𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐄𝐓𝐇

01

In Which I Say Hello.

——

It was a frightening cold day in October, and the clocks had struck twenty-one.

Rain splatters against the concrete road; the scream of lightning coming across the sky... and then a different scream. A child runs across the oncoming traffic – wild green eyes laughing with youth as he runs past a woman waiting for a taxi – various horns and shouts of annoyance follow the uncaring boy all the way towards his destination, The Gibsionite Hotel.

Curious blue eyes alight with wonder... then they were dead again.

The woman in the rain continues to wait for her taxi – black umbrella open and over her head – the soft whistle of her favourite song flowing past her lips in an attempt to pass the time. Her eyes watched the cars speed past; Rainwater deflecting off of their tires as each of them drove just above the speed limit.

She remembers how her mother would sing her to sleep during harsh storms, and how one day her singing had stopped altogether. She catches herself missing the sight of smeared red lipstick on otherwise white napkins, and the smell of freshly baked goods just waiting to be eaten.

She then remembers her lover, light of her life, Abaddon of her heart. He was born with the gift of laughter and yet could not make anyone laugh. Bright brown eyes and warming smile – the scent of his cologne still attaches itself to her least favourite shirt; the piece of clothing most likely laying underneath her queen sized bed at home. A home in which she no longer inhabits.

Thinking of him had left a gaping hole in her chest the size of a fist – his fist – where her heart should be.

Down the street, a boy was advancing towards her.

His eyes were sown to the concrete he walked on, his figure slightly caving into itself in a fatigued manor. His fingers were gripping the handle of his umbrella, shielding his body from the pouring rain around him. He was an inch, perhaps two, above six feet, and leanly built. His dull expression matched her own, but that had changed once he took notice of her.

"Hello," He had a kind smile, brown hair and tan skin. "are you waiting for someone?"

His voice had startled her. Not because he was exceptionally handsome or because his voice had put her in a daze, but because... where had he come from?

"No." her right foot tapping against the sidewalk – her head resting against the tube of her umbrella, eyes closing.

"Taxi, then?"

"Does it matter?"

"Not at all. I'm just incredibly nosey." a faint chuckle passing through his lips at his own expense. "May I ask what your name is?"

She paused, the voice of her long deceased mother scolding her for speaking to such a strange man. "Nasira." When she opened her eyes again and saw him, a darker shadow crept beneath the swarthiness of his skin; but Nasira noticed nothing.

He repeated her name under his breath, and her body went stiff in wariness.

A few moments ticked by – seconds feeling like hours under the boys harsh stare – the taxi rolling up in front of her in a leisure pace after a few more seconds. Nasira did not consider her escape, but looked from the taxi to the boy and then back again.

She opened the door to the back and tossed her black schoolbag onto the leather seat. Her umbrella was still open and over her head – shielding her chocolate curls from the pouring rain as she turned to look back at the odd boy.

"What's your name?"

Another faint smile appeared on his lips. Her eyes watched his fingers tighten slightly against the black handle of his navy blue umbrella. He took a small step towards her, eyes ranking over her flushed face and striking blue eyes; his figure advancing slightly towards her as one wielding a nameless authority.

"Amos."