Odyssey of Ash

Chapter 1: The First Act

Chapter 1: "The First Act"

It all started 3 years ago when I was an ordinary convenience store employee. While tourists explored the beauty of Dallas, my life has a risk of dying every day in my own apartment.

South Dallas is not a great place for someone mentally stable, but the apartment there was the only place affordable for me.

My room is not very big, but I got enough space for my bed, my mysterious books, and my writing workspace. There was no wallpaper, instead, it was a faded white painting tinged with a grayish hue from dust stain. The mold was all over the ceiling edge and in the bathroom.

My neighbors were not that friendly. Imagine, my neighborhood is like Diagon Alley where all the wizards gathered but much more illegal. There were drugs, alcohol, thieves, guns, murder. The best-case scenario is your neighbor was just very grumpy and hot headed. Unfortunately, people in my neighborhood get murdered every 16 days.

There's always light in the dark. The room next to mine was Cassandra. I assume she is a freelance bodyguard; her well-defined muscles spoke volumes of her strength. Beyond her exterior, she shows kindness towards me. Every evening when I go to work, she'll prepare dinner for me. She always looks after my room before I get back in the morning. She also got respect from people in that wild neighborhood. Maybe the reason I survived that place for six months is because of her.

That ordinary evening in November, she prepared dinner for me as usual. Yet, this time, she asked me to do a favor.

"Hey, Ash! Ash!" Cassandra's voice, a hushed whisper, reached my ears as she peeked out from her room.

I raised an eyebrow at her with a soft smile. "You've been at this for six months now. Starting to think you've got a secret crush on me, huh?"

"Shut your mouth! How is your writing going?"

"Seriously, no time. You know, after a long night shift, my brains on vacation."

"But when you're done with that draft, I want to read it, okay?" She shot me a radiant smile.

"Oh! Can you do me a favor?" She said while handing me the dinner box.

"Yes?"

"Here" The thick muscles grabbed a big red heart box from the floor.

"Don't open it. Hide it as best as you can, anywhere." Her face shifted into a serious face, looking in my eyes.

"Just a little surprise for my secret wife. Gotta keeps the romance alive; you know? Ha-ha!" She shifted to smile and laughed very quickly.

Stunned by the unexpected request, I found myself agreeing with her request. After Cassandra handed me the box, I carried it with me. As I pondered where to conceal it, a realization struck: it had to be somewhere entirely unrelated to her. I hid it in the storage room ceiling.

Time seemed to slip through my fingers with remarkable swiftness. Before I knew it, my shift was over. I got the box back and went home.

The sound of sirens passed through my ears. Migraines started to eat my head when the red-blue light hit my eyes. The police cars were all over the place. My heart was pounding with many questions inside my head. Who is it today? My adrenaline rushed up when I thought of Cassandra's serious face. Suddenly, I ran up to my room, as fast as I could, only to be met with a scene that froze me in my tracks.

Cassandra's room, wide open. The belongings and blood were scattered all over the room. My gaze fell upon staff members carrying a covered body out of the room. The cloth that shrouded it revealed a hint of something beneath, a sight that I couldn't tear my eyes away from. It was Cassandra's face, covered by bruises and scars.

As they carried her lifeless body out, my heart clenched with a pain that words couldn't possibly describe. Her once vibrant spirit had been snuffed out, leaving only a shell behind. I couldn't hold back the tears any longer. They fell uncontrollably, mixing with the emotions that swirled within me. We do have murder victims every 16 days, but Cassandra? No one wants to mess with her for sure.

I hurried back in my room, my heart pounding in my chest like a relentless drumbeat. The events outside had left me shaken, but my thoughts couldn't help but be drawn to the box Cassandra had entrusted to me. Why had she asked me to hide it? There was an unmistakable sense of unease, a feeling that something about this situation was not quite as it seemed.

As I gazed at the box, a mixture of curiosity and apprehension welled up within me. I replayed the scene in my mind - her serious demeanor, her request to keep it hidden. With a deep breath, I opened it. Inside the box, occupying its space completely, was a massive teddy bear. The teddy bear appeared ordinary at first glance, its soft exterior and gentle expression gave me a sense of familiarity. Despite its cuddly appearance, the bear was surprisingly heavy in my arms. It's like, something was inside.

I grabbed a pair of scissors and carefully began to cut open the teddy bear. My heart raced as the fabric parted, revealing a sight that left me utterly stunned. My jaw dropped. The picture I saw was several large packs of white powder, neatly concealed within the stuffing.

A sense of shock and disbelief washed over me as I stared at the contents spilling out before me. Was this really what it looked like? Could these packs of white powder be drugs? Cocaine, perhaps?

The room seemed to close in around me as a thousand thoughts raced through my mind. How had this teddy bear, this seemingly innocent gift, ended up being a disguise for something so dangerous? Why had Cassandra entrusted it to me? The weight of the situation settled heavily upon me, the reality of the world outside crashing into my sanctuary.

My body, shaken with fear, as a rush of adrenaline coursed through my veins. What if the police outside knew about the contents of the teddy bear? What if whoever had taken Cassandra's life might still be out there, lurking in the shadows. What if they discovered that I had found the hidden packs of white powder? Would they come for me next?

In that moment, a desperate survival instinct kicked in. With trembling hands, I carefully hid the packs of white powder on the ceiling, a place I hoped would keep them out of sight, at least temporarily.

I knew that I was now a part of a story that was far from over - a story that held the potential for danger, revelation, and a truth that could shatter everything I thought I knew.