Dark

Plodding Along

"Hey biatch just thought I'd let you know your late for work" I heard as my bed started boucing up and down and my eyes shot open at the word 'late.' Alissa laughed as I scrambled out of the bed picking up any jeans that were on my floordrobe and threw on my work top.

"It's on backwords Krissy" Alissa mumbled as she went out of the room. I shook my head shouting back "I could care less it's Monday."

I had ran all the way down to work and literally tripped through the door landing into the arms of my sweat smelling, old and pervy boss Harold who told me the obvious that I was late and pushed me behind the counter of the cafe till where a big que had suddenly formed. I sighed as I put my apron on getting to work on orders, the smell of strong brewing coffee waking me up. It had been a few months since my uncle's funeral and I was loving living with Alissa but this job was morbid but seemed to be the only normal job to have in the small village I live in called Edendale. The other jobs included postman, milk man and a newspaper deliverer.

"Erm excuse me if you'd stop being in dream town, you'd have noticed that you forgot my marshmallows on my hot chocolate stupid cow" I looked to a small woman that could barely see over the counter, hair like a beehive and clearly had lip fillers and was pouting at me shoving her cup in my direction.

"Oh I didn't seem to notice how rude of me, I will get to it right away" I said picking up the smallest marshmallow I could find and held it from a height and dropped it into the cup, hot choclate splashing out at the impact, hitting the woman in the face. "Have a nice day" I waved and smiled as she stormed out of the door leaving her drink to go cold.

"One day she will get you back if you keep winding her up Krissy" Doris piped up as she was ringing a customer's drink through the till. Doris was Harold's wife and was like a mother to those who worked in the shop.

"You heard anything from Kyle yet?" Doris asked as I was wiping equipment down ready for the next lot of drinks to come in. After the funeral I noticed that uncle G had left me a letter and inside was a photo of my brother and I when we were younger dressed in Halloween costumes and it had a message on the back from Kyle saying: "Sorry we had to leave, I love you and will come back someday when I have done the business mum and dad want me to do. I will never forget you" and he had signed his name and then wrote the initials DR which I don't know what that means. Since then I have been determined to find my brother and reach out for answers.

"Not yet Doris, I've tried looking all over the web but it's like him or my parents don't even exist, it's strange" I said not wanting to discuss any further.

When work had gone quiet Doris had sent me home for the day and I found myself walking home slowly taking in my surroundings. The village is only small and not the best looking but its hard to leave it, something about it always pulls you back in. I walked past houses that had been bordered up and had graffitti all over them, the roads so quiet you could hear the leaves blowing down them so softly. The majority of the village was old fashioned victorian looking houses, we only have small local shops and one pub. The next town is 20 miles away and is good for shopping and clubbing. Just as I was in my element, enjoying the outside life, my phone staring blaring Drake Hotline Bling.

"Who is it and what do you want?" I've never been very social answering and talking on the phone, it just feels awkward to me.

"It's Alissa but you would know if you looked before answering, I wish you'd speak nicer on the phone too, its a bloody good job you didn't apply for a job at my work isn't it?" Alissa spoke posh and slow on the phone and hated anyone speaking moodily on the phone as she says it gives bad vibes, she works in a call centre in the next town but is for the week due to stress so she finds happiness in ringing me when i'm out and then telling me the same story when I get home.

"Anyway, you know we never get any post, pretty sure postie hates us . Well we finally got one and its addressed to you and well I couldn't wait for you to get home so I opened it and one thousand pound flew out at me like I won the lottery, I'm rich" I had stopped where I was staring at a green man on the traffic ligt still not moving.

"Liss, I'm nearly home and pretty sure I'm the one that's rich seen as though it was addressed to me but I don't understand where it's come from. Look I'll be home in a minute do not pocket any of it !" I said down the phone and hanging up. Now feeling lost for words I ran faster than Usain Bolt, dodging lamposts and old people. I ran up the stairs to our small cottage like house and opened the door to see Alissa holding notes up to the light to see if they were real.

"Let me look at that" I sntached the envelope out of her hands not caring for the money. We never had mail except for bills which were never addressed to me anyway and just a few days ago we were out with friends talking about money struggles. Did I have a stalker? Maybe tax repay?

"It's all real Kris, do you know how many nights out we can go on now? oh and I did find something else in there too but was distracted by the money to say" She said handing over a small heart shaped locket. My hands going numb as she dropped it into my hands. On the front was The letter K engraved into it, my hands were shaking as I opened the locket up not knowing what I cold expect to see. My heart started racing out of my chest, eyes blurring as I stared at the picture of a single rose on top of a black coffin. I dropped the locket and slumped onto the sofa, feeling my chest tighten and a lump in my throat.

"That..that was G's coffin with the rose that I put on it. Someone has a picture of that and has put it in a locket. I have no family Liss and none of our friends attended the funeral with us, it was just me and you. If this was you please say it's a joke" I looked up at her and she was looking intently at the back of the locket frowning with thought.

She then said the words that made me lose control of my mind and heart.

"Who is DR?"