Rise (Loki Fanfiction)

Chapter 1

Winter had it out for her.

The sharp smell of wind on the clothes of her customers made her glance compulsively at the window. The cold had people lingering at their tables with coffee sitting cozily in their hands. The dinner rush had Terra's head pounding and her feet throbbing. She considered a Tylenol but there was only an hour left in her shift. She'd survive for now.

"You alright?" Aaron tapped her shoulder.

She lifted her head from the wall and opened her eyes. "Double shift." She muttered.

"Sucks." He tapped out a quick message on his phone, peeking around for Evan, the manager, before hitting send. "Did you take anything?"

She shook her head and hummed no. "Time is it?"

"Ten oh-nine."

"Jesus. Can I ride home with you? Don't feel like riding with Courtney." He nodded. She pushed herself off the wall, plastered on a smile, and hurried to check on her tables.

At eleven, Terra pocketed her last tips for the night and clocked out. She sighed loudly, almost groaning into the quiet night as she headed for the car. Aaron caught up to her and unlocked the doors. He slid into the driver's seat. Glancing at her while he pulled out, he frowned.

She caught his look and waved it away. "You got any Z-Quil at home?"

"Uh, no. Melatonin?"

She nodded and laid her head back, closing her eyes. Maybe if she knocked herself out with that she'd stay asleep. It never worked but it was always worth a try. Back at the apartment complex, Aaron went into his apartment and brought out a bottle of melatonin. Terra shook out a tiny yellow pill and smiled weakly at him. "Thanks. Night, Langsford. Don't stay up late talking to that girl again."

"About that..."

Terra rolled her eyes. "Nine thirty. Fill me in, I'm buying."

He threw her a two-fingered salute and closed his door. Shaking her head but smiling, Terra locked up and set the pill on her counter. She scrubbed a hand down her face. Her phone pinged.

You home yet?

"Jesus H Christ." She mumbled. The last thing she wanted was for her dad to hear the strain in her voice. He always knew when it was time. Yeah. She typed back. Tired. Night

Night, birdy. Love you!

She threw the phone into the bedroom, dimly hearing it bounce on the bed as she went into the bathroom. Turning the shower on, she slid her clothes off slowly, almost mindlessly. The throb in her feet had migrated to her spine. The cold had bit into her bones - damn, was the heating gone again? - and she could already feel a shiver running through her skin.

She turned the water on as high as it would go and ducked her head under it. It chased away the cold but it wouldn't last long. She reached blindly for the soap, jumping as it clattered to the floor.

Grabbing it, she shook herself into some semblance of alertness and tried to hurry up. Twenty minutes later, she pulled her semi-dry, dirty blonde locks into a loose ponytail. Her mouth felt dry. She smacked her lips and went to pour a glass of water. Her eyes burned with tiredness, the light brown irises probably drowned out by the bloodshot whites.

Drinking her water slowly, Terra glanced down at her bare feet. The off-white tile was freezing. She studied her toes, making a mental reminder to touch up the purple polish sometime this week. Shaking herself slightly, she grabbed the pill, swallowed it down, and set the glass in the sink before trudging to bed.