The Finder (Wolves of the Northwoods Book 1)

by A J Manney

  She sat on her bed and began to brush her hair. She wondered absently what her roommate would be like. She hoped she was easy to get along with. She pulled her wet hair back into a braid so it wouldn’t be a mess when she woke up later. She used one of the few elastic bands that had been included in her toiletries bag. Again, she was so thankful for everything she had been given. She would have to find a way to give back to this place when she got back on her feet.

  Finally feeling settled, Emma lay down on the bed and slipped under the blanket and sheet. She thought she would take a while to fall asleep in this new place, but she surprised herself by falling asleep instantly.

  __________

  Emma opened her eyes and looked around the dark room in panic. She sat up quickly, not recognizing where she was. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she remembered she was at Hope House. She could just make out the shape of someone sleeping in the other bed from the light entering the room from the street light outside. She glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand and saw the time. 4:30. Picking up the clock and looking at it closely, she realized it was a.m. She panicked and shot out of bed. She couldn’t believe she had slept that long. It was only sheer luck that she had woken when she had.

  She stumbled through the dark room, trying to find the dresser with her clothes. She finally found it and pulled out the only other outfit she had. She couldn’t wear the outfit she was wearing now; she had slept in it. She felt around the floor for her sneakers and found them. Pulling her belongings close to her chest, she quietly made her way to the door and into the hallway. After carefully closing the door behind her, she ran down the hallway to the showers.

  Once again, she was the only one in the showers. She was thankful she had an early morning job. Hopefully, it would afford her some privacy. She didn’t have time for more than just washing her face and brushing her teeth. She quickly dressed in one of the shower areas. She looked at herself in the mirror and frowned. She didn’t have any makeup or hair products, so there wasn’t much she could do to herself. She undid her braid and fingered the waves; then pulled it up into a high knot on top of her head. She figured that would work for serving coffee. She glanced at the t-shirt and black leggings. The t-shirt was purple with two cats on it and said, “Life's better with cats.” Emma grimaced. It was pretty ugly, but it was all she had.

  She gathered all her belongings and took them back to her room. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was four forty. She wasn’t sure how long it would take to get to the shop. She figured it would be about ten or fifteen minutes, but she wasn’t sure. She needed to get moving. She quickly made her way to the front door of Hope House.

  Opening the door, she made her way out onto the sidewalk. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the chill. She headed in the direction of the coffee shop, thankful for street lights. She wasn’t exactly sure how safe this town was yet, so she wasn’t taking any chances. She stayed under the lights as much as possible and kept a careful watch around her. She made herself walk quickly. Finally, the coffee shop came into view. She sped towards it, hoping she was on time. She made a mental note to get a watch as soon as possible.

  When she got to the shop, she saw lights on inside; but the door was locked. She knocked lightly on the door. A moment later, Helen opened the door to her. “Good morning,” she called out.

  Emma smiled. “Good morning,” she returned. Stepping into the shop, she breathed out a sigh of relief. It was warm and smelled inviting and welcoming with the aroma of freshly ground coffee beans. A quick glance at the clock told her she had made it on time.

  “All right. Go ahead and get washed up,” Helen said. Emma did as she said. “Clean aprons are in the back,” Helen said as she moved around, setting things up for the day.

  Emma walked into the back room and returned wearing a black Sip and Drip apron. She spent the next thirty-five minutes following Helen around, watching carefully everything she did. After a quick lesson on the cash register and a couple of practices, Helen deemed Emma good enough to “give it a go.”

  At exactly five thirty, Helen told Emma to flip the sign. Emma hurried to the door to do exactly that. With her stomach a mess of nerves, Emma made her way back behind the counter. Helen continued training her and explaining what each drink was and how to make it. None of them were super complicated, and thankfully the menu wasn’t that large. Since Emma had a good memory, she hoped she would find it easy.

  It didn’t take long for the first customers to come in. The first few drinks, Emma simply watched and learned, categorizing every detail in her mind. After several customers, Helen had her try running the register. Emma was a little slow at first but seemed to be picking it up. Helen made Emma watch her make each and every drink. When it wasn’t busy, Helen would have Emma make the drinks.

