Lost in Your Eyes

Merida stared as the coffin was lowered slowly into the hollow, muddy earth. It was finally the end, for him and for her.

Merida had hoped the sun would shine the brightest on his funeral, that her eyes would be dry and her lips would crack in a smile, but it was not. The showers of the rain trickled with the saltiness of her tears and her lips were clamped shut in a tight line.

She had no reason to cry even though it was her father's death but she could not stop the tears flowing down her face as sand was poured into the pit. When he was alive, she had cursed him all the time. She had wished he'd died in a freak accident, drank himself to his death, and fallen from the top of a building to a bed of nails and glass. She had wished his sins caught up with him and that it tore his heart out of his chest but none of that happened. Now that he was actually gone, after his breath had stopped from a mere heart disease, she wasn't sure if her tears were for him or for her.

People say your life flashes before your eyes on your last breaths. She was sure her father had felt every pain, heard every word and seen every tear he'd made her shed, but his last words were still mean. Some people just never learn and her father was one of them

The silence in the field amplified the sound of the raindrops on the ground and she tried to distract herself with the sounds but all she could hear was the beat of her heart and her father's last words.

"I've always hated you. You, your mother and your sister. You made living miserable."

He'd spat out the words in a shaky voice even though she was the only one sitting by his death bed, even though she was the one who had lived with him, even after all the things he had put her through.

Merida realized her tears were for him and for herself. For the times he had pushed her to the edge of nothingness, for the times he had dragged her by the hair to misery, because she was free of it. But she also cried because he was her father and even though he was the worst, he did not abandon her. Now, life was like it was years ago and she was lonely. She had thought with age, one would get less lonelier but the silence that enveloped her reminded her of what her reality was. She was a twenty-three-year-old woman who had no dreams, no peace, no love, a woman who had lost in all ways.

After the hole had been filled up, Merida sighed and trudged off the field to a bench underneath a shade, watching as the rain pelted down on the stone placed above his grave. He might have been the worst person, but he at least knew to plan his funeral before his death. Merida was grateful she didn't have to pay for all this from her pocket.

She was still brooding when she felt a presence behind her. Her gaze immediately left the scene before her to the men who stood behind her. There were three of them but only one had sadness drawn on his face as hers.

"The rest of us send our condolences Miss Merida." The biggest one amongst them, Mr John, said. She recognized him more than the rest. He was one of her father's closest drinking friends, the same man who would bring her dead-drunk father to the door and ring the bell.

"Thank you," She bowed her head slowly before glancing at the other men. "He just got laid, you can go to pay your last respects," She stuttered.

"We came here for you actually," The bigger man answered, offering her a seat on the bench.

"M-me? Why?" She asked, slowly settling into the bench.

"I'll spare you the shenanigans and cut straight to the chase. Your father owed our boss money," He stared at her intently, raising his brows slightly to emphasize the money, "A lot of money actually."

"My-"

"And we've been asked to retrieve it. Since he is dead and cannot pay, the debt falls on you, his next of kin."

"You're here for money?" She blurted out the question. "Go to him then, dig out his body and do whatever you wish with it. Why do I have to fear that burden?" Her voice raised in anger.

He looked at her softly before speaking again. Her lips and hands were trembling and he was being a big jerk doing this at her father's funeral but what needed to be done must be done.

"Listen dear, I could forget the money if it was mine, but it's not. It is for my boss and that man is wicked. I'm sorry to do this to you now but I must carry out whatever order he gives." He answered her

Merida looked at the man speechlessly, a stray tear slipping down her eyes. She hated how vulnerable she was at this moment but that was all she ever was, vulnerable, weak and timid.

"How much d-did he owe?" She asked,

"Over a hundred thousand dollars." He whispered knowing what her reaction would be. Almost immediately, her eyes shot open, twice wider than it was as her mouth began incomprehensible words.

"W-why? What did he use the money for? Gamble?"

She saw the small nod of his head before he kept it down. Anger coursed through her body like light zaps starting from her head to her fingertips.

You mess with me even from the grave, she thought to herself, her body trembling from the cold and hatred seeping through her body.

"Take it all," She cried out, crumpling to her knees, "Take his clothes, his shoes, you can sell his body to get the money. Take everything that he has and leave me alone." Her tears came rushing down like...

"We'll come back, let's leave you here for now."

"Don't come back, j-just take it all. The house, take it away." She cried and sobs raked through her.

John faced the men standing studiously behind him, waving at them to give him a minute alone with the girl. Turned away in obedience and John faced her once more.

