720 MINUTES

Chapter 1

Spirits. Clarissa never believed in them. We hear many stories about being possessed by one, yet we keep believing it is something that could only happen in movies and books. They are not real. At least, this was what Asia kept whispering to herself after coming out of the cinema.

“Asia, did that movie scare you so much? You do not believe that is real, do you?”

Clarissa was a fan of horror movies. She loved the adrenaline and the energy they gave her. They were just the creation of someone’s imagination. There was no way something like that could happen in real life.

“Don’t laugh at me, I just agreed to watch that movie because it is your birthday. You know I would never watch something that scary by myself.”

“Oh my my, poor Tom, he is going to kill me for making you watch that.”

Asia nodded as they finally arrived to her house. 

Tom was watching the news when they got in, and as soon as he saw his girlfriend's face he looked at Clarissa.

“Please, tell me it was not an horror movie.” He said, begging his friend.

“Well, personally I would not consider that ‘horror’.” She replied looking away.

“Oh gosh, you know she gets paranoid when she watches horror movies. She is like a baby, now I will have to spend the whole night trying to convince her there is no monster in the bathroom.” Tom sighed.

“Hey guys! Do you realise I am literally here? I can hear you.” Asia said sounding annoyed. “I am no baby, and to be fair, that night there were weird noises coming from the bathroom. How was I supposed to know he had left the window open and that was just the wind?” She crossed her arms pretending to be upset.

Tom and Clarissa both started laughing remembering the episode in their minds.

“Alright, it got pretty late. I’ll leave you to lovebirds to deal with it, I have work tomorrow.”

After saying goodbye, Clarissa stepped in her car and drove home. Her house was not far from Asia and Tom’s, so she managed to get there in less than twenty minutes.

As soon as she arrived, she rapidly got changed and got in bed, falling asleep instantly.

When the alarm went off, Clarissa was definitely not ready to get up.

She kept yawning as she was getting ready and headed to work.

She owned a small bakery, she got it from her mother after her death. It was not a big business, but she loved it as it seemed like a memory of her that Clarissa wanted to cherish. Her mother used to love baking, so when she retired she decided to invest her savings on a small bakery that went bankrupt. She was very good at that, so good that people would come in just by smelling her cinnamon and chocolate cake while passing by. Cinnamon and Chocolate Cake. Clarissa smiled. Her mother invented that cake, and it was her treasure. It was so tasty it actually became famous in the neighborhood. ‘Ellie’s Double C Cake’, that’s how people started to call it. Unfortunately, she died before telling her what her secret ingredient was. Clarissa had been trying for so long, but every attempt she made was not good enough to be compared to her mum’s cake. 

She sighed as she took another sip of coffee.

“This will not be enough to keep me awake.” She mumbled.

The morning was quite calm, Mrs Berfold came to get a loaf of bread, as she would do daily. She ate all the sample biscuits on the counter, claiming that was her ‘cheat day’; daily routine as well. 

“Oh dear, you should hire someone, you can’t manage the bakery by yourself, like this it is never going to become a big business. I should introduce you to my niece! She is so nice, and so hardworking. I bet you two would get along just perfectly.”

“Don’t worry Grace. I will consider it, but I don’t think I need an assistant.” She smiled back.

Mrs Berfold was a nice lady, but very nosy. If something happened in the neighborhood she would definitely be the first one to know. She cared a lot about rumors, she would rather die than ruining her public image and reputation. Everyday she was to be seen with different dresses, her nails always well cured and her hair, oh, her hair was always on top of the best. She looked like she lived in a beauty salon more than in the small house down the road. 

“I am very worried about you my darling, you just spend the whole day here. You know, your mum and I were great friends, I think she would be happy to see you enjoying your life more instead of working too much. You are only twenty-five, you have all your life to seat behind that counter.” 

Clarissa knew she only meant good, so she laughed it off. 

“How is Jake?” She tried to change the subject knowing that she would never refuse to talk about her son considering how proud she was of him.

“Jake! Just the best a mother could ever ask for. You know, he is going out with this new girl, Ferrah, but I don’t think they are meant for each other. Poor Jake, hope he doesn’t get fooled by a lady just for her beauty.” She sighed. “Oh well,” she added a few seconds later, “not that I think she is evil or something bad, I don’t know her that well, but I don’t believe they are a match. My son was recently accepted for an internship in a prestigious hospital out of the city, he is going to be such a great doctor. Just as his father and I always dreamt of.”

She looked like she was done talking, she stood there for a while and Clarissa thought this was the right moment to get herself out of that situation.

“I am sure he-“ She was wrong. Mrs Berfold still had something on her mind.

“Clari, we are having a small dinner tonight to cerebrate the news, why don’t you join us? I won’t take a no as an answer, we’ll eat at 7 sharp.” And without giving her time to say anything, she walked out.

Clarissa sat down and let a big sight out. ‘Oh well,’ she thought, ‘at least I won’t have to cook.’

A few hours later she felt her phone buzzing in her pocket. It was Asia.

‘There is a party tonight at Sam’s place, we CAN’T miss it!’

As if that day couldn’t go better.

