Shaily Carrera

open starter

location: the rail trail

Melina hopped off her bike, hiding it in the bushes that crowded amongst the maple trees. She’d grown up here, & nobody had bothered to steal it then. Somehow, she doubted that things had changed all that much. Maybe it was a gamble, but she didn’t mind. She wanted to walk along the railroad tracks, just as she had as a teenager when she wanted to escape prying eyes. Both before & after the camp incidence she was constantly striving to push from her mind. Clearing her throat, she pushed back a curl that had come loose from her french braids & began to walk along the tracks. Leaves crackled underneath her chunky black boots, & she tugged at the end of her left sleeve, contemplating things. She hadn’t ever thought she’d end up back here. Figured she’d escaped the little town & the majority of her family, many of whom had seemed unwillingly to stay in touch. Which was fine with her. She hadn’t made an effort, either. Not with them, nor her old friends. Melina had been happy to make her way in a big city, making it through law school on her own merit with partial scholarships & hard work. Things were fine. That is, until she’d gotten a very attractive job offer from Medulla back home. She was hesitant to take the job, but they’d offered her more money than she could’ve dreamed of. So, instead of fighting for people’s rights against big companies, she’d sold out, promising herself it would only be until she could pay off the loans she’d taken out & made enough to save up to work for some kind of nonprofit. Still, she felt guilty, & it was hard not to feel the stares from people as she made her way through town. They haunted her, especially her mind; she was so preoccupied she didn’t notice the person in front of her until it was too late & she had bumped into them. “Shoot; I’m so sorry, man.”

There were very few places in Maple Creek which Shaily found secluded enough to consider them as actual ‘hiding’ spots. For her entire life, she couldn’t help but to feel as though no matter where she went, everyone in town could see her. Most especially her family. Even if they couldn’t, someone somewhere was sure to relay every minute detail of everything she did while outside of their scope. Still, the railways had been one of the few places in which she found herself able to think, at the very least. Even so, she hadn’t been to the railway in ten years, and the truth of the matter was she couldn’t quite remember what had brought her here now. Really, she should be home, helping Ella get ready for the festivities that evening. And yet, here she was, arms crossed over her chest as she studied the trees on the other side of the tracks, her eyes seeing them but her mind not quite processing. Lost in her own thoughts, she also didn’t notice the approaching figure- at least, not in time to stop the collision. “Oh!” Shaily exclaimed, tossing an arm out in an attempt to balance herself. “It’s alright, I think I’ll live.” She responded with a chuckle. “By all means, don’t worry on my account.” Offering a small and soft smile, Shaily shifted to rest her weight on her other foot. “Now, the question becomes, are you alright? I’m so sorry, I should have been paying more attention to my surroundings.”

  Marcus glanced over at the girl with soft eyes, she seemed lost in her own thoughts for a few moments. Though it wasn’t his place to pry. Instead he just smiled, a slight smirk on his features at her response. “Thank you. I think that is the key. Making sure you look good but effortless,” he joked lightly. “No, are you coming to the festivities this weekend in the town square?” he ask her. “What costume do you usually go for?”

Shaily laughed a bit as she nodded, giving her shoulders a small shrug. “I think you’re onto something there!” She agreed. “The whole ‘naturally effortless’ has been a sought-after aesthetic for quite some time now.” Chuckling, she took in a breath, doing her best not to grimace at the question. “More than likely, yes. If I had my way, we’d stay in and stuff our faces with too much candy while binge watching scary movies. But, I’m about 99.99% certain my daughter won’t go for that. So...Festivities it is.” Shaily’s smile softened a bit as she brought her eyes up to meet the others. “What about you? Will you be joining in on the festivities?” The question came and she paused, looking upward as she searched her memory. “I don’t know that there are any I usually go for. Call me boring, but normally I just wear something to match my daughter. Bt, she nixed the mom and me costumes this year so...I guess i’m on my own.”

“Okay, okay. Be honest with me. Brutally honest. I’m going to an early Halloween party slash birthday party.” He paused, looking down at himself. “What do you think of my look?”

With Halloween just around the corner, Shaily found herself feeling a bit more stressed than usual. Her feelings had nothing to do with the shop, or even with the holiday itself, but more to do with the knowledge that for the first time since she’d left and then returned to Maple Creek, she would be forced to see and interact with so many whom she’d made it a point to avoid. Still, she tried to quell her feelings with thoughts of her daughter’s costume, and how much fun she knew the girl would have. The voice managed to break through her thought fog, and she snapped to attention near-immediately. “Um...” Pausing, she ran her eyes over the figure of the man before her. “I think you look great!” Shaily replied, nodding. “Not too scary, not too pristine, with just the right amount of effort.” She continued with a smile. “I have no doubt you’ll have a great time! And, you’re definitely putting me to shame. I haven’t even considered a costume myself.”

Mariah had promised Sabrina a book about rocks and gems. She had been really into rocks after they visited the beach and she went searching for the absolute perfect rock. She still hadn’t found it but wanted to research it. That little bit of scientist trait in her Mariah planned to take and run with. She wanted to encourage it so she walked into the book store on her break from the radio station. She jumped a little as a woman bounced up from the table to greet her and smiled softly. “Sorry, you scared me a little.” She took a quick look around the store. “That’s wonderful. The town really needs that. I’m Mariah Kenmore. Nice to meet you, Shaily. Do you happen to have any easy books on rocks and gems. My three year old wants to research finding the perfect rock for her rock collection. I’m trying to encourage her.” 

A slight flush made its way across Shaily’s cheeks, and she chuckled a bit at the other woman’s admission. “Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry! I’ll have to work on not scaring customers!” Shaking her head at herself, she extended her hand for Mariah to shake. “It’s nice to meet you, Mariah. I’m glad you think so, I definitely wanted to help in any way I could. This is everyone’s community, right?” Taking in the question, Shay chewed the inside of her lip, mentally scanning the shelves of the children’s section as she went. “Yes!” She said, her face brightening. “I do, actually! I’ve got a few things you may be interested in, depending on what she already has. Come with me.” Motioning to Mariah, Shaily began leading her through the bookshelves, heading for the Children’s Section. “Three is such a fun age, it’s great that you’re giving her the space to explore herself and her interests.” Pausing, she began scanning the shelves for the books she knew she was looking for. “My daughter is turning 11 in about six weeks, I’m still wondering where the heck the time went.”

Things since the fire had been up and down, to say the least. The air felt thick with tension and anxiety, and it was obvious between the lines of every conversation and behind every glance. No one could say for sure what had happened, but everyone had their suspicions, and no one seemed shy about hiding them. Shaily finished setting up an elongated plastic table just outside her recently opened bookshop, sighing as she bent to begin arranging several books atop the table. An approaching figure caught her eye, and she glanced up with a smile. “Good afternoon! I’m Shaily Carrera! If you’re interested, we’re running a special for the next two weeks- 35% of all proceeds will be donated to the City Hall Restoration Fund! It’s a store-wide special, so feel free to have a look around!”