He watched her walk towards him, hidden in the safety of an alleyway. She was walking fast, her heels clacking on the pavement, mimicking the staccato beat of his pulse. The street lamps regularly lit her face so that the lower part of her jaw was in shadow, accentuating the gentle curve of her cheek. She was so beautiful but something bothered him tonight. Her normally smart and slick ponytail was dishevelled, angry blonde snakes whipping in front of her. He ground his teeth together. Did she not love him enough to at least make an effort with her appearance? As if hearing his thoughts, she tucked them behind her ear and picked up the pace.
This was the coldest night yet he had watched her; unseasonably cold for this time of year. Almost hearing her thoughts, she wrapped the coat tighter onto herself, so tight it was almost a second skin. He smiled. He had left something in her apartment, something she was sure to love. He wanted to reach out now and snatch her away but he controlled himself.
"Not now, not yet," He whispered to himself, "Soon."
He composed himself then turned back to her. She was walking towards him, head down, bracing herself against the wind. She was near home now, closer to his gift. He couldn't contain his excitement. How would she react when he saw it? Looking down at his wrist and stroking the bandage in place there he knew that whatever the reception of it, he was going to be there to see it.
His head snapped up as he sensed her getting closer. She passed the alleyway he was standing in and he fell back further into the shadows. A car drove past, the headlights reflected in her glasses making it look as if her eyes were made of fire. The wind picked up pace, blowing her fragrance right to where he was standing and the smell of flowers and musk filled his nostrils. He loved her smell and had grown familiar to it over the past weeks. Now he wanted nothing else than to be with that scent forever; which he would be, if he waited.
He was hyper aware that he was not the only one surveying her. A man was sitting in the car, his eyes fixed on her, talking on the phone. He knew exactly who he was and wasn't the tiniest bit afraid. In fact, he was the one who led him to her. He was grateful. For once in a very long time, he had purpose, he had a goal.
Felicity.
The wind was biting and Felicity wrapped her coat tighter around herself. It was an unusually cold evening and the weather matched her mood perfectly. Numb. The past few weeks had been like a nightmare; not her life, a horror movie. She hadn't told anyone. Not even Oliver, although she had been tempted many a time to let it slip.
The wind blew even harder, blowing a few strands out of her ponytail. The escaped blonde locks whipped around her face. She tucked them behind her ear and picked up the pace. She had the unsettling feeling that someone was watching her. A car passed, momentarily blinding her and the wind blew even harder. She ran a hand through her already messy ponytail, trying to get the loose hair out of her face. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, she reached her apartment block and let herself into the comforting warmth.
He watched her walk up the steps to her apartment and let herself in. He slipped back into the shadows and walked to the end of the alley where he knew he could access the buildings fire exits.
Felicity jogged up the stairs two at a time, trying to get some feeling back into her frozen toes. Reaching her apartment door, still out of breath from the climb, she made a mental note to enrol herself for one of Digg's training sessions at the lair. How could she get Oliver to notice her if she was panting after climbing 3 flights of steps?!
Normally she wouldn't have wanted to go into her apartment. In the past few weeks' small things had been changed about her home. Sometimes clothes taken out of her wardrobe and strewn across the floor or maybe food missing from the fridge that she could have sworn was there. Small things. Things that hopefully wouldn't be noticed. However, today she was so engrossed imagining her new toned body that she didn't even notice anything was wrong until she slipped her key into the lock. It had been scratched at. Gold flakes shimmered on the floor leaving the keyhole looking cracked and ruined.
She bent down, trying to assess the damage that had been done. It didn't seem too bad, only superficial but this small observation brought back Felicity's fears about stepping inside. Muscly bodies forgotten she took a long and shuddering breath and opened the door, expecting the worst.
Inside, for once, her apartment was tidy. She sighed, the tension leaving her body, angry with herself for being so paranoid and went into her bedroom to change.
He was standing outside her fire escape. He knew she was in there because he could hear her scuffling around and the open and close of her wardrobe doors. The lights were on, throwing her silhouette onto the curtain in front of him as she changed.
He loved this. Her not knowing he was here. It made him feel powerful; in control for once.
She had changed into her oldest leggings and baggiest sweatshirt and padded into the kitchen. She reached into the freezer and grabbed a big pint of Ben & Jerry's, vowing that she would start the healthy eating and training tomorrow. Now, she told herself, she needed comfort food to shake the unnerving feeling of being watched. She crossed to the sink, grabbed a spoon and threw herself down onto the sofa. Switching the TV on, she sighed. This was the first time she had felt human for weeks.
An hour past, and he was beginning to get frustrated. Why hadn't she found her gift yet? Did he not want it? He reminded himself that she hadn't even been in the bathroom yet but even that wouldn't calm him down. He tried to think of a way of getting her away from the TV. Then it struck him like a hammer to the face.
He shuffled to the other side of the fire escape, his eyes fixed on the TV satellite. Being careful not to look down, he stretched across to try and grab hold of it. Wobbling and almost slipping, he finally clasped the cool metal stick. With one swift movement, he snapped it in two. Smiling, he waited for his work to have an effect.
In the middle of the news, the TV went black. Felicity let out an involuntary yelp and nearly dropped the precious chocolate tub. Thankfully, she didn't and no calories were spilt. She sighed, now was not the time for the TV to break. She was already skint and definitely couldn't afford a new set. Grumbling to herself, she got up and placed the ice cream back into its home. Throwing the spoon into the sink, hearing the clang of metal on metal, she walked into her bedroom and decided to have a shower to wash out all the stress of the day.
Walking into the bathroom, she fumbled against the wall to find the light switch. Finally, fluorescent light flooded the small room. She quickly undressed and was wrapping herself in a towel when she noticed everything that was wrong.
The shower curtain was across. It was back when she left. The mirrored bathroom cabinet was half open and the edge was tinged red. Her heart thumped in her chest, quickening until her heart rate moved almost at the same speed as a hummingbird's wings. She knew she should just leave and call the police but as usual her curiosity and burning desire for knowledge won out. With shaking hands she reached out, blood pounding in her ears. She slowly peeled back the shower curtain revealing a scene of slaughter.
The floor of the bath was covered in dry blood, a lot of it. The contrast of the white against the shock of red was stark in the bright lights. The smell of wet copper pennies hunk in the air so strong, she wondered how she could have missed it. The blood, in some areas, travelled up the walls and the taps were covered in the substance. Suddenly it was too much for her. Felicity swayed and didn't realise she was on the floor until her head collided with the side of the bath. Hard. It was not the sight of blood that made her fall. She wasn't squeamish. What made her fall were the letters it had been moulded into instead.
In her bath, crudely written in blood was the word 'MINE'. Reaching for her phone, she managed to snap one picture before falling into unconsciousness.
He smiled. She had found his gift.
