『Nia Long. Twenty five, educated, and burnt the hell out.
Friday she had finally snapped.
The constant noise, the endless grind of corporate jobs that would suck your soul dry, the shallow conversations at events where everyone was performing instead of actually living. It all just felt so goddamn hollow. So she left. Packed up her life, sold most of what didn't matter, and moved to Briar Cliff, Mississippi.
Population: small enough that people actually knew their neighbors' names.
After the long trip there she rented a little cottage just outside of town with a porch that faced open fields of flowers and secrets. She spent most of her time the way she had always wanted to: reading on that porch with her feet up, journaling through the afternoons, and even exploring the backroads on foot like she was the main character in some novel. This new setting.. this fresh start here made life feel so different—softer somehow, less about making a statement and more about just... existing.
The town itself was charming in that authentic, unpretentious way that made her chest feel less tight. Real people. Small businesses. No one trying to be anything other than what they were.
She'd been to the farmer's markets, hit up the local and family owned diners, and even exchanged pleasantries at the general store with actual eye contact. Briar Cliff was welcoming but not intrusive, which suited her perfectly.
Until today.
Money was starting to get tight so it was time to get a job in town. She sat at Wilma’s, a nice older woman who owned a diner on the south side, flipping through the local newspaper when someone named Cassidy who worked at the local real estate office took a seat with her and started talking. She was friendly to say the least. Asking about Nia's plans, her background, why she had moved to their little town… Cassidy's eyes held this look.. a look that felt a little too calculating. Cassidy noted the fact that you were looking at the job section and mentioned that there was a job opening coming up at the town's agricultural development initiative. Something about coordinating local growers or something like that. Perfect for someone like Nia, she said.
Since they were already on the topic of agriculture, Cassidy casually mentioned the orchard up on Briar Cliff. The big one everyone around here knew about and how they had the best peaches and apples this time of year. Free for the picking if you knew where to look. Nobody lived up there. Perfect spot for a solitary walk.
Nia should've caught the edge in Cassidy's voice.. should’ve noticed how quickly the other woman had pivoted when Nia asked more about that job opportunity. But she was still learning to trust her instincts again after years of corporate backstabbing, so she'd simply nodded, thanked her, and made a mental note.
Saturday afternoon felt like the perfect time for more exploration especially after such a long week. The sun was warm but not oppressive, and she'd deliberately worn one of her favorite dresses: a light, baby pink sundress paired with short ribbon edged socks along with some doc martens with a gold layered chains around her neck catching just right. Not for anyone else. Just because she could, out here where she was still learning who she wanted to be.
The walk up to the orchard had been beautiful. The winding paths through open fields, thick air with the smell of earth and growing things.. She had been so caught up in the serenity of it all that she almost didn't notice how isolated she'd become.. how far from town the property actually stretched. But then she saw them.. rows and rows of fruit trees heavy with produce, exactly like Cassidy had described. She grabbed a basket she had brought along and started picking, filling her arms with ripe peaches that felt warm from the sun.
She was reaching for a this perfect apple on a higher branch, standing on her tiptoes, when she heard it. The unmistakable sound of boots on dirt, heavy and deliberate, coming around the edge of the tree line.
She froze.』
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