Chapter 1

and the story goes on...

Chapter 1

Kate woke very early. She had tossed and turned the whole night. Her head was full of questions what she couldn’t find answers for. She stud next to her balcony window and looked the sunrise. Some mornings Kate wished she could be like sun- shine the whole day and disappear after that. Well maybe she had never realized that her life was so empty-filled with routine. Every day started the same way with watching the sunrise over the dirt town. It was the most beautiful thing Kate had seen when she had moved from Midlands to Cornwall. Despite the loudness and loneness she had felt that day, it had been washed away with only the beauty of nature. It didn’t matter how much it hurt, Kate knew how to put things together.

Town was quiet when Kate walked trough the narrow streets. She had only seen few people rushing out of their homes to work. Most of them looked nothing like happy workers the society had painted on the big screen. The trough was- nobody was happy! Was it the lack of interest towards the life or not enough money- there was always more sad faces looking back to Kate. It made her depressed. Well she had always believed she was happy herself, but seeing the miserable world she lived in couldn’t make her feel just that happiness she thought she had always had.

Sun warmed up Kate’s fingers when she sat on the ferry balcony, looking down to the Tamar river. The water was calm and cool, few small waves braking the surface. Kate was not surprised that she found a kind of similarity between the river and her life-they both existed and had a same old ways to flow. Something inside her did know and wanted to step out, just to shout out loud to the world so people would see that she was there and ready to risk her soul to have some fun time. But the main side of Kate always pushed that piece back into herself, deep inside the darkest tunnels of her mind.

Ferry approached the other side of the slip and the heavy ramp fell slowly on the ground. There was already cars ready to take of to drive into a endless morning rush-hour. Kate had never thought about getting a car. She found herself deciding that there was no need to poison the earth with another machine. As long as she had her ability to walk, she was happy enough to use it with a full power.

With a slow walk she followed the main road to the town centre. Cars flew past her and so did some angry looking people.

Why were they so unhappy about their life? Kate asked herself a question. Her mind was stuck in the possibility of finding out that she was the most vulnerable when it came to the same question about her own life. There was nobody who cared about her or made sure she was always awake before the sunrise. There was only her and suddenly she felt so lonely. Kate’s world fell into small pieces in a middle of the dirty town and she didn’t know how to clean it up. Past few days had been the hardest and all she had wished was that she could have escaped from the reality. Everything had lost the purpose in the eyes of Kate. As much as she had tried she couldn’t stop wishing to become someone who dared to let go the shyness and step up. But every day she faced herself in the same point of view and couldn’t make up the decision. She had to admit that reaching out for a freedom wasn’t as easy as she had thought.

***

Kate arrived her work just before Mary had parked her Mercedes by the front door. She knew why her manager was there always so early. It wasn’t the drive to show everybody a good example, but just the fact of imperfectness in her private life. Mary was divorced and had two over active kids who treated her like she was a piece of rubbish in the floor. Al tough she had the highest position in the company, she was far a away from being in control of her own life. Kate didn’t feel pity. She knew everybody made their life just like they wanted to. Was it the constant weight gain or over obsessive game addiction- they all had find a way to peoples life trough their own mind and over controlled the soul and body of the individual.

“Good morning, Kate!” Mary approached her with a sad smile when she entered. She was wearing black and Kate noticed some unusual redness around her eyes.

“Is everything all right?” she asked. There was no need for her to know, but after three years working for Mary she knew asking always mattered more than she had first thought.

“Well my sons dog died last night and he has been a pain since then,” she said quietly painting brave look into her face.

“That’s sad!” Kate felt sudden sadness coming over her. She was animal lover and it made her feel broken when she saw someone being cruel to a other living been.

“Snatch was very old anyway, but he had been with us since he was a small puppy and Tom loved him so much that he is fallen into a depression after losing him,” Mary let her feelings out. “My ex husband hasn’t shown any interest to soothe the pain of his son and he is putting it on me and his little sister with a full force. I am telling you, I was happy to shut the door behind me this morning and look forwards to a long day in office.”

First time, after three years, Kate saw inside Mary’s soul. It was so damaged that Kate felt urge to comfort her pain even if she didn’t exactly know how.

“Sometimes the life puts some stepping stones on our way so we will slip and get hurt,” Kate started not knowing what she was going to say next.

“You are still young and beautiful, my dear, “ Mary smiled. “There is no stepping stones for you!”

Kate wanted to argue. Her life was full of them. Every day she felt the effort to stay calm enough to contain the balance so she would never fall, but she had already lost half of the ground now and was on her way to meet the rock bottom of her sad lonely life.

“I am just as human as everybody else,” she forced herself to smile. It was harder and harder to keep the balance between her controlled feelings and the insane side. Kate was letting herself to fall and there was no way back.

“Human?” Mary snorted. “I am no human any more.”

“I don’t understand?” Kate looked at her manager with a a surprise.

“There is only one part of me what still works on my own mind power and that is the part you are talking to now,” Mary explained. “The other part of me is a full time mother and a compulsive eater.”

Kate was blown away by the honesty of the woman who she secretly feared. Mary was the most dangerous part of the company she worked. She had a ability to make anyone to obey her rules and not only she used her power to rule, she also made everything perfect around her. Except herself.

“You are young and beautiful, “ Mary continued with a sad smile. “There is one thing I am going to tell you. Never, I say NEVER, let anyone posses you. You gotta be in a control over your own life. Being overpowered is good only in bed.”

Kate forced herself smile. She couldn’t believe that she was given an advise by someone she had once admired. Mary was a broken soul, but she had a definite power over people who were not related to her as such. Maybe she should have tried it with her children as well.

