Ch. 2: Part 1

“You lookin for someone?” came a gruff voice from behind him. Leo spun.
“Um, yes. Who’s in charge? I mean, like, who’s your boss?” He was so out of his element.
“What do you want, kid?”
“I’m looking for work. You guys need any help around here?”
“Get lost, kid.” He obviously wasn’t getting anywhere.
It was an unusually bright sunny day. Leo had walked on the site of the nearest logging project, wandering like an idiot, having really no idea who to talk to. He stumbled out of the way of a truck hauling away a pile of timber from being loaded and into the path of a rather large man bent over a clipboard. He accidentally knocked the clipboard from the man’s hands.
“Watch it!” the man spat. Leo stepped back as the worker crouched to pick it up. When he straitened, the man’s eyes found the face of his disturbance.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?” It seemed their little scuff hadn’t put Mr. Clipboard in a great mood.
Ok, it was time to buck up. He wasn’t going to get anywhere if he didn’t make himself known. He would act professional. Like he knew what he was talking about.
“Hello, sir. I was thinking that I might be able to find some work with you. I work hard and I don’t need much. This seems like a good working experience.” Like he knew what he was talking about; not like he was a pushover.
“I don’t think we need anyone right now.”
“Uh, okay. Thanks.” What was he doing? He was getting frustrated. He couldn’t even take himself seriously.
His brow pulled down over his eyes and he let out an exasperated sigh. This was stupid. He took his hands out of his pockets and left them tensed at his sides. He walked directly up to a logger discussing something with a co-worker.
“Who’s in charge?” it came out harsher than he meant it.
“The site manager’s in there.” But it did the trick. The worker pointed to a white trailer. Leo nodded once and headed in the direction of the trailer. He gave two sharp raps on the aluminum door.
“Come in.” came a call from inside. The manager looked up and raised an eyebrow as Leo opened the door. Leo nodded a greeting.
“I’m looking for work and I’d like a job.” His eyebrow hitched further.
“Do you have any experience with logging?”
“No. but I learn fast.”
“What hours would you be able to work?”
“Any time you want me.”
“It’s hard labor.”
“I’m a hard worker.” The manager let go of the papers he’d been fingering when Leo walked in and turned his body to face him.
“How old are you?” He asked as he crossed his arms. Leo hesitated.
“Seventeen.”
“You’re not from around here.” He hadn’t said it like a question.
“No.” The manager dropped his arms.
“Fair enough.” He finally let his eyebrow down. “Show up here tomorrow morning at 6:30. I might have something for you.” He reached out his hand. “Jonah Gooding.”
“Leo Kosky.” Leo took it and gave it a firm shake. Jonah smiled. Leo nodded once more on his way out.
As he left the site a small smile of accomplishment turned up the corners of his mouth. He put his hands back in his pockets. Clouds started to block out the sun.
He couldn’t afford to be discovered. He’d seen some workers wearing coats, though not all of them. He could get by. He’d work on keeping his wings in tight and hoped no one noticed two feathery appendages coming out of his back.
He followed the dirt road back to the blacktop. He didn’t mind walking. He had so much more energy since he’d received his sick joke from Mother Nature. This made him wonder. A lot of things made him wonder. His reflexes were sharper, his hearing more sensitive. His body was all together more resilient. His stomach rumbled. That was another thing. Why was he always starving? He had gotten used to his complaining stomach. It wasn’t that hard to ignore anymore. He couldn’t exactly splurge on a couple pounds of beef whenever cravings kicked in.
The wind gently ruffled the trees on either side of the road. It was very quiet here. Even on the highway there was hardly ever so much as a lone semi. He felt very alone here. But it was welcomed. He didn’t really feel like sharing his thoughts right now. At least his expenses were taken care of for the moment. It seemed such an insignificant area to have covered. He had so many things to nail down. But that’s how he had to do this. Just think about one thing at a time.
He heard the car coming up behind long before it reached him. At least he had felt alone.
“Hey, there.” A shabby, muted red two-door coasted slowly beside him. The girl from the pawn shop was leaning across the passenger side looking up at him, glancing out at the road in front of her periodically. As if there was ever any kind of traffic she needed to worry about. He gave her a quick glance as he kept walking.
“Hi.”
“Whatcha doin’ out here?” She asked and then without waiting for an answer “You want a ride?”
“I like walking.”
“Ya sure?” He looked down at her again and saw her squinting up at him through the light of the setting sun. She gave a friendly half-smile. He returned his eyes to the road. Maybe he was being rude.
“Uh, sure.” He stopped his stroll. She straightened back up to make way for him. He hesitated. Would she be able to see anything? Were they, his wings, very noticeable? He suddenly felt uncomfortable about being in such a tight space with someone else. The car idled beside him. She leaned over again.
“Are you coming?”
“Uh, yeah. Sorry.” He said as he shook his head to clear it. He opened the door and ducked his head as he lowered himself in. She raised an eyebrow and smirked at him. He gave a weak smile. He stared at the floor board and tightened his wings against him, crushing them into the back of the seat.
The car lurched forward as she pressed the pedal down then screeched to a stop. She sighed. She pumped the acceleration and they jerked forward a couple times, the engine revving loudly in protest.
“Damn this car.” She cursed under her breath. Leo’s awkwardness intensified. His hands clenched in his coat pockets. She gave the pedal a few more pumps and they finally started consistently down the highway. Her face was hard and she was hunched a bit over the steering wheel in irritation. He shifted in his seat. She turned her head to see his uncomfortable expression and gave a loud laugh.
“Sorry.” Her shoulders relaxed and she slammed back into her seat, chuckling, her arms out straight in front of her grasping the steering wheel. “I guess I need a new car. Huh?” Leo’s mouth turned into a shy grin. Her eyes smiled at him. He was caught off guard. He’d never noticed how pretty her eyes were before. They were a greenish-tan around the center that faded into a light blue toward the edge. His smile widened into a more earnest one. He leaned his head back against the head rest.