CHAPTER FOUR
The next couple of nights Faedra did not get much sleep, it was fitful at best. The events of the past few weeks, and more recently the past couple of days, kept repeating in her dreams and she would wake often, usually in a cold sweat.
She dragged herself out of bed as she had done the previous morning, and all but crawled over to the dresser. She thought about calling in sick, but integrity fought against her and won.
“Urgh,” she groaned when greeted by her reflection in the mirror. Dark circles framed her once sparkling eyes that were now dull and lackluster.
“If this carries on too much longer, I’m going to have to steal some sleeping pills from somewhere,” she croaked to Faen.
She fiddled with her makeup and after applying a healthy dose of concealer and foundation, started to look a little less like the monster from the deep. Faen, who was sitting beside her, looked up at her with what she considered was a look of concern.
“It’s okay, boy, I’ll be fine. Not sure what’s going on, but I’m sure it will pass.” She said it more as reassurance for herself than anything else. After she was done putting on the finishing touches of her ‘disguise’ she wandered over to the closet and picked out something smart but casual for work.
She had a job at a company that shipped freight all over the world. It was located at the local airport. It wasn’t a large airport but did have flights to Scotland, Ireland and various European countries. She had flown out of there herself in the past, on holiday to Spain. The view from her office almost made the abuse she was dealt worth it. It looked over the entire airfield, and she could see the planes take off and land all throughout the day, but she hated her boss.
Jerry Thompson was the most unpleasant person she had ever met. It wasn’t just his very poor attention to personal hygiene, but he also seemed to go out of his way to make her life a misery, and quite obviously enjoyed doing so. She often wondered why she put up with it and didn’t just leave. She wasn’t a quitter that was why.
Dressed and caked in make up she almost stumbled down the stairs to the dining room. Her Dad was already sitting at the table in the kitchen having his breakfast when she walked in.
“Cup of tea, Fae?” he asked. “God you look awful,” he continued when he looked up to see his daughter.
Faedra groaned inwardly, her attempts at applying make up hadn’t had the desired effect.
“Yes please, and thanks I love you too,” she replied testily to his question and subsequent observation. She was never her best when tired. A bear with a sore head was an apt comparison.
Henry poured her a cup of tea as she joined him at the table.
“Are you okay, darling? Maybe you should call in sick today,” he suggested.
“I haven’t slept very well the past couple of days. I’ll be fine though, I’m not about to give Mr. Thompson any more reasons to pick on me than he already feels he has.”
She ate her breakfast in silence. Today was not going to be a good day and she could already feel herself wishing it were over. Apart from the fact that she felt like a zombie and probably looked like an extra from the Thriller video, it was also the anniversary of her mother’s death. She closed her eyes for a moment and gave herself an inward pep talk.
Come on Fae pull yourself together, it’s only twenty-four hours and then it will be over for another year.
She always spent some time at her mother’s grave on the anniversary of her death. It was a tradition of hers that she had started some years ago now. She would take a blanket, a small picnic, sit down next to the headstone, and talk to her mum about anything and everything. Somewhere deep inside she knew her mum was listening. She had to believe it, it was one of the things that kept her sane.
