Chapter Text
Stars Align Chapter 1 New Beginnings
~*~
Shade from a nearby tree shielded you from the oppressive heat of the summer sun beating down on your black SUV, a blessed breeze cooling the sweat beading on your pale skin as you once again hid away from the insanity you found yourself living in. Stars you wished summer would die already and make way for fall, although what you really needed was to find a new place to live. Sure, moving back in with your ex and his kids to help him out sounded like a good idea at the time, get a free roof over your head and help someone you still cared about at the same time… yeah not the best idea you ever had, especially with the kids mom living there. That woman was… okay yeah she was evil, no if and or buts about it. How could a woman be so detestable, she even managed to make your own train wreck of a mother look like a saint.
Now you spend your days hiding in your car to avoid the constant yelling and fighting, your good intentions to help where you could now abandoned to save your own sanity. Fuck you needed to find a way out of that house, too many people with not enough room. An aura of darkness and despair permeating the very walls as you slumber on the couch at night, your only sanctuary being your car. Heaving a heavy sigh, you pull up the browser on your phone once again, hope that this will be the time you find some place to move to that you can afford pushing you to search once again. With a few taps on your screen, you set the search to find housing from cheapest first, a moment later then the listing load you begin to scroll.
When you first started looking you had stuck to local listings, wanting to still be able to help where you could. Now… you’ve expanded your search so far that you are looking throughout the nation, after all you have a car so it shouldn’t matter much where you end up. As you scroll you come to one of the few adds offering a free room with pictures that doesn’t look like one of those click bait ones that later tell you the rent is ten times your income. The small surge of hope you feel as you click the add morphing to utter amazement, totally baffled at what you find in the add.
Privet attic room and bathroom in New Home all utilities and food included in exchange for cooking and cleaning. Meals to be shared as a group activity for bonding with your new house mates. Must be monster friendly.
Attached to the add are several photos of the house and property as well as photos of the room and bathroom on offer. You jaw dropping in wonderment at how big the house is as well as just how nice the room is, fuck better than crashing on the couch in a crappy two bedroom that’s for sure. The monster friendly request had you wondering till you noticed the location, New Home, right outside of Ebott… well moving to the monster capital of the world… yeah you would need to be monster friendly that’s for sure. Well, no knowing till you try anyway, clicking on the contacts link you see the poster prefers text with a number listed. A tap on the link and your phone shifts over to your text app, a few strokes and your thumb hovers over the send button.
You: Greetings, I saw your add about the room for housework and cooking. I am interested in applying for the room, I have several years of working as a live-in nanny and housekeeper as well as former employment as a live-in caregiver. Please feel free to ask me any questions you deem necessary, I hope to hear from you soon.
No sense putting your name out there if you weren’t even sure you would get a response, if they respond you can go from there. Pressing send you lean your head back against the headrest of your seat, your heart pounding in hope and trepidation. Breath, it’s not like you are going to know shit for a while anyway. Never had one of those adds get back to you sooner than a day, no sense getting worked up while waiting. A soft buzzing sound comes from your phone, the ringer left off so as not to disturb anyone you live with. Not that they extend the same courtesy to you or appreciate the gesture.
Scooping up your phone from where it lay on the passenger seat you see a new text notification, great probably your ex wondering if you can pick something up while you’re out. Clicking on the notification your heart begins pounding in your chest, your mouth dry as you see it’s from the number you just texted. What the actual fuck, no one gets back that fast, no one. Clicking on your map you check to see what time zone New Home is located in, maybe it’s the middle of… nope only three hours ahead of you… wait that’s pretty late to be handling business. Fuck it just click the text and get the rejection over with, better to be done with it before you get your hopes up too high.
XXX-XXX-XXXX: thank ya for yer interest, from yer number i’m guessin’ yer not local. if ya could tell me yer name and a bit about what it is yer lookin' for we can go from there. i'm sans.
Okay interesting name… and who texts like that anyway? Don’t most phones have an auto feature for spelling and capitalization? Okay focus.
You: As I stated I am interested in the room, cleaning shouldn’t be much of an issue as long as supplies are provided. Cooking is something of a secret passion of mine so it would be a joy to share that with the rest of the house. Any allergies or dietary restrictions are easy for me to accommodate because of my past experiences with care giving as well as childcare. I am simply looking for a place to finally call home, somewhere to belong.
Quickly hitting send you realize you forgot to include your name, heaving a sigh you quickly shoot off another text.
You: I’m Samantha Jost, although you can call me Sam if you like.
Drumming your fingers on the steering wheel you look over the texts, are you really going to do this? Are you really going to pack up and move cross country again? Stars you don’t know these people, last time you at least chatted with the people you moved to live with for a while… gods it’s not like you won’t have your car, you can always make a plan B or plan C like you always do. Jumping at the vibration of your phone still in your hand you look down at the unassuming device, your heart pounding.
XXX-XXX-XXXX: sounds good pal, ya sure yer ok with monsters?
You hadn’t really though much about the monsters that had come out from under mount Ebott, did you have an issue with them? No… how could you since you had never met one before. Come to think about it… this could be exciting, a chance to meet a whole new type of people. Hitting reply, you quickly type out a response.
You: No issues at all with monsters, as far as I’m concerned they are just more people to get to know. Never been one to separate people biased on what they look like honestly, it isn’t the outside that matters really, it’s the person inside.
