Sarah stood at the kitchen sink, staring out the window and wondering, "Where is he. What's become of him?" She set her coffee cup down and shook her head as she walked to her living room and sat down with a book.
Crissy, a college friend, drew pictures of everyone for her. Sarah never told her about the night she met him, but instead told the friend she had been rehearsing for a play and felt it would help her to have images to talk to due to the fantasy world it was set within. Crissy didn't question Sarah about the vivid details she gave for the characters.
Sarah thumbed through the book until she came to the picture - his picture. Her heart ached at the sight of his face. Crissy was good. Even all these years later she could feel his eyes looking right into her soul. She shivered a little as her emotions overwhelmed her. The pictures were all in plastic sleeves and Sarah's tear rolled right down the plastic over his face. Sarah wiped the tear away and closed the book. "It's been 9 years, quit being so foolish!" she chided herself. But she knew that his face would never leave her mind and the aching she felt when she remembered him would not go away.
Sarah finished getting ready for work, and left her apartment. On the busy city streets it was easier to displace the memory, lots of faces to observe. But the voice in her head still haunted her. His plea, "Love me and I will be your slave" echoed through her mind as she got on the subway. Sarah's heart raced for a moment when she thought that she saw him, but it was just an entertainer headed for a party. Sarah hurried off the platform as soon as the subway came to a stop. Darkness was always hard for her. She had always felt like she was being watched but dismissed it as teenage paranoia.
The university's theater was dark as usual, her worthless assistant was supposed to get there before she did, to turn on the lights. Sarah mumbled to herself as she fumbled for the switches in the darkness. Her brain was screaming that she was not alone in the room and her panic level was close to forcing the scream from her throat. She finally managed to find the switch and jumped back from the wall when she saw the mannequin next to the switch.
"Damn it Jesse!" Sarah cried out. "Why the hell would you leave that stupid thing by the switch?"
"Just to see if I can rattle your cage Sarah." he snickered behind her. "Besides, everyone needs a good shock to their system every now and then."
Sarah was not amused. "Please put it back in the props department where it belongs." She started to stalk away, but her anger was getting the best of her. She wheeled around and shook her finger at Jesse - "Do it again and you won't work here anymore."
His shocked expression at seeing her pushed so far was actually pleasing to Sarah. She walked away quickly before she laughed at her outburst and his reaction.
"Rehearsals were grueling today." Sarah complained to her best friend Becky over dinner that evening. "Some days I think these kids just think they can breeze through on looks alone."
Becky nodded, "You should have seen the immaturity of the group today when the nude model dropped their robe." Becky shook her head disappointedly. "I was actually embarrassed for George. I mean, yes, he's old - but he still deserves respect."
The two finished their dinner in between swapping stories. Sarah felt that old familiar feeling again that she was being watched. She glanced around and saw nothing unusual. Paying their bills they bade each other goodnight. Becky caught a taxi and Sarah began walking toward her apartment.
It was just a couple of blocks, but Sarah suddenly felt very uneasy. There was an owl hooting in the distance, could it be? Sarah came to the door of her building and stopped at the stairs to search the sky - nothing. She shivered in the night air as the wind whirled around her. Fumbling in her purse for the keys, she hurried up the stairs.
Sarah paused to check her mailbox, and an envelope fell out. Stooping over to pick it up, she banged her head on the little door as she stood up. Cursing under her breath and rubbing the now sore spot on her head she slammed the door shut and headed for the elevator.
She was still mumbling as she exited the elevator and unlocked her apartment. Tossing the mail on the kitchen counter with her purse she went to her bedroom to get her shoes off. Touching her head where she hit it revealed that she was ever-so-slightly bleeding. She dabbed a little peroxide on the spot and changed her clothes.
Wandering back out into the kitchen, Sarah spied the envelope that caused her so much trouble. "Probably just a bill or junk." she said to no one. Picking up the envelope, Sarah noticed that the paper was the handmade sort - definitely not what she would have expected in the bill or junk categories. The paper had a earthy smell to it, but no return address. "It's probably from Toby," she mused, "He finds the strangest projects in school."