1.Running Through Town

“Uhhgg,” I groan as I stretch my arms, the sheets slide down my body. I swipe away my fiery red hair. I look around, still a bit groggy. I glance at the boxes sitting waiting to be unpacked, and groan. Unpacking is such a pain.

I get out of bed and glance at the reflection in the full-sized mirror on the wall. My black silk nightie flows down my body reaching my knees. It’s fairly conservative while hugging my body nicely. My chest pops out, then curves back in, clutching my waist, then flowing over my hips, my ass sticks out as the silk flows to my firm legs.

I grab one of the hair ties I’ve left on a box. I slide my hand through my hair and swiftly pull it back into a ponytail. The ponytail reaches down to my mid-back. I turn around and look at the ponytail in the mirror as I shake my head. After watching the ponytail sway back and forth, I smile and bound down the stairs from the loft bedroom.

As I enter the kitchen, my mom Dikê calls, “good morning.” Mom is already dressed in a simple blue suit; however, it can’t hide her magnificent proportions. Her abundant chest sticks way out, her waist dips in naturally, and her hips pop out. Mom has the perfect hourglass figure and can only be described as being thic. Her dark red hair cascades nicely past her rear end, accentuating her blue suit and making her stand out even more.

I sit at the table as mom sets a plate with eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Her swift and elegant movements are awe-inspiring. I couldn’t even hear the dish as it was put in place. Honestly, it disgusts me a little as I was thinking this. My mother pats my head and leans down, and kisses me on the cheek. Well, it can’t be helped, I guess.

Mom sits next to me with her plate. She then asks, “what have you got planned today?”

I glance over while eating some bacon and shrug. After swallowing, I reply, “There isn’t much to do around here. But well, I figured I’d go for my morning run and check out the town. Then come back and explore the forest around the house… Why?”

“No reason. I’m glad you’re settling in!” Mom says with a gentle smile.

I lean back in my chair, “I don’t know if I’m settling in. I mean, we moved so suddenly.”

“Well, it was a great chance since you just graduated. It’s good to experience different things while you are still young. If you don’t like it, you can always go to college or find something else you want to do,” mom tells me.

I pause as I’m about to bring some eggs into my mouth. “I… Still haven’t decided.”

Mom rubs my neck and comforts, “there’s no hurry. You’re still very young.”

We continue eating and chatting casually. After I finish, mom collects the dishes and almost floats over to the sink, where she begins to wash them. I get up and go towards the shower. Before I enter, I look down the hallway and look at my older sister’s room. She won’t be up for a few more hours since she’s not a morning person.

I throw off my nightgown and climb into the shower. After washing thoroughly, I get out and brush my teeth. I put on a sports bra and panties before throwing on a tank top that is cut to display my toned belly. I then throw on a pair of short shorts.

I walk towards the front door while yelling, “I’m heading out!”

“Ok, have fun!” my mom calls back.

I leave the house and run towards the town. The road out here is gravel. It’s about a mile until the road towards town is paved. I fall into a cadence that is well trained from years in track and field. As I run, I look at the farmland that stretches out as far as the eyes can see. There are fields of hay and corn with a few fields of cows.

After an hour of running, I reach the outskirts of town. Sweat drips off my nose as I slow down. I wipe my forehead with my arm and look around. Honestly, this can barely be called a town. It only has a little more than 100 people. You can see the whole place with the naked eye.

As I walk down the main street, it’s clear that the town might have been more lively in the past. But now, most of the businesses are boarded up. A few old men are playing chess with some women chatting outside of the local café/bar a ways down the street.

When I near the women, one of the woman calls out to me. “It’s rare to see someone new walking around. What brings you here?” She asks with a bright smile.

I pause and look at the women. They are both wearing a casual button-down shirt in an ugly beige. The one who spoke has loose tan pants. The other has a dress skirt reaching just above her ankles. “We moved in recently just outside of town. I’m just taking a look around while on my morning run.”

“Well, aren’t you diligent!” The woman in the skirt exclaims. The other woman leans forward and asks, “Why’d you guys move all the way out here?”

I scratch my head and kick the ground. “There isn’t any special reason, really. My mom’s a writer, so she can work from anywhere. But, well. My sister and I are. Anyways we don’t know what we want to do, so my mom said it’s a good chance to experience different places.”

“Don’t worry, honey. You’re still young, so there’s no need to be in a hurry. Just have fun and enjoy nature,” the woman in pants says. As she finishes, I notice a few men come out of the general store across the street. They start loading the truck sitting out front.

One of the men looks over at me. He whistles, “Hey babe, where have you been hiding.” “Wow, look at that!” another says. The three men leer at me as I shrink back. I’m not a fan of men in general. I went to an all-girls school, so I don’t have much experience with them.

“Hey! If you guys cause trouble, I’ll take away your rights to head into town,” says a black man with well-kept hair and business casual clothing. The three men slink into the truck while the manager waves over at us, “Sorry, these guys don’t get out much.” He then climbs into the front seat.

The two woman looks at me as if they’ve realized something. “Don’t worry. Franklin keeps them on a short leash,” The woman with the skirt says. “I think he has a daughter your age too,” the woman in pants adds.

“Are you women still babbling?” one of the old men grumbles.

“Fine, fine, why don’t you come take a look at the visitor center. Since you're new in town?” the woman in pants asks as she gestures to the building behind her.