  The time went surprisingly fast. Soon it was ten thirty, and Helen told Emma to take a break. That surprised Emma. She hadn't planned on taking a break; she had forgotten about it. “Just be back in an hour,” Helen said, waving her off.

  Emma walked to the back room and took her apron off before heading outside. She figured she would walk back to Hope House and snag a bagged lunch. If she walked quickly, she would have plenty of time to walk there, eat, and walk back. With that thought in mind, she began walking in the direction of Hope House. Her mind replayed the details of the drinks she had learned over and over. She wanted to be able to remember them going forward. The walk flew by as her mind was busy. She walked up to the home and pulled on the door handle. She was momentarily surprised to find it locked. “Ugh,” she said to herself in frustration. She had forgotten that it was closed during the day. The ladies were supposed to be out working or looking for work during the day. She totally forgot. That’s why it had been locked yesterday when she arrived. She was frustrated with herself for not remembering that. She was also frustrated because now she couldn’t eat until dinner. “So much for having a good memory,” she muttered to herself. With a sigh of frustration, she turned back towards the shop.

  The walk took longer this time. By the time she got to the shop, she was frustrated with herself. She peeked into the window and noticed it was only eleven. She turned back around and faced the street. Her eyes landed on the library she had visited briefly yesterday, and she felt her frustration fade. With a lighter step, she walked that way.

  Walking inside, she relished the warmth. She quickly found the fiction section of the library and searched for a good book. After finding a few promising ones, she found a table to sit at. She read the backs of each of them again before settling on the first one she had picked up. Keeping a close eye on the clock, Emma began reading. She quickly became engrossed in the story before she had to shelve the books to get back to work. She smiled as she made the walk back to the coffee shop. It was less than a five-minute walk. It would be perfect for her breaks in the future.

  With a smile on her face, she reached out to open door to the shop, only to have it open for her. She stepped back as a man came out of the shop. He stopped when he noticed her and held the door open for her. Emma thanked him and stepped inside. “Is it really better with cats?” Emma turned back to look at the man still holding the door open. Is he talking to me? The man pointed to her shirt. “Is life really better with cats?”

  Emma glanced down. “Oh, um, yeah, I guess,” she finished lamely. Emma looked back up at the man. It was at that moment she noticed how incredibly large the man was, and good-looking, she thought on a side note. He had bright blue eyes and blondish-brown hair. He was grinning at her, and she couldn’t help but smile back.

  “Well, that was unconvincing. Guess I won’t be getting a cat anytime soon. Oh well.” He shrugged. “See you, Helen,” he called out. He smiled at Emma one more time and left.

  Emma stared after him for just a moment. She quickly shook her head and went behind the counter to grab an apron and get back to work.

  Chapter 5

  The rest of her shif
t passed just as quickly as the morning had. Emma eagerly soaked in everything Helen taught her. Soon it was two, and Helen’s daughter arrived. “Emma,” Helen said. “This is my daughter Cynthia.”

  Emma smiled. “Nice to meet you,” she said to the woman who was probably about ten years older than her.

  “It’s so nice to meet you. I’m so glad Mom has somebody to help her out before I can get here,” she said gratefully

  “Well, Emma. I think you are going to work out just fine,” Helen said when Emma clocked out for the day.

  “Thanks so much for giving me a chance,” Emma said.

  Emma decided to head back to the library since she wouldn’t be able to get into Hope House until it opened for dinner at five. The afternoon passed quickly, and soon Emma found herself back at Hope House. Taking a deep breath, she pulled open the door and went inside. It was a totally different place. There was noise and women everywhere. Emma kept her head down and made her way to her room. She sat on her bed for a moment, trying to decide whether or not to try dinner. Her stomach eventually won out.

