Somewhere Only We Know ✶ Diego Hargreeves

001. the whole wide world

A soft smile tugged at Sophie's mouth. She patted the mattress beside her and Patsy didn't hesitate to get up and walk over, plopping down beside her favourite human and nuzzling her fluffy face into Sophie's hand. Sophie sat there scratching her head for a moment, causing Patsy to purr and close her eyes in content.

"You don't have to worry about me, girl, these dreams of mine don't bother me anymore," Sophie said reassuringly. "I've learned to live with them by now."

Sadly, that was true.

Sophie has been experiencing these strange dreams for as long as she can remember. In them, she went places. She would explore the city outside her home and see the world. Sometimes, it was even like she was on a different planet or in another dimension. Other times, she was in a completely different, well, time. And then there were the dreams like today where there was nothing but darkness and fear.

These strange dreams used to scare Sophie, wake her up in the middle of the night and keep her awake. She had lost so much sleep as a kid because of them. Because she was too scared to close her eyes and fall asleep. But now, she was used to them. The dreams didn't bother her anymore. She welcomed them every night. Still, there was the rare occasion like today where she would wake up trembling with fear.

Glancing at the clock sitting on her bedside table, Sophie sighed and looked down at Patsy with a frown. "Alright, girl, I've gotta get up and get ready for work." She leaned down, placing a gentle kiss to the top of Patsy's head before climbing out of bed.

Sophie grabbed her robe and jammed her cold feet inside a pair of cozy slippers. She left her bedroom, going into the bathroom to begin her daily morning routine. Once she was done, she splashed some water over her face and re-entered the bedroom to continue getting ready for the day.

Thunder clapped overhead as Sophie rummaged through her drawers for something to wear. After picking out an outfit, she got dressed and brushed her hair, tossing it up into a simple ponytail. She applied some make-up and gave Patsy another scratch on the head before leaving the bedroom and making her way downstairs.

In the kitchen, Sophie started making herself some breakfast. She wasn't particularly hungry this morning, so she settled for something simple, grabbing an english muffin and popping it into the toaster. As she waited for her breakfast to heat up, she moved to start brewing herself some coffee with the Keurig. She loved the machine and has used it every single day since winning it at the charity raffle at work last year.

She filled a to-go mug with her favourite brew and took a much-needed sip. The toaster dinged as she placed the mug back on the counter, and she moved to collect her breakfast. She carefully placed the english muffins on a plate and smothered them with some home-made blackberry jam. It was her grandmother's secret family recipe, and Sophie loved the jam so much that she always made sure to visit the farmer's market for some fresh blackberries so she could make herself some more before she ran out.

After eating, Sophie put her plate in the sink and washed her hands. Then, she got to work feeding Patsy some breakfast. She grabbed the cat bowl from the cabinet and scooped some of Patsy's homemade tuna blend inside. The white ball of fluff rubbed up against her human's legs and began meowing excitedly.

Sophie smiled and bent down, placing the food bowl on the floor. Patsy looked up at her and meowed, brushing into her hand before diving head first into the breakfast bowl. Sophie remained there for a moment, stroking Patsy's back as the feline ate. "I'll see you later, girl. Enjoy your breakfast and get a nice cat nap for the both of us."

With that, Sophie grabbed her keys and purse, locking up the house and walking out the door. It was raining outside, the storm still raging on like when she first woke up this morning. She didn't bother taking out the umbrella from her purse and just rushed down the porch steps towards her car.