Shadow & Smoke

Chapter 1

The nightmares were getting worse.

At first, I didn't pay them much attention even though they woke me up in a cold sweat nightly But after two months of interrupted sleep, I was losing what little grasp I had left on my sanity. For two months, I had being woken up by night terrors in a cold sweat, gasping for air and trying not to have a full blown panic attack.

And always at the same time.

3 a.m.

I hated that it hadn't always such a struggle to sleep. I hadn't always felt like I was being watched by the shadows in my own house. In fact, up until three weeks ago, I had been perfectly content and settled in my place, at my bookstore and in the town that had welcomed me in such a short time.

Up until three weeks ago, I'd mistakenly let myself believe for a moment that I had found a place to settle down. I thought that maybe, just maybe, I could stop running and looking over my shoulder all the time. I felt that for the first time I could actually belong somewhere.

But, I was wrong.

For the first time three weeks ago, I first shot out of sleep at three in the morning without cause. My heart was racing and I felt like there was a twenty pound weight laid on my chest. It took me over ten minutes to get myself under control and from that moment on, I was plagued by dread.

Staring down at the cereal in my bowl, I zoned out for however long it took for my coffee machine to finish brewing. I was fucking exhausted and there was no amount of caffeine that could save me. While I waited, I thought back to three months ago when life was seemingly normal.

What changed?

What happened?

With no new answers to those questions, I shook myself from the sleepy stupor that still clung to me and poured myself a cup. Having woken at the same time I did every morning lately, I was unable to fall back asleep. Some mornings, if I were lucky, I could force myself back to sleep after I calmed down my racing heart rate and convinced myself that the horrors I saw in the shadows were not real. Other times, like this particular morning, I couldn't fall back asleep for anything and so I tossed and turned until my alarm went off at six.

After downing two cups of coffee, finishing my cereal and packing my lunch, I did a final check in the mirror before I headed out the door for the day. I knew that my dark circles would betray me so I dabbed on some concealer and tucked my long, dark curls up into a bun before grabbing my things.

My bookstore didn't open until nine and my only employee wouldn't be there until fifteen minutes prior but there was no way I would get any more sleep so I forced myself to go in early.

Novel and Nook had been my baby for an entire year come October. Fall had just begun and I was finally starting to feel like I was the new girl in town faking it until I make it. I'd finally cleaned it out as best i could and redecorated to the best of my ability. It was still small and cramped with a new coat of paint but it was mine and it was actually quite profitable in the small, quaint oceanside town.

Once I got the the store and settled into the small office nestled in the back of the building, I tried not to fall asleep at my desk. The boring paperwork I tried to work through didn't help the heaviness of my eyelids.

For the rest of the day, I struggled to stay focused. Aside from being unbearably tired, my concentration was null. I kept losing my train of thought and forgetting things. Thankfully, Jane, a petite blonde college student who attended the Christian university nearby, was chipper as always and could run the entire place with her eyes closed. I'd inherited her when I bought the business from the previous owner. Apparently, she'd been working there since she was old enough and for the first few months, it was almost like she was training me. I was glad that we got along and even more glad that she could handle things without me because my mind was exhausted and elsewhere.