Chapter One
Memento Vivere - Remember to Live
Clara swore under her breath, and glanced down at her wristwatch for what must have been the hundredth time; the dial read half-past nine. She would give her friend five more minutes, she decided, after that she would give up and go home. Clara had tried calling, but her friend had not answered, so now she sat shivering outside in the garden of the overcrowded pub.
She would have normally found a comfortable place to sit inside, but after spending the most of five hours in a crowded train compartment with four loud and obnoxious businessmen and their reeking cologne, she welcomed the solitude and fresh air.
The almost freezing temperatures however, were not as welcomed. The only warmth she had came from her peacoat and the pint she had ordered about an hour ago, but even now the cold had stolen most of their warmth – well relative warmth. She chastised herself for not dressing more warmly, the blouse and knee-length skirt she wore beneath her coat weren't exactly weather appropriate.
What was keeping her?
Marie was not known for her punctuality – her looks most definitely, but not her timekeeping that was for sure. It was not uncommon for her to be late, usually around the ten to fifteen minute mark, but never this late.
She took a deep breath and exhaled a wispy cloud; perhaps is she were in a better mood this would have made her laugh – as a child she had always pretended, on cold days such as these, that she was a dragon. If I were a dragon, she thought, I would not be sitting on a frozen metal chair that's for sure. Her exposed legs had lost their feeling ages ago and now felt numb, and the chair had yet to warm up from her body heat, but it was so cold out that Clara doubted it ever would.
Marie, she begged, hurry the bloody hell –
Her head snapped up from looking down at her pale frozen legs as an uncomfortable chill, one that had nothing to do with the freezing temperatures, ran down the length of her spine. Heart pounding, she subtly let her gaze sweep the entire length of the garden.
The warm light from inside the pub spilled out from the small row of windows, casting light on the patches of yellow, almost dead, grass growing between the stepping stones of the path leading around the building.
The lamppost across on the other side of the road flickered once, the two tall dark brick buildings behind it were as still as statues; their windows dark, curtains drawn, no signs of life from within. The road and pavement were empty, save for a discarded crisp packet, caught by a light breeze, slowly making its way down the hill.
Satisfied that she was alone, Clara let the breath she had been holding slowly out before taking a sip of her drink to steady her nerves.
BAM!
Clara jolted, sloshing the beer over the side of her mug onto her jacket, and snapped her head to the direction of the noise.
The door of the pub sung back on its hinges and crashed into the wall of the alcove as two young men came tumbling out, both roaring with laughter and leaning heavily on one another for support. Even in their drunken state, they must have noticed the shock of their arrival on Clara's face, because the next moment their laughter came to an abrupt halt and the taller of the two muttered a quick apology, before they continued on their way stumbling down the short path to the road and up the hill still laughing.
Heart still pounding, Clara breathed a sigh of relief, and with a shaking hand set her mug back on the table.
Just breathe. You're fine, it's just been a long day.
