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Aurora
My pieces are white. His are black.
It suits him. Suits the color of his soul and the coldness of his heart.
I keep looking at the rigid texture of the black knight and thinking how much it reminds me of him.
Knight is sitting opposite me, still smoking his cigar, watching me with eagle-sharp eyes.
I have my hands folded in my lap, an attempt to hide my nerves as I try to recall the rules of the game.
All I remember is the king mustn’t die and the queen is the strongest piece on the board. Next to the queen is the knight.
All the other pieces need to be played with well-thought-out strategy, so when you strike with your strongest pieces, you hit where it counts to weaken your opponent.
At least that’s what I remember.
When did I last play a game? I think it might have been ten or fifteen summer camps ago, and I can’t remember who won or lost. The people I tend to play with always end up in some argument, and the best course of action is to forget the game.
“You first, mon cherie, vas-y doucement avec moi maintenant.” Knight soulful French accent has me hanging on every word.
“What did you say?”
The sexy Frenchman simply shakes his head and takes another drag on his cigar. “Just play.”
Deciding not to press him—because I’m sure he couldn’t have said anything good—I move the pawn in the center forward.
He follows with his center pawn, doing the same thing. After a number of turns, I realize he’s mostly been mirroring my moves. I don’t know why, but I have a bad feeling he’s doing it for a reason.
He takes my first pawn, and I take his. He takes my castle, and I take his, but then, out of nowhere, his queen glides over and captures my knight. I never even saw the opening.
My next good move is with my other knight, but all it will do is get me closer to his bishop. I take the chance.
“Check mate, game over,” Knight announces as simply as if we were talking about the weather, then moves his queen right up to my king.
My eyes bulge and my nerves seize. “No, that can’t be right.”
“Oh, but it is, Goddess, and I have you in checkmate at least four different ways.”
I look down at the board.
It’s true.Even if his queen didn’t get me, my king is on the edge of the board and is right in the path of his knight, castle, and bishop.
My heart sinks, and I suck in a shivering breath.
I lost.
Knight’s menacing smile returns, this time amplified to a degree that sends a shiver to my soul.
“Could we have a rematch? It happened so quickly.”
“No.” He gives me his usual clipped answer and laughs.
At the sound of his laughter, I realize something I should have before, and the deepest dread spreads over me.
He knew I’d lose.
The realization pushes my heart deeper into the abyss of desolation.