“But now I am going to buy a big chocolate cake and hide it in my secret drawer so only Simon will see that I am a secret eater,” Mary grinned and stud. “You got some good brains, Kate. Use them wise in your life or you will end up being trashed into a bin one day by your own family.

Simon! Kate thought automatically. The face of his appeared like a ghost in front of her eyes. She shock her head to make it disappear.

Seeing Mary in such a broken state made Kate think about her life even more. She did have everything she thought she had- good job, cosy home- rented, but still home- and online friends who managed to make her smile every time she felt low. Well most of the time. But there was something missing. The way Simon had touched her day before made Kate feel an sudden urge to have someone alive near her. She knew there was a fat change she had any cuts to meet anyone from the space game, but she also knew that virtual relationships were not quite enough any more.

“Kate!”

Cold rush filled her body when she turned to Simon who looked as perfect as usual. But there was now a different image of him in her mind. The sudden casual look she had experienced from him yesterday had drawn a permanent picture she could not wipe away as much as she wanted to.

“Good morning, Simon!” she said politely avoiding his eyes. The anger she had seen the first time she had accidentally connected herself to him had made her afraid of him.

Another broken soul! She had told herself.

“Am I right that you have a special pass to the account department?” Simon asked and leaned closer to Kate. His perfume brushed over her smell bugs making her secretly inhale the scent.

“Yes, “ she answered. There was no ways she was going to fall to that perfect lie he had to pull out as a part of his work. He had said it himself, but for some reason Kate didn’t want to believe he hated the secret power of his perfection.

“Is it possible for you to get me in so I could have a look around?” he said with a grin.

Why on earth did Simon want to have a troll around accounts department? Kate asked herself.

“I would have thought that you have your own?” she send him a small scowl.

“I have not get mine yet as Mary has been busy with one of our main clients and she keeps forgetting to give me one,” Simon explained. “Is there any problem for you to come with me? We both have still more than half hour before the work.”

What is he planning? Kate thought. Simon was a managers assistant and as far as Kate was concerned, he never had to deal with anyone else. But did she even had a choice to say no to him? He was the closest link in the work to Mary and if he wanted he could possibility make Mary fire her.

“No there is no problem, “ she said with a pretended smile.

“Good, “Simon grinned and walked past her.

Kate wanted to smash her hand into his face and pull of the perfect mask. Maybe it would have made him leave her alone.

“There is some people I would like to see,” he said when Kate turned to follow him.

“And they are?” she pushed trough her teeth.

“Sofia, the young accountant example,” Simon teased. “She sounds very interesting and I would like to personally address her.”

“And why is that?” Kate knew Sofia was married and currently pregnant with twins, but she decided to keep it secret so she could enjoy the dumb look on Simon’s face when he had seen Sofia.

“Well I like to meet some pretty girls before I am buried under the work Mary has given me,” he grinned.

“Haven’t you met any jet?” Kate gave her a sweet-bitter look. Wasn’t she pretty to him what so ever?

Simon answered with a quiet laugh. He really started to piss Kate off with his obsessive rudeness.

“Well I hope you enjoy your disappointment,” she smirked and slipped her security card trough the special door. It opened automatically.

“What you mean with that?” Simon turned his eyes to her.

Kate smiled her wining smile and walked towards the office tables. Simon followed with a puzzled look.

“KATE!” someone shouted over the coffee table. “It was about a time for you to step by!”

“Sofia!” she grinned.

One very pregnant looking woman walked to her and hugged her slightly. Kate didn’t take Sofia as a friend, but as they both had worked in the same department for a while in a past, they held a semi-special relationship between them.

One hand washes another! Kate liked to think when she had to describe the relationship between her and Sofia.

“And who is the handsome, but very surprised looking guy?” Sofia asked with a smile.

Kate turned herself to Simon. He stud there with his you- gotta- be- kidding- me look.

“Simon meet Sofia- the very pregnant accountant!” she shoot him his innocent smile.

Simon seemed to put himself together with a second. He smiled and reached his hand towards Sofia.

“My name is Simon and I am managers assistant,” he said with a polite voice.

“Wow,” Sofia’s eyes widened. “I never thought the VIP will bring their foot up here.”

Kate wanted to laugh. Sofia was only nineteen and currently very heavy footed, but her way to make things look funny made Kate feel a small amount of jealousy. Was she ever going to make someone obey as Sofia managed to do with her husband.

“Well actually Kate told me that the accountancy department has the most beautiful woman working in so I didn’t want to waste any time and I had to have a look,” Simon sounded as slimy as slug.

What was he doing? Kate found herself hissing in her mind.

“Did she really?” Sofia send Kate amused look. Well Sofia looked very pretty with her ebony coloured skin and dark brown hair, but she was out of action with her bump growing every day.

“I can see the truth in her words!” Simon smiled.

Kate’s face turned red. She wanted to disappear. Or in worse case just rip Simon into a small pieces.

“Well I am delighted, “ Sofia announced. “But this one here will be out of order for a while!” Taping slightly on her stomach Sofia turned to sit behind her desk. “But there are Linda and Chilly who are maybe few years older than you, but they are as pretty as me.” she added. “Or just turn around and go out with the girl who stands behind you.” she grinned to Kate. “Al tough her office is few stories higher than this one. “

Kate didn’t know what to do. Her face was burning with embarrassment. Was that the bad karma she had gotten onto her by not telling Simon about Sofia’s little secret? What ever it was, it made Kate very uncomfortable.

“That is not a bad idea after all, “ Smiled and turned to Kate. “I will meet you at eight tonight by the ferry’s.” and he walked past her back to the automatic doors.

“Somebody just got a date,” Sofia hauled over the office.

Kate felt limb. What was happening with her perfect life.