"Merida, I have a daughter your age at home and I would want nothing to happen to her," He crouched next to her and she raised her face to meet his. "But the person we work with has no care for that. If he comes for you himself, there's no assurance you'll have anything left, your money or your life."

He sighed softly as fresh tears streamed down her face again, "We'll sell the house and there'll be nothing left there. It won't be enough to pay his debt but go to your mother tonight, and stay there for as long as you can make money to pay his debt. You're still too young to face Martin's wrath, you're too innocent for the life he'll force you into if you cannot pay back. I really hope for the love of God that you stay safe and far from him." He said, patting her gently on her shoulders before leaving.

****

"I'm leaving you and taking my daughters with me, you animal!" Anne screamed, dragging a big suitcase down the steps of their front porch.

Her hair tied in a messy bun was ruffled by the breeze and her fingers were pink from the cold.

"You don't deserve us! You deserve to be locked up behind bars for everything you've done to us!" She yelled, holding Clara and Merida in both arms. Clara was sixteen then and Merida had just turned thirteen but above their age, they could understand what their mother was doing and why he was doing it.

"You can take Clara but not Merida," Her father's voice boomed from the doorway. No one could see it but Merida noticed the stray tear that slipped down his face. He noticed that she saw it and turned away from her, wiping it before turning back to the leaving trio. "You cannot take my daughter away from me, Anne. You cannot take away what's mine!"

"Mum," Merida whispered. When Anne did not hear her, Merida tugged at her dress softly, earning a look from her mother. "I want to stay with Dad." She said.

Anne's face turned from anger to sadness, "Merida, you don't know what you are saying. Dear, he cannot be your dad anymore." She said softly, tears wetting her eyes.

"Let the girl be," Merida could hear the tears in his voice. "Don't let the child grow without a father. Don't be that wicked to your own child." He begged.

"I want to stay with Dad," Merida repeated before releasing herself from her mother's hands and into her father's arms

"Merida!" Her mother screamed, trying to reach out to her daughter but the young, foolish girl hid behind her father.

"You have a choice, stay with your daughter or abandon her for your own peace," Mark said, holding Merida firmly behind his back. "Be a mother, Anne." He begged when he saw the defiance brewing in her eyes.

"Merida," Anne started, holding on to Clara firmly, "You chose your parent, I won't be a mother to you anymore. You and your father can go to hell for all I care. I would never have had you if I hadn't met him. He's all yours." She said before stomping away with a box of clothes and her elder sister.

Mark crouched to her height and gave her a hug but Merida's gaze lingered on her mother's back.

"I love you Merida and I'll protect you with my life." He whispered in her ear.

But he had not. He had not loved her as he promised, and neither had he protected her as he promised.

Merida watched in tears as her mother walked away without turning back. "Mum," She whispered in tears.

That was the first of many times that someone had abandoned her. *

Merida gazed out at the soft glow spilling in from the open window of the house. From where she stood, she could hear the sound of laughter, one she could have been a part of if she'd left with her mother that day.

All that was on her mind was to turn back and live a life of homelessness and aimless wandering, but John had specifically instructed her to go to her mother.

Summoning the courage, she rapped on the door once, then fell into a tense silence, secretly wishing no one would hear her. Her wish was short-lived as the door swung open to reveal a smiling face. Anne, her mother, met her gaze, but her smile quickly faded, replaced by a disapproving frown.

"I never thought I'd see you like this, scared at my front porch. Come in," She said indifferently, noticing the bag of clothes Merida had on her. If she felt anything, she did the best job hiding it behind the scowl that had now formed on her face. Merida took the ride invitation and walked into the small space.

She had not expected them to be warm and homely but she wasn't expecting to see hatred line the grades of their faces.

Merida's hope shattered into a myriad of jagged pieces as Clara eyed her before stalking into her room.

"Clara be nice. She'll be sharing the room with you." Anne called after her without sparing a glance at Merida.

"She can sleep in the kitchen for all I care," Clara screamed in reply behind her closed door.

"We don't have a room for you here," Anne busied herself with a chore, leaving Merida standing in the same spot. After a moment of silence, she raised her head to look at Merida who was standing still with tears in her eyes. "Did your father not teach you manners before he died? Go away." She chided, throwing the rag in her hands in the sink before leaving for her room.

