Intro
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Bucharest 2002
A little girl in a white nightgown is spotted by multiple people walking the streets of Bucharest, bloodied and barefoot. Her small foot-imprints can be seen on the asphalt as a terrifying blood path displayed behind her. It almost looks like a beautiful but grim piece of art. She looks disoriented, clutching a small blue blanket, apparently unharmed.
It’s the end of September so the night is especially chilly but still, no one tries to stop her or ask her if she is alright.
Her beautiful auburn hair floats around her oval face as the wind picks up pace, caressing the pale skin. A shiver shutters her small frame, momentarily slowing her down. Her big brown eyes look tired but not a single tear can be observed on her face. The way her eyes glisten, is proof that the things she has seen, will haunt her for the rest of her life.
Chapter 1
If someone would have told me 5 months ago that I would be waking up at 3 AM voluntarily, I would have laughed so hard that would probably have led to me passing out...But look at me now..
It took a minute for the inside of my eyelids to moisten, so that my eyes could open normally, as I made an internal note to get more artificial tears on my next stop at the pharmacy. Working all day in front of a computer would do that to you, that and the terrible back pain from my absurd sitting position. Maddie, my work buddy would always joke about me turning into the“The Hunchback of Notre Dame” in 10 years. “Just wait and see girl, one day you are young and beautiful, and the next day you ring the bells at Sunday service” Even in my sleepy state, I chuckled, trying to convince myself that the 1 week off that I took from work, was worth it. The annoying buzzing of my phone startled me, almost judging, and not trusting me that I am and plan to get up. We have a history together; it knows me well. I shifted uncomfortably in the bed, semi stretching, as much as the small bed allowed me, massaging my right arm, it was numb from me sleeping like a log. Oh man, I love my bed, heck, I love any bed, size does not matter for me.
Ok, why am I doing this again? I tried to find a reason to literally cling back in my bed but failing to find a good excuse of why I could not attend. “I have to catch this flight; I need this job.” I whispered to myself, like a weak mantra of some sort and rose in a sitting position.
The room was dark and cold, the kind of cold that is always lingering around when you are most sleepy, at the earliest hours of the morning. As my bare feet touched the hardwood floor, I shivered, the kind of shiver that hits you to the core. “I have a bad feeling about this” was the only thing that slipped my lips before standing up to get ready. ---
I stumbled in the kitchen 25 minutes later, still half asleep but ready. Making sure I have all my essentials, Zoloft, my passport and ID, wallet, phone and small carry-on luggage. In that exact order, as my anxiety levels, that are normally high, were starting to creep up on me. This whole next week is nothing like I planned to spend my not paid vacation days but I know it meant a lot for Ellie, so I had to be there for her even though I was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder, I needed to step out of my comfort zone for her.
I was impressed with myself on how I managed to get ready in total darkness, only with the help of my phone flashlight. “Damn it Caro, what are you doing??” my roommate, Alex asked while turning on the light. It blinded me for a second, making me squint as I didn’t know what to grab first, my eyes or my heart “You scared the BeJeesus out of me, ass whole” I yelped and reached for my bag to get one pill from my stash but hesitated, as Alex did now know of me taking anti anxiety medication and I didn’t want to have to explain to him too much. Sure, he’d seen me freak out a couple of times, I made him call the ambulance twice as I thought I was dying and by now he knows better than to freak out himself when I have my episodes. I even caught him one day, looking up how to support someone that is suffering from anxiety and I never mentioned It to him again, taking my battles on the inside. He had enough stress in his life, he didn’t need to worry about me too. Alex chuckled and I eyed him warily. He was wearing his favorite Scooby Doo PJ, his normally sleek black hair now in a messy birds nest on top of his head.
“Calm down, you think that I would let you go on this fancy vacation without saying goodbye first?”
I rolled my dry eyes so hard, it hurt “It’s so not a vacation Alex, and you know that, it’s work. I have to babysit Ellie while the Willmarks are handling business in their Paris office” I huffed. Even though I know that this was not the only reason. I cared about Ellie more that I would like to admit. “Right, so you get to chill with Ellie, while the smug ass wholes parade around Paris” he rephrased. He was right though, and I was actually jealous. The Willmarks had such a great life, they got to travel and somehow, they still managed to increase their net worth year after year. I guess these are the perks of owning million dollars beauty and wellness empire. On the other hand,I, offered cheap labor by babysitting their 6year old, Ellie, who was an angel. I really loved spending time with this kid and it helped me pay off my rent and living expenses. My college tuitions were not going to disappear on their own, as hard as I would try to ignore them and I could not bare to go and ask for money from Wilma, my adoptive mom.
“Ok, I need to run, the car is waiting on my downstairs and I wouldn’t want to make them wait” I said as I glanced at my watch and chugged down the rest of my decaf iced coffee that I prepared for myself last night. “I really don’t understand why you even drink that stuff Caro, makes 0 sense and it’s not doing anything for you” Alex said and scrunched up his nose while coming close and embracing me in a bear hug. As he released me from his grip, I just smirked and shot him an air kiss on my way out the door yelling: “You and my coffee have more things in common than you think” and was already out the door. I heard him chuckle and smiled. I couldn’t have normal coffee as it spiked my anxiety levels, but I loved the smell and taste of it, same with Alex, but in a very friend zoned way.
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As soon as I got in the car that the Willmarks ordered to pick me up, I popped the Zoloft pill and laid my head on the car window, enjoying the cool sensation it left on my forehead. The morning traffic tone only soothed me in a sticky and sweet sleep.