  She opened the door and ran right into someone. “Watch where you’re going,” the girl sniped at her, pushing past her and into the room. Emma turned to watch as the girl walked over to her bed, sat down, put on headphones, and shut her eyes. Emma stared at her a moment longer before turning away. Well, I guess that’s my roommate, Emma thought to herself. Emma walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

  She entered the dining area a few moments later. There were lots of women of all ages gathered. It was pretty loud. Emma eyed the serving line and went and got in line. Her stomach growled at the smell of meatloaf. She wasn’t sure if it would be any good, but she didn’t think it would matter at this point. She took her plate and moved to an empty table. She had just taken a bite when a woman and a little girl stopped across the table from her. “Can we sit here?” the woman asked.

  “Of course,” Emma said.

  “I’m Amy, and this is Olivia,” the woman said, nodding her head at Olivia.

  “It’s nice to meet you both. I’m Emma,” Emma said politely. She was just about to put her head down and take another bite when she saw Amy turn to Olivia and sign to her. Emma looked at Olivia closely. She was an adorable little girl, probably about five or so. She had brown curly hair and big brown eyes. She looked right at Emma and Emma smiled at her. Raising her hand, she pointed to herself and spelled out E-M-M-A to her. Olivia’s eyes lit up and she spelled out her own name to Emma. Emma stuck out her hand and Olivia’s small one met hers so they could shake.

  Emma turned back to Amy. Amy was watching her carefully. “You know sign language?”

  Emma shook her head regretfully. “No, I wish I did. I only know how to sign my name.”

  Emma watched as Amy turned and signed something to Olivia. Olivia’s eyes lit up, and she signed something back to her mother. Amy frowned slightly and turned back to Emma. Olivia tugged on her arm, but Amy shook her head again. Emma watched their interaction. “Is everything okay?” she asked gently.

  Amy looked at her like a deer in headlights. “Olivia said she would teach you sign language, but I’m sure you’re busy and wouldn’t want...”

  Emma cut her off. “I would love that,” Emma said sincerely.

  “Are you sure? You don’t have to,” Amy said nervously.

  Emma smiled again. “I really would like to learn. I don’t know how long I’ll be here, but I will learn as much as I can before I go.”

  Amy smiled, and Emma thought she might have seen a sheen of tears in her eyes before she turned and signed to Olivia. Emma watched and smiled as Oliva signed back. Amy turned to Emma with a smile. “She said she will be a good teacher.”

  “I’m sure she will,” Emma said. “How old are you?” she asked Olivia directly. Amy asked her, and Olivia held up six fingers. Emma gave her a thumbs up.

  “Did you just get here?” Amy asked. “We haven’t seen you before.”

  “I did,” Emma said. Not wanting to have to deflect questions she couldn’t answer, Emma turned the conversation back to them. “How long have you been here?”

  “A few weeks now,” Amy said, dejected. “I need to get a good job to provide for us, so we can get out of here, but it’s really hard to find something that works for both Oliva and me.” She didn’t say anything more, but Emma could only imagine what more to the story there was. She couldn’t imagine how hard Amy had it right now—trying to find a job with a deaf little girl to take care of at the same time. “If I could afford care for Olivia, obviously we wouldn't be here,” she said looking around the room.

  “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how difficult it is right now,” Emma said. “You know, if I can help out in any way, I would be happy too. I don’t know if I could watch her for you around your work schedule or whatever.”

  Amy didn’t say anything for a moment, and this time, Emma did see tears for real. “That would be really helpful,” Amy said. “I haven’t been able to go to many interviews because of not being able to take Olivia with me.”

  “Well, I work from five to two each day. I can be back here by two fifteen. Any time after that, I would be happy to watch her for you,” Emma said.

  “I will keep that in mind and see if I can get some interviews scheduled during that time,” Amy said. “Thank you,” she said sincerely.

  Emma nodded, smiled at Olivia, and finished the last few bites on her plate. “So, when do I get my first lesson?” Emma asked Olivia.

  Amy signed to her, and Olivia’s face lit up. She signed back to her mother and Amy turned to Emma. “She wants to know if right now works.”

