Burning Hearts

1 - Happy Hunting

❦BURNING HEARTS - PART ONE❦

NOVEMBER 24th 2012

Hannah Westfield sighed, tapping the pencil against the desk. She looked down at the stencil in front of her. Typically, the page would be full of different sketches based on the ideas clients give to her. But today...she was having trouble.

"Ugh, I need caffeine," she mumbled. She let the pencil clatter onto the table, grabbing her sketchbag and keys. Making sure to flip the sign to CLOSED, Hannah locked the shop door. As she walked to her truck, she pulled out her phone and dialed quickly. The phone rang three times before being picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kat. Listen, I need a favor," Hannah said. There was a sigh before her sister replied.

"Afternoon to you, too, sister," Katherine Westfield remarked sarcastically. "What do you need?"

"I'm about to head home and get ready for a house viewing at three, so I closed the parlor early. I was wondering if maybe you could drop by and watch Twix and Rusty while I'm gone. It won't be more than a couple of hours." There was silence and then a groan.

"Fine-"

"Oh, thank you, Kat-"

"-as long as Francis can come, too."

Now it was Hannah's turn to sigh. She unlocked the truck door, tossing her bag into the passenger seat. "Yeah, sure, just don't wreck the place. I'm selling, remember?"

"Yeah, okay. Love you," her sister replied. Hannah barely responded when Kat hung up. She shook her head as she started the vehicle. Though not even a year younger, her sister certainly tended to get carried away with things. Especially boys.

Well. Not always.

Right. There was a time when Hannah was always infatuated with a new guy every few months. More often than not, those relationships were incredibly toxic. Most of them were throughout middle school and high school

Mostly the latter.

This is why she decided not to have any kind of potential serious relationship, physical attraction, or otherwise until she was stabilized with her career - social work.

Hannah didn't do too great in her freshmen and sophomore years of high school, actually having repeated her first sophomore year. She skipped being a junior, so she did graduate on time and with her class. Senior year she worked her butt off, taking extra classes on top of online courses for her bachelor's and psychology degree. Hannah didn't get much work experience up until her last year of high school, mostly due to not getting her license until the summer before and sharing transportation with Katherine.

That was eight years ago.

In those eight years, she'd graduated college at twenty years old, completed her tattoo artistry training by twenty-three, and now she owns a tattoo parlor and is a social worker. Hannah worked with children and adults alike, all from different kinds of situations and backgrounds.

She, herself, came from a troubled and complicated childhood. Unlike most people, however, she didn't let her past make her into an angry or violent person. She'd rather use the negatives of what she experienced and turn them into positive ones for her clients. Especially for the younger ones.

Hannah chewed on the sunflower seeds she kept in her console as she drove. As she pulled into the driveway, she noticed an unfamiliar yet impressive car in the parking lot for the apartments a few houses down. It was a metallic royal blue with silver accents.