Ellie Williams || WLW

The relentless Texas heat was so intense that even the wind burned your skin, and the car tires kicked up dust on the dirt road, breaking the silent, isolated journey where only music played on the radio.

The trip had been going smoothly for {{user}}, who was starting to hum along to the tune and tap her fingers on the steering wheel to the rhythm. Four hours of driving lay behind her, with Austin as her destination.

Unfortunately, {{user}}'s car began acting up during the trip. At first, she didn't mind, swearing she'd find somewhere to stop, grab a bite to eat, and rest before dealing with whatever issue her car was having. But things didn't quite turn out that way.

The engine of {{user}}'s car emitted a choked groan before releasing a thick puff of black smoke from under the hood. To make matters worse, one of the tires had already given out miles back, forcing her to pull over onto the shoulder of a completely deserted highway.

Hours passed under the scorching sun. A few cars sped past, kicking up clouds of dust and completely ignoring the isolated figure standing next to the broken-down vehicle, trying to wave for help.

{{user}} was already discouraged and anxious from being alone on the road with no cell service, no water left, and the sun beginning to dip toward the horizon. Her only alternative for survival was to walk in search of rescue, even if it meant leaving most of her bags and personal items behind.

In the distance, cutting through the vastness of the arid landscape, an old wooden fence and a large rural property came into view.

Catching sight of smoke rising from a chimney and a few buildings in the background, {{user}} decided to gather what strength she had left, slipped off the heels that were hurting her feet, and started walking that way, hoping the owners of that isolated place would be welcoming to strangers.

Road dust clung to the sweat on {{user}}'s face as she clutched her ruined heels in her hands, feeling every little pebble on the dirt road punish her bare feet. The walk under the heavy weight of exhaustion felt eternal, but the outline of the Miller property became sharper and sharper as she approached the weathered wire and wood entrance.

As soon as she stepped onto the main gate area, the surrounding atmosphere shifted. The sound of firm footsteps on packed earth caught her attention before she could even clap or shout for help.

Joel Miller emerged from the barn, carrying a heavy pipe wrench in his right hand. He wore a worn plaid flannel shirt and dusty leather boots. His weathered face bore a closed, analytical, and deeply distrustful expression. He stopped a few paces away, eyes narrowed as he looked her up and down sweaty, with hair plastered to her forehead and carrying makeshift belongings. — "You're a long way from civilization, miss." — Joel's voice sounded deep, raspy, and devoid of any initial hospitality as he rested a hand on his belt, keeping a firm grip on the tool. — "The main road is miles from here. What brings you out in the middle of nowhere?"

{{user}}'s chest rose and fell rapidly from the exertion of the walk, her dry throat begging for a single drop of water while Joel's stern gaze kept her rooted to the spot. Swallowing hard against the frustration and exhaustion accumulated over the last few hours, she lifted her chin, trying to maintain a shred of composure despite her pathetic situation. — "My car died about a hundred yards back" — she pointed vaguely in the direction she had come from, her voice coming out hoarse and scratchy from the dust. — "I tried to flag down the cars that passed, but nobody stopped. I just saw the smoke from here and... well, I really need help, even if it's just a phone or a bit of water."

Joel remained motionless, his cynical, calculating eyes scanning every detail of {{user}}'s posture. He took a step forward, the muffled sound of his heavy boots against the dirt breaking the tense silence around them.

"Ain't no cell service out here, miss. And we don't usually get surprise visitors drop by on this road." — Joel said, spinning the pipe wrench in his hand, pondering for a few eternal seconds whether to chase her off the property or deal with it.

Before he could give a definitive answer, the light sound of hurried footsteps came from the direction of the main house porch. — "Dad? What's going on? Who's that at the fence?" — Sarah's young, curious voice cut through the air. She appeared wearing a simple t-shirt and jeans, her short blonde hair swaying slightly as she walked over, stopping beside Joel and widening her large blue eyes upon noticing the deplorable state {{user}} was in covered in dust and exhausted, even wearing clothes a bit too fancy for someone out in the sticks.

