Split Love

CHAPTER 29

MONDAY, May 27, 2019.

With her hands on her waist, Jasmine stood on the sidewalk in front of her house. The sky was blue and a strange warm air flowed over the city. She took the black elastic wrapped around her wrist and tied her hair into a high ponytail.

Holding onto the tip of her foot, she pulled one leg back and the other, before stretching her arms. Then she started running, heading to the end of her street and onto the North Haven St. bridge.

Jamie slowed her pace when she saw a snowshoe hare heading off the trail. The hare saw her and stopped jumping but it didn't go away. With soft and slow steps, she approached the skittish animal.

- Hey, cutie. - She called it before crouching a few steps away. With one hand stretched out in front of her for a little while, the animal began to approach.

One jump at a time it looked suspicious, but the hare let her pet it. Its innocent eyes studied her carefully while Jamie's fingers gently caressed its ears. Its fur was soft against her skin. It jumped closer to Jamie making her smile but before her ears could pick up any sound, the hare stretched its neck and looked back. A black sedan appeared at the other end of the bridge. As soon as Jamie saw it, the hare disappeared in the woods.

The black car parked but despite the distance, Jamie could hear the engine still running. She remained crouched but seeing that no one left the vehicle, she slowly stood up. For a second Jamie thought it was Micah, but noticed it wasn't a luxury car and it looked dirty. And one thing Jamie had noticed was that Micah's cars were all impeccable, always shiny, without stains or dust.

Maybe it's just someone lost and stopped to look at a map. She thought and waited another minute, but nothing happened. The front window was dark and she couldn't see anything inside the car. Suddenly, an unexplained fear began to grow in her chest, and Jamie ran onto the trail. The rabbit was probably already far away and a few steps into the dirt trail surrounded by trees, Jamie realized that that had been a stupid idea.

She looked back quickly without stopping running, but she didn't see anyone. Racking her brain for someone in the neighborhood who had a black sedan like that, she couldn't remember anyone.

This is stupid. Jamie forced herself to stop running and tried to think rationally despite the inexplicable fear she was feeling. Sweat dripped down her forehead, and she realized that her shirt was stuck to her chest. She pulled at the fabric trying to make her skin breathe but the stuffy air wasn't helping. What's going on with this damn weather? For God's sake, it's spring.

A branch snapped behind Jamie, making her spin fast. She could feel her blood run cold but it was just another hare, or the same one?

- You left me there alone. - She whispered to the animal that was staring at her. Her right hand was on her chest, trying to keep her heart from jumping out of her chest.

She took a deep breath and started running again, trying not to think about that car or the hare or anything else. There was just her and the birds, singing and flying from one branch to another. But nothing else.

In the clearing, the sun shone on the waterfall lake. The boulders mixed with the soil were damp. Jamie stopped after going down the few steps and looked back again. One more time. The trail curved just ahead, so her eyes couldn't see much.