Forgetting Red

No negotiations

Ana

I didn't give anyone an explanation as I power walked right into my office and closed the door behind me. Tight. My hand was still gripping the handle as I braced myself against the door. It was a joke. It had to be a joke. Some kid that got too happy about a new video editor and wanted to make a name for himself. It happened all the time and we had debunked plenty before. This one would be no different. There was no wolf. There was no wolf. Certainly not a huge black one in the middle of modern day Boston.

You know how people say to repeat something enough times and you might just believe it? Sometimes it works. Most of the time though it doesn't. This was one of those times. I walked over to my chair and slumped into it. One shaky hand was running through my hair pushing it away from my face. A headache was coming on. The slight pinching in the back of my head was a clear warning. Great. Not even a half an hour in and already my nighttime fears where creeping their way back into my daytime hours. I just wanted a break. Was that too much to ask for?

I opened up my computer and looked at the website again. I went over different events we could cover. Anything other than that story. I don't think I could ever bring myself to look at the video again. It wasn't just my hand anymore. My whole body was shaking. My hand could barely stay still on the keyboard. I pulled at my ponytail. I needed a haircut badly. Maybe that would help. The girl in the dreams had medium length brown hair. It looked a little too much like mine had. Maybe that was what scared me. Ugh I needed to stop thinking about that dream. It was going to drive me crazy.

I slammed my laptop shut and bit the bottom of my lip. Why would someone make a video of a huge wolf? Halloween was coming up. Maybe it was a prank. But a wolf. If you could make a wolf look that real surely you would choose another animal to do the video on.

A sharp few knocks at my door had me jumping a bit in my seat. Jack opened the door slowly and poked his head in. "Hey." He said. The look on his face screamed worry. I gave him a small smile and waved him in. As he did he closed the door behind him and made sure the shade on the door window was down. I leaned back in my chair. For a second I was actually scared of who was going to walk through that door. "I don't think I have ever seen you so pale before." He said and I shrugged.

"Never been a fan of wolves. You know that." I said and it was true. Even when I was little I was scared of wolves. Their eyes, their teeth...their ferocity.

Jack gave me a look. "Never like that." He said and sat down on the chair opposite to my desk. "You know you can tell me anything right?" He asked and I rolled my eyes. Jack gave me that hard look again though and all I could do was nod my head.

My head turned to look out the window again. The city was busy as usual but it held a different air to it. Like something was about to change. And I desperately wished it would.

"It was probably some kids having too much fun with a computer simulator." He said and I scoffed. Damn kid was good then. Maybe he should go into the movie profession. "Hey you still in there?" He asked and I could see him waving his hand in front of me out the corner of my eye. "I haven't seen you this silent since that time in Dr. Mohn's class when you forget about the speech we had to do." He said and it was my turn to give him a look for that.

"Well if someone had told me about it since I was sick for the class before it, I wouldn't have missed it." I hissed and threw a crumpled up piece of paper at him. Jack dodged it laughing his head off and I just rolled my eyes again. I needed to get off this topic. This dream could not rule my life. I wasn't going to let it.

"We still ok for that Halloween party at Kate's?" I asked. If looks could kill Jack would be a mass murderer. I had just said the name of evil in his opinion.

Kate Hufferman was the "it" girl of Boston. Pretty, well brought up, oh and her dad was a huge producer in the music industry. I had met her in my freshman year of college when I had to room with her in her "supposed to be single" because my previous roommate through a huge party that trashed my room. The girl ended up expelled and I ended up with Kate. We've been close ever since and I hooked her up with Jack in sophomore year. It was a lovely two year relationship until a nasty rumor spread around about them that ended in a huge fight. And the fight still continued between my two friends. Being in the middle was hard but I managed it just fine.

"Of course," he said. "God forbid we miss that." He scoffed.

"Listen she was my roommate and "bestie" before she was you girlfriend. Girl code dictates that I shouldn't even be talking to you right now." I said as I turned to face him fully. There was a teasing smile that graced my lips though. "It's not my fault you screwed it up buddy."

Oh that was always a bad topic with Jack. "You know I didn't cheat on her. She let all those assholes convince her that I slept with the entire basketball team behind her back." Jack almost growled out. "Because of her I haven't had one date in the last three months because she keeps scaring people off." He hissed.

"Listen. Kate is a little ditzy. But she also has trust issues and you knew that going in. A lot of people have tried to use her to get famous or popular and that affects her greatly. So she felt betrayed. But you already know this because I have told this to you several times over." I said and raised an eyebrow. They both needed to move past this. It's been 3 years already. "She also happens to still be my best friend and one of our contributors to the site. As well as an investor so play nice."

Jack groaned as he ran a hand over his face. It took a lot of hard work to get this site up but also a lot of money to keep it going. Kate was one of our biggest supports. But one wrong move from Jack and I would have to be begging on hands and knees to get her to help while keeping him on board. "You can't hide behind that forever you know." He said and I smirked.

"Watch me. So," I handed him the invitation that was on my desk next to the calendar I kept, "fairy tale themed. We going?" I asked but I was really telling him that we were going whether he liked it or not. There was no way in hell I was going to that party alone. I loved Kate, I really did but the rest of the pose that seemed to always accumulate around her drove me up a wall. Jack rubbed his forehead.

"Sure. Not like I have a choice." I smiled at his response and leaned back a little bit more relaxed.

"Good answer."

Sorry this one was short guys but the next one is where I introduce a bunch of new people. Please remember to comment. I love comments. And thanks for reading. More to come soon.