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Authors: Brooke Sivendra
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to him. I was in front of my target now. I turned back toward the two men, but he had turned around. He was walking back in the direction he had come from. I had to see him. I followed him again. He stopped. He knew he was being followed. I turned again, my back now to him. His eyes followed me, I could feel them. I walked alongside a man on his horse and it shielded me from view until I could turn into the market crowd. My skin prickled, my heart raced. I had been seen.
*
Zahra curled her legs up to her chest and adjusted her pillow. Her dreams were always so corporeal; she felt everything the girl was feeling, even the rush that she got when she stuck her knife deep into her targets. And when she did it, she felt no remorse, no conflicting conscience, nothing but a heady rush of adrenaline. The girl drew her power from her victims and, for the few seconds it lasted, it felt miraculous. But when Zahra awoke, the disgust of the girl’s pleasure was so intense that it crucified her.
This dream had been different, though. It was full of intrigue, suspense, and Zahra wanted to know what happened next. Maybe the girl would see her own death? Or maybe not , Zahra thought. She’s a crafty one, so she won’t go down that easily. She was a fighter, a survivor, and something or someone made her like that. A passing breeze of pity blew through her mind but it didn’t last long—whatever had happened in the girl’s past was no excuse for her behavior. She had chosen to live that life and she was responsible for her actions.
Zahra’s phone vibrated on her bedside table and she rolled over to reach it.
Jayce Tohmatsu: Good morning. Can you meet me in my office at 7:30am?
Zahra smiled and quickly texted back: Morning. Sure, see you then.
*
The razorblade ran up the smooth skin of her leg while droplets of water ran down to her toes. Zahra was taking her time, as there was no need to rush this morning. She still had two hours until she had to be at Mason. Once she was positive not a single stray hair remained on her legs, she washed out the conditioner and turned off the shower. Zahra wrapped herself in a fresh towel and began to comb the knots from her long hair. She stared at the girl in the mirror and wondered which part of her exactly had captured the attention of Jayce Tohmatsu. Her body warmed as she thought of him now and she couldn’t deny it: she was excited. His lips on the nape of her neck, his hands wrapping in her hair; she remembered every detail—she’d felt alive when he’d kissed her, and she wanted more. Today, though, they would be in his office, and although it was private, she wasn’t sure what would happen between them.
By the time Zahra had finished getting dressed, her bedroom looked like Macy’s after a clearance sale: stuff was everywhere. Shoes, dresses, belts and even lingerie were strewn across her room. She’d never had so much difficulty getting dressed for work. Due to her principle of investing in good quality pieces that were classic yet versatile, on a normal day she took no longer than two minutes to style her outfit. Today, however, was a blockbuster marathon of outfits before she finally settled on the first skirt and top combo she had originally tried on. So was life, she thought.
*
Olivia immediately looked up when Zahra stepped out of the elevator.
“Good morning, Zahra, please go through.”
Zahra returned the morning greeting and noticed that Olivia took stock of her outfit. There could be several reasons she would do that, Zahra thought, but she wondered if jealousy was the primary one. Zahra made a mental note to find out if Olivia had a boyfriend, and she knew exactly where to inquire: Holly McCabe. Good ol’ Holly knew everything.
Whether it was nerves or excitement, she didn’t know, but her stomach was full of butterflies when she pushed open the door to Jayce’s office. His eyes locked on hers as she took the first step inside and closed the door behind her. A
*
Zahra curled her legs up to her chest and adjusted her pillow. Her dreams were always so corporeal; she felt everything the girl was feeling, even the rush that she got when she stuck her knife deep into her targets. And when she did it, she felt no remorse, no conflicting conscience, nothing but a heady rush of adrenaline. The girl drew her power from her victims and, for the few seconds it lasted, it felt miraculous. But when Zahra awoke, the disgust of the girl’s pleasure was so intense that it crucified her.
This dream had been different, though. It was full of intrigue, suspense, and Zahra wanted to know what happened next. Maybe the girl would see her own death? Or maybe not , Zahra thought. She’s a crafty one, so she won’t go down that easily. She was a fighter, a survivor, and something or someone made her like that. A passing breeze of pity blew through her mind but it didn’t last long—whatever had happened in the girl’s past was no excuse for her behavior. She had chosen to live that life and she was responsible for her actions.
Zahra’s phone vibrated on her bedside table and she rolled over to reach it.
Jayce Tohmatsu: Good morning. Can you meet me in my office at 7:30am?
Zahra smiled and quickly texted back: Morning. Sure, see you then.
*
The razorblade ran up the smooth skin of her leg while droplets of water ran down to her toes. Zahra was taking her time, as there was no need to rush this morning. She still had two hours until she had to be at Mason. Once she was positive not a single stray hair remained on her legs, she washed out the conditioner and turned off the shower. Zahra wrapped herself in a fresh towel and began to comb the knots from her long hair. She stared at the girl in the mirror and wondered which part of her exactly had captured the attention of Jayce Tohmatsu. Her body warmed as she thought of him now and she couldn’t deny it: she was excited. His lips on the nape of her neck, his hands wrapping in her hair; she remembered every detail—she’d felt alive when he’d kissed her, and she wanted more. Today, though, they would be in his office, and although it was private, she wasn’t sure what would happen between them.
By the time Zahra had finished getting dressed, her bedroom looked like Macy’s after a clearance sale: stuff was everywhere. Shoes, dresses, belts and even lingerie were strewn across her room. She’d never had so much difficulty getting dressed for work. Due to her principle of investing in good quality pieces that were classic yet versatile, on a normal day she took no longer than two minutes to style her outfit. Today, however, was a blockbuster marathon of outfits before she finally settled on the first skirt and top combo she had originally tried on. So was life, she thought.
*
Olivia immediately looked up when Zahra stepped out of the elevator.
“Good morning, Zahra, please go through.”
Zahra returned the morning greeting and noticed that Olivia took stock of her outfit. There could be several reasons she would do that, Zahra thought, but she wondered if jealousy was the primary one. Zahra made a mental note to find out if Olivia had a boyfriend, and she knew exactly where to inquire: Holly McCabe. Good ol’ Holly knew everything.
Whether it was nerves or excitement, she didn’t know, but her stomach was full of butterflies when she pushed open the door to Jayce’s office. His eyes locked on hers as she took the first step inside and closed the door behind her. A
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