Dont Fear....

Persistence Is Key

I'm a lucky man.

Most people stumble through life without knowing who their true soulmate is. I've known for decades.

Cassie Smith. I met her for in my freshman algebra class in high school. Love at first sight.

One SLIGHT drawback....she didn't see me the same way immediately. That was okay.

Over the semesters, I tried little things to get her to notice me. Flirtations. Notes in her locker. Writing on her car with shoe polish.

She played hard to get. First politely rejecting affections. Then ignoring me. Then being hostile.

That was okay. She had no idea how much I loved her. When she realized that, there was no way she could resist.

She transferred schools senior year. No worries. I got her address and started sending gifts to her new home.

I remember when her friend Tom came to talk to me, asking me to leave her alone. Smiling, he put his hand on my shoulder, all friendly like. I remember the sound his arm made when his elbow snapped.

Yes, I had to talk to doctors after that, and some "officials," but I knew that was a small inconvenience on the path of true love.

She moved states after that, going to college far away. This made things difficult, but not impossible. Changing her name and hair color added a new dimension of challenges, but I found her regardless.

That's when the note came. Something about staying "1000 yards away". Eh, paper is just paper.

Seems that note was kind of important. A polite but firm gentleman came to talk to me about that. He wanted me to go "downtown" with him to talk about it. I was sad after that. The bloodstain he left on the carpet was permanent, and I had to leave suddenly.

It was trying. All these new challenges. Being a fugitive and all that.

I lost track of her for years. But when I found her, my heart soared. I was a little disturbed she seemed to have temporarily forgotten about me, as her male roommate and small child in her house seemed to indicate. To be honest, I wasn't comfortable with how friendly and familiar his touches were.

I hoped she would realize how much she needed me after the house burned down, with her housemates in it. No such luck, even when I sent her a couple emails, after finding the company she worked at.

Today, I am faced with a new and unexpected challenge. It's one I hadn't thought of before. It seems she cared a bit more for her housemates than I thought, as she wasn't able to cope with their deaths.

I sat at her grave, gazing at pictures her family had left of her and her housemates. I drew my blade, running it along my own throat. I sat for a few moments, my blood spilling to the earth.

As darkness took me, I knew I would find her on the other side.