Dear John,
This is my note, that's what people do. Leave a note. Please don't think less of me after you read this.
I know you didn't read my file, but I gave it to you so you could know me. Understand me. I wanted you to know who and what I was. Now I shall give it to you in my own words, ones that I have chosen carefully, ones that come from the woman you know.
I'm going to tell you the story of a perky young girl, who only had friends of her own imagination. Her name was Aurora. She was lonely, very lonely.
Her parents were gone most of the time and her brother was private. It made life very hard for her.
She used her imagination for too many things, she dreamed of adventures and wondrous tales.
You see John, she got herself into a bit of trouble when she got older. It's quite the tale!
She got mixed up with a man named...
My brain raced with the words I'd written just moments before, my hand was still stiff from the three page letter I'd left for him. My heart pounded in my ears, my breaths caught in my throat, choking me up. I let out a heavy sigh, I knew what I had to do and I was ready to do it.
I climbed out of the car, slowly approaching the dock, my heels softly clicking on the pavement. The cold wind nibbled on my ear, turning it numb and making me shiver. I'd always hated the cold, but John loved it. I got closer to the dock, maybe 8 yards, it made me anxious.
I saw a hunched-over man - about 60 years old - standing by the railing, I walked closer and saw him tense as he realized I was approaching. His pointed nose breathed steam in the cold air, his once dark hair was frosted with grey and white, matching his surroundings in that sense. I tugged on the sleeve of my coat, because I'd forgotten my gloves.
He didn't turn or even move, he knew I wouldn't try anything and I knew that he had a sniper trained on every roof. I inhaled sharply as I stopped next to him and leaned against the rail, propping my elbows on the frosty metal.
"Mrs.... Watson, is it?" the man said, his thick brogue low. I closed my eyes briefly as memories flooded through my thoughts, memories of that voice, barking orders at me, giving comforting words, commands. Years of hearing that voice rushed at me, years I'd tried to forget.
I covered my mouth and nose with my hands, breathing warm air over my ice cold nose. I felt a frozen pang run through my chest and make me shudder. "Yes," I replied, dropping my hands.
A frighteningly dark chuckle erupted from his throat, reminding me of a lion, roaring at its foes. My lips squeezed shut and I forced my hands to stay where they were and not go for my gun.
"I have missed you," he said, reaching out to touch my arm. I drew back. The last thing I wanted was this man to touch me. His hand dropped back to his side. "You used to be great, you know. Unbeatable. You had a perfect record, till now."
I sniffed, the cold making my nose run. "I know. But now I have someone who makes me great," I felt a stroke of hatred for him fill me. I had never felt so angry at another human being as I did him, he'd ruined my life. He'd taken everything that I held dear, turned it upside down and crushed it.
His light eyes stared at me in the dark, I could feel his gaze like pins and needles, attacking me. I shifted uncomfortably and let my eyes drift up to meet his, painfully slowly. Staring into his eyes was like staring into a black hole; empty, void of emotion, and deadly.
"You can come back, Mary. You know you can," he said in a quiet voice, making me freeze. He used that voice when you didn't have a choice. "As long as you cooperate."