Aaron stepped out of the elegance of the house and into the quiet of the garden as the dinner drew close

Aaron stepped out of the mansion and into the serene garden, allowing the evening air to course through him as if readying himself for the later hours of the night. After a year of deliberation, his grandfather was finally going to choose the new CEO. All the things Aaron had done had let up to this moment, the moment he had worked for, for more than a decade of his life.

"Let go of the company?" He heard the voice before he saw her, his older cousin who despised him with all of her being. He moved closer and faced her squarely.

As he approached her, a sly smirk spread across his lips. "Sara!" He exclaimed in a fake surprise, "Fine night, isn't it? Jealousy sure looks good on you."

Sara's eyes flashed, her jaw clenched. "I'm not in the mood for your games, Aaron."

"You're the one playing games here Sara, asking me to give what I don't have," He retorted before his lips curled in a mischievous smirk. "Are you scared you'll lose to me?"

"I know what you're doing, Aaron. I know all you want with this family is revenge. "You're using Grandfather, manipulating him with your charm and fake devotion."

Aaron smiled, "I make a fine actor, don't I?"

Sara pursed her lips, "I won't watch you take over and ruin what my family has worked for over the years."

"Your family," he repeated, his voice laced with disdain. "Did mine do any lesser?"

Sara's eyes blazed. "Your family was a disaster. Your father could not control his family and your mother's-"

"Stop!" Aaron's growl cut her off, his eyes blazing with warning.

She arched her brows in defiance. "Scared of the truth?" She asked.

A maid scurried over to their side, bowing her head before she spoke, "Mr Hades want you inside for dinner." She said and disappeared in a second.

She smiled and turned on her heels, happy she had managed to send him over the edge with her words.

She walked a distance before Aaron's voice stopped her. "Mrs. Williams?"

Sara spun back, her eyes flashing in satisfaction.

"Enjoy the dinner," Aaron said, his tone laced with sarcasm. "It might be your last in this family, as an Hades I mean."

Sara's face paled, her eyes blazing with fury as she stormed back into the mansion.

***

The estranged family of five sat around the grand dining table savouring their meal with refined elegance.

The aged Mr Hades was the first to speak, placing his cutleries down almost silently on his plate. "Good evening everyone, I called you here today to announce my final decision regarding the inheritance. Although I say it is the final decision..." He paused and stared at them all in the eyes before proceeding, "It is subject to change if any party is not worthy of the position given."

The room was enveloped in silence, the kind formed from tension and cruel anticipation. Everyone had their hopes up; Sara wanted the company, Bridget, Sara's mother wanted the company for her daughter, Luke wanted the properties, and Aaron...all Aaron wanted was for the tiniest of opportunities to present itself.

Sara's eyes narrowed and her mind raced with anticipation. This was the moment she'd been waiting for all her life.

Bridget, Sara's mother, exchanged a nervous glance with her daughter while Luke, sitting across from them, seemed indifferent to whatever was happening.

The old man cleared his throat before speaking again. "I don't want this to cause enmity between you. Know that this decision was made with everyone's capability in mind." His gaze lingered on each face before settling on Aaron.

"Luke, you'll receive the properties. Sara, you'll maintain your current position..."

Sara's eyes flashed with disappointment, her jaw clenching in disapproval.

"...and Aaron, you'll be CEO over the group."

The room erupted into murmurs.

"But," He continued and the table hushed, "You can only be assured of your position in the company if you are a settled man." He said.

"As a traditional man, I believe to be made responsible for something, you have to have shown great responsibility for another. Yes, you have shown great leadership skills in the company, and you have achiever great results, you need to know that the position of a CEO is a greater responsibility." He stopped.

"I made the same mistake with your father so I don't care if you are the most competent person for the job, you need to have a family of your own, a stable family." He wiped his mouth and stood up from his seat, "The announcement would be made official tomorrow. Have a good night everyone."

The old man had only walked a few steps when Sara let out a shrill cry, her composure shattering to dust. "No!" she cried, her voice shrill. "You can't do this to us, Grandfather."

He turned back towards his granddaughter, anger lining his wrinkled face but he did not speak, allowing Sara let out her concerns.

"You cannot do this to us Grandfather, my mum is still here, Luke is still here! You cannot give it all to Aaron! You cannot treat us like beggars!" She screamed, ignoring her mother's whisper for her to sit.

"Sara, please," Bridget whispered, tugging Sara's arm

"No mum, let me speak!" She yelled.

"You are speaking dear," Old Mr. Hades said, leaning on his waking stick for support.

"Aaron does not deserve what you are giving him. I don't know how you are so blind, too blind to see what he is playing at." She bellowed, the anger seeping into her voice.

