Chapter 3 ONCE UPON A GIRL

The cold night air wrapped around them both as if embracing them while the rest of the world disappeared into nothingness. The images in Aaron's head fade away with the warmth both of them emanated and his thumping heart finally calmed down to soft beats.

For a moment, they stood there, locked in a silent embrace - Merida's confusion and Aaron's relief.

And then, their eyes met.

At that moment, Aaron's world narrowed to a single, burning realization.

"Merida?" He questioned in a whisper.

"Aaron?"

Questions raced through his mind as he caught the familiar glint of her eyes.

How could she? How could she stand there, ready to throw her life away as if it meant nothing?

The memory of that night flooded back to him again and he shut his eyes to dispel them.

"Merida," he breathed, his voice coarse with a mix of relief and fury. "What are you doing? You can't-"

"What are you doing?" She appeared as shocked as he was, trying to escape from his tight embrace.

He pulled her closer, furious that she could even think of ending things this way.

She tore her gaze away from him, staring into the darkness below and back at him, "No, no...it's not what you think it is." She said, the realization of what he must have thought dawning on her.

"It is not what? Explain the tears in your eyes then," He mentioned and she immediately pulled out one of her hands and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I come back after all these years to see this? Merida, you were trying to jump?"

She could feel his anger boiling over the edge, the heat radiating from his body, yet all she could think about was how much she despised him for disappearing without a word.

"After all these years, uhn. After you disappear without a word." She retorted.

He sighed and released her a bit, helping her cross from the other side of the rails.

"What happened to you, Merida? You were...happy."

"I was and I still am," She says, picking up her bag from the ground beside her.

"A happy person does not sit over the edge of a freaking bridge, asking for death." He thundered.

"Don't yell at me, Aaron. You have no right to tell me what I am. I said I'm happy, leave it at that." She should be back.

"Should I have watched you jump?"

"I was not going to jump!"

"Explain that to a random stranger who has never met you, Merida!"

Merida finally turned to him, her eyes glimmering beneath the moonlight. "You are a stranger, Aaron."

Her words hit him like a punch in the gut, deflating his anger. "You're right, I am a stranger."

"Then leave me alone." She yelled, walking away from the bridge and out of his sight.

He stared on long after she had left, thousands of questions upon questions racing his mind as he stood fixed to that spot.

"Aar, this is Mr Collin, our neighbour and this is his daughter, Merida. I hope you both would be good friends while I work." Sabrina said to her son, smiling at the neighbours and back at her son.

"Hi," Merida had smiled, stunning him at that second. "Would you like to see the park nearby?"

He had nodded and followed her.

That's was fifteen years ago when things were perfect, when he didn't have to bother about a sick revenge, when he was content having no father, when his mother's smile was still genuine, when she still lived.

Fifteen years down the line and that bright girl that had smiled had him sat perched on the edge of a bridge, looking into the waters below. He could not wrap his head around it but then again, fifteen years ago, no one could have convinced him that he would spend an early part of his life without his mother and nothing could have prepared him for his fate ahead. Just like him, a lot had changed for her too but he wondered what must have happened so bad that she would want to choose this way out.

He trudged back into his car, picking up his phone from his car. "Austin," He said over the phone, "Find me everything you can on Merida Collins. Let me get a feedback by tomorrow."

~~~

The next day, later in the night, Aaron listened as Austin, Aaron's assistant who had managed to become his close friend spoke continuously on the people he had met just in order to know collect information on Merida.

Aaron had never been one to make friends and it showed with the handful of people he related with. But he'd met Austin when he needed someone around the most and even though he signed a contract to be his assistant, over the years they had gone from just employer-employee to friends, a fact Aaron would still not admit.

"About Merida Collins," Austin, Aaron's bestfriend started, "There are three Merida Collins in this city. One is 'Mereda' with an E, one has double E and one is Merida with an I."

"Austin this is not a time for your usual jokes." Aaron said impatiently, tapping endlessly in his table while still concentrating on the stack of documents placed before him.

Aaron balantly ignored him and continued the way he'd started. "I figured it was the 'Merida' with the 'I' because she had childhood ties with you. I can't believe you are finally allowing me dig into your life for a woman."

"Austin," Aaron drawled, letting Austin know he really wasn't in the mood for anything.

Seeing Merida the night before at the edge of the bridge had messed with him in some kind of way, and this morning, he had waken up drenched and panting from a nightmare, the same concurrent one that plagued him for years.

It was all blood, broken glass and an overfilled basin, things that would make no sense to another person.

Austin watched his countenance for a second before giving in. "Fine," He spat, scrolling through the notes he jotted on his phone. "Merida's father died a month ago from an acute heart disease that he had developed from tears of smoking and drinking, I suppose. In his lifetime, he gambled a lot but did nothing shady. However, he owed a debt and passed it down to Merida who has since then been followed by her father's debtors. She's been in a kind of run after then and lives with her mother and sister now."

"And she said she wasn't trying to jump last night," Aaron hissed, muttering to himself.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Is that all you have on her?" He asked, facing Austin for the first time that day.

"I could go deeper, farther do-"

"Tell me."

"She's had it tough Aaron. Neighbors say she was abused by her father for ten years but she still stayed."

Aaron traced the years back and winced at the thought

"What does she do now?"

"Nothing, she's been in between jobs this past month. She lives with her mother and her sister."

"Thank you, " Aaron said, getting up to his feet. "Cancel my schedule for tomorrow."

Austin stared at him wide-eyed, "You are taking a break?" He asked.

"Is that a problem?" Austin asked curtly.

"Nope, I support whatever you chose to do. It's just that you have never taken a day off in all your years in this company, not even when your sick. The last time you came down with a fever, you refused to see the doctor til-"

"Fine, Austin, fine. You never let things go, you prick."

Austin smiled before heading out of Aaron's office, "Rest good enough tonight and tomorrow, it's a long, tiring journey from then on."

"Yes boss," Aaron hailed, turning his attention back to the pile of work in front of him. When he could not keep his focus, he got up abruptly, leaving the office.

