Chapter 2

The nightmares have started again. Elsa knew why and she was too proud to admit it. Sitting upright on the bed, she looked up to the ceiling.

"Why me!" She said in a quiet whisper as she cursed her fate one more time. Days like this, she felt no matter how much or how fast she could run, nowhere is far enough.

With a deep sigh, she turned and looked at the bedside clock. The digital piece showed 3.55 am in the morning. She usually liked analogues better, the old rustic ones that always have a story of their own. But the practicality of digital clocks, especially the ones with inbuilt music system that blasted off her favorite songs to wake her up outweighed the vintage feel.

Her alarm was set at 6 am, just like every other day, and she woke hours earlier.

She sighed again, another interrupted sleep on an approaching Friday, great. She'd just be amazing at work the whole day, a very important day for her!

Elsa took a deep breath and then got down from the bed, she walked towards the other side of the bed and picked up the glass of water to drink it at a go, she was parched. The nightmare always left her parched and sweaty.

She knew falling asleep again was laughably out of question now, so she opted to stand outside her window. For a moment she closed her eyes and dared to think, to remember.

She did not have to try hard, the images snapped back together in her memory like puzzle pieces falling into place. The scenes arranged one after the other in such order she wondered if it was a figment of torture her subconscious branded for her or actually a reality.

Her own brand of hell. But then she knew it was not real, there were too many painful reminders of that not being real. She walked to the windowsill, the night was still black, but the darkness was thinning.

The sun was about to rise. Elsa smiled, she loved the sunrise, the dawn was one of her most favorite times of the day.

There was something so magical about the night giving way to light of day, minute by minute, second by second. It reminded her of all the good things in life. All that was worth living.

But she also loved the twilight, the sunset, when the daylight blurred into the dark gradually, the colors changing from bright to pastel to dark.

She knew both were two opposites, two extremes, and the way she loved both with the same intensity tells somethings about her, and she wasn't sure what it was.

But if she really had to give a label, she'd call herself odd. She was odd, a little bit of peculiar and a little bit of extraordinary. She looked up to see the sky, the colors of palest blue with smudges of red and purple, it was really so beautiful, it was almost breath-taking.

And that was the paradox, the sky was as beautiful when sun rose as it was when it set. The beauty was ethereal and still identical, peculiar, odd.

May be that was why she loved both equally even though they depicted completely opposite things to her.

It reminded her there was never any black or white in human world, there was grey, all magnificent hues and shades of them. Much like the human mind, and it fascinated her.

She was drawn to human mind, to learn what it feels, how it works, what makes the mega-machine tick. She has devoted years into this passion and when it became her identity she did not know.

Elsa looked at the walls, the gold medal and scholarship prizes with her name etched onto them still gave her goosebumps.

Gold medalist in clinical psychology, best of the class, to Elsa Shirley.

The journey was tough, the complexity of human mind was a labyrinth to her, she lost count of how many times she lost herself. But she knew if there was anything she was meant to do, it was this. Be something in the field of psychology.

May be this was a way for her to conquer her fear, or it was just plain sadism. Most of all, it was the adrenaline rush it gave her, brushing past the blurry lines of insanity when her own grasp on sanity was not so snug. Her own kind of rebellious glory.

Whatever it was, the inspiration worked, and she was proud of it. She was helping people and she loved it.

Elsa was appointed as the junior counseling therapist at the local psych clinic, and as the sun rose, she remembered she had the super early shift today. Hurrying to the bathroom she made quick work of getting ready.

People usually very commonly confused psychologists with psychiatrists, but both are different fields altogether. So, no matter how much her good natured and older neighbor Mrs Morris insisted, she wasn't a doctor.

And not being a doctor gave her some liberty to choose her work attire, she didn't need to wear the scrubs, she could experiment.

She had a chic style and she took pride upon that, this morning she chose a black ribbed plain top and a gray flared bottoms. She added a chunky belt and finished off with suede beige heels. She kept her jewellery very minimal, diamond studs and her digital watch with matching straps and she was good to go.

She looked at the mirror and smiled as she applied some basic makeup to look presentable, her hair was a wild affair big bouncy waves, she let them be on most occasions. Given the fact that they rarely behaved when put some effort on.

