Tara: The Beginning

Tara sat across from her coworker Sasha, it was the end of the night, only 20 minutes until they could lock the doors and go home. The restaurant was empty except for a few other closing waiters, the managers, the bartenders, and a handful of customers finishing their meals.

"Fifty-eight." Sasha said when she finished counting her money. "How about you."

"Sixty-three." Tara responded putting her head down on the table.

"That's not to bad for a Wednesday." Sasha said encouragingly.

"I know, this is why I hate working Weekdays, but every week sense I've been working here, they schedule me for Wednesdays. I live on my own, I have bills to pay." Tara pouted, "It's annoying."

"At least it's almost time to go home," Sasha glanced down at her watch, "Only 17 minutes left."

"What's she doing," Tara eyes were glued to the hostess. She was greeting two men who had just walked in and leading them over to a table in Tara's section.

"Oh no," Sasha said, "Sorry Tara."

Tara groaned loudly as the hostess approached them, "I'm sorry Tara," She said sympathetically, "they asked to sit over there."

"They'd better leave a good tip," she breathed through her teeth before walking over to greet the table. "Good Evening, My name is Tara and I'll be taking care of you this

evening. Can I get you started with something to drink?" She knew she was talking fast, but she cared more about getting home at a decent time than the few dollar tip these guys might leave.

The men looked up from their menus, and Tara saw that they were twins, identical. Tara would have guessed they were either in their late 20 or early thirties. Even sitting down she could see both were very tall, at last six feet. Their brown eyes studied her as she took them in.

"Wow," The twin on the left side of the table finally said, "You're even more beautiful in person."

Tara frowned, sure she had heard him wrong, "Excuse me?"

"We saw you over there," The other twin pointed to where she had been sitting, "My brother said he thought you were pretty, but he's right, you're beautiful up close."

Tara blushed, she knew she was pretty, had been told so by almost everyone she'd ever met, but these strangers directness caught her of guard.

"I'll have a vodka tonic, and a glass of water, no ice." The first twin spoke before Tara could regain her composure.

"I'll have the same." The other added,

Both men turned back to their menus, dismissing Tara. She walked over to the computer at the bar and rang in the men's drinks. Ignoring a rude look from the bartender who had already started to clean the bar, she went to the kitchen to get their water.

"Water and vodka tonics." She announced placing the beverages on the table. "Are you two ready to-"

"I said no ice." The twin on the left spoke interrupting her sentence.

Tara hated being interrupted, She clenched her teeth and looked down at the glass in his hand. She resisted rolling her eyes at the cubes of ice floating in the water, "Sorry about that", she said, fake happiness dripping from every syabil. "Let me grab you another. "She reached for the glass, but he pulled it out of her grasp.

"It's fine. Just try to follow directions better moving forward."

Tara nearly choked on her response, the audacity of this guy. She took a deep breath, she had bills to pay she reminded herself, "Are you ready to order." She asked, all pleasantness gone from her voice.

"How old are you?" The twin on the right asked, once again studying Tara.

This was a question Tara was asked often sense she started working here. Although she was 22, many people thought she was much younger, far too young to offer drank recommendations. Her answer to their question usually depended on the guest. Considering the comments these guys had already made, Tara answered, "17."

"Really?" The first twin asked with a grin, "You don't look 17, I personally would have guessed 22."

Tara opened and closed her mouth, she knew she didn't look 22.

"Are you single?" The other twin asked taking advantage of her silence.

Tara took a deep breath, "The kitchen closes in ten minutes, I should put in your food orders before then."

"What would you recommend?" The twin on the left asked looking up at her.

Tara skipped over the ribs the restaurant was known for, and the salmon that was her personal favorite, instead offering the items she knew would leave the kitchen the quickest. "My personal favorite is the Pasta. All of our soups and salads are crowd favorites too."

"Not the ribs?" the one on the left raised his eye brows at her.

"The guy on the rib station tonight is new," Tara lied easily, "He' been messing up orders all night. I wouldn't recommend it."

"Then the pasta it is." He said, seemingly satisfied with her answer. "For both of us."