She was already dreaming of her bed, and it was just noon.

‘I don’t know, I am quite tired, and I have a dinner tonight as well, I think I might pass it for tonight…’

The reply was fast to come.

‘No way! I am picking you up at 10, be ready by then!’

Clarissa rolled her eyes. No way Asia would give up on this, there was no reason to keep trying. She let out a quick ‘ok’ before going back to her job. She apparently lost all control over the night.

She spent the rest of the day baking, chatting with her costumers, and sipping her coffee. She was a coffee lover, would never go a day without coffee.

Around 6 she closed the bakery and head back home. After a quick shower she got into a pair of jeans and a nice t-shirt, nothing too elaborated.

Her house was just 10 minutes to the Berfold’s house, so she decided to walk.

Jake came to open the door. When he saw her he smiled.

“Wow, aren’t you too elegant for a family dinner?” He laughed.

“I know,  sorry but I left the diamond rings at home.” She replied, mocking him.

He then hugged her. “It’s been so long, I haven’t seen you for what? 3 months?”

“Hey, it is not my fault if you go around the world saving people or whatever your job is.” She said punching him softly on the shoulder.

“Someone has to do it, right?”

“Where did you go this time?” She asked as she stepped inside.

“Nothing special, we were in Kenya for a small research our university was part in.” He smiled walking down the hallway.

When they got in the dining room, a young lady was waiting for them there.

“Oh, Clari, she is Ferrah, my girlfriend. We met during my staying in Kenya. She studied medicine as well, but she is from England.” Clarissa smiled looking at the girl in front of her. She was beautiful, she had to admit. Her black hair fell perfectly on her dark shoulders and her green eyes were somehow magnetic. The red dress was matching her skin tone in the best way possible, making her a delight for the eye.

“Ferrah, she is Clari, my childhood friend.” Said Jake.

“Really? Childhood friend? Boy, I am your only friend, and that promotes me to Best Friend.” 

“Right, right, she is my best friend, but not my only friend.” He looked at her. “I have thousands of friends who would gladly take your place, but you are just so desperate to be my best friend I can’t do that to you.” He said closing his eyes. His face was serious but it didn’t last long before they both bursted out laughing. 

“I am very happy to meet you, Ferrah. Hope Jake won’t be too much of a bother for you”.

Ferrah smiled at her, “I am very pleased to meet you as well, Jake told me a lot about you.”

“Hope he said nice things then.” She paused looking at her friend.

“I just said the truth.” He replied shrugging.

She was about to reply, when they heard Mrs Belford walking into the room with a bit pot in her hand. “Dinner is ready!” She smiled.

Mrs Belford was known for her skills when it came to cooking. Everyone loved her lasagna, as she got the recipe from an old Italian friend from Bologna. Every time someone praises her for it, she starts telling the long - super long - story of how she met this old lady back in the 80s. Both Jake and Clarissa were well aware of this, but Ferrah was not so lucky.

"This lasagna is by far the best I have ever eaten. How did you prepare it?" She asked.

Jake and Clari could see the spark of joy lightening in his mother's eyes.

"Oh, my dear. This lasagna has a long story. It was back in 1986, I was only 23 years old, when my parents took me and my brothers to Italy for a small holiday. I still remember the landscapes and the buildings we saw, as if it was yesterday." Mrs Belford started narrating.

Jake looked at Clarissa who took out her phone and started typing.

"Oh God, Ferrah made THE mistake."

"I know, I should have warned her. I didn't know mum would have made lasagna tonight. She said she was going to make some pasta."

"What now? If you want to still have a girlfriend after this dinner, you should save her. Moreover, she probably just said it to try and make your mum like her."

Jake started laughing, spilling some drops of red wine on his white shirt. As he noticed that, he immediately stood up and run to the kitchen to wash it away.

"What the hell-" Mrs Belford looked at Clarissa. She could tell she was pissed off someone interrupted her beautiful story.

"No worries, Grace. You go on with your story, I will go check on him."

Clarissa rushed to the kitchen before she could even reply.

"Well, you should at least thank me for giving you an excuse to leave the table." Jake said while trying to wash the wine away.

"I should thank your clumsiness for this. So thank you for being the clumsiest person I know."

Jake laughed.

She looked at her phone.

"It has been really nice to see you, but I am afraid I have to go home. I have a party at 10."

"Let me guess: Asia?"

"Yup, she said I couldn't refuse this time. She must have something in mind."

"Be careful, last time she 'had something in mind' we all ended up in another city hitch-hiking to get back home at 4 am." He said.

"I know, I know. Don't worry, it's at Sam's house this time."

Jake seemed a bit relieved.

"When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow evening. Want to go for a coffee tomorrow to say goodbye? I heard about a fancy place in the city centre. Oh, what is it called. I can't remember. It is famous for its Chocolate and Cinnamon Cake, but I really can't recall the name of the place! And I know the owner, so the coffee will be free!" 

Clarissa jokingly punched him. "For you, I will double the price." She laughed. "I will wait for you then." She added.

She kissed him on the cheek and went back to the dining room.

After saying goodbye to Grace and Ferrah, she began walking home.