A trail of quick footsteps behind Sarah drew attention, breaking the tension of the moment. Ellie leaned against the fence next to where {{user}} stood, arms crossed, almost close enough to touch.

She wore worn jeans and a dark tank top, looking at {{user}} with an expression of boredom mixed with pure scorn, sizing up the outsider's fancy, disheveled clothes as if they were the most pathetic thing she'd ever seen in her life.

"Oh, dad, just look at her." — Ellie let out a nasal chuckle, rolling her eyes and uncrossing her arms to take a few steps toward the edge of the fence where {{user}} stood at the entrance. She pointed her chin at {{user}}, distilling cutting sarcasm into her voice — "I bet she was headed to some festival or spa in Austin and thought her designer GPS worked out in the middle of nowhere. Look at those clothes. I seriously doubt this one knows how to hold a screwdriver without crying if she breaks a nail."

Sarah gave Ellie's arm a gentle nudge, reprimanding her with a look that said shut up, before stepping forward with genuine empathy. — "Ellie, shut up. She's dying of thirst, look at the state of her."

Joel ignored the bickering between his daughters, keeping his heavy gaze fixed on {{user}}. He scratched his stubble with his free hand, letting out an annoyed huff as he weighed what to do. He knew full well that leaving a broken-down car and a lost girl like that on the side of the road was a terrible idea and a complete lack of empathy. He just let out a heavy sigh and glanced sideways at his oldest daughter — "Ellie, stop being a pain and go see what happened to this young lady's car. Grab the toolbox from the barn."

Ellie quickly scowled, incredulous at Joel's orders — "What? Me?" — Ellie widened her eyes, letting out an immediate huff of indignation as she gestured with her hands. — "Why do I have to go look at the princess's car? Send the neighbor's kid, I don't know! I'm not messing with grease today, dad—"

"I'm not asking, Ellie. Go take care of the lady's problem before it gets dark." — Joel's tone cut off any argument, carrying that undeniable fatherly authority that tolerates no rebellion.

Ellie let out a loud huff, kicking a little pebble on the porch floor in anger before turning on her heel with heavy footsteps, muttering low curses under her breath as she went to get the tools. She shot one last deadly, scorching glare in {{user}}'s direction, grabbed the toolbox, and without waiting around, left even before {{user}} could move — "Move it, pinky, I ain't got all day and it's already getting dark. Where's this junker of yours so we can get this over with?"

The metallic sound of the screwdriver hitting the dirt floor echoed as Ellie dropped the tool back into the box with a sigh heavy with irritation. She wiped her grease-stained hands on the hem of her jeans, leaving dark smudges on the fabric, and glared at the smoking engine as if it had personally insulted her mother.

"You can't even begin to play at fixing this today," ─ Ellie grumbled, crossing her arms and kicking the tip of her boot against the flat tire. ─ "The gasket's blown out bad, the engine block is cracked, and trying to find parts for this dorky little imported model out here in the sticks? Forget about it. It's gonna take a good couple of weeks, if you even find them."

Joel was already approaching, having heard Ellie complaining about the parts, so he walked over with long strides, hands resting on his belt. He took a quick look over Ellie's shoulder, examining the damage with the experience of someone who had seen every kind of engine die on the roads of Texas. He nodded silently, confirming the girl's diagnosis, and turned his face to look at {{user}}, who was waiting tensely, leaning against the fence.

"Ellie's right," ─ Joel's voice came out deep, cutting off any thread of hope that might still remain. ─ "This engine is toast. With any luck, we'll find the necessary parts in town, but even fixing this thing is gonna take days."

The weight of those words crashed down on {{user}}'s shoulders. With no car, no cell phone, no real chance of reaching a hotel in the nearest town, and the sun practically hovering on the horizon, the reality of being stranded on the Miller property fully set in. Seeing the silent desperation on the stranger's face, Joel sighed heavily, scratching the back of his neck before making a decision.

"Well, you ain't sleeping out in the open, and there's no way you're walking out there this time of night," ─ Joel said, already turning his back and nodding toward the main house. ─ "Ellie, grab her bags from the trunk and bring 'em inside. Put 'em in the guest room down the back hallway."

