CHAPTER ONE

Where is it?!"

Charlotte winced at the voice of her boss. She thanked her stars she wasn't the one at the receiving end of his anger that morning.

It was her 5th month as an intern at Cignum and her boss's mood didn't surprise her as much anymore. A little smile crept to her lips as her mind wandered to her first days here. She was so scared she'd get on his bad side that she did everything perfectly.

It didn't take long for her to realize that it didn't matter who you were or how well you did anything, you'd still get on the bad side of Mr. Bennett. It was more of a him problem than it was yours.

She shook her head at the thought. If he knew what she was thinking, he would definitely kick her out, yelling of course.

"If Mr. Bennett sees you smiling like that, you're out the company for sure" Ryan, a coworker and probably the closest friend she had in the building, said as he sat before her.

"And lose the best architect he's ever seen? I doubt it." Charlotte said jokingly. Ryan chuckled but didn't disagree.

Charlotte didn't even notice he didn't. She wouldn't call herself the best architect in the world, after all she was now learning how to survive in the world with her skill.

But, she would say she was rather good at what she did. She didn't spend sleepless nights perfecting her drawings and consuming learning videos to come out mediocre. Her grades were a testament to that.

"So, what are you doing after work today?" Ryan asked coyly.

"The day's barely started and you're thinking of after hours?" Charlotte said with a laugh.

Ryan's cheeks reddened. He cleared his throat while she laughed.

"Barely started? It's almost 5pm, young lady." Ryan protested childishly, causing Charlotte to double over laughing.

"You can stop laughing now." Ryan said, smiling to himself. "I'm sorry." Charlotte said in-between fits of laughter.

 To get her to stop laughing, she looked at the wall clock at the end of the office. Ryan was right, it was 10 minutes to 5pm.

"Oh my, it's almost 5." She said, her face serious now.

"Told you. So, what do you have planned?" Ryan asked again.

Charlotte sighed and shrugged. She was still a bit shocked at how fast the day had ended.

"Well, I have an idea. A new ice-cream shop has opened two blocks from here. I was thinking we could grab some ice-cream and then we could take a walk in the park under the orange street lights and talk about the day and ourselves maybe. That would be roma- fun! That would be fun, wouldn't it?" Ryan asked her.

Charlotte wasn't paying attention. In her mind, she was trying to remember what exactly her aunt had asked her to buy before she got back.

"Charlotte." Ryan said, about to snap his fingers to get her attention.

"I'm sorry. What were you saying?" Charlotte asked, flustered.

"Um, I was asking if you'd like some ice-cream later today...." He said, trailing off purposely.

"Nah, I can't make it today. I've got to grab some medicine for my aunt. She's sick, did I tell you?" Charlotte said as she began packing her bag to leave.

"Isn't she always sick?" Ryan grumbled.

Charlotte shot him a look and he held up his hands defensively.

"I mean, am I wrong?" He said, avoiding her eyes. She rolled her eyes at him.

"She's just tired. She did a lot to get me through college, you know." "A lot? Please. You were on a scholarship program."

"Still."

Charlotte knew her argument was weak but well, still she did a lot in the background. By the time it was 5pm, they had finished packing.

"Let's go sign out." Ryan said before taking the lead.

 Charlotte noticed a change in his mood but didn't mention it till they were out the building. "Is something wrong?" She asked him.

He shrugged.

"I just really wanted to try the new ice-cream place with you." He said.

"I'm sorry but I really have to go today but I will tomorrow. I promise."

"Tomorrow's Saturday." Ryan said plainly. Realization dawned on her face.

He knew how she was on Saturdays. Always busy with something she never really told him about.

"Okay, um... Monday after work for sure." She said with a smile. Ryan didn't look convinced.

"Bills on me." She added with a laugh. That earned her a smile from Ryan

"How can I refuse that?" He said dramatically. She laughed. She stopped a taxi.

"See you on Monday." She said as she got into the taxi.

"See you." He said with an awkward wave.

To Charlotte, he looked like he wanted to say something else. Then again, he's always been like that. She would bring it up playfully sometime but now she was focused on what she had to buy for her aunt.

She took out her notepad and hastily wrote the list of medication she had to buy. She wrote down aspirin, cough mixtures and a minty ointment. Plus an inhaler.

She handed the list to the pharmacist who gave her the drugs, no questions asked. She paid for them and stashed the pouch in her bag as she walked home.

 The pharmacy wasn't too far from her home so she decided to walk. It was actually really close. Sometimes, it made her wonder why her aunt couldn't get them herself and always insisted she buy it. But she didn't question it.

To Charlotte, it was a little thing as compared to what her aunt had done for her. She was happy doing such a thing for her even though sometimes, it seemed a little annoying and unfair.

She had come home fairly earlier than usual so her neighbors hadn't arrived yet. The sky had taken a lovely pale orange hue that she loved. She took a moment to admire it, vowing to herself that she'd draw it one day once again.

She reached into her jacket for the keys and opened the door.

Fear shot through her when she realized the door wasn't locked. Her breaths quickened and a thousand scenarios rushed through her mind. She shakily whispered to herself not to panic.

Maybe her aunt had forgotten to lock it. She knew that was highly unlikely but she'd believe anything at this point.

Slowly, she walked in.

"Aunty Joan..." She called out with all the courage she had inside her.

The house was silent. Dead silent.

She could hear just her footsteps. She took in deep breaths as she walked to the kitchen. A shrill scream left her throat when she saw her aunt lying on the ground, lifeless.