The end product was beautiful, "Not bad for a kid from the wrong side of tracks huh!"

She plastered a dazzling smile on her face and then picked her bag to go start another day, her last day at the clinic.

.

.

.

Driving to through the busy city roads was bittersweet for Elsa, she will miss this the most. This bustling never sleeping city of New Jersey. This city made her who she is now, it gave her identity, it gave her purpose.

Parting from the city, the lights, the trees, even the people, will be hard. But the hardest will be Bella, her one and only friend in this city full of people.

Bella was the antidote to her, if Elsa was quiet, Bella was the party, if Elsa was bland, Bella was kaleidoscope of colors. Elsa knew she survived, no, thrived in this city because she found Bella.

Bella welcomed her with open arms, and her family took her in as their own, they were the only family she really knew. So, when she decided to move, the choice came with a price, Bella wasn't very happy and it was Mrs Condor who actually helped persuade Bella.

She parked her car in the reserved spot in the in the open parking space, opened the car door and was greeted by Mrs Condor, standing right under the huge banner of Condor Clinic of Mental Health.

With a smile that was growing larger by the second on her face, Elsa got down and walked to her, just in time as the older woman enveloped her in a warm hug.

"Oh Elsa, I am going to miss you so very much." The warm voice tugged right at her heartstrings.

"Beth, do not make me cry." Elsa chocked.

Dr. Bethany Condor was her messiah, her saviour. Elsa was 15 when she met Dr. Beth, she was her attending psychiatrist. Beth took one look at her and realized Elsa needed much more than just medical help.

Her demons of the past were still following her when Beth grabbed her hand, a runaway, with no family and not a single person to take responsibility for her, Beth gave her a second chance at life.

She fostered her, gave her shelter, safety and helped her realize her true potential, and she gave her the chance to meet Bella.

Bethany and Isabella Condor were whatever family constitutes for Elsa, is she wanted, they'd have given her their name too.

But Elsa wanted to keep her roots with, always wanted to remember what she came from and where she came from. She knew she was a Shirley and she can build a life for herself being a Shirley.

Beth had told her she had depth, she remembered feeling proud of it, she still was. Every kind word, every praise, every loving caress wrapped her as warm as her embrace was right now.

She didn't remember her mother, but she imagined, it must be like Beth.

Releasing her from the hug, Beth held her hand, "Even though I am so sad to see you go Ellie, you are going to shine. I just know it."

"But I am so scared Beth, what if I suck at it. You know I barely am helpful to you as your junior consultant psychologist, how am I gonna…"

"Is that the traitor wallowing in self-doubt again!"

The sweetness of the voice dampened the bite of the harsh words. Elsa smiled and breathed, getting ready for all the drama.

"Hello, Bella." She sing-songed and gave her best sunshine smile. Bella scowled in return and strode to her with a grace that would put professional models to shame, and flipped Elsa off with both hands.

"Oh well good morning to you too Isabella Condor" Elsa said as Bethany did her best not to laugh.

Bella gave Elsa a once off and said, "Even though I pretty much hate your guts right now, I still can't have my BFF think she is not the best bitch out there!"

"Bellie!!! That's your sister." Beth scowled.

"Semantics, anyways, even though you are purposely dragging your cute behind to a thousand miles away to literally the other side of the country and leaving me behind like the most horrible person I've ever known, you still will be the best in that awful town."

Bella smiled, genuine affection showed in her eyes and as Elsa looked in her eyes, she thanked her lucky stars she found her in life when she did.

She walked up and embraced her, Bella whispered "I hate you."

Elsa felt a lone tear slip out, "I will miss you too."

The moment was broken by the intercom buzz out the call for Dr. Condor and Miss Shirley to join the patient in room 6 and Elsa detangled herself.

"What say Bells, one last day?"

"One last day before you go be the badass criminal psychologist in West Alabama."

Oh yes, Elsa remembered. She was going to move miles away and start her future finally, as something she has always wanted to do. Have a career in criminal psychology.

But she had no idea what life had in store for her as she embarked on this journey, to the quaint little valley of Fairhope, Alabama.