Boom. Boom. Boom.

She scrambled across the long and overgrown highway, the sounds of explosion and gunshots followed right behind her. Her heart felt as if it was about to beat out of her chest, and her lungs were on fire, but she forced herself to keep moving. She had to run. For a moment, it felt like time had slowed down, her body jerked forward and she fell onto the hard cement. Reaching up slowly, she felt the hot, red liquid sliding down her shoulder. She had been shot. She looked up to see brown curls and black emotionless eyes looking down at her.

I leaped out of the bed, my heart beating wildly, neck damp with sweat. Dazedly, I looked around, recognizing my own bedroom. I touched my shoulder, assured that I wasn't going to bleed to death, I shakily reached down to grab the comforter that was twisted into a clump on the floor during my nightmare.

It was only a dream, just a dream, I'm safe at home now, I'll be fine.

Twisting awkwardly off the bed, I wobbled into the bathroom to wash my face. Just as I padded out of the toilet, the phone started to ring.

Picking up the receiver I said, "Hello?"

"Sharla, did you get the files?"

"Mom? What files?"

"The information about the small company… What was it called? It was some fairy tale name. Once Upon a Time? Happily Ever After?"

I'm the CFO at Hendersons and Archer, we go through business records and analyze financial records to find turnaround strategies to help revive businesses. My mother works as a lawyer and sends me information for different companies.

"It's Happy Endings. Thanks mom. Where are you now? Still having fun on your trip with grandpa?"

"Yes. Your grandpa keeps complaining about everything; the nuts are too salty, the drinks are too cold, the sun is too bright and so on. I wonder how your grandma could stand him. Enough about us though. How is James? You two must be busy planning your wedding. Your 4 year engagement is finally ending,"

Ignoring that annoying, suffocating feeling I had whenever I thought of marrying James, I assumed my fake, upbeat voice and said, "Of course we are."

As my mom prattled on and on about wedding venues and wedding gifts, I thought of James. Sure, he was a good-looking man, but he was as dull as dishwater. James was currently 'finding himself' so he quit his job and is living off of me and the money his parents gave him. I know he's my fiance, but it's not like I'm blind to all his flaws and all.

"It's just a wedding, I don't need such a grand ceremony. It's going to end up with me paying for the whole thing anyways, I doubt James is going to pay…" I looked at my watch, wondering how long my mom has been talking for. "Gah! I'm late. I have an important meeting to lead today. Bye mom, I'll call you back later." I tossed the phone back into the cradle, rushed to the bathroom, slapped on some makeup and randomly snatched up my work clothes from the wardrobe, and put them on. Sliding out the door, I paused by the car and checked my reflection in the window. I looked at the person staring back at me in the reflection; average height, chocolate brown eyes, and shoulder length hair. Everything about me was average, nothing special, just like some random person you would walk by on the street. My friends say I'm pretty cute, but they have to say that, they are my friends. Messy light brown strands of hair were already slipping out of my professional looking up-do. Sighing, I gave up and got into the car and drove to work.

Finally reaching the parking lot at Hendersons and Archer, I waited for the van to pull out of the parking spot, I turned on my right blinker, officially declaring my claim on the parking spot. The parking spots are hard to get here thanks to the uptight bosses, there were as many parking spots as the possibility of spotting a unicorn. Tapping on the armrest impatiently, I started to turn into the parking spot when a black and red lexus swooped in and stole my spot. I could only blink, shocked that someone had ignored my blinker. The blinker was like a universally agreed parking spot rule. How could someone take my spot? Perhaps it was a mistake, maybe the driver didn't see my blinker?

All thoughts of it being a misunderstanding were instantly wiped out when the driver stepped out of the car. Gah. Of course, it was Missy, the boss' secretary. That woman was a nightmare, always trying to flirt with James whenever he came to pick me up after work. As if my morning couldn't get any worse. If only she wasn't such a suck up to the boss, I would have gotten rid of her.

"Would you please move your car? That was supposed to be my spot."

Feigning innocence, Missy exclaimed in an annoyingly sweet voice, "Oh, was that your spot? I didn't know that."

Forcing back a sarcastic retort, I put on my own artificial saccharine smile, "Yes, it is. Or was, until you stole my spot. Why else would I be sitting and waiting in my car with my blinker on?"

Missy fluttered her heavily mascaraed eyes. "I thought you were just sitting there."

"Why would I be just sitting in a parking lot with my blinker on?" Losing my patience, I growled, "Just move your stupid car."

"Ok, I'll move my car," Missy said while grabbing her handbag and shutting the door, "right after work ends."

My mouth dropped open as Missy flaunted off, laughing. That she-devil. Without even thinking, I parked my car right in front of her car, blocking her from leaving. Ha. See how she's going to leave now. No one steals my parking spot and gets away with it.

When I finally checked my watch again, I was already 30 minutes late and still had to go get my meeting files from the boss.

Dang that spot-stealing witch.