Blood Crescent

Life Bites

"Hmm." I looked up, everything seemed more fuzzy than usual. Reaching out for the corner of the front desk, I used it for stability as my vision returned to normal.

I hovered over the receptionist's computer waiting for my brain to kick start again, before moving dance lessons off myself to the open time slots on Ryan's and Monica's schedule.

Aislin was the manager; she hired enough dance instructors to take care of things on their own, and convinced me in the last week that I needed to focus on school work. She didn't let me get away with not at least getting my G.E.D. online. Though I seemed to be spending more time sleeping than anything else, thankfully I never remembered the dreams anymore.

I'd been passing out, nearly standing up with my eyes open, a pizza pocket in my hand and the other on the doorknob. Aislin noticed, demanding I take care of myself, or lessons from my work schedule wouldn't be the only thing lost.

With how much work was needed it made me wary of spending my time hanging out at one of the many Pennsylvania State Parks to watch locals, tourists, and the changing shrubs and flowers revolving around the weather, while Aislin toiled away to keep mac n' cheese in the cupboards.

I didn't know how much time I'd have to be "taking it easy" per Aislin's orders. And who takes it easy on their birthday anyway?

"Miss." The bell dinged from the reception desk and I looked at a finely tailored suit, this guy was so tall I stared directly at his pocket square. Who wore pocket squares anymore?

"Miss," he repeated himself.

"Uh," was all that I could say after I met his eyes. I was jealous of his thick lashes, girls would die to have those for themselves. Though it was equally odd to see such silvery eyes, that nearly changed color in the light from the window, for a moment I thought they were purple.

"How can I help you?" I finally caught my own tongue again.

"Would you deliver this missive to the owner of this establishment?" He offered a rather official looking letter to me and my hands automatically reached for it without thinking.

"Sure." I traced the gold lettering on the envelope, and wondered what Aislin had gotten us mixed up in. "And who should I say it's from?" He gave me a sly smirk, tipped his hat at me and turned to leave.

I pressed my lips into a tight line as the jingle of the door made me imagine that the glass smacked him on his ass on the way out. Didn't even say who he was, rude.

My dad would usually buy me a lemon cupcake with a candle in it from my favorite bakery today, but all I got was weird uppity man who refused to say his name, and a strange letter.

One candle was all I needed, my dad would say, I smiled despite my recent guest, you don't need multiple flames to burn away the years, one should last you a lifetime. He used the same candle every year. I no longer had that candle—one was not enough. All of a sudden my smile faded.

After that day in the park with Victor I couldn't stop myself from wondering who my dad was talking about, who would be after me? I couldn't get this nagging feeling out of my head that he'd told me why before, and now it was gone. I didn't remember why I left Seattle, why my mom was gone, or why I felt so scared all of sudden. But I wasn't going to leave, not again.

Nobody is after me, nobody is after me. I'm not insane, there is no conspiracy theory. The mantra repeated itself in my head to prevent me from fleeing at dawn. I couldn't decide whether I was lying to myself, or if I was just trying to keep hold of my sanity. I couldn't even remember yesterday.

"Crystal?"

"Yes?" I blinked a couple times to realize I was staring at the screen like a cog waiting for its turn to click into place.