Chapter 2

"Yer late!" The plump girl asked her sister as she straightened her clothes in the floor-length mirror. Abigail looked around and sniffed at her podgy sister before turning round to face her. She swept her long brown hair back and picked up some toast from the kitchen table.

"You turned off my alarm," Abigail moaned.

"Dae talk mince," Moira spat back instantly and took a bite of another slice of toast. Abigail licked her lips as she ate her breakfast and poured some tea into a cup. "Yer just lazy."

The bustling figure of her mother interrupted Moira as Abigail sipped at her drink and she was passed a small bag of "butties" to her daughter. She straightened Abigail's shirt while Moira stared at her. "Wee bonny lassie going to work," her mother cooed. "For first time."

"I've worked before," Abigail snorted, only for Moira to add that it was only a paper round. Abigail gave her a smile and got up from the table, saying goodbye to her mother and passing a gentle wave to her scowling sister.

Moira had never been fond of her and her caustic remarks, and angry disposition towards the younger girl used to lead to plenty of arguments and fights, but Abigail barely cared any more.

She knew Moira would do anything to get at her, and the more she worried about it, the easier it was for her sister to rile her. The walk to the café, across the small Scottish town took little more than ten minutes, and Abigail pushed open the door to the café on a small industrial park tentatively.

She had been interviewed by the owner of the dingy establishment but knew she had to report to the "supervisor" - a former classmate of Moira. Pauline was a big, buxom woman who glanced at the clock as Abigail entered. "Yer late," she was told for the second time in twenty minutes, and Abigail turned around to watch the second hand push past the number one – she was late by five seconds!

"Sorry," the young woman replied and Pauline pointed her towards the back of the shop where she was to hang her coat.

Abigail had strict instructions – she was to be a waitress at lunchtime, clean the "pots" during the afternoon and serve customers in the morning. Pauline looked at the beautiful girl and cackled, "and you clean the toilets," she was told. "It's howlin' in there."

Abigail nodded and listened; it was not the best job in the world, but it was a job, and it paid decent money.

Abigail returned to the small lounge after washing herself – she felt dirty after cleaning the toilets at the end of her shift. Pauline was right – it was "howlin'" - and she just laughed as Abigail complained about all the "jobbies" left in the latrine.

Abigail got changed and came into the room in her nightie to catch sight of Quentin – Moira's slightly chubby, and nerdy boyfriend – watching television and smartly dressed. She flashed her smile at him and sat down on the chair opposite as his eyes flicked from the television towards her. "Where's Moira?"