On the edge

Is it over yet?

Is it over yet? No. Well, kind of. Technically yes.
But I originally had an epilogue planned and will add it soon.
When I first wrote down the outlines for 'On the edge', the entire story was supposed to become much less romantic and a whole lot bloodier. And it did end a bit differently from how it will end now (in the epilogue). Stick around, and you'll see.

Then, here a few things that may or may not be very clear. Unfortunately, I'm not a professional writer (actually, I've only begun writing several months ago, in March, earlier this year) and not always able to perfectly phrase the many psychotic ideas that roam my brain.
Also, in the draft of the story, Sue was much more of the potential sociopath than the occasional, impressively cold-blooded murderess, who so calmly disposes of a body... And is apparently also very capable of repeating the gory act, although, arguably, in self-defense once again.

Either way, here a few things that may have confused you:

So, nothing of all the stuff I read actually happened?

Basically, yes. Remember when you read in the prologue that some of Sue's father's ashes got into her eyes and that she scratched her eyes because she couldn't see? And that then, the urn fell and crashed on the rocks of the cliffs? Right, the prologue never said that Sue got off that cliff the same way she went up there... Ha! See? ;-)

And she completely made up Nic?
Yes, well, basically, as Doctor Watson said, part of her consciousness was still somewhere in there, in her brain, and she somehow perceived the presence of Matthew Andersson. He pulled her out of the water and performed CPR on her; he saved her life. He gave her a second chance. Now, remember Nic pressing Sue to take a second chance if offered? Right. The name, Nicholas, came from the statue her father had in his shop. St. Nicholas is, amongst others, the patron saint of sailors, those at sea, where Sue almost died, and merchants, George's metier. Her father would tell her that St. Nicholas would watch over her, which is what the whole idea of Nicholas was built on.

What about Adam?
Well, Adam is pretty much the same guy as in Sue's dream, except for the fact that he's not a little prick and not the loan shark George borrowed the illegal money from. He did, however, lend money from Adam, indeed. Now, while her father meant to do all of that in secret, he very obviously was rather sloppy, always had been, and Sue had seen many things, on many occasions, that suggested that things weren't exactly the way her father pretended they were. She knew all along that he was in debt, but chose to ignore it, so that she could keep on seeing him as the hero he had always been for her. Now, from that point of view, anyone coming in and suggesting to sell all that George Reid loved so much, is the bad guy. That's why Adam appeared as the evil one. When George came to him for help, Adam probably urged him to sell. Which was, despite all the nostalgia, the only reasonable thing to do. And, there are actual rumours about Adam doing illegal stuff.

And Jim? What about Jim?
Yeah, well, Jim. Besides Joanna, he's the only person who's exactly and entirely the person he is in reality. How come? Well, Joanna's Sue's best friend, the one she's closest to. And Jim? Just count one and one together. Sue admits that he's rather good-looking to Joanna. Unlike her friend, she doesn't criticise his hair cut or his glasses. Sue had a crush on Jim for the longest time, maybe from the day she saw him in his father's atelier lacquering that cupboard. She simply didn't want to admit it. As she also admits to Jim in one chapter, she never stood up against the boys who bullied him, although she did pick him up when they pushed him down and beat him up one time; after everybody had left. As unheroic as it is, Sue just tags along after the other children. She wants to fit in, and liking the town weirdo isn't exactly helpful with that, is it?

... And Stephen?
Awwwww, Stephen... He is an idea of what would /could happen if Sue didn't sell the shop. Her father had signed the contract, but the counterparty hadn't yet, so she could have burned the papers and say no. Although the loan sharks were already paid, the bank would still come after her, and well... Thing is, Sue knew that her father was indebted, but she didn't know that he had borrowed that exact sum from a bank and paid back the dangerous people.

Ronald?
People don't just decide to buy a property from one day to the next. Ronald O'Connor had come to see George at least one time before, and Sue still lived with her father and helped in his shop; she must have encountered him at least once. Actually, she even remembered seeing a man, of who she doesn't know who he was, but he left a business card with O'Connor's name on it, so...

Hmmm... Yeah, okay, I think I got it.
Great, I hope you liked it! Oh, and, while Matt performed CPR on Sue for about ten minutes, the whole story takes place over about ten months; from more or less mid-February to early December. Ho-ho.

Epilogue, you said?
Right! Stay tuned and thanks for reading. All I need to do is decide on one of the two possibilities it could all end in. Feel free to vote and comment too. Take care. 

P.S.: Another thing I would like to say is that one of my intentions was to kind of 'blur the lines' between right and wrong, good and bad, sane and a little goo-goo,... You can see Sue as the victim or as a fairly cold-blooded murderer. You can read about Jim and deem him noble and loyal, or a sad, bullied boy who just keeps on running behind his red-head goddess and eventually even commits suicide with and for her. Not to mention that he apparently was perfectly fine her killing two people. You know. Happens.
His middle name is also Maximilian, named after Maximilian Robespierre, a key figure during the  French Revolution and the Reign of Terror. A man who started out with good intentions and morals but may have taken a wrong turn somewhere, somewhen. Some do still claim he did it all for 'the best of France', and that you'd have to look at the bigger picture and the ultimate goal he meant to achieve. Others simply see him as a villain and a terrorist who only sought out his own enrichment and benefit. Whichever you wish to choose shall shape the story for you, one way or another.