His Sweet Red

chapter one

She woke up with a start, tears streaming down her cheeks and pyjamas wet from sweating. The nightmare of the worst day of her life never left her. Seven years and that nightmare still scared the life out of her. It was like it happened just yesterday, everything felt like it was happening all over again.

Picking up her cellphone to check the time, she groaned in annoyance and let her head fall back on the pillow. It was only four forty she still had a little over two more hours to sleep. But she knew she would not be able to go back to sleep especially since she was wet and her pajamas stuck to her body.

Also, there was no way she could fall asleep again with that nightmare still fresh on her mind.

"Time to start the day Case, two hours too early," she mumbled to herself as she sat up.

Getting up she went straight for her bathroom, wanting to rid her body of the wet sticky feel of sweat. Her little bathroom was tiny but had everything she needed, a tub for when she felt like soaking and a shower for everyday use. A small sink where she kept her toiletries, with a mirror on top.

Her reflection in the mirror made her cringe. Her red hair was a bird's nest on her head because she had been lazy to braid it before she went to sleep the night before. Dried tear tracks were present on her face making it itch slightly. And her blue-green eyes were dull and swollen from crying in her sleep.

Overall she looked like she did every time she had one of those nightmares. Empty, haunted, and ugly.

As much as she had moved on with her life her consciousness had not completely let go.

Sighing to herself she decided that a long shower might just miraculously fix her face and mood.

It did not but at least it got rid of the sweat.

After her morning routine, she decided it would not kill to just go to work earlier than normal. That way she could walk and save on bus fare for that day.

Before she could start changing her stomach grumbled reminding her that she did not eat the night before. Too lazy to do anything, probably why she had the nightmare. Even her consciousness was lazy to block out the memories.

"Ok, Cassie let's go scavenging in the kitchen. Hopefully, there is leftover that has not gone bad," she mumbled to herself.

Lucky for her there was fried rice from two nights before in the fridge. Popping that in the microwave she made a cup of coffee to wash it down with. She was not a homemaker at all, she always forgot to buy groceries and she never liked cooking. Takeaways and Ramen noodles were how she survived.

A knock on her door made her jump slightly then glare at her door. Who could be knocking so early in the morning?

"Cass open up, I know you are awake." A female voice whisper yelled from the outside making Cassie roll her eyes.

She went to unlock the door not caring she was in just a towel. Her one and only friend stood there in her hello kitty pajamas. In her hands was a hello kitty lunch box. Her hair which was dyed pink this month was in pigtails.

"Linda it's like five am," Cassie groaned.

"Technically, it's five thirty-six and you do not get to complain that I woke you up. You have been awake for a while. I could hear you talking to your imaginary friends and ghosts," Linda said as she walked in and made a beeline for the kitchen.

"I do not talk to ghosts," Cassie grumbled sitting down at her small kitchen island leaving Linda to go back and forth like she owned the place.

"Of course you don't sweetheart," Linda patronized patting Cassie's head. " I brought you some breakfast, knowing you, there is only coffee in the house."

"There is fried rice," Cassie argued.

"From four days ago, is it even edible?" Linda asked her face scrunched up in disgust.

"Yes. It was in the fridge the whole time." Cassie defended.

"Well if you decide to eat that, put this in the fridge and have it as supper. You can't cook for s**t and I do not want the fire department here again."

"It was only two times Linda, do you really have to bring it up everyday?" Cassie defended.

"It was seven times. Thank Joseph you finally got it through your marble head you can't cook," Linda said as she put the lunch box in the fridge.

Cassie met Linda Simms when she moved into the apartment building four years ago. They were both moving in at the same time and to their amusement right next door to each other. It took a few months for them to get over each other's rudeness to become friends. Especially with how they could hear everything the other did because of the thin walls.

Now they were inseparable and did almost everything together.

Linda was the only person who had ignored her brass attitude and stuck around. It was probably because Linda was a mean b***h in cute hello kitty outfits. But to Cassie, she was a mama bear. Overprotective, overbearing, and over everything one could think of

.

Linda knew about her nightmares and always made it her mission to come to keep her company when she had them. She didn't ask about them or try comfort, she just came with her usual overdramatic flair indirectly cheering Cassie up. Cassie figured Linda knew a lot about haunting bad memories to understand that talking about it does not always help.

"Let me go get dressed for work don't want to be late, please make yourself at home," Cassie said sarcasm dripping with each word.

"Way ahead of you, this coffee tastes like s**t," Linda replied sitting on the kitchen counter, face scrunched in distaste.