Another Morning

Clarice could barely see the paperwork she was filling out. It had been a rough night last night, and she was still exhausted. Her eyes closed briefly, snapping awake as the pen hit the desk. Clarice picked it up again, using her other hand to thumb through the pages. The sunlight nearly blinded her as she stood up to put the papers in the filing cabinet. As much as coffee would have helped, Clarice still held a strong dislike of the liquid. It was just something else that made her different.

She stood silently by the window, letting her eyes adjust to the light. Everyone was just waking up, she mused. And here she was, up at the station because that nightmare had hindered her sleep. Or had it been a memory? Either way she had said “Screw it” to sleep and went to work early. Clarice wrapped her arms around her body, wondering when the heater was going to kick on. The whole station was silent, except for the ticking of a clock that read 7 a.m. Clarice allowed herself to be comforted by the silence. It was the calm after the storm.