MOONLIGHT: ORIGINAL EDITION
PROLOGUE

After coming through the front door of the two-bedroom cottage that she rents and calls home, Rosa puts down her bag and keys on the hall table, heads up to her bedroom, takes off her shoes and changes into more comfortable clothes after finishing work at the local community hospital where she works as the receptionist to the head manager since she was sixteen as a trainee. She slowly returns to the kitchen and puts the kettle on for a hot cup of coffee. Rosa doesn't drink any alcohol. Nor does she smoke. After making the coffee, she sits on the sofa in the lounge room and relaxes after a busy workday. Done with drinking her coffee, she then takes a shower to help her relax and soothe the sore muscles in her body before having to think about what to have for dinner before going to bed and choosing a quick and easy meal of mac and cheese with steamed vegetables and a glass of water. She quickly washed and cleaned up after herself when she ate dinner. Rosa returned to the sofa and picked up the book she was reading. It's the latest book in a series that she got into after reading the first book of the series and liking it. Sarah J Maas calls it the 'Throne of Glass' series. After she had read for a while, it was time to retire for the night so she could get a well-deserved rest and, hopefully, a good night's sleep to prepare for another busy day at work tomorrow.

The following day came with the bright sunlight coming through the windows, reflecting off the blinds in her bedroom, and waking up slowly from sleeping. Rosa was frowning. She was also troubled by the strange and weird dreams she had at night, making her restless and not getting enough sleep. She gets up and gets ready for work. Rosa showered and dressed for work. When she was done getting dressed, she chose a breakfast of cereal with fresh fruit and toast with jam, plus a hot cup of coffee to help her get through to break time, and she took her tablets. She left for work and waited for the bus at the bus stop.

Getting to work by bus was easier for Rosa because she lives not far from where she works, saying "Good Morning" to her colleagues. Rosa starts her day as usual. Before long, it was lunchtime, so she went to the local cafe and had lunch. After finishing her meal, she returned to finish the work that her boss, Gianna Gallo, had placed on her desk before she even got to work. After a while, she looks up at the clock in her office and sees the time. It's five-thirty in the evening. She should have left at five. Seeing how late it was, she quickly packed up, closed and locked her office door and started the journey back home, waiting at the bus stop. She didn't have long to wait for the next bus to come. She finally got home. She ate, got ready for bed, and got her clothes ready for work the next day. This routine was the same except for her meals over the next few days, and so was the dream. She kept having the same dream over and over again every night.

Rosa came to work the following day. It was finally on Friday. She arrives at work feeling frustrated and exhausted; not even her hot coffee can help her. Rosa was so irritated she couldn't get any sleep, and it was affecting her work. Even her colleagues had noticed her appearance. Her boss, Gianna Gallo, finally caught up to her before she had left for lunch. Gianna asks Rosa, "Hey, are you alright? We are all worried about you?" Rosa replies to her, "No, I'm not alright" Her boss asks, "Why, what's going on?" Rosa answers, "I'm not sure, but every night this week, l have had the same dream repeatedly. It's weird and strange and doesn't make any sense to me. I'm left exhausted the next day," Gianna inquires about the dream. "What's the dream about?" Rosa replies, "I'm not sure. I dream of a house in a forest, with mountains plus a river, and it was at night because the full moon was out," Gianna says to her. "That's a strange dream for anybody!" she exclaimed.

Rosa says, "Yeah, that's for sure, but every night. I can't get any sleep because of it!" While Rosa is saying this, Gianna is thinking to herself and then says to Rosa, "Maybe it's time for you to take a break. What do you think?" Rosa looks at her boss and replies, "Yeah, maybe I should" she said. "Will it be okay?" Gianna answers Rosa, "Yes, we will be just fine. Take as much time as you need to. You have not taken any time off since you started more than seven years ago when you were just sixteen. We can manage."

Rosa thanks her boss. "Don't worry about it. Finish up today since it's Friday, and then you can take your break and have a good time away." Rosa replies, "Alright, l will." Gianna and Rosa end their discussion. Rosa heads off to lunch while her boss goes back to her office. After finishing her meal, she returned to work to finish the paperwork. Later on, it was time to say goodbye to her colleagues and her boss. While she was packing up her things, she realised that she was going to miss everyone. Sighing to herself, she closed and locked her office door and headed home.

Forty-five minutes later, she finally gets home and at the door. She replaces something to eat for dinner. Not feeling like cooking, she decides to get takeaway for a change. Making her choice, she puts the order in for some Chinese. While waiting for her food, she thinks about where to go for her time off. Hearing the doorbell go, she quickly opens the door and thanks the driver for delivering her food. Rosa sat at the table, started eating, and took small sips of her water. Coming to a decision, she waits until tomorrow morning while she slowly eats but enjoys every bite of her meal. When she had finished eating, she washed and cleaned up after herself. Rosa then heads up to her bedroom to shower and change for bed, hoping that she will get some sleep.

Maybe having a hot cup of chocolate would work. Drinking her hot chocolate while reading her book, she drifts off to sleep. Putting the book away, she gets under the covers and drifts to sleep, hoping that tomorrow will be better for her.