Finding Kendall

Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

I woke up the same as I did every morning, without fail, for the past year. The dream was always the same; it never varied.

At the beginning, I would be in a forest somewhere. I didn't know where, but it was near a mountain. The air was always frosty, my breath forming a white cloud every time I exhaled. It was colder than I ever remembered feeling.

I would spend a few minutes searching; for what, I wasn't sure. But I always came up empty.

After that, I would hear a miserable howling. Suddenly there would be a castle in the distance and I would start running toward it.

Logic told me that I was running to safety, away from the howling creature. But somehow, deep down, I always felt like the source of the howling was the safety and I was running towards that.

But I would never reach the castle. I was always jerked awake, just as I reached the edge of the trees.

I never knew what the dream meant. With my condition, it could be anything. My doctor told me that my memories may someday return, although I felt it was unlikely at this point. He would say that I may have flashes or feelings of déjà vu. I didn't usually have any, except for the damned dream.

A part of me believed it could be connected to my unknown past, but then I thought better of it. When would I, a small town waitress with no real fortune, have been to a castle that beautiful. I wouldn't have.

So, like every morning, I put the dream behind me and got ready for the day.

The first thing I did was put on a pot of coffee, needing the jolt that the caffeine gave me to make it through an eight hour shift at the diner. I munched on a few Oreos as it brewed. One thing I learned about myself was that I loved anything chocolate. I was slowly, but surely, discovering the things I liked and disliked.

Once my coffee was done, I made a giant glass of iced coffee, pouring it over frozen creamer ice cubes. I sipped at it as I made my way to the bathroom.

My apartment was small, but it was cozy. It felt like home despite the size. My kitchen seemed more like a kitchenette most days, which was fine because I also learned that I couldn't cook for shit.  The living room had a small brown leather couch and a similar colored recliner. A small flat screen was on top of a brown entertainment center across from the furniture. I had red accessories dotted around the room, including a red lamp and a red welcome rug in front of the door. The curtains were a red and tan chevron print and tied the room together nicely.

I kept everything clean, except for my bedroom. My room, which had nothing other than a lumpy queen bed, a dresser, and a desk, had clothes strewn everywhere. The desk chair was constantly covered, so anytime I needed my laptop, I had to sit on the bed.

The bathroom wasn't much better. Makeup and hair products covered every inch of the tiny counter space. Dirty towels and clothes covered the floor in front of the shower. I grimaced as I thought about cleaning it.

I ignored it for the time being and stripped off my clothes before hopping into the shower. I took a quick shower, not even bothering with my long curly locks. I just twisted them up into a messy bun once I was finished.

I slipped on a pair of high waist black shorts, the ends frayed against the top of my thighs, and my loose short sleeve black work shirt that said Cindy's in bold white letters. It may have been winter technically, but the weather in this little coastal town never got below seventy degrees. The humidity was always suffocating and it was a normal occurrence to drip sweat in February. My boss, Eddy, had ordered a few long sleeved work shirts, but never in the nine months I'd worked there had I needed one.