e world disappeared into nothingness. The images in Aaron's head fade away with the w

ocked in a silent embrace - Merid

, their

world narrowed to a sing

questioned

ar

is mind as he caught the

and there, ready to throw her l

ded back to him again and he

oarse with a mix of relief and fur

ed as shocked as he was, trying

us that she could even thin

and back at him, "No, no...it's not what you think it is." She

mmediately pulled out one of her hands and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I

adiating from his body, yet all she could think about was

n. After you disappear wit

bit, helping her cross from

o you, Merida? Y

e says, picking up her bag

r the edge of a freaking bridge,

ht to tell me what I am. I said I'm happy

ave watched

ot going

dom stranger who has n

eyes glimmering beneath the moon

n the gut, deflating his anger.

elled, walking away from the

usands of questions upon questions racing

erida. I hope you both would be good friends while I work." Sabrin

ng him at that second. "Would y

ded and fo

have to bother about a sick revenge, when he was content having no f

around it but then again, fifteen years ago, no one could have convinced him that he would spend an early part of his life without his mother and nothing could have p

car. "Austin," He said over the phone, "Find me everything y

~

stant who had managed to become his close friend spoke continuously on t

met Austin when he needed someone around the most and even though he signed a contract to be his assistant

"There are three Merida Collins in this city. One is 'Mere

id impatiently, tapping endlessly in his table while still

it was the 'Merida' with the 'I' because she had childhood ties with you.

ing Austin know he really was

im in some kind of way, and this morning, he had waken up drenched and pan

an overfilled basin, things that wo

an acute heart disease that he had developed from tears of smoking and drinking, I suppose. In his lifetime, he gambled a lot but did nothing shady. However, he owed a de

ng to jump last night," Aaron

ha

thi

?" He asked, facing Austin f

o deeper,

ll

s say she was abused by her father

years back and wi

oes she

jobs this past month. She lives

tting up to his feet. "Cance

ide-eyed, "You are tak

oblem?" Austi

ken a day off in all your years in this company, not even when your sick. T

. You never let thi

office, "Rest good enough tonight and tomorr

o the pile of work in front of him. When he could not

~

ked past his car, trying to cl

e for her without seeing her, he had driven back to the bridge, hop

prise and sighed when

n from the rails to face him. He had stepped out

He answered, refus

't wan

rn." His words were c

rn you. I do not intend to speak with you so please leave

to her new unhomely home. It seemed like they still bore the anger from her refusal those years ago. The first night she had gotten there, Clara had aske

r John had been nice instructing her to leave but she knew there was just a little that he could do. She had heard of the Martin's he spoke about, the dreadful man from whom her father had taken a loan from. One time he had demolished a debtor's e

and she turned a corner, glancing over her shoulder. Anxiet

ill fin

until they get

ut the life out of you and do

erself for staying out so late. The silence made for a perfect haunting ground for her fears and wild imagination. She could feel eyes on her and images concurred from her imagina

m earlier, slipping in and out of the shadows with the grace of a predator. A swell of adrenaline shot through her; she was really be

the road only felt longer and the house farther. Her heart pounded in chorus with her footsteps, at the same time she tried not to allow

old brick wall and quieted her breath. She could hear him clearly now, the man following he

and shot out from the dark and grabbed her by the arm. A gasp caught in her