After Tara put their orders in the kitchen, she went and sat back with Sasha, the only other server left in the restaurant now sat with her too. No sooner than the weight left Tara's feet, the hostess appeared next to her, telling her that the two gentlemen had asked for her. Tara grumbled, but reluctantly rose back to her feet and headed over to her table.

"You asked for me?" She asked when she made it over to them.

"You never answered me brother's question, about being single." The twin on the left said.

Tara tried to temper her growing irritation, what was with these guys. "No, I'm not single, I have a girlfriend." She said hoping that being a lesbian would turn them off sense being a minor had not had the desired effect. But they only grinned at her, like sharks sizing up their pray.

"You have a girlfriend," The same one repeated, "What's her name."

"Amber," Tara said using the name of her childhood best friend.

"Do you live with Amber?" The other asked.

"No," Tara figured two small girls living alone was no safer than her current living situation. "I live with my dad, and his wife and their kids."

The twin who asked the question laughed, "Sounds crowded,"

"I should go check on your food, the pasta cooks fast." Before they could respond, Tara turned and headed back towards the booth where her coworkers were. "Can you please take them their food?" She asked Sasha.

"Why, what did they do?"

Tara shrugged, "Nothing really, their just really forward, and their making me uncomfortable, I just don't want to go back over there. Please."

Sasha shrugged and went into the kitchen to get their food.

A few moments later she returned, a wad of cash in her hand, an unsure expression on her face.

"What happened?" Tara asked.

Sasha extended her hand with the cash in it out to Tara, "This is for you. it's 100 dollars, there's 200 more on the table, if you go back over there."

Tara's jaw dropped open, that would be more than she'd ever made in one night serving. "What the fuck?" Tara asked taking the cash.

"Are you going to go over there?" Sasha asked.

"Of course I am, It's 300 dollars. I'll just play nice for a few minutes and then I'll tell them the restaurant is closing." She stood up and made her way back over to the table.

"What can I do for you?" She asked as she approached the brothers. A stack of money sat on the end of the table. Tara eyed it as they asked her if she could sit down with them. Tara grabbed a chair from another table and stuck it on the end of theirs, to avoid sitting next to either brother.

They smiled at her before one asked, "What part of the city does your family live in?"

This one was tricky, her father lived in the same part of the city she did, and she didn't want to tell these guys where that was, "South," She finally answered, "On Karpsin Street," she said recalling the street her grandmother had lived on before she died.

Both men were silent, staring at her. Finally The twin on the right spoke, "That is really, really interesting. I would not have guessed that about you."

Tara frowned in confusion, "Guessed what?"

"That you're such a good liar." The other answered for his brother.

Tara felt her heart drop, "Excuse me," she whispered.

"First with your age, your girlfriend, your house, you lie a lot." He spoke calmly as if he was telling her the weather.

Tara stared at them for a moment as she processed their words. She finally stood up and opened her waitress book before removing the hundred dollars Sasha had given her and adding it on top of the money that was already on the table. Without another word, she walked away from the table, but this time she didn't walk over to her co-workers, she walked straight back to the manager's office and shut the door behind her.

In a shaky voice, Tara described everything that had happened to her manager.

Her manager had seemed unconcerned, telling Tara to transfer the table to someone else if she didn't want it. Finally, at Tara's persistence, he had gotten up to go see the men she was complaining about. But when the two had gotten back to the dining room, the table was empty except two untouched pasta dishes, and the pile of cash.

"Problem solved." Her manager had declared returning to his office.

Tara had pocketed the cash before cleaning off the table, still uncomfortable from the encounter.

By the time she finished cleaning up her section, she had already said goodbye to Sasha and the rest of her coworkers, leaving her alone in the restaurant, save her manager.

She pulled out her phone and ordered a ride to her mother's house, feeling too uncomfortable to go to her own apartment for the night.

It didn't take long for the car to pull up, and Tara matched the car model and plates to the information in her phone, taking extra precautions after her odd night. When she was satisfied, Tara got in the car and closed her eyes, finally relaxing as she made her way towards her mothers house. Tara's phone buzzed, but Tara ignored it, she knew it was just the ride sharing app letting her know someone else was joining her ride.