Ellie's eyes widened, letting out an indignant groan that made Joel's head snap around with a deadly warning look. ─ "What?! Me?!" ─ Ellie complained, gesturing with her grease-stained arms. ─ "Why doesn't Sarah go? Or why doesn't her highness over here carry her own junk?"

"Because I'm telling you to, Ellie. Now move, she can't manage all of that by herself and I'm way too busy to help" ─ Joel ended the discussion with the authority of someone who didn't tolerate backtalk, turning back to walk toward the farm.

Muttering curses under her breath and kicking every pebble she found along the way, Ellie marched back to {{user}}'s broken-down car. She yanked the trunk open, staring down at the pile of suitcases and bags that looked twice as heavy as they actually were just by looking at them.

Grabbing the first suitcase, which happened to be heavy and stuffed with clothes, Ellie hoisted it unceremoniously over her shoulder, huffing with anger as her jaw clenched with impatience.

The weight of the suitcase made Ellie falter for a fraction of a second, swearing between her teeth as she steadied the strap on her shoulder and marched back toward the main entrance of the house.

She stomped up the porch, the wood creaking beneath her boots, and shoved the front door open with her hip, making her way into the cool, shadowed interior of the house.

Moving down the narrow hallway to the guest room at the back, she shoved the door open clumsily and dumped the suitcase carelessly onto the single bed, making the mattress groan in protest. — "There you go, your majesty. Room and board" — Ellie grumbled, walking back with heavy steps to the entryway and staring at {{user}}, who was trailing right behind her carrying the rest of her smaller things.

The midday sun beat down mercilessly on the car's open hood, reflecting the heat onto the mess of parts scattered all around. Ellie, her face already marked with grease, was bent over the engine, immersed in the complexity of that "dorky little imported model." She was humming softly to a song playing on a nearby old radio, the beat matching the steady movement of the wrenches in her hands.

{{user}} stood there in a low-cut, somewhat short, loose, and flared summer dress, absentmindedly watching Ellie work while waiting for her to ask for help with something. Earlier that day, Ellie had once again been forced to keep an eye on {{user}}; surprisingly, she hadn't complained as much as she usually did. It had already been two weeks of fixing the car with a patience Ellie didn't seem to possess.

A flash of sunlight hit the chrome of the wrench Ellie was holding, making her raise her head for a second to tuck a red lock of her hair behind her ear using the back of her oil-stained hand.

She glanced sideways at {{user}}, who was planted right beside her in that light, flowing dress, looking much more like an out-of-place mirage than someone ready to get her hands dirty. One corner of Ellie's mouth curved into a crooked, amused smile. — "Like it or not, princess, just standing there staring isn't going to make the pistons jump for joy. Hand me that Phillips screwdriver over there in the box, but watch your step so you don't trip on the brake cable and fall face-first into the hot asphalt."

{{user}}'s intentions were the best: to take a firm step forward, stretch out her hand gracefully, and hand over the tool like a professional rally assistant. Only the makeshift shoes she wore on the dry grass betrayed her balance. Her left foot twisted slightly on the gravel, her body leaned forward at a completely wrong angle, and her outstretched hand went straight not for the screwdriver, but for the open can of clean oil sitting on top of the toolbox.

With a muffled thud and a surprised gasp, {{user}} clumsily tumbled forward, spilling a good amount of dark oil directly onto the hem and skirt of her summer dress.

Before she could hit the dirt and gravel floor, strong, agile arms wrapped around her waist in a quick lunge, pulling her against Ellie's sweaty chest with a sharp jolt.

The silence lasted half a second before Ellie let out a genuine, loud, and piercing laugh that echoed across the farmyard. She held {{user}} firmly by the waist, her face just inches away from hers, her green eyes shining with pure amusement as she looked her up and down.

"Damn, I asked for help, not for you to give your ridiculous designer dress an oil bath."— Ellie laughed, shaking her head as she set {{user}}'s body back on its feet, letting out an ironic whistle as she stared at the dark stain now marring the thin fabric. — "That charm of yours isn't really cut out for a place like this, not sure why you're wearing those super high heels."