"Don't you understand?" the look in his eyes made her want to cry.
"I cannot just leave you. The curve of your smile is etched into my soul. The shape of your hands are all I can think of when I look at my own. The color of your eyes is all I can se...
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It was a Saturday evening. The air was unsettling.
The wind rattled the leaves in the trees that surrounded Eden as she walked along a narrow sidewalk.
She shivered and nestled further into her coat, shoving her fingers into the worn pockets.
A large black bird swooped several feet in front of her. She stopped in shock and gasped.
The crow let out a sharp cry that sent a chill down Eden's spine.
It was dark out. The atmosphere was dense with cloud cover and no light from the moon or stars were allowed to slip through.
Eden heard a thud from behind her.
She gasped and turned around in surprise.
A woman had fallen in the road a thick cloak obscured her face.
Eden rushed over to her.
"M'am are you alright?" She asked, kneeling down beside her.
The woman's neck rotated toward Eden. The cloak that covered her body fell to the ground and a swarm of massive black crows burst outward, flying up into the air like a violent ink spill.
Eden shrieked and scrambled away. The swarm swirled around her and seemed to trap her.
She covered her ears and clenched her eyes shut. The crows screamed and suffocated the air surrounding her.
Eden's eyes snapped open.
Her breathing was heavy and labored as she frantically observed her surroundings.
She was lying in her bed. Safe in her quiet small apartment.
The dinky alarm clock on her bedside table told her it was time to get ready for work. Eden sighed and ran both hands down her face. A dreadful cloud of anxiety formed within her as she began the mundane process of getting ready to face the day.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Malcolm had thrown a party that night. Eden was assigned to work as a bartender with Beatrice.
The party was long and utterly exhausting.
She had worked dozens of parties in her time of employment yet she scarcely saw the same faces twice.
Where did all of these people come from?
Eden's heart stopped as she caught a glimpse of Malcolm's eyes from the crowd.
He began to walk toward the bar and Eden began to more intently restock glasses and avoid his gaze.
"Hello Eden, you look lovely tonight."
Eden scarcely refrained from rolling her eyes. She was wearing a shapeless white button down shirt and her hair was in probably the messiest ponytail of her life.
