I groan as the cool air conditioning hits my face. I get goosebumps.

“I should’ve brought my coat” I mumble, but my eyes bulge open with the strong scent of coffee. I take a deep breath and look around taking it all in.

The soft-lit lights Illuminate the gentle smiles on everyone’s face. I glance around the area, everyone looks so happy. A slight smile tugs my lips, without me knowing my legs follow the sweet smell of artificial sleep. That is something I need right now. I can’t help but keep looking around, this place is amazing. It may be bight outside, but the lighting is muted by the soft caramel curtains draping along the walls, and it hugs windows. The wood floor was reflective, and it went well arrangement of the chairs. Everything was so well placed, whoever designed this is brilliant.

A slight tap on my back woke me up from my daze, “You’re next” they mumbled with a hint of annoyance. ‘Geez, who peed in their cheerios?’ I ponder making my way to the barista.

I push some hair out of my face, my hand grazes sunglasses on my face. It's for my protection, I'm not making that mistake again. After that day I let my guard down, everyone was taken from me. Prayed out of my hands, and gone without a trace. I feel my eyes stinging, I shake my head, then proceed to make eye contact with an employee.

The employee looked like he was in his mid-teens, his black hair danced across his face as if he just woke up. My eyes fall to his name tag, ‘Nate’ it reads. This makes me grin a bit, it was oddly comforting. He has an apron around his waist, it was a dark red.

I was greeted by a wide smile, “Hi I'm Nate, welcome to Rosie’s” I smile back, his eyes were full of curiosity. Since he could barely make-out if I was a human or a mess. I got flustered, I probably looked insane, maybe I should take better care of myself.

I couldn’t handle this, “Hello, can I have a venti black coffee with one sugar please” I quickly blurt out. This caused him to squint his eyes.

“Can you repeat that please?” He chuckles, does he think is funny? I’m a grown adult getting taunted by a kid.

I take a deep breath before repeating my order. He nods slowly while making a note of it.

“Who is this for?” He looks up.

“Emi-EMMA” I stopped myself, I almost blew my cover. Come on Emily, you have done this so many times. I just want to have some coffee and not a news van with the press in my face. God, Emily why are you so careless? My frustration causes me to sigh heavily.

The kid smiles wider, “I know exactly how you feel, but this coffee should help ya!” He yelps. I grin at his attempts to make the situation better, it’s not working.

I quickly give him the cash and go to the pickup counter, I hear small giggles of his co-workers. I miss that feeling, happiness and living freely. I don’t get that chance anymore, I sacrificed so much already. From what I learned you should always love your family like there is no tomorrow. I can never do that again, I can feel a tear escaping my eye. I swipe it away, I can’t make a scene, not here.

I try to direct myself to the radio playing, how did I not notice this? I'm always in a daze.

*****

 “Emily, Emily?!? HELLO????” My mother shouts while waving her hands to catch my attention.

“Hm...?” I break my thoughts, I was thinking about a deal in my company.

“Honey you haven’t touched your food for the last 10 minutes” My gazes goes down to my plate, I haven’t even looked at it.

“Oh, I guess I'm a bit distracted” I smile trying not to worry her.

I hear a sigh that left my parents mouths simultaneously, a. “Em hun, you are always distracted.” he dad remarks. I could hear his distress, I've always made then worry about me. He isn’t wrong, I’ve had my head in a book since I was three. My parents never pushed me into something I didn’t want to do. However I made this mission to save myself overwork, I just can’t stop.

I bit lip, I couldn’t lookup. I just want them to be relaxed, and have a nice dinner. It’s all my fault, I can’t stop this madness. I don’t want to cry but my emotions take the most of me, I sob in my hands.

“I’m sorry, I’m re-really trying. I don’t know why I can-’t stop” I weep, my voice breaks I'm not sure anyone would understand what I had just spoken. The whole table had gone silent, I usually kept my composer buy this was a breakdown, the first of many to come.

I do try but best to take breaks, but time just leaves my mind. I had trapped myself in my room for a week just to finish a project for my company. It was over the holiday and my parents were spending that week somewhere in Turkey. Before they left they made me promise I'd feed myself, I agreed to know that it won’t be that hard. Oh, the boy was I wrong, throughout the week I was in my office doing working. I kept saying to myself in the next five minutes I'd go down to get a meal. Those five minutes became 30 minutes, then an hour, eventually that hour became days.

After I finished, I made my way downstairs I could hear slight chatter. “Mom, dad?” I rub my eyes, I felt tired even though I only worked for a bit. “Did you guys not leave?” I cross my arms around my chest.

Confusion enters their eyes, they glance back and forth. My mom does a double-take at me. ‘I may look a bit off, but I can’t be that bad.....right?’ my thoughts spin causing me to groan.

“Emy, we just got back, we’ve been gone for a week” My dad slowly says. My eyes widen, in shock.

“that’s impossible, its-,’ I glance at the clock wall. “It’s only 7:52 p.m, I was only working for a couple of hours” I laugh, why was I worried again.

My laughter is interrupted by a scream by my mother. Before I can contemplate what happening my mom grabs me looking at my face, my dad was behind her. I could see scared expressions they both had. I didn’t understand what was going on, I've worked for longer hours before. I slowly push them away, taking a couple of paces back.

“I- mom what, why did you scream. I only worked for a couple of hours” I could feel the tension in the air rise. A horrified look captivated them, this only confused me more.

My mother takes a shaky breath, my father holds her hand. She can barely get words out, it’s like she’s in silent denial. I still don’t get what’s the big deal, sure I skipped a meal. Everyone does that once in a while, it happens to the best of us.

I'm becoming less patient when I finally yell “I ONLY SKIPPED ON MEAL, WHATS WRONG WITH THAT?” I quickly cover my mouth, when did I get so aggressive?

My mother steps closer to me, her expressions mixed. “You have been working for a week straight” she states.

I scoff “Mom I only worked for a few hours, you guys left 11:00 am, remember?” I hear my dad's feet shuffle next to her, a regretful feeling filled the air.

“We left last Monday, its Monday a week later, you’ve been working for 168 hours” her voice is cut off by her sobs. I don’t believe it, it didn’t feel like that. I quickly grab a phone off the table and scan for the date. ‘it’s Monday....the 17th my parents left the tenth’ No, no it can’t be. I slowly sit on the chair taking it all in. I haven’t eaten or drank anything for a week. I swipe the phone to camera mode to look at my self. I almost drop the phone in horror.

I was extremely pale, and I had dark circles under my eyes. My face sunk due to loss of eating. My breathing was starting to get uneven, my parents quickly ran to my side. I could feel their arms rope around me. This is when we all figured out I had a problem, a problem that would lead to a bad outcome.