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Aurnia
The streets were empty. Dark. I was walking alone. I wasn’t surprised to hear the echo of footsteps behind me.
The calls from Nick hadn’t stopped. I guess he missed the memo that I’d gotten my happy ending. That the story was over. The villain had lost.
Conor hadn’t ended him with fists or a knife. But that visit to Shannon’s grave had been for the passing of two lives: hers and Nick’s. Nick could no longer hurt Conor. There was nothing left to hurt him with. Conor was moving on with his life. Working toward happiness. And love. Building Dublin Ink. Building us. Opening up to Rian and Mason. Coming clean with Diarmuid. Whispering futures into my ear at night. Futures for the two of us. Bright futures. Futures together.
Nick was gone. Dead. Over.
That didn’t stop me from seeing his missed calls on my phone at night. Hand cupped over the screen to hide the glow from Conor. At the grocery store one lane over from Conor, remembering we needed rice as excuse to see who had called. At the parlour, ducking into the supply closet, throwing my phone and the name that was there on it into a bucket of cleaning supplies when Conor slipped in seconds after me.
I should have known that there was only so much ignoring I could do until he came looking for me.
I tried to remain calm as I glanced as casually as I could over my shoulder. It could have been anyone. Another girl like me in the wrong place at the wrong time. Groceries on her arm. A duffle bag on her shoulder. Missed the train. Missed the train that would have let her walk home in the light. But as my eyes scanned the sidewalk behind me there was no girl like me. No nervous eyes like mine. No bags of groceries. No reassuring smile. Just shadows. And echoing footsteps.
I faced forward and considered quickening my step. If it was just someone who meant me no harm walking faster would do no harm. If it was someone who did mean me harm, walking faster might just set off the chase. I didn’t want to do that.
It was difficult to keep my steps even. Another peek over my shoulder revealed nothing more. Was I just making it up in my head? The second set of footsteps? Was it just my own echoing on the frozen hard concrete? Stopping to find out was out of the question. I imagined doing just that. Stopping. Craning my ear for a sound. I’d be like a deer that sticks its head up to spy the danger instead of doing what it should have done to save its life: run.
When I turned the corner and the footsteps followed, keeping pace, I knew I was in danger. It wasn’t my mind. It wasn’t another nobody out a little too late. I was being followed. I was being stalked. This time I couldn’t help it: I moved faster.
Clutching the straps of my backpack tighter, I quickened my step. I swore I heard laughter behind me. But I was breathing so heavily that I couldn’t be sure. My eyes darted to the buildings around me, but the windows were darkened.
The stores around me were locked up tight. Even the liquor stores and corner stores knew better than to stay open this late. There was not a soul around, at least none that I could see.
I darted down a laneway and sure enough, the footsteps followed. When I reached the looming brick wall of the dead end, there was nothing left to do but turn around slowly and face my stalker.
It took what felt like forever for Nick to finally emerge from the dark. In his black hoodie and black tattoos, he seemed more a part of it than the light. Like he had to tear himself away from the shadows.
“Little baby Aurnia,” Nick said, smiling wildly as he spread out his hands. “You’ve been hurting my feelings.”
I tried not to let my voice shake. “Leave me alone.”
Nick stopped a few feet away from me. An eyebrow arched mockingly.
“Leave you alone?” he said. “Leave you alone now that I have you alone? No, no, I don’t think so.”
Nick clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“No, no, my sweet,” he continued. “Now that it’s just you and me, I think we’re going to make up for some lost time.”
His eyes shone in the dark like black marbles. The eyes of a shark just out of striking distance.
“Now that I have you all to myself, I think you’re going to show me what a fun time looks like. Don’t you think?”
He was revolting. Demented. I took a step back, but there was no more room. My heel scuffed against the brick. My jacket snagged on the wall.
Nick noticed. Smiled. Stepped closer.
“Now that you’re all alone,” he said, rubbing his hands together, “I think I’ll make you a woman for Conor. Make you an empty, broken woman. Wear off a little of that glimmer. Dull that sweet little sparkle in those eyes. What do you say, baby? Do you think he’ll still want you then? Do you think you’ll still go running off into the sunset then?”
My hands were flat against the wall behind me, pressing against the unrelenting bricks.
“Now that you’re all alone—”
“No.”
My voice cut through his as if it were a knife. Nick’s head tilted to the side. “No?” He laughed. It didn’t sound right. “What does ‘no’ mean?”
