First Day At New Job
**Trigger Warning**: The following content may contain material that could be distressing or triggering for some individuals. It may include references to topics such as violence, abuse, mental illness, self-harm, substance use, etc. Please proceed with caution and prioritize your well-being. If you feel uncomfortable at any point, consider stepping away or seeking support from a trusted source
I was waiting on the road by the edge of the forest. The sun was slowly going down in the west, casting a soft orange and light purple glow on the horizon. Why had I agreed to do this? This was a bad idea that I knew all along, but what else could I do? I am about to turn eighteen next month, and the orphanage will no longer allow me to stay there.
If only I had a family, if only I knew who my parents were, I would have gone to any long-distant relatives and stayed with them. I would have gotten a proper education, could have went to college, and started a life. Instead, I have spent my whole life being kicked out of one foster home to another, having to tolerate abusive people, and being unable to study at all.
I didn't ever had any real friends; all the kids in the orphanage who knew me either got adopted or ran away, joining small criminal groups. I always thought I would never go down that path, no matter how desperate I was, but after being hopelessly rejected by every couple that took me, I had lost hope of ever finding a place for myself, and I had no other option but to do this.
I know nothing about my parents. The cops tried to find out, but they had no luck. It was as if my parents didn't exist. I sometimes wonder if I look anything like them. Do I have my father's leafy green eyes, my mother's silver blond straight hair, and this pale complexion that makes me look like I am dead? Perhaps this is the reason they named me Liuna. At least that's what I liked to think to make myself happy.
My parents died when I was four. I don't remember much about how they died; I just know that one day a cop found me on the outskirts of the town, quite close to where I am standing now. I was injured and crying, and all I said was that mom and dad were dead. Then I blacked out, and when the doctors asked, I couldn't remember anything.
I guess it was easy to suppress painful memories. But now I have to face reality, which is that I have joined a gang, and they have asked me to deliver this super secret package for them as my first task. Super secret, my ass. I already knew it was drugs when I took the package; after all, I needed a place to stay and money to keep myself fed.
But for some reason, I didn't like the smirk on the wheezy old man's face when he handed me the package and his last advice to me. "Keep the clients happy no matter what you need to do and ask for good money," he said with those beady snake-like eyes. God, I shudder whenever I saw his ugly face. I gripped the shoulder bag I was wearing tightly.
And just then, as the last rays of sunshine disappeared, I heard the sounds of loud music, hooting, and a racing car engine.
A multi-colored car with two boys hanging their heads out of the window—one was black and the other was fat with black hair—and a skinny one at the steering wheel with blond hair drived towards me. They stop the car, and one of them with blond hair looked at the red shoulder bag I was given by the old man. The three young males in the car were a few years older than me. They got out of the car, and the blonde one gestured towards my bag, which he could see in the light coming from the car's headlights.
"Hey sweetie, you got something for us in there?" He asked looking at me up and down.
"Depends, are you the one who ordered new goods?" I asked politely, but I was a little skeptical about them.
"Can I see them?" he asked again, with that scanning look and weird smirk.
"Not here. In the woods." I said this because I was scared of any passerbyes or cops seeing us, and we walked a little behind the shade of the trees.
I open the bag, pulled out a sample packet, and passed it to him. They checked it, and once they were sure, The fat one said. "It's good staff. Quit strong." To the others:.
"I will have the cash now. I am sure you brought the amount that was discussed." I said, holding out a hand demandingly.
"Yep, here it is." The black one said and pulled a bundle of money out of his pocket. I had never seen so much cash in my life. God, if I could have all of it. Stop, I needed to focus. I counted the money and said, "Is it less than what was decided? You need to pay the other half."
"Yeah, we will, but after we get the second package." The blonde one said while smirking and exchanging meaningful glances with the others.
"What do you mean? This is all I was given. See," I said nervously, showing them the inside of the bag in the light from my cell phone. Something was really wrong; I could feel it.
"Hahaha!" they laughed loudly as if I had just told a hilarious joke, and their laughs made me feel unnerved.
"Honey, we are not talking about weed." That smirking blonde weirdo said and pointed at the car.
"Would you prefer it here or in the car? Personally, I don't think you want to dirty your clothes in the mud here." He said it matter-of-factly.
I dropped the bag and the money as I realized, with a surge of fear, what they are talking about. I was the second package, that the old snake had sold me too. "Keep the clients happy and ask for good money." Those words echoed in my mind like a haunting scream. Without stopping to think, my feet began to run towards the forest, but before I could have even taken a few steps, the blonde guy blocked my way.
"Stop, bitch, where are you going?" he said angrily.
I ran the other way, and the fat one stopped me and threw me backwards. I fell straight into the arms of the black guy, who grabbed me tightly around the waist.
"Don't fight; play with us, darling." He mocked me.
Struggling desperately, I hit his nose with the back of my head, and as he let me go momentarily, I kicked the fat one in front of me in the balls and ran straight towards the forest, but the blonde one stepped forward to block my way. I punched him in the face really hard, bruising his face.
"Bitch!" he screamed, pulling out a knife.
Acting out of repulsive behavior, I grabbed his knife with my bare hands, trying to take the knife from him.
'Ahhh' I screamed; my hands were stinging with pain where the knife cut me, and blood started dripping from my hands. Despite this pain, I didn't let go of the knife, and I targeted his upper arm. I managed to cut him slightly, and without looking back, I ran into the forest.
I couldn't see anything; it was too dark, and the woods were too thick. I could hear their voices calling me from behind, and the sound of their foot steps scared me as they kept getting closer.
Oh God, what am I going to do now?
