It's been four days since the incident. Izzy is still in hospital, although healing well. Fortunately, Omen hasn't bothered me since our last interaction, but instead Wendy's message glares at me from my kitchen table.
I drop my spoon into my half-eaten bowl of cereal, my appetite has been hard to find of late, and begrudgingly continue getting ready for my day.
As much as I want to Scooby Doo this shit, I unfortunately still have bills to pay and being homeless would truly be the cherry on top to make this the worst week of my entire life.
My boss was kind enough to grant me these last few days off and I've barely left my bed during them as the trauma pelted me with full force and rendered me down into a silent shell who could do little more than stare at a wall.
However, kindness in hospitality is fleeting and rare so I have no choice but to heave my body out the door despite its loud protest.
Today I'm dressed in thick flared jeans with a tucked in black shirt, covered by a cheap but durable wool cardigan. My boots are perfect for the drizzle I'm bound to meet outside and my hair is tied low with my raven strands running loosely down my back and swaying with each step.
As I open my door for the first time since stumbling home, I curse as I trip over an object and have to grasp the disgusting hallway wall to prevent face planting into the even nastier New York carpet. Spinning on my heel and glaring, I falter as I come across an array of gifts piled at my door.
It looks like a memorial for someone who died and I toy with the idea that maybe I was the one to die at the club that night and since then I've been nothing more than a stubborn apparition meeting seedy characters. But the throbbing in my toe that booted a particularly large box reminds me that I am unfortunately, very much alive and distraught.
Walking forward, I come across four gifts and as I squat down I find myself cautious to touch any of it.
My eyes scan and recognise a bouquet of flowers, crisp red roses in fact, a box of chocolates, a teddy bear and a bottle of champagne. It's April and therefore way past Valentine's Day and more importantly, I have no significant other so these gifts do more harm than good as I predict who they are from.
Four gifts... One for every day since I last saw Omen.
The bastard has found my address.
The thought of him skulking around in his crisp suit outside my door while I allowed myself to be so vulnerable within, makes my hair stand on end. I pick up the teddy bear, my disgust reflecting through its plastic beady eyes as I wrap my hand around its head in an attempt to rip it clean off.
But, teddies seem to be built differently these days and I don't even manage to rip a stitch as a grunt leaves my lips. Ensuring it doesn't falter my goals of destruction, I heave all the items into my arms and storm towards the end of the hallway.
My eyes light up at the sight of the garbage shoot and I fight the urge to chuckle as I begin throwing each item into the abyss.
"What's going on Esmeralda?" A voice murmurs by my ear enciting a shriek to escape my glossy lips as I press my back against the wall, the final gift pressed tightly against my chest.
My hands loosen around the stubborn teddy bear as I realize it's only my neighbor Dotti.
"Dotti! You scared me!" I gasp out and Dotti tilts her head in worry as she takes in my shrunken form. Dotti has been my neighbor since the day I naively stumbled into this city, and she has been one of my key supporters since coming here. All her advice is heeded to and appreciated to survive The Big Apple.
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His Captured Curiosity
Mystery / ThrillerEsmeralda Valerio, a typical girl who captures the attention of an atypical man. A man who had yet to be told no is now a man suddenly obsessed with the feeling of rejection as Esmeralda stumbles upon him. But this man has powers and plans that t...
