Chapter One.

Vada woke up very early in the cool Saturday morning in January but with a very weary eyes and saggy lids, she found it hard to sleep last night even after taking two dose from her sleeping pills, she was so scared the eerie nightmares that started to haunt her after the death of her mother would come back. Vada was still caught in the immense shock of the sudden death of her mother, she hardly comes out of her room and would never talk to anyone unless it's her dad.

Just like every other day, she just sat up on her bed, hugging herself and gazing out of the window, wishing for her mom to come and hug her and bring breakfast in the room to share with her like she used to, Vada was a very quiet person, so temperamental and a pure introvert who once despicably, cancelled the invitation to the birthday party of her closest friend just because she couldn't see herself leaving her room that day, she also doesn't believe in birthday parties which she would always call waste of cake, but just after her mother, her bestfriend died, she became worst, withdrawn and colder. If not for the therapy sessions with Dr. Brad that her father made her to register for, she would never see the need to leave her room, she hated people, crowd or any type of gatherings, after her mom died, she literally married her bluetooth and her very slow but solemn musics, to some, that is a boring life but to her, she found herself and couldn't be happier. She talks less but would always overthink many things, sometimes she was mostly a pessimist, her dad wanted to shake her out of her shell but he just couldn't wrap his head around how to do that, when she is rarely lively, she would always go online and watch short videos and memes, she would sometimes laugh out loud when the need arises and would always talk to herself sharing the joke with no one, her father saw that as a great improvement and installed wireless routers in the home providing her with unending WiFi and data subscriptions.

**********

Knock knock,

Mr. Williams opened the door to his daughter's room when she didn't answer.

He saw Vada gazing out through her window as usual, she was hardly blinking and he doesn't even know if she was breathing or not, he exhaled deeply and made a mental search on how to get her talking that morning. He started with a very calm and soothing voice,

"Good morning honey, I hope the nightmares didn't come again last night, yes?"

"You will have to be able to sleep to have nightmares."

She answered coldly still looking out the window, Mr. Williams felt like she needed to be left alone but she had a session to meet up with.

Looking at her very dark velvet hair that was flowing down her back, he continued,

"Dr. Brad has a meeting to attend by nine, he said you should be on your way, I guess you are probably his last appointment for the day."

"I will get prepared, then"

She tersely answered.

"Alright. Take your time."

He left her room and made for downstairs, he knew Vada was going through a lot but she also doesn't want to come out of it, she wasn't helping. Dr. Brad had severally complained to him that she was a very hard nut to crack and he hadn't seen anybody that makes his job very stressful like she does. Few minutes later, she came out of her room on a baggy denim trousers and a loosely oversized t-shirt, her bluetooth was hanging around her neck while her hands was fetching nothing inside her pockets, she wore a facecap that almost covered her whole face, her personality always showed in her choice of outfits, she wore her black Jordan unisex sneakers to top up her looks.

Mr. Williams was patiently waiting for her and when he saw she was all set, he stood up and started to make for the door as he said,

"Okay, I see you are all ready, let's get down to..."

"-Don't worry dad, I will drive myself."

She took a car key from the key shelf and headed for the garage, leaving the confused man to gaze after her retreating figure in a tired manner, she pressed the key button and a black Toyota honked, she made for it and zoomed off.

Mr. Williams is a very rich man, he is one of the shareholders of the Cyclob hub in Bridgeton amongst many other businesses and he made sure Vada doesn't lack nothing, but his wealth couldn't save his dying wife who slumped on her way to work on a very sad Tuesday morning in early November, three years ago and was rushed to the hospital amidst Vada's tears, she couldn't make it, sadly and the doctors reported that she died of low blood pressure which triggered the attack that took her life. That day, Vada wailed and broke so many things in the living room not wanting to agree with reality, it took the help of the neighbors to hold her down and a nurse to give her an injection that made her to fall into a forceful slumber, when she woke up later, she became something else, a total hideous stranger.

**********

Dr. Brad was exhaling uncomfortably at the prying deadly eyes of the young lady that sat before him, he felt guilty under those eyes of hers for absolutely nothing, he was trying his best to avoid her gaze but how could a therapist work without looking at his patient? Vada was another kind of case on her own, he eventually managed to start.

"So, moving on, Vada I would love to know, have you ever been in any kind of relationship apart from your family? I mean like friends and

..."

"I'm not answering that, Dr. Brad, you are beginning to pry into my personal life and I won't have you do that."

She plainly and bluntly interrupted the poor doctor who had his brows come together in an obvious confusion and bias.

"How am I supposed to work with you and for you if I won't be examining your personal life? What's the need of a therapy then? Look Vada I know you are still hurting about..."

"-Okay, that's that for today, we go again on tuesday."

Vada abruptly dismissed the meeting as she stood up, took her cap and bluetooth that he earlier made her to drop on the center table and left his office as she made for her car. She had always warned him to stop bringing up her mother in his sessions but it seemed inevitable for him.

She came back home and met her father who was working from home busy with his MacBook. She greeted him and made for her room but was stopped on her tracks by her worried dad.

"Is the session over already, sweetheart?"

She tapped on the stair rails impatiently as she removed her apple brown bluetooth to answer him.

"What does it look like?"

"Oh, how did it go then?"

"The only thing he said that actually made sense to me is that, I would be needing to live on my own, every other thing was totally bluff."

Mr. Williams tried to process the information.

*is Dr. Brad trying to help me with Vada or does he want to put her out forever from me? What type of uncalled suggestion is that? Wait a minute....*

"Vada, don't tell me you dismissed the session again today?"

"I had to, there was nothing new to discuss."

"Oh my... Jesus! What's your problem, Vada?!"

Vada was beginning to get on his nerves and he was already about to explode, she hardly sits through the sessions, it's either she misses, or she dismisses the meeting and he paid heavily for that therapy because Dr. Brad is the best yet in Bridgeton.

"Dad, you know on a normal day, I wouldn't be stressing my ass out going to that hospital, but I only wanted to respect you, will it kill you to reciprocate the gesture by listening to me? I didn't sleep last night Dad, I am going to bed."

"Well there is no normal day with you Vada, it's been three years you need to let go!"

"Get used to it."

She replied angrily as she matched on up.

Mr. Williams took out his phone and started dialing Dr. Brad to apologise for the hundred and one time for his daughter's behavior.

Entering her room, she looked up to the wall where the picture of her mom was hanging, she felt like discussing so many things with her, she just couldn't, the world was cold enough to freeze up her once lit life, she took the picture out and lay down with it, still on her sneakers and facecap, she brought it to her chest as all the loved up memories she had with her mom played in her head, sorrowful mourning tears flew freely from her closed eyes, slowly, she drifted.