Ghost Pepper

Princess Carolyn: 1

*Narrator*

Once upon a time eons ago lived a girl... wait how does the story go?

Once upon a time in a land far far way lived a girl trapped in a tower... wait that's Princess Fiona in Shrek, I've got the wrong Princess let me try again.

Once upon a time in a mysterious forest lived a grumpy old lady in a cottage...wait that's Snow White.

I think I'm getting my stories mixed up, let me see which story this is.

Ah I see, this is a story about an ordinary girl who got wrapped up in a world she never even new existed. A world full of violence, revenge and best of all sweet unconditional love.

Sounds a little bland but let's see how it goes.

...

Carolyn Hugans, a 24 year old female trying to figure out her life while nearing her thirties. One would think she's over thirty with the way she acts and dresses but her cute button face gives away her youth.

Right at this very moment she stood idly staring at a customer in the shop admiring an item on the shelf. Carolyn works at a clothes shop that consisted of Elegant attire for the rich and famous. She had been there for over a year and hated every minute of it. Her feet would ache day in and out because of standing all day and walking non stop.

Her mouth would be in a permanent fake smile as customers flowed in and out the shop. Some bought while others merely browsed the European shop. It was quite a popular store which was always busy and had a lively feel to it. But Carolyn hated the store to the core of her being.

"How much is this shirt?" A whiney tone brought Carolyn back from her day dreaming.

She looked at the customer who was holding up a white button up shirt. She saw the price tag on the shirt and wondered why customers don't look at the price tag first.

"That would be ten euro's ma'am." She stated with a plastic smile.

"Thank you." The customer said with shock in her eyes before heading back to browsing, she clearly wasn't going to buy anything. The store was for those with heavy wallets, clearly not for that client.

Carolyn sighed with irritation, day in and day out people asked her useless questions that could be answered with just looking at the item itself. Her job made her so irritated with people and mentally drained.

By the time the last customer left the store, she let like she could breath more easily. The other girls began cleaning the store and making it cleaner while she packed away clothes that were out of place. Before she knew it, she was clocking out the system and skipping her way down Adderley Lane to her apartment.

This was the best part of her day, going home. She loved her small run down apartment, to others it wasn't much but to her it was everything. It was small and cramped with a few leaks here and there but this was something she could easily deal with.

Once she locked the door behind her she sighed in content and slid her shoes off before heading to her small bathroom. It consisted of a bathtub with a shower head, a toilet, sink and small window.

The moment she looked at herself in the mirror she frowned. She looked out of place, like a vacant body being programmed to do as told. Her light fair makeup did little to hide the black bags under her eyes. With a heavy sigh she turned the cold water on, it made a gurgling sound before the water began coming out. She splashed some on her face before washing her make up out.

Her clear smooth mocha skin shone under the yellow flickering light as every inch of make up came off. This was her favourite thing of the day, getting into bed. Eating was the furthest thing from her mind as she got cozy in her bed and pulled out her laptop. She watched as the old cranky machine turned on, making a few concerning sounds before it came on fully.

The Wi-Fi was always slow but she didn't care as long as it worked, that was good enough for her. So she once again began searching for better jobs, once she tired from that she began watching a series while munching down on crisps.

And thus her evening flew by, and this is how this Princess spent her days, work, home, sleep repeat. A mundane life style that most would find disturbing but to her it was peaceful.

But as the saying goes, regression to the mean.

Things can't always be peaceful right?

The night was short before the harsh rays of the sun peeped through her thin curtains. She squinted her lazy eyes before turning away from the large window that welcomed the morning sun. She tried blinking away her sleep but it did little to wake her up. She sighed before sitting up, thinking about working made her grown and question why she even worked in the first place.

'I don't want to starve I guess' she thought

Her bare feet touched the cold wooden floors which creaked under her weight. She made her way to the bathroom for a quick shower before dressing up for work. A light tight black skirt with a button up long sleeve shirt and black heels was her uniform. She considered this uniform so uncomfortable but it was mandatory.

She left a few buttons open on her chest leaving a bit of her skin exposed from the neck down. There wasn't much to stare at with her slightly flat chest but every girl had to appear somewhat attractive in the shop. She had somewhat of an hour glass figure with her small waist, short stature of five foot and slim figure. She was easy on the eyes but never did much to make herself stand out.

Her dark black eyes were a mystery to most, plump lips and small nose. Features she despised with all her being, while most would find her cute. To her these were all insecurities she wished to rid of.

With one final huff she headed to the fridge, no surprise it was empty except for a juice carton, a piece of banana, half bread, butter and left over store bought lasagna from two days ago. She wrinkled up her button nose before she closed the door, her appetite gone with the wind.

'I need to go shopping for food' she thought as she exited the apartment

The bright sunny day greeted her, her eyes stung for a second before she began walking to work. She didn't live far from her work so walking there was no challenge. The morning chill nipped at her exposed chest but she welcomed it.

In her full grey world, pain brought a bit of colour to it. Something others might call crazy but it was the only thing that brought colourful emotions out of her.

A few more shops passed before she got to the shop.

El Dente

She read the sign before getting out her keys and opened the shop. During the years she's worked there, the manager noticed how dedicated and hard working she was and how she was always the first to the shop and rewarded her with opening up the shop. But to Carolyn that was just extra work she wasn't being paid for.

She turned the lights on as she closed the door behind. Looking around the store she felt dread wrap around her like a blanket. The place itself was beautiful and a sight for sore eyes but to her this was just work. Warm colours could be seen all over the shop with attires costing double her salary written on individual items.

She began her morning routine after placing her things down. Before long other workers began arriving and the day was gone within hours.

By the time the store closed, the sun was disappearing behind the horizon. It was still a bit chilly as Carolyn headed to her apartment. On the way she contemplated heading to the store but she had a day off tomorrow so she just bought a pizza and headed home.

She walked into her apartment feeling a bit lighter. She placed her food down before changing into more comfortable attire, while doing so she turned her laptop on as she placed her pizza on a place. She sat in bed watching Netflix as she ate her pizza.

Mid show her phone began to ring.

Mom

She glanced at the name without much thought before ignoring it and continued watching her show. Before long the day was gone and it was around four in the morning when Carolyn finally called it a night and slept.

A dreamless sleep welcomed her.