The Cinderella Contract

Chapter 3: Trouble at the Supermarket

Chapter 3: Trouble at the Supermarket

I dislike rain.

I mean, don't get me wrong, I love the sound of it. The pitter patter of the water droplets pounding against the roof. But when you don't have an umbrella, a change of clothes, or a heater, you tend to start not liking the cold liquid; especially when it soaks you to the bone.

I should probably expand on why I brought up that subject. I left Marcy's house in the late morning. Turns out she and Jack ended up hanging out today, which was fine with me (cue creepy grin). I had places to go anyways, which is why I just shoved my phone into one of my back pockets before hittin' the road. Since I don't own a car or a bike (Or any other methods of transport for that matter) I had to make my way back to Terri's house. I would love to just pack up and hit the highway, but Terri is the only one with a computer, and in order to put out my resume, I have to use some sort of technology.

Anyhow, I hadn't realized how dark and cloudy it was outside until I was halfway home. It started to rain like crazy, and unfortunately for me, I had nothing but my sweatshirt hood to shield me from the cold. So here I was trudging home in a pair of Marcy's sweats that she lent me and my old tank top from yesterday.

The scenery around me was...well, depressing. The dark gray clouds surrounded the city like a blanket of wet cotton, only a few scattered rays of sunlight escaped through the dense sky at the other end of the land. A couple street lamps flickered on and off while the darkness from above reflected off of the windows of the buildings on either side of the road I walked on. Every so often, the wind would tug at my jacket, making it more challenging to hide my hair and face from the pouring rain.

It felt like I had been walking forever when I finally reached Addona Way. The house I have seen so many times somehow looked different. The wooden structure towered over me, the brown paint looked worn. Everything about that house just screamed creepy.

Now that I think of it, that house suits the three witches perfectly.

As I was inspecting the house, I saw a white piece of paper taped to the front door. Upon closer observation, I realized it was a note. I ripped it off of the wood to read.

Tessa, Alana, and I are at a play for the afternoon.

Here's a list of your chores.

Better be done by the time we get back,

Terri

I exhaled loudly. Of course she would give me work after a fight. She always does. Probably because she knows I'll come back.

It's not like I have anywhere else to go.

Shaking my head ruefully, I scanned the paper for my first job. Trust me, I hate doing this, but I need a place to sleep, even if it's in the creaky old basement. I can't keep staying at Marcy's. She has already done a lot for me. It's best if I start on these chores before I complete my plan.

First on the list: grocery shopping.

Fun.

***

I was met with a freezing blast of air as I walked through the automatic sliding doors at the store. I remember when I was younger I was deathly afraid of automatic doors. Whenever we went to a place with sliding doors, my dad always told me that I had to run through them quickly or I would get crushed in between them.

Sometimes, that man had a dark sense of humor.

Let's just say that after that, he had a hard time getting me to go inside places with those things.