Recollection

Chapter 1

Beep! Beep!

I awoke to the sound of the alarm clock and pounded the reset button. I groaned, pulling myself out of bed and looked at the time. 5:30.

Walking into the bathroom, I turned on the faucet and watched for a few seconds before rinsing off the drowsiness that enveloped me the night before. Looking up at the mirror, I saw my dull 20 year-old gray eyes staring back at me and yawned.

After getting dressed and brushing my teeth, I turned on the news. It was supposed to be a rather snowy day, but I paid the warnings of the cold no mind as I pulled out a box of cereal and poured two bowls. I grabbed the milk and put the second bowl on the floor with a small clatter before drowning my breakfast. I heard faint footsteps and a meow and smiled.

"Hey bud. How are ya?" I murmured in a high voice as Nebbia peeked her head across the corner.

Nebbia was an abandoned cat I had found a week into living in the apartment complex. Despite a no pet rule, I was able to sneak her in before winter got too horrific. I had looked up the name I had found on her collar when I first saw her. Apparently, it was Italian for Bubbles, but I liked the sound of Nebbia better.

After a quick petting session, I was out the door and headed toward the elevator. I was to be at work by 6:30. It was still only about 5:50, but I wasn't in the mood to take chances, and it wouldn't hurt to prove my worth as a sales manager, considering my boss and I hadn't been on very good terms since I forgot some paperwork to some rather large shipments out of state two weeks ago.

"Hey, Seth," I heard as I was about to hit the down button. I turned around and replied, "Hey, Jess."

Jess had been my next door neighbor since I moved into the apartment complex, two weeks ago. 19, dark brown hair, and light green eyes that shined like the sun, Jess had moved in a few months ago to attend the university down the road.

"How have you been?" she asked, starting to walk towards me.

"Pretty good. Can't complain." I pushed the button behind my back, trying not to be rude. "You?"

The door opened, and Jess raised an eyebrow. "In a bit of a rush?"

"Yea," I said shakily as my face started turning red. "I need to..." I trailed off as I entered the elevator and it closed behind me.

As soon as the elevator started to rumble, I sighed. I've never been a people person, and Jess was no exception.

Ding! The door opened, and I peeked my head out, looking both ways in case there were people around the corner. I wasn't going to get trapped in conversation again. Once I saw there was no one coming, I ran out the door to the exit and into the parking lot.

I started to walk towards my car, clicking the unlock button as I came up to the door, and hopped in. I turned the ignition, holding my breath, and exhaled with the excitement I always got when I heard that purr. I wasn't always able to get it started, but it was looking to be my lucky day.

After revving up the engine a few times, I shifted into drive and stepped on the accelerator. Boom! I started to panic as I saw black smoke rise from the hood and yanked my key from the ignition.

I jumped out the car door, and started running away from the vehicle, fearing it would blow. As the engine slowed down, the smoke started to vanish. I took a deep breath, and made sure there weren't any witnesses. I couldn't afford too many delays. Quickly, I ran out of the parking lot to the bus stop by the complex and grabbed a schedule. Next one was at 6:30. How convenient. I'd never make it on time.

I stepped outside the stop and started walking through packed snow while looking for a taxi, but not one was out, especially in this part of the city.

It was 15 years ago when hell broke loose in the city of Brie. A religious cult hiding in the depths of an old manufacturing company was said to be the cause, but no one really knows the details. The government has tried to keep such incidents from happening again by setting strict curfews in place and controlling the schedules of the citizens. Birth rates dropped significantly and love became a foreign concept to many as the government arranged most marriages. Word spread quickly though throughout neighboring regions and the city was never trusted again. Luckily though, we were still able to get necessities through statewide regulations. The city within the past few years loosened up, yet still has been in moderate disrepair ever since as most budgets were cut off, and bands of criminals from outside regions began raiding the city, seeing our point of weakness.

I made it to work a little over 10 minutes late, choosing to run rather than risk waiting for public transportation but slid into my office in hope that my tardiness wouldn't be noticed. I let out one last sigh before looking up to see what lay before me.

To my surprise, I saw another person burying their face in the paperwork on my desk. I hoped they didn't mix it up. I had just sorted it last week and was ready to start. I cleared my throat, "Excuse me?" I asked, wondering what was happening.

The person looked up slowly, and met my confusion with a smug grin. I tried reading their eyes, but they were like a brick wall. I let out a breath of amusement and cracked a smile. "Typical," I murmured under my breath.

"Mr. Cobalt, is it?" the man asked, setting a small box of office supplies and other paraphernalia on my desk.

"Yea. To whom do I owe the honor?" I replied, a little on edge.

"Mr. Pollock," he responded, sounding a bit more genuine. Something was still a little off though in his voice.

"I believe you have the wrong office," I told him, trying to be polite.

He stared at me with growing confusion for a moment, but then sprang up. "Oh shoot!" I heard him mutter profanities to himself and then he slapped his hands together and looked at me, regret and apology shimmering in his eyes. I was thrown into a state of hysteria as I heard his words, "You were let go last Friday. I was supposed to let you know, but I couldn't find you."

My mind went numb as I collected my final paycheck and walked out to the bus stop.

As I waited for the bus, the man's words kept ringing in my ears. Let go. Pathetic.