alaska.

.:chapter two:.

As with every morning, life, ever so helpful, reminded me that Dakota was dead. As with every morning, I didn't have a chance to be happy when I woke up.

I stared disdainfully at the biscuit and apple core. Sighing, I got up and threw them away. It took me a while to find the trash can in the kitchen- I was just starting to get a clear focus on my surroundings. I sat back down and drank my fifth cup of coffee, ignoring that I was going to have a caffeine crash real soon if I didn't stop. I was to coffee as an alcoholic was to liquor.

Fully awake, I washed my mug and set it on the counter. I sighed and walked to my room, knowing that I had to get ready for the day. Well, I didn't have to, but lying in bed thinking about Dakota wasn't going to help my emotional stability any. I needed to get my mind off things.

The hall was narrow, the rough wooden planks scraping against my bare feet. The door to my room was cracked open. I pushed it in and walked to my closet. Five minutes later, a pair of dark blue ripped skinny jeans and one of Dakota's old t-shirts that advertised some weird and unknown place clothed me. Eyeliner and mascara surrounded my eyes, making them look bigger, darker, and intimidating. Dakota's shirt was big on me, coming halfway down my thighs. His shirts were soft and they still held the musky smell of his deodorant and cologne after three years. Gray shirt with a faded design and some jeans- I would fit in well enough where I was going. I slipped on an old pair of black sneakers and looked in the mirror.

A lot of people said I was pretty. I had long, dark brown hair that was unnaturally smooth and straight, tanned skin, and icy mottled blue eyes with long eyelashes. I had lean muscle. My teeth were straight and white- well, as white as they could be given my coffee addiction. However, I only saw flaws when I looked at myself. My jawline was too sharp and defined, making my chin come down in a point. I wish my face was rounder. My dimples were huge, forming craters in my face when I smiled. Another reason I didn't smile much. I was too tall, standing at 5'10" when most girls stood at around 5'5". I pray you never have to face the struggle of ducking underneath doorways.

I sighed, throwing up my hair into a bun that had several pieces threatening to fall out at any second. I slipped on a thin black sweatshirt and grabbed my medicine basket filled with various oils, ointments, and remedies- I had started running a small natural medicine store out of a tiny shop in Weston after Dakota got drafted. I was just about the closest thing they had to an affordable pharmacy down there. I took my phone and shoved it into my back pocket, then grabbed my earbuds and placed them with my phone. My feet shuffled to the kitchen and grabbed a tumbler, filling it with coffee. I was still under-caffeinated. As usual.

The Ford pickup provided a bumpy ride down the mountain to Weston, where all of the sane people in the area lived. My family were the only ones crazy enough to live on the mountain. I turned on the radio and listened to a sports announcer, a talk show host, and pop singer before I got to my favorite station.

"I may never sleep tonight,
as long as you're still burning bright.
If I could trade mistakes for sheep,
count me away before you sleep.
I'll stay awake until I trade my mistakes
or they fade away..."

I sang along, belting out the lyrics. I was probably off-key, but I didn't care.
Weston came into view when I was making my last turn down the mountain. It was a small and quaint little town, with shops and a marketplace. Tall and narrow houses lined up next to each other with most of them sharing side walls. It was just after dawn and people were starting to wake up. I pulled into the market square and parked the truck by the sidewalk, grabbing my goods and unlocking my shop. The place was tiny.

I closed the door started and began positioning things in glass cases and wooden shelves, tiny tags indicating their prices. It was only six-thirty and I didn't open until seven, but I closed at four. Nine hour work day. Weston was small and only had one doctor for the whole town, but he prescribed medicines that were expensive and only obtainable from a pharmacy forty-five minutes away. When I came in offering cheap and natural solutions to simple medical ailments like sinus congestion or coughs, business started pouring in like water after a dam breaks.