A/N: I'm a poor soul who owns nothing and is standing in front of you asking you to read my humble story. Chapter 2 as promised!

-x-x-x-

Chapter 2 - New Beginnings

I jolt up in bed.

My heart is pounding in my chest, fists balled up at my sides. I feel ready to pounce. Fight or flight.

The world is a little blurry from sleep but it's clearly coming into view now. A tv, a nightstand, a window, old clothes strewn about on the floor. These things are all familiar to me. They're my possessions. In my apartment. My heartbeat begins to slow and I make a visible effort to unclench my hands. Right… I had been dreaming.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

The alarm clock on my bedside is blaring. It breaks my train of thought and I turn toward the nightstand to shut it off. As the beeping stops, something catches my eye. I look out the window to my left at the unusual sight there: white. Everything everywhere is white. It's snowing.

Ugh.

Disgusting.

I hate snow. Snow means it's cold - below freezing. It means traffic jams. It means wet boots and icy fingers. It means everything I hate. Ugh - I groan audibly.

I vaguely make the connection between the dream I just had and the weather outside but quickly forget it. The musings of my unconscious mind are already slipping away into nothingness. My father, my childhood, the stranger in the car - all distant memories.

I glance at the clock.

It's 9:25 a.m.

Fuck - I'm late!

Panic takes over and I'm rushing. I rush through my tiny apartment, looking for something to wear. I pluck a black blouse and slacks from different piles in the living room - they're both a little wrinkly but I don't have time to be picky. I throw them both on haphazardly, not bothering with a bra. Pulling my hair into a very messy ponytail, I glance over at the clock again - fuck. It reads 9:29 a.m. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I'm so fucked.

Not bothering to brush my teeth, I swish some mouthwash around and spit it out after a few seconds. Fuck - where are my keys? I glance at the clock again and somehow it's 9:35 a.m. How is the time slipping away so quickly?

By the time I'm out the door and running down the street It's nearly 10:00. I'm nearly an hour late by now. My phone is ringing in my pocket but I don't dare to check it - afraid to see how many messages I have waiting for me.

I fly down the street with a piece of toast in my mouth, but I don't have any time to chew. It's literally freezing outside and the toast has long gone cold. Boots slipping on the snowy streets, I almost fall as I turn a corner but catch myself. My hair is no longer in a ponytail but I can't stop to redo it. I keep running - brown locks flying everywhere and getting into my vision. I count the streets as they go by - 27th St, 28th St, 29th St … just 3 more blocks…

Finally.

I burst through the doors, flushed and panting. My scarf catches on part of the revolving mechanism and I curse.

"Stupid revolving, heat saving, piece of trash door!" I mutter, yanking on the fabric.

Freeing myself, I hurry over to the security guard to be let in.

"Hey Bella," says a gruff voice. "You look a mess." There's laughter. It's Jake - the building security guard. He likes to laugh at me. It usually lifts my spirits - to be laughed at good naturedly. But this time I don't have the patience for it.

I glare at him through my frazzled hair. "I'm not in the mood - Jake." My voice sounds unrecognizable - low and bitter.

"Hey, hey" he puts his hands up in surrender. "Sorryy, sheesh." He drags out the words, emphasizing his feigned apology. But I'm not listening - I rummage through my purse looking for my employee badge. I'm still rummaging after a few seconds as I realize that it's not there. Fuck. Could this day get any worse? I must've left it at home in my rush. Fuck, fuck, fuck!

"That's got to be the most I've ever heard you cuss." More laughter from Jake. I realize I must've been cursing out loud. "Forgot your badge?"

"Obviously." I'm being rude, I know it. But I don't care enough to adjust my tone. This has got to be the worst day ever.

"You know you could be a little nicer to me. I have the almighty power to decide to let you in or not." Jacob raises an eyebrow at me meaningfully. I know he's not supposed to let me in at all, security guard or not, without a badge. He's offering to do me a favor. I'm instantly grateful, my ire completely forgotten. Our amicable interactions every morning and afternoon at the gates to my office have always been a nice pick me up. I shouldn't be treating him so poorly.

I make an effort to rearrange my frown into a smile. "I'm so sorry, Jake. Just a really, really bad morning."

"I -" he starts to respond but my phone starts ringing and I stare at the interruption. I'm too afraid to check it. He seems to notice my stress and lets me off the hook, clicking a button behind his desk that grants me access.

I pass through the gated area freely, a grateful expression on my face. "I owe you!" I'm running down the hall again, towards the elevators. The bell of my cell phone still ringing in my ear. I push the power button to silence it.