~~~

.

"Merida," He called as she walked past his car, trying to climb over the edge of the rails.

He had gone to her house looking for her and when hed waited a while for her without seeing her, he had driven back to the bridge, hoping she'd be there again. And just like he'd thought, she was there.

She turned back in surprise and sighed when she saw that it was him.

"What do you want?" She asked, climbing back down from the rails to face him. He had stepped out of his car and not stood face-to-face with her.

"I want to talk," He answered, refusing to get angry.

"I don't want to."

"Stop being so stubborn." His words were clipped and frustrated.

"Leave me be, Aaron. Stop poking into what does not concern you. I do not intend to speak with you so please leave me alone." She said, glaring at him before walking away.

Merida tried to banish all thoughts of Aaron from her mind and instead allowed her mind to wander to her mother and sister as she walked the dark street to her new unhomely home. It seemed like they still bore the anger from her refusal those years ago. The first night she had gotten there, Clara had asked her to leave her room and go sleep in the porch if she wanted, mentioning that she didn't want to share a room with the source of their mother's misery.

Merida had never imagined life would corner her this way. She thought she would be free to live her life after her father's death. Instead she had been forced into an emotionally draining home and was plagued by the fear of her father's debtors. Mr John had been nice instructing her to leave but she knew there was just a little that he could do. She had heard of the Martin's he spoke about, the dreadful man from whom her father had taken a loan from. One time he had demolished a debtor's entire house and almost killed his mother in the process. If he caught up with her, where was she supposed to find the money to pay him? She was just sourcing for jobs and she was definite that her mother would not spare her a glance if she asked.

Her steps quickened as the thought planted fear in her heart and she turned a corner, glancing over her shoulder. Anxiety surged through her veins as her head played tricks with her.

"They will find you."

"They won't stop until they get what is theirs."

"They might kill you, snuff out the life out of you and donate your organs to charity."

The narrow street opened up into a small children's park shadowed by the large buildings surrounding it. The park was desolate at this hour of the night, causing Merida to chide herself for staying out so late. The silence made for a perfect haunting ground for her fears and wild imagination. She could feel eyes on her and images concurred from her imagination danced at the edge of her vision. She could not afford to panic so she gathered op courage and adjusted the strap of her shoulder bag, trying against everything to remain calm.

Suddenly, she caught sight of a figure lurking near the edge of the trees, nearly invisible against the dark bark. It was the man from earlier, slipping in and out of the shadows with the grace of a predator. A swell of adrenaline shot through her; she was really being followed. Clenching her teeth, she changed direction, her feet pounding against the damp pavement, breath hitching in her throat.

She had to reach her mother's apartment in time, homely or not, it was her safest option from this living nightmare but as she scurried, the road only felt longer and the house farther. Her heart pounded in chorus with her footsteps, at the same time she tried not to allow the fear make her do something irrational...like giving up in the middle of the chase and willingly handing herself over to the stalker.

Merida ducked into a narrow alley, opting to hide rather than run. She leaned against the cold brick wall and quieted her breath. She could hear him clearly now, the man following her. She had to act, she couldn't let him corner her like that, in response she tiptoed forward

The footsteps grew closer and her heart leaped in fear. Just then, a man's hand shot out from the dark and grabbed her by the arm. A gasp caught in her throat, turning into a full-on scream before another hand covered her mouth.