The Minister’s Obsession

Chapter 2

Marissa

Marissa woke up gasping for breath. Her hands flew to her neck, and her chest kept rising and falling as she struggled to push air into her lungs.

She looked around frantically, squinting in the dark, trying to recollect her surroundings.

This wasn't her old home.

She wasn't a girl anymore. She was twenty-six now, in her city apartment. She was in her bed. Alone. Safe.

She tried to calm herself down. Her therapist had taught her a breathing trick to deal with the aftereffects of the dream.

Breathe in for four seconds. Hold for four seconds. Then breathe out for four seconds.

She followed it now, repeating the steps in her mind as she did them. Once, twice, then the third time. By the time she was on the fourth round, her heartbeat had slowed to normal. She did it once more just to be sure.

I am fine. I am safe. She said to herself. It was just a dream.

It had been so vivid, she could almost still feel the cold grip around her neck. But it wasn't real. It couldn't be.

After her father died, there was an investigation. He was a journalist, so it made the news. There was a forensics team and all. None of them could prove that someone else had been in the house that day. And after months of unanswered questions, the case went cold. His death was never solved.

There was a funeral. Then there were foster homes. Three to be precise. Her mother was never in the picture, so there was no one left to take care of her when her father died. She finished high school, got out of the system and went to college on a full-ride scholarship.

But that was all in the past. The only thing that matters now is the present.

She couldn't go back to sleep. She never could go back to sleep after having the nightmare. That hadn't changed, even though a lot of other things had. She reached out blindly to her nightstand and pressed the display button on her digital alarm clock.

It was 5:47 am. Much too early to start work. But she could do other things to pass the time, then prepare before finally leaving for the office.

She got up and started to move. She looked out the window first. It was still dark outside.

Then she turned on the bedroom lights, went to the living room, and then turned those on as well.

Her apartment was impeccably neat. Every object was just in the right place, and every surface was clean, but it was just never clean enough.

Her therapist had diagnosed her with some kind of compulsive disorder, and Marissa had laughed at the idea. How did having a tidy environment make her sick? She stopped attending her sessions eventually.

And she'd been doing just fine ever since, except for the dreams. She'd wondered why she'd wasted so much money on therapy in the first place.

Her life was good; she had a nice apartment and a great job doing something she actually enjoyed. She couldn't ask for more.

Marissa went to the kitchen and swiped one finger over the counter. It was barely dusty, but she brought out a rag and some cleaning supplies anyway. Soon she was doing the stove, then the fridge, then fluffing the pillows on her couch and vacuuming the centre rug piece. She would have done the entire flat if she didn't have to make herself breakfast and get ready for work.

She fried some bacon and eggs and had them with two slices of toast. Then washed the dishes before heading to the shower.

Afterwards, she dressed up in simple work clothes and started working on her hair. She was sitting at the dresser and facing the mirror when her phone screen lit up. It was only some minutes past eight. And only one person texted her this early in the day.

Yosef: u up?

Marissa didn't respond immediately. She held a hair tie in her hand and was about to put up her hair in a sleek bun. After she was done, she picked up her phone to type.

Marissa: Barely. It's too early for jokes.

Then she hit send. She looked at her hair in the mirror, checking to see if there were any flyaways. Her phone buzzed again.

Yosef: at least u despise mondays like the rest of us

Marissa smiled. She and Yosef had been friends since high school. They went to the same college and even somehow ended up working for the same company.

Marissa: Shouldn't you be on your way to work?

Yosef: i may hav had a long night yesterday

Marissa: When do you ever not?

It was 8:15 am. Marissa got up and started to gather her things for work. Once she was ready, she got her keys and swept through the apartment one last time before stepping out and locking the door. She tested the handle once, then a second time just to be sure it was locked. Then she took the elevator downstairs.

Her phone buzzed in her bag, but she didn't bring it out yet. She walked to the subway, which was only a few blocks away, then boarded the train. It was a twenty-minute ride from home to her office.

Once she sits, she opens his text.

Yosef: less talk about me

Yosef: rumour mill says d big boss is in today

Marissa frowned at the screen. That's right. Their company now had a new CEO, and Yosef couldn't stop talking about it. Naturally, everyone was on the edge of their seats.

Marissa: Already?

Yosef: yep. apparently he doesn’t believe in easing people into things

Yosef: very dramatic energy

She imagined Yosef grinning at his phone. This was the sort of thing he liked. He liked stories and people, and he got along pretty well with almost everyone.

She did not.

Marissa: Here we go again.

Yosef: what... 👀

Marissa: I know you're about to cook up some tale

Yosef: me? never

Marissa: ...

Yosef: come on mar, fine, I won't tell you

Marissa: You'd better be on your way to the office.

The train finally came to a stop. Marissa got up and followed the crowd pouring out. Once she got to ground level, she could see the tower glinting in the early sunlight just a few blocks away.

There it was, Holden Corp. A tall building made of glass and steel. It was right at the centre of the busiest hub in the city. And it was Monday. The Monday crowd always had the streets teeming with people, especially in the morning.

Marissa got to the building and pushed open the doors. Inside, the air hummed with corporate energy. She checked in at exactly 8:55 am and then rode the elevator to her floor.

When she got to her desk, she wiped every surface down with the disposable wipes she kept in her drawer. After that, she sat and turned on her computer. The last spreadsheet she’d worked on came up exactly as she’d left it.

She dove straight into work, and ten minutes later, a paper cup appeared on the corner of her desk.