"I can assure you that I am not yet blind Sara. I see you all and I know what you're doing. Luke spends his nights in the bar, drinking to stupor and courting trouble. Your mother keeps siphoning company funds and I know you are in on it. I am not blind Sara, you do not deserve what he has."

Aaron watched the exchange, his expression neutral. But inside, he was excited. This was exactly what he wanted - the anger, the betrayal, the exact enmity his grandfather was avoiding.

"Mr. Hades!"

"Mrs. Williams!" He yelled too, "I genuinely wish you stay in your husband's kitchen and bear him all the children he wants and leave the business for those who know business. You think you are good enough but I see nothing in you, nothing worthy of a leading position." He mouth was in a tight line, "You don't deserve any more than I am giving you."

"That's is all I am, right? That was all my mother ever was, a house decorating meant to bear children that'll only live to suit your greed."

"My greed," He sternly spoke, "...has brought me this far and I'll keep to it if that is what it takes to ensure Hades Group remains the leading group. I did not make it this far by giving in to my emotions like you. If you want anything, woke for it!"

"Have I not worked enough?" Her voice faltered

"You have yet to beat Aaron."

"Is that what you want?"

"It is what I know you cannot achieve. Let it go Sara, your position is fine, you're not going to due in poverty. All the funds you have taken is enough to last you for all of your eternity. Besides, the public love Aaron. And you, you have a reputation for being rude and I cannot let that destroy what I have built."

"What you've built in people blood and tears?"

"Build yours in blood to if that is what it would take you, but Hades is mine and I would do as I wish with it. You are dismissed." He said with an air of finality, "Let us speak in my study Aaron, there is a lot to put in place." He said, walking back in his intended direction.

As Mr. Hades walked away with Aaron accompanying him right behind, Sara's eyes burned with anger and humiliation. This wasn't over.

~~~

Hours later, Aaron sat in his car parked at the edge of a river in the middle of the night. He remained in his car for more than an hour after getting to the riverside, opting to sort out his thoughts inside rather than stroll around the bank like he would have loved to. The light from the moon beamed directly on him and the stars twinkled endlessly, but his mind was far off from the beauty before him. He had a lot to do in such little time and with his grandfather's new declaration, he was in a fix.

But in a second, his thoughts wandered from the present to fifteen years ago at the same bridge.

"What do you want to be in future, Aar?" His mother asked, passing him a cookie on the hood of the car. The night was just as it was, bright and quiet, with the moon hovering just above the bridge.

"I want to be a chef." He had answered genuinely.

A giggle escaped her lips as she turned to face him, "Why?"

"So you can have the most delicious food whenever you want." He smirked

She only smiled in reply, "In the future, I want to be happy." She whispered, "I want to own Hades Group too," She added jokingly and he gasped in mock surprise.

"Grandpa would never give it to you, he doesn't even like you." He said, smiling at her.

"He won't give it to me, but I'll take it from him." She answered, giving him a cheeky smile.

He had not been at the riverside since her death and that was a long time ago. Fifteen years later and he was on the last phase of avenging her. She didn't turn out happy like she wanted to but she still had a son who would do anything to fulfil her dreams.

He sat still for a while before his gaze lazily drifted to the bridge, his heart skipped a beat, and then more. There was a person who sat still at the edge of the rails. He could see their figure silhouetted against the moonlit sky and he very well knew they had climbed over the rail, their feet perched on the narrow ledge with nothing stopping them from falling into the dark waters of the river below.

Memories exploded in Aaron's mind as fragmented images echoes in his mind.

red

blood

too much blood

silence

His mind raced with the horrific possibilities of what could happen and his hears rang in shrill tinnitus.

"Hey!" He opened his door and yelled in their direction, hoping to get her attention but they were out of earshot and did not move.

Without hesitation, Aaron leapt from his car, the door slamming shut behind him and sprinted toward the bridge in a mad rush. "Hey!" he yelled, his voice hoarse with urgency, cutting through the night air.

The person did not flinch, did not turn or move and that spiked his anxiety. The distance between them shortened and as he drew closer, the person came into full focus – the curve of her cheek, the straight slope of her nose, the tumble of dark hair down her back and over her face.

Aaron's lungs burned and his legs ached from the distance he had run but he did not stop until he reached the bridge. His hands immediately reached out to her, wrapping around her wrist and turning her towards him and into his big embrace. With the metal rail between them, all Merida could feel were the little tremors from his body and the loud, irregular thumping of his heart.

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?"

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.