Undying Hate | Book Three

Twenty-three | Coralie

The second her finger pads touched the bark, she melted into it, her mind filling with visions faster than she could decipher. "Wait, wait, slow down!" She spun, looking for an escape, but there was no way out.

A woman wandered down a darkened path under the light of a crescent moon. She touched her lip, a calming habit she picked up as a child. She stroked the hairline scar from her doctor-made cupid bow to the slight hook of her nose and back. They did a good job. Anyone who didn't know her wouldn't realise she ever had the cleft until they were right up close. 

Sometimes, she wished she had photos of her face before. Her parents never thought to ask the hospital; now, it was too late. Someone burned it down when she was a teenager. The tinkling bells of the stores beside her played tiny melodies as she continued her walk. She knew exactly where she was going. It was her favourite place in the whole city. 

Clove park. 

Its solitary tree, planted in its centre, seemed to grow as she did. A small sapling she danced around as a child, now a magnificent forty-foot giant. She jumped over the short chainlink fence and padded over to it, the darkness much clearer as nature swirled under her feet. She always felt more grounded barefoot on the grass than on the concrete and asphalt blocks around her home. When she made more money, she would move to the country. She would. That's what she told her parents before they died, and she would do it.

With a sigh, she sat at the foot of the tree and closed her eyes, letting the gentle sway from the wind soothe her. Sometimes when she sat at its base, it felt like coming home.

Her friends used to call her weird, but she had no other way to describe it. Her favourite part, though, was the crow that would sometimes come and visit, more often than not sitting a few feet from her as she hummed wordless melodies.

"Mom?"

The woman opened her eyes and blinked. "Hello?" When nothing answered, she leaned back again and smiled. Only a few more months of study and she would have her masters in Natural Resources and sustainable forest management. It was probably too late for her home town, Verloren Valley, but her skills would be needed further north. She'd already started applying for a job in Alaska.

"Excuse me, miss. Are you okay?"

She jumped up from the sudden intrusion of a wiry man and nodded emphatically. "Oh, I'm fine. Thanks." She smiled even though she hated every second of the false niceties. Go away, creep. His teeth seemed yellow under the light, his sagging skin and dark eyes making her shiver.

"Oh, that's good. That's very good. Thought you might be one of those strung-out homeless chicks."

"Nope." She smiled again and clutched her bag, contemplating reaching for her bear spray.

"Do you wanna get a drink? I could shout you a Starbucks. It's pretty chilly out here."

"I'm fine, actually. Just had a coffee before." She shook her empty KeepCup for added effect.

"You know," his voice took a turn. Why did they always have to take a turn? She couldn't even count how many times men had accosted her. Fucking animals.

"It really isn't safe out here for a woman like you."

"A woman like me." Yep. Bear spray.

"A beautiful one."

Before she could retort, the man was suddenly on the ground, another man cloaked in shadow hovering above him, his face buried in his neck. Was he kissing him?