º Closed Starter º Before the Storm
Meredith and Loretta
Location: Fat Cat Diner : Before the vigil
Her nerves rattled almost as much as the old glass door to Fat Cat Diner did when she pulled it open to walk inside. Other than her house and her bedroom, this diner consistently felt like a safe space to Meredith. The townspeople never paid her any mind - too enveloped in their own gossip and drama to even glance her way. It was the perfect place to observe, listen, and enjoy a hot cup of tea or, if she was feeling naughty, a warm slice of pie. It’s not that mom and dad never allowed tea in the house. They just always had a snarky something to say on account of them not liking it. “This is a coffee house only,” Deena would say when she saw Meredith enjoying a cup of earl grey. “Just herb water,” her father would chime in. To avoid the confrontation and hassle of it all Meredith just stopped buying it altogether. She scooted into her regular corner booth near the restrooms. Her hands were sweating, cold, and starting to shake with the prospect of attending the vigil later this evening. She was rattled and she couldn’t quite place why. Perhaps it was the recent disappearance that had her on edge. Bone Gap rarely saw crime these days. A bright pink spray painted smiley face on the side of the, now closed, Dollar General was the last "major crime" she could remember. It even made the front page of the local news. No, a large-scale incident like a missing person hadn’t happened since… Meredith’s eyes raised from her menu to land on Loretta Durst. Since Loretta’s boy. She tried to swallow down the dryness she felt crawling up her throat, quickly shifting her eyes back to her menu.