Dianne was sitting in the backseat of the bus. A few minutes after leaving her previous resting place she had lost herself in her thoughts, watching the large clouds in the night sky pouring the melodic drops that heralded her arrival to her new home, she wallowed in thoughts, submersed and almost inebriated by it.

She thought of what she had left behind, the effort she had done, all gone to nothing, wasted. But somehow it seemed easier now to let everything go and start anew, maybe it was the cradling embrace that the strangely warm bus promised, or the cityscape she now begun to see, somehow Dianne knew she would strive here. Even if she was arriving with only the clothes she had in her bag and a diminished bank account… she remembered that others had done more with less…

For a moment the past handful of years since her embrace flashed in front of her, the sire, her covenant, the lengths she had gone to to earn her freedom. It still weighted in her.
The sudden stop of the bus woke Dianne from the induced stupor, returning to the grim and grey reality that surrounded her. It seemed she had arrived.
She picked up her bag and moved out of the bus. After that it was picking up an uneventful cab to take her towards the motel. She finally arrived!



The elderly lady that awaited at the reception was watching an old television with barely enough signal to have the image set in place, she moved her eyes from the screen and met the Daeva with a discomfited look.

“Miss, do you have an appointment? It’s five an hour. Pay upfront!”

Her eyes taking another good look at Dianne, maybe it was the clothes that set Dianne apart from the rest of the clientele or maybe just the bag she was carrying around… either way the old woman was waiting a response.
Dianne proceeded, with calm and restrain.

“I believe you have a free room somewhere” she paused for a while “a place where I can rest undisturbed for a few days.” She said as she approached the old woman.

The old woman slightly taken a back retorts in full.

“Rest!? For a few days??” the old woman stopped as if thinking for a while…

Dianne got closer, her eyes locked into the tired eyes of the ageing woman, they seemed docile and pleasant to look upon, for a moment the old woman got carried away. Dianne chanced her opportunity and drove into the woman’s heart, twisting her emotions.

“Oh, I’m sorry young girl, I mistook you for someone else, I apologize.” She says as she leaves the counter in a hurry picking up a key from her pockets.

“Well, if you want to stay for a few days I can lend you the best room I have here, it’s sheets are clean and the furniture is intact, and it’ the one with no noise problems, I know you will enjoy it the most miss.” She continues as she proceeds across the corridor, one of the doors opening as if to notice who could be outside, the half naked man could be seen from the fringe. The old woman was fast to dismiss him inside.

“Shhhh!! Nothing to see here!!” she almost yelled as she shoved the door.

Then returned a smile to Dianne.

“Here! You can stay here!” the movement of the door welcomed both into the room. It had a strange welcoming feeling to it, and most certainly it was different from the others nearby.

Dianne looked around… windows… then she glanced to the bathroom. No windows… that would do.

She quietly smiled to the lady, closed the door, approached her and took her meal… dry and insipid, tasting like old leftover menthol drops…

She would setup in this pile of dung.

For now.