She didn't see him when he climbed into the car, didn't see him pull out his gun, but she heard the gun's safety click off, felt the car swerve as the driver heard the same thing. Tara's eyes shot open.

"Easy there budy, no one has to get hurt tonight."

Tara felt her blood turn to ice, one of the twins from the restaurant sat next to her, the gun in his hand pointed at the drivers head.

"Just keep your hands on the wheel and follow directions and everything will be okay. For now, pull over right here."

The car slowed to a stop as the driver pulled over the side of the road. The man beside her reached into his pocket and extended his hand to Tara. He dropped a pair of handcuffs in her lap. "Put those on."

Tara's heart hammered in her chest as she tried to think of a way out of her situation.

"Now!" He barked, "Put them on or I blow his brains out."

"Please!" The driver screamed, "Please do what he says."

Tara whimpered, but slowly picked up the cuffs, she placed her left wrist in the cuff and closed the cold metal around it.

"Uh huh," The twin said shaking his head as she reached for her other wrist, "Behind your back."

Tara swallowed before awkwardly reaching back and closing the other cuff around her right wrist. She tried to leave as much space as possible hoping she might be able to slip out of them. But with his free hand, the man reached behind her, and tightened the cuffs until they bit into her wrist. Tara felt fear consume her as the helplessness of her situation washed over her. What was he going to do to her. "Please," She attempted, "Please let me-"

"Shut up," he instructed, "Shut up, before I make you shut up."

Tara felt tears slip down her cheeks, but obediently remained silent as he commanded the driver back on the road, telling where to turn and which lanes to get into. After what seemed like a few minutes to Tara, the car pulled into a parking lot that was empty except for one other car, a man stood leaning against it. It was dark, but Tara didn't need to see to know who the other man was.

"Roll the window down," The twin in the car instructed the driver.

The man in the front seat obeyed, and was met with another gun pointing at him through the window.

The twin in the back seat with Tara lowered his gun and opened his door before reaching over and grabbing a fistful of Tara's hair. She screamed as he pulled her roughly from the car by her hair. His grip kept her from falling face first on the asphalt as he violently pulled her to her feet. He released her hair and grabbed her arm, yanking her around to the back of the other car.

Behind the car, Tara could see the trunk was popped open, and in front of the trunk lay an open suitcase, maybe four feet tall and two feet wide.

He unlocked the cuffs from behind her back, "Get in the suitcase." He commanded taking a step back and pointing the gun at her.

She turned around to face him and clasped her hands in front of her, "Please," She begged, "I won't tell".

He lowered the gun, aiming at her feet, and pulled the trigger. Tara screamed and crouched down to the ground, crying as she tried to protect herself from him. She heard his footsteps as he walked closer to her.

He knelt down beside her and whispered into her ear, "I told you you were going to have to learn to follow directions better moving forward. I won't miss again, Get in the suitcase. Now."

Tara reluctantly crawled over to the suitcase before climbing inside, she laid down on her side, facing away from the an pointing the gun at her. She felt a sharp pain in her back, but before she could investigate, the suitcase was being closed, and Tara's world went black. The trunk was popped open, and in front of the trunk lay an open suitcase, maybe four feet tall and two feet wide.

He unlocked the cuffs from behind her back, "Get in the suitcase." He commanded taking a step back and pointing the gun at her.

She turned around to face him and clasped her hands in front of her, "Please," She begged, "I won't tell-"

He lowered the gun, aiming at her feet, and pulled the trigger. Tara screamed and crouched down to the ground, crying as she tried to protect herself from him. She heard his footsteps as he walked closer to her.

He knelt down beside her and whispered into her ear, "I told you you were going to have to learn to follow direction better moving forward. I won't miss again, Get in the suitcase. Now."

Tara slowly, reluctantly crawled over to the suitcase before climbing inside, she laid down on her side, facing away from the an pointing the gun at her. She felt a sharp pain in her back, but before she could investigate, the suitcase was being closed, and Tara's world went black.