  “Perfectly,” Emma said.

  Emma spent the next hour learning sign language from Olivia with Amy as an interpreter. By the time they were done, Emma knew how to sign—How are you, Goodbye, several other phrases, and a myriad of individual words. Emma hugged the two of them and went back to her room.

  When they finished, Emma said, “I don’t have a phone or anything, but I’m in room 109. Feel free to leave a note whenever you need me to watch Olivia.”

  Amy nodded. “Thank you. We’re in room 221.”

  Emma stood to her feet. “Room 221. Got it. Thanks for my lesson,” she said to Olivia. She smiled at Amy and waved at Olivia. Olivia waved back.

  On the way to her room, Emma decided to detour to the bathroom, looking to see if the showers were free. She assumed this would be a good time to slip in and get a shower while everyone was still at dinner. Confirming it was empty, she hurried to her room to get her belongings. She entered the room quietly so as not to disturb her roommate. Her eyes flicked to the girl. Her eyes were still closed with her headphones on. Emma wasn’t sure if she was sleeping or not. She grabbed her toiletries bag and underclothes and the only other set of clothes she had. She needed to find the washing machine and wash the few clothes she had. For now, she would just put back on the leggings and cat shirt from today, sleep in it tonight, and put on clean clothes tomorrow.

  After her shower, Emma tracked down the washing machine and washed her clothes. When they were dry, she folded the outfit she arrived in and the t-shirt and leggings she had been given when she first arrived here. Along with the leggings and the ugly cat shirt she was wearing now, that was all she had. She just had to make do until she could get paid and get to a thrift store to get a few pieces. Helen hadn’t told her how often she would get paid; she was really hoping it was weekly.

  Emma settled into her room for the night. Because of her early mornings, she wanted to get to sleep at a good time. Her roommate was gone when she got back to the room. Emma prepared for bed and fiddled with the alarm clock until she was sure it was set for four a.m. Then she lay down on her bed. Sleep found her quickly.

  Emma opened her eyes to the sound of her alarm going off. She quickly silenced it before it could wake her roommate. She lay still a moment, letting her eyes adjust before climbing out of bed. She hadn’t planned on taking anot
her shower, but she decided on it so she could wake up. She gathered her stuff and headed to the showers.

  After a hot shower, she was feeling more human. She moved over to the mirror. She brushed out her hair, wishing—not for the first time—that she had a straightener. She had to just make the best of what she had. She put her hair in a high ponytail, so it would stay out of her way while she served coffee. She finished getting ready. She was wearing her usual black leggings and the black t-shirt she had arrived here in. She glanced at herself one last time in the mirror before heading back to her room.

  After making her bed and putting her things away, she glanced at the clock. 4:35. Time to get going. She left her room, quietly shutting the door behind her. She made her way through the silent house and almost to the front door when she remembered to grab a lunch bag. She made her way to the dining area but was disappointed to see there were no bags available, nor was anyone in the kitchen. She would just have to go without lunch, again. She could make it until dinner; she had done it yesterday.

  She left Hope House and made her way towards the coffee shop. Around fifteen minutes later, she made it. She was cold by the time she got there. She was ready to get into the warm coffee shop. Helen was already there and let her in as soon as she knocked. She shivered as she came in and took a deep breath and smiled. The smell was so welcoming. “Good morning,” Helen said.

  “Good morning,” Emma said. She walked behind the counter, grabbed an apron, and got to work. As if they had been working together for years, they fell into companionable silence as they worked. Soon it was opening time. A few minutes after opening, the first customer came in.

  “Good morning, welcome to Sip and Drip,” Emma called out, just as Helen had instructed her to. And they were off. Customers trickled in over the next few hours. Emma stayed busy taking orders and practicing her drink-making skills. Things slowed down pretty heavily around ten o’clock. Emma walked out into the sitting area and wiped down tables. She had her back to the door when it opened with a jingle. “Welcome to Sip and Drip,” she called out over her shoulder. When she turned around, she saw the good-looking man from yesterday.