Chapter Three

The diner was filled with delicious scents, making my stomach growl instantly. 

“I can make you something if you want.” Meghan said through giggles. 

“I don’t have any money on me. Thank you though” I said with flushed cheeks. 

She waved her hand dismissively, walking around the counter. 

“Nonsense, my parents own the place. They really won’t care” 

I quietly sat at a bar stool as Meghan disappeared behind the kitchen doors. Looking around, the place was as packed as it was the night before. Everyone was busy with their own conversations and food. The hum of noises was actually a lot quieter than I expected from a place so full of people. 

Jax walked in the door and I noticed again that everyone turned to look at him briefly, before turning back. No one had bothered to look at Meghan and I when we had walked in. 

His eyes roamed the place before locking with mine as he made his way over. 

Taking the seat next to me, Jax leaned back putting his elbows on the counter still facing the door. 

We sat in silence for a few minutes before curiosity got the best of me or maybe the silence made me uncomfortable. 

“Did you notice that everyone looks at you when you come in?”

He cocked his head at me, giving a slight smile. 

“Did you notice that?”

I gave him a slight nod, as his smile deepened. 

“Interesting.” 

Meghan set a salad down in front of me before I could press any further. 

“Sorry meat hasn’t been delivered yet. ANDY WHERE'S MY DELIVERY?!”

She yelled across the diner. 

A man in the left corner waved his hand and grunted. 

Meghan rolled her eyes.

“That’s Andy and his wife Cheryl. They own the majority of the livestock and butchershop.” 

Meghan continued naming off every person in the diner and in some way or another they contributed to the town. Darrel and Thomas brought the majority of the crops, Samuel the majority of the dairy and eggs, and etc. 

“And Lenny and his dad have run the hydropower plant.”

I almost choked on my salad out of surprise. 

“Wait, the town runs on water?” 

Meghan nodded her head. 

“Yeah. But it’s not like a huge dam. We have a natural waterfall that has been channeled into a funnel thingy. I don’t know, I'm not going to pretend I know what I’m talking about. It just allows us to separate from the main cities.”

Jax coughed as if to tell Meghan to shut up before turning to me. 

“Now the quiz will begin in 5 minutes. You better have everyone's names memorized.”

“So everyone pretty much contributes to the town?” I asked, ignoring Jax. 

“Yup! We're a small community but that’s what makes us work. “ Meghan said as she started to pull out cleaning supplies. 

“And what about my aunt? I know she doesn’t do any stuff like that?” 

Jax stiffened and looked at Meghan, who looked back at him silently. 

“Your aunt’s family has been here a long time. She was kind of a package deal with the land” Jax said with a serious tone. 

“She gives a lot of herbal remedies too.” 

Meghan added with a lighter tone. 

I sat quietly as Meghan started her shift, slowly finishing my salad. Eventually, Jax wandered  off without a word in my direction. After 30 minutes or so, I decided probably better to head home so Meghan could stop checking in with me. I thanked her for the food and left. 

I glanced towards the direction of my Aunts shop and debated whether or not to stop by, but decided against it. 

Walking along the road towards my house, I thought about the events of the day. Why were Meghan and Jax so nice to me? I get I’m the new girl in town, but it doesn’t mean they had to show me around or even make me food. I had half expected them to be a lot meaner given how gorgeous they were. It was odd to be at such a small high school, our classes were so small, any slight disruption should have been highly noticeable. And me asking for help or a book every time was a huge disruption. I had noticed that Meghan and Jax were in almost all my classes, besides my last one which they both weren’t in. 

I crushed into what felt like a hard wall, quickly bringing me out of my thoughts as I fell to the ground. 

A man stood above me, seemingly not disturbed by me running into him. 

He reached out a hand helping me off the floor. 

“I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying attention” I apologized. 

The man stared at me without saying a word. His eyes roamed my face and then to the neckline and zeroed in what laid between my breasts. 

“Amethyst. That’s interesting.” He pointed at my necklace. 

My hand grasped it, forgetting I had even put it on this morning. My aunt's necklace she had given me the night previously, begging me to wear it. 

“Umm sure. Again sorry I crashed into you” I tried to step to the side to go around him, but he stepped with me forcing him still in my path. The hairs on the back of my neck stood and my flight or fight seemed tingling. I stepped again, this time the man stood still staring at me. His eyes were what seemed to be all black with black hair to match. His skin was pale white and if I hadn’t just spent the day with Jax, I would have thought this man was attractive. But against Jax’s tan skin and more muscular build, this man looked sickly. 

“Ones who wear Amethyst usually have something to hide.” He said calmly, as I continued to make small steps to go around him. 

“It was just a gift.” I whispered, my throat had dried up as I had felt he was not a friendly acquaintance. 

His eyes narrowed a bit before turning away from me, walking across the road toward the woods. He stopped before reaching the tree line and looked back at me. 

“I wouldn’t wander alone, secret-keeper.”

And he was gone. 

I let out a huge breath as I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I had made the wrong assumption I could be safe in a small town, but I was beginning to think I needed a car more than anything.