The Realm of Possibilities | Shadow Trials 2023

September Trials - Part 3: Run

Nora woke up the next morning. Her head was killing her. Why did she think it was a good idea to go with Emily again? Now she was hungover, and she wasn't even in her own bed. She should have known that even her no-strings-attached night would come with some strings.

Amon was already awake by the time she rolled out of bed. Sleepily, she looked at her phone and was surprised to see that it was almost eleven. At least she didn't have to be at work until four-thirty tonight.

She got dressed and made her way out to the living room. Amon was lounging on the couch, looking way too fantastic for someone who'd drank as much as they had last night.

"Morning." he said, smiling.

"Morning." she mumbled, trying to sound more alive than she felt. She didn't succeed and shrugged mentally to herself. She was too tired to worry about this right now. Her only plan involved getting a coffee, a shower, and a nap.

"Well, it was nice to meet you..." she said as she slowly made her way to the door. She'd never done this before, and it was surprisingly awkward.

"Nice to meet you too." Amon said, standing up. Nora's eyes tried not to stare longingly at the mug in his hand. If she got a coffee here, she'd have to stay. And her head was swimming too much for that.

"So... I guess I'll be seeing you around." she said.

"Indeed you will." Amon said. "I meant what I said last night – I've never met anyone quite like you. I'd love to have you for my own."

"Oh, well... that is a thought..." Nora said, trying to decide if he was being creepy on purpose, or if this was his idea of romantic. Either way, it wasn't a great sign.

"When will I see you again?" he asked.

"I'm not sure..." Nora said, thinking. This didn't exactly sound like no strings attached. How did Emily manage to do it so easily?

"Tonight, perhaps?"

"I have to work tonight." Nora said, trying to remember if she'd told him where she worked. She was almost positive she hadn't.

"Well, maybe sometime later in the week, then." he said graciously.

"Yeah, ok." Nora said. Maybe she'd just been reading too much into it after all. And it had been fun; she hadn't felt anything weird until this morning. She took down his number before heading home.

The rest of her day passed pretty uneventfully. She went to work and went home, looking forward to that nice, relaxing evening she'd missed out on yesterday. She walked down the hall, already fantasizing about the warm water. Maybe she'd make it a bubble bath. Did she still have any left? She'd have to check.

As she passed Michelle's room, she thought she heard her sister mumbling something. Nora wouldn't have thought anything of it, until she thought she heard her snap, "Stop."

Nora stopped. Slowly, she turned to face Michelle's door. Was she talking to Nora? Or to someone else?

Michelle was mumbling something. Nora was pretty sure she could hear someone else in the room. She frowned, knocking on the door. "Michelle?"

"Yeah?" Michelle asked through the door.

Nora opened it and asked, "Who are you talking to?"

"Me? Oh...no one." Michelle said quickly. Nora didn't believe her.

"Seriously?"

"I was kinda talking to myself, I guess." Michelle sounded sheepish. Nora guessed she could understand that. It would certainly explain why Michelle had been hesitant to admit it.