2245296

"Bullocks bullocks bullocks bullocks..."

The chant was not an unfamiliar one that spilt forth from Jennifer's mouth, it was often the only thing lighting her lips in the morning; it was just always strange to hear it from her as she rushed down the road towards the small cafe she worked at, hair mussed from sleep, the remainders of black kohl liner haloed around her watery blue eyes. Cursing, in any way, shape, or form did not suit the slim Brit. She looked like a young girl stretched into an adult's body, a china doll with sharp porcelain lines all about her face. There was a bruise fading on her left cheekbone, the only remains of a scrap she'd been in a few nights before, a scrap she hardly even remembered, and one she was sure she had walked away the victor from.

As she jogged down the street, her loose jeans barely clinging to slim hips with the help of a very worn leather belt, she tried to tug her choppy, layered hair back into a ponytail, before giving up with a grunt. Screw it, screw it all. She was late, she was tired, she was annoyed. Today was simply not her day, and she was aware. Most days weren't her days. And it sucked. Hard-core. Slowing to a quick-paced walk, she tried to tug her clothes into a placing, where she hoped no one would know she'd just barely rolled out of bed, but then again, that never worked. All her coworkers knew her, knew her mannerisms, and loved to tease her about it. And she'd yet to figure out a way to fool Chris.

Christopher, one of the blokes she worked with, and someone she sometimes considered a friend. He was tall, and caring, and had a gruff sort of air about him, like he was fighting an internal battle 24/7. And he was cute. Oh, God, was he cute. Jenn had never been the type to get weak-kneed over anyone, but Chris had that type of face, the one that made everyone, even guys, do a double take. He was also someone that she had classified as "unreachable." There was something with him that made him feel...like a different part of humanity. Not to mention the fact that he was her coworker. And you didn't date someone you worked with, no, it simply wasn't done. Besides, Jenn wasn't big on dating, not seriously, and she didn't even want to delve into the obnoxious world of flirting or anything again.

Just one block to go, and she was only five minutes late for her shift! Hell, she was making good time, maybe she'd have time to cover her bruise with makeup after all! Allowing a tiny smile to settle on her lips, Jennifer rounded a corner, passing by a small alley way...and nearly doubled over as something cold rushed through her. This bloody feeling, it was popping up all over the place, especially when she passed creepy little hollows like this. It made her feel faint, like something was ripping away her breath, pushing it forcibly from her lungs and making her vision go blurry. Darting her eyes around, she saw a shadow. Not a usual one, no, but the kind she was beginning to see everywhere, the type that made the air around them shiver, the type that only grew, never shrunk, and always seemed to want to crawl towards her. Which this one was. Very fast.

With a quiet whimper, one that sounded like the was trying to escape some kind of horror-movie-monster, Jennifer scuttled down the walk, taking twice as many breaths to try and recover the oxygen she'd been robbed of. After what seemed like ages, she threw open the door to the cafe and was instantly engulfed in a sense of warmth and friendliness, and she sagged against the door frame for a moment to gulp down her rising panic. Composing herself, she slid over to the counter and punched her time card, trying to think of something pleasant. Usually, a warmth like this meant that Christopher was already here. And when Chris was around, for some reason, the shadows didn't bother Jenn anymore.

And she was extremely grateful for that.