It was true, there was no way to judge a person on looks. Someone could be six foot tall, covered from head to toe in tattoos and be the sweetest person you ever met. Or on the flip side they could be like your five-foot room mate who was the definition of evil in an unassuming sweet looking package. While some news groups tried to paint all monsters as evil soul stealing murderers, others touted them to literally be maid of love and compassion. How could you hope to judge when you had never even met one monster, not that you could judge a whole group on how one individual acted.
XXX-XXX-XXXX: ok kid come on out, best we can do is try. If things work out fine, if not…
Pfft yeah if they don’t work out you just go with plan B… again. Ugh. Okay time to get back to the house, pack up the few things you own, yay for having been reduced to living out of a suitcase for so long, and get to driving. Thank goodness you had some money set aside for this very reason, stars the kids are not going to be happy about you leaving.
You: Sounds good, I’ll get my stuff packed and be there in a few days. If you could shoot me the address that might help, unless you want to meet up on neutral territory first to get a feel for if we are going to get along?
XXX-XXX-XXXX: smart idea pal, let’s meet up at grillby's down on main in new new home.
You: Sounds good, one last question though… do you have an issue with me bringing my cat? She is well trained, walks on a leash, knows to come when called, sit on command and would be more than happy to stay in my room if need be. Although she is a friendly little thing that loves attention.
Crossing your fingers, you hope your fur baby won’t be an issue, although realistically having a cat with you has caused you a lot of issues in the past. Hands shaking as the phone goes off again you peek at the text that comes through.
XXX-XXX-XXXX: nah no issues there, we got a couple cats here already.
A sigh of relief leaves your lungs as you rub your sore neck, you couldn’t leave Nymphadora behind if you wanted to. Well, your ex would have been more than happy to keep her, but no way in hell are you leaving your baby to the mercy of the kids or their psychotic mother. Punching in the address on Google maps you find a quaint place with a neon sign, a smile tugging at your lips as it reminds you of the kind of place your dad would have taken you as a kid. Heaving another sigh, you shoot back an affirmative with the promise to keep in touch before turning your car on to head back to the house to pack your stuff and let everyone know you’re moving. Today is going to be a long day you can just feel it, oh well maybe a couple of nights in motels along the way will get the stress out of your neck.
~*~
Pulling up to the two bedroom you currently live in, you shut off your car and head inside. The summer heat has left the small house hotter than it should be, the extra people not helping with cooling the place down. Thank the heavens the kids' mom left for work already, even if her desire to see you move out might prompt her to actually help you pack. Plopping down on the couch you use for a bed with a sigh, your attention turning to your ex before you work up the nerve to start the conversation you need to have.
“Sooo, James. You know how I brought up a while back that I was looking for a place to move?” a grunt and nod the only indication he is paying attention to what you are saying. “Well, I found a place, it isn’t in town though. I need to get packed up and head out in the morning.” You rush out, your words nearly tripping over themselves to leave your mouth as a pinch in your neck from the tension nearly distracts you.
“Yeah, that’s cool. You need any help packing up your car?” Head turning in your direction, James' blue eyes lock onto you.
“Um, yeah some help loading would be nice actually. Sorry I wasn’t more helpful on sorting out your stress here, but I feel like the stress is trying to kill me from dealing with that.” Lifting your hand, you point down the hall where Meghan normally spends her time, when she isn’t intent on making everyone miserable.
“Yeah I get it.” A heavy sigh leaves James, a mutual understanding between the two of you over the hell his choices put him and everyone he cares about through.
Nodding you get up and start rummaging around, packing up all the things you have around the room. Your insistence on keeping all of your belongings separate and at least partly organized a blessing at this point. Within a couple of hours, the back of your SUV is loaded up, Nymphadora’s litter box is set up in the back seat, her food and water dish set up in the front. Your wardrobe is backed in your suitcase, with your AC beside it. Your computer is taken apart and packed neatly just waiting for your bedding to be put on top of it. It’s less stuff than you came with, but that was the point. A good portion of what you brought with you had been old computer parts and electronics for James to tinker with to keep him from going insane. All you have left is to pack your bedding and your cat and you can be on the road. Looking at the clock you see it is still early enough that you could get a fair bit of driving done before needing to sleep.
“Would you be too terribly mad if I head out tonight? I have a long drive ahead of me and it’s still early enough I can make good time.” Twisting your fingers, you look to James with a sheepish smile.
“No, go for it. It makes sense since you’re more awake at night anyway.” A sad smile graces his face, his mustache twitching slightly.
“Thanks, I’ll just go get my bedding then before I grab Nymy.” Slipping around James you dash back into the house, scoop up your blanket and pillows before dumping them in your car over your computer. With a sigh you dash back in and grab your cat, clipping her leash to her harness before walking back outside with her.
“Have a safe trip Sam, hope things work out better for you.” With a sad smile you hug James before climbing in the driver seat, a gentle tug on Nymphadora’s leash has her hopping up into your car.
“I’ll be safe, don’t let the bitch kill you too fast. And if she does take her with you.” Clipping Nymphadora into the passenger side seat belt you give a cheeky wave and start your car, popping your phone into the clip on your dash you pull up Grillby’s and pull out of the driveway.
The chorus of meowing from your very disgruntled cat being the only sound you can hear, even if you should be able to hear your tiers on the payment as you drive. Poor girl hated driving in town, she hated being buckled in too, even if it was for her own safety. A quick stop for some fast food before heading out on the highway, the constant speed and motion finally calming Nymphadora down enough to stop her noise. Time to drive off into the night, a new future awaits you.