Miss Rose, I am glad that you agreed to sign the contract with us. It will not make any sense to you, but you are helping someone with a life-death situation, and I highly appreciate it. Thank you."
His voice rang inside her head as she walked home alone. This was not the first time she had heard these words, but the last time they held a different meaning for her. The last time she heard these words, her heart fluttered, her cheeks turned pink, and she hated to admit it that her heart skipped a beat.
The rain has stopped now. She folded her umbrella and turned to look behind, to make sure that she was not being followed. There was a new anxiety building up in her stomach this time, which was much different than what she was going through earlier.
He recognised her. It was not possible that he wouldn't recognise the person he tried to kill and ended up killing her parents. Not after the exchange they had that night before the police van arrived on her doorstep. Then why was he putting up this front? She stopped near the bakery she often visited until the past month. It was shut down now, ready for renovations and new rental agreements. She faced the glass shield and observed herself well.
In the past three years, many things have changed about her. Some of the changes were intentional, some of them were completely involuntary. She has lost weight, which now made her look like a teenager. She has cut her long, dark brown hair into a shoulder-length stream of silver and blue hues. Her eyes have lost their sparkle, instead, there was permanent darkness circling around them. Her skin was paler, her body was thinner, in place of her regular casual wear, she mostly wore loose-fitting, baggy outfits – clothing that would cover her bony structure. The bright colours were replaced by colours no one would notice, patterns nobody would look twice at, and most of them are cheap as fuck.
Her parents had enough money in the savings account, but she never found those account details after they were gone. Whatever money she had left, she used up in saving herself. She found out that lawyers were expensive, especially when a young girl was convicted of her parents' murder. Who was an only child and was supposed to receive a massive amount of insurance money after their death. She never received that insurance money, even though she was released later.
That young girl, a healthy, happy, somewhat nerdy one was gone. Her place was taken by a skinny, completely forgettable woman who was nothing but a ghost of Celia Circe Abrams. A presence who carried an unhappy cloud around her. This person was not recognisable, but she was not too unrecognisable either. Especially if he had looked at her face, he would definitely remember her.
Then why was he faking everything? Was he here for something more? What could she have that would attract him towards her? Come to think of it, what did she have three years ago to attract him? She still was in the dark, about why he did whatever he did.
Three years ago
"I have been looking for this book for quite a while now," her father was speaking to Gavin. He smiled and shrugged as a task very simple was being talked about.
"You may get it online. Or I can get it for you the next time I come," he said.
"Next time, bring your mother and sister too. We'd love to meet them," said her mother.
That gave Cece the cue she was itching for. "How long has it been since you saw his mother?" Her abrupt query made her mother choke, but she recovered pretty fast.
"I don't know, but long enough. The last time we met, Gavin was six years old, and you were around four," she said, eyes Gavin. He nodded as if to give her the authentication she needed to prove her point.
"So, have we met before?" she asked Gavin directly, keeping her eyes still on his.
He reciprocated the same way. His eyes, unblinking and unwavering, stayed on hers. A smirk played on his lips, as though he was challenging her. "Not just once, but thrice. I even came to your birthday party, which of course you don't remember."
"Do we have their photographs, Mom? I don't remember seeing them in the birthday video," she asked her mother, still watching him.
"There is one I think, but Gavin looks very different in it. He was very skinny, tiny back then."
They were all seated in the living room after dinner. Somehow Gavin had managed to woo her parents and make his way into their hearts. Cece felt her cheeks heating as she stared at him. He was handsome. Not the kind of handsome that would make you think dirty immediately, but the kind of handsome that would win you over with time. That was what was happening to her parents. Cece was a little afraid of herself now. Her suspicions were growing weaker, and interest towards him was taking root.
'Stay here tonight, it is too late, and the weather forecast says it might rain tonight," her father offered. Cece widened her eyes at his proposal. Her father was generally a strict man. Never once she had seen him allow a stranger for a night stay. She recalled the time when Mia came with her then-boyfriend and Dad told them off. Her traditional, old-school Dad was probably replaced by an imposter.
After some time, she found him standing alone in the corridor. She grabbed a bottle of water and walked out of the kitchen, checking her pyjamas quickly. It was awkward enough to have a stranger around, especially one who was following her until a day back, she didn't want to fall into another awkward situation.
He was waiting for her, and he didn't try to hide the fact. "Are you trying to avoid me?" he asked in a low voice.
Cece ran her eyes towards the staircase even though she knew her parents were both retired for the day. "Why would you ask that?"
"I felt that, so I thought I should clear it out."
"Why don't you start clarifying the reason you were following me for the last couple of days then?" Cece asked what she was itching to ask. She looked at his face, and instantly she realised that the fear and anxiety she had been feeling for a while was now extinguished completely. Instead, there was something akin to hope.
'Of course, I was following you. I came here looking for you." He looked down at their feet, and continued, "I wanted to talk to you first, but you kept on avoiding me. That night at the party I tried again, but you left early. Then I reckoned it was better to meet your parents first."
Cece found herself gulping. He looked calm and docile, very homely in his nightwear. Thick glasses made his face look smaller, dark brown hair fell on his face making him look kind of cute. He looked cute, Cece told herself, there was no shame in admitting that he looked cute and attractive. Maybe she should have talked to him instead of running away to her parents.
"Why were you looking for me?" she asked in a voice so low, she was surprised that he heard her.
'Because it was long overdue."
"What do you mean?" Cece took a step closer to him and stood leaning at the wall behind her, mimicking him.
"You really don't remember me, do you?" He was still looking at his feet, his ears turning a beautiful shade of red. Cece shook her head. "We promised to meet again when we grow up. You told me to find you. It was a matter of life for me."
Cece genuinely didn't remember a word that he said, but she enjoyed the warmth the words brought in her chest.
Present day
Like Cece, Gavin has also changed. He didn't look like the same, cute, charming young man who came to their place just because he wanted to keep a childhood promise. From his white dyed hair to his branded Italian leather shoes, everything gave off a cold vibe. He had lost the warmth, but then who knew how genuine that warmth was?
Suddenly, her phone vibrated. Cece fished it out of her sling bag and unlocked the screen. It was a text from an unknown number. She read the message, reread it, and then read it once again. She didn't need to know who the message was from. The words themselves gave her all the answers she needed.
—What I said in the car, I meant every word. That being said, I wouldn't be so kind to anyone who makes an attempt to break a contract with me, for no rational reason.
Cece stared at the screen. Her hands were shaking. How did he get her phone number?
Of course, he had her phone number. She just signed a damned contract with him.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. There was only one way to know what was happening, and that was to reply. She typed twin question marks and sent them, and then she stood unmoving for his reply.
She didn't have to wait for long.
—I am aware you went to meet Joe Graham, and I am also aware of his area of expertise. It would be highly appreciated, if you stay on course and not make a rash decision, causing harm to both parties involved.
"That's it!" Cece whispered. She wouldn't let him control her again. And she knew exactly what she needed to do.
She would disappear.
Again.