The cold wind licked at her face, tousled her hair and caused it to fall about her face, tangled. She pressed her purple lips together to keep her teeth from chattering and wrapped her coat tighter around herself.

Aviana didn’t know which was colder, the stinging winter winds or the coldness she felt in her heart. She had an icy heart. An icy heart that had been shattered a year ago and was supposed to have been mended by now, but tonight it felt like the slightest dust particle could splinter it again.

“Oh Aviana, stop feeling sorry for yourself.” She muttered with a clenched jaw.

The clouds covered the last of the twilight sky and concealed the stars. The moon fought to push its light through, but the clouds pushed back its idle effort. The moon kept on trying. It didn’t know how to be otherwise. It’s job was to shine. And nothing could stop it.

She felt like she blended into the city shadows on this almost moonless night. Feeling invisible and ashamed at the same time. If she could learn something from the moon, it would be to fight back. Fight for what she wants in life, and to no longer let people take from her.

“Keep your head up, Princess, otherwise your crown falls.” her father’s wise words when he found out that Mark had left them again.

The pools of yellow that flowed from the street lamps and the neon lights that flood from the signs cast monstrous shadows.

It startled her every few steps because she thought she saw someone in that shadows. The sound of following footsteps didn’t help and ordered her body to move faster.

“Faster.” she prompted herself.

She practically ran around the corner of a building and collided with someone. She had knocked the person down and was compelled to stop and help.

It was a boy. About ten to twelve years old. A poor boy in tattered clothes. He stared up at her with stunned surprise.

“I’m sorry. Let me help you.” She reached out to help the boy but he jumped up and pushed a paper into her hands.

“This is for you.” Before she could react he had disappeared around the corner.

She was dumbfounded at what had just happened and had almost forgotten about her fear of the dark. She shoved the paper into the side pocket of her handbag and started walking once again. She heard the footsteps behind her over and above her deafening heartbeat and decided that she had had enough of whomever it was that had been following her, and sprinted the last fifteen meters to the museum office entrance.

Aware that it had been her imagination she tried to control her erratic breathing before she went in. As soon as the inconsistent puffs of her breath dissipated into the night, she stepped into the building, reminding herself to leave home earlier from tomorrow, while there was still light outside.

A night watchman sat behind a desk typing away on a computer. When he saw her come in, he stood up and greeted her.

“Mrs Kyle?”

“Yes.”

“Good evening ma’am. Mr Laurent is not in at the moment, but he said to show you up to his office in the meantime.”

“Good evening, sir. Thank you.”

“Please, call me Sam. This key card is for you, Mrs Kyle. It will let you come and go as you wish. You don’t always have to wait for me to escort you to the office.”

“Thank you, Sam.”

“Mr Laurent left a note for you on his desk. A list of tasks for you to start with. If you need anything, please dial nine, and you’ll be able to speak to me at the security station.”

“Thanks again, Sam.”

Sam took her to a private elevator and explained to her that it would open directly into Kace’s office.

The elevator felt warm with the dim lighting and thick red carpet. Shadows fell over the Spanish Gold marble walls, making the mottling and streaks look like it’s dancing.

When the elevator doors closed it grew darker and caused an eerie glow inside. There was only a glass panel and no buttons. She pressed the key card against it, it recognized it and activated the elevator.

With butterflies in her stomach she exited and walked straight to his desk. The ‘list’ only said: Organize paperwork. Thank you.

“Bizarre.” She whispered.

The large room occupied most of the corner of the building, with an adjacent room to the far left that looked like a filing room. Other offices were to the right of the room.

It was tastefully decorated with paintings and drawings, sculptures and Ceramic figurines littered the office harmoniously.

A great part of the left wall was a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf. Every reader’s dream.

The mahogany desk was neatly organized. She slid her hand over a leather notebook and recognized it as the gift she had given him before he left for France, when she still thought they would get married.

She picked up a framed photograph of the most beautiful blonde girls. It was the twins. They must have a beautiful mother. She thought as she replaced the frame where she had found it.

The assistant desk, on the other hand, was a mess. Stacks of paperwork sat under different paperweights. A laptop peeked out from underneath another heap of papers and pens bestrewed the desk.

Books were strewn underneath the table. Some were leaning against one another on the swivel chair.

Filing cabinets next to it stood open with paperwork stacked on top and an empty water dispenser with no cups next to it.

She started by neatly piling the books in a corner so that she could sit at the desk to start sorting the paperwork.

Aviana had been busy with paperwork and hadn’t been paying attention to her surroundings until she thought she heard an odd noise come from the adjoining offices.

She paused and listened, her heart practically beat in her ears. But there was just silence.

“You’re paranoid, Aviana.” She laughed at herself and continued the work.

A couple of minutes later she heard the same odd noise again.

She froze as a tingling feeling went through her entire body. The hairs raised on the back of her neck. She listened intenty.

There was definitely someone moving around in one of the offices next door.

She walked to the door and paused to listen again. Realising that she’s alone she held the letter opener in a stabbing position and pushed the door slightly ajar.

Aviana noticed that she had goosebumps on her arms, a warning to stay away from whomever was behind that door.

The lights in the offices were off, but the dim light streaming in from the street lamps made it possible to see.

There was nothing. Or nobody.

Finally she stepped through the door with renewed purpose. Maybe there’s a kitchen somewhere, where she could make some coffee. Coffee always seemed to make things better and help her think clearer. Coffee almost always turns a frown into a smile.

Again she heard that odd noise. Not being able to make out what is was, annoyed her. The letter opener in one hand and the door handle still in the other she pushed it aside and gasped at the sight in front of her.

It was like everything happened in slow motion. As the door swung fully open she stepped out and realised she was fully exposed.

There was someone THERE!

A man stood about ten feet away from her. She couldn’t fully make out who it was but being silhouetted from the streetlights she could make out that it was a man. A man with a black hoodie pulled low over his eyes concealing his face, blue denims and white trainers.

The gasp that emanated from her mouth drew his attention and his head jerked in her direction.  Adrenaline was activated and the flight or fight instinct kicked in.

“Run!” She shouted at herself.

Not wanting to know who it could be or what he was doing there sneaking around in the dark, she turned around and ran back inside the office and wanted to close the door.

She turned her back to the office door and tried to keep the intruder in eyesight as she went back inside.

From behind a hand clutched her shoulder.

Her senses were on high alert, a heart that pounded so hard it wanted to crack a rib. Urging her to stab.

Some kind of unearthly sound escaped her lips as she lifted her hand to stab.

The person in front of her reacted faster than she could stab and grabbed her hand. Her legs gave way and she felt how gravity pulled her down.

Before she hit the floor she felt his arms around her. A shiver wracked her body and she opened her mouth to scream.

‘Aviana, are you okay?’

“Kace.” She mustered breathless.

“There’s someone in there.” She barely managed to utter.

Before she could say anything else he ran in the direction she pointed, after he made sure she was steady on her feet. She could hear he was speaking on his phone with Sam.

Half an hour later he returned with a ghostly paleness in his face.

“Did you catch him?”

“There was no one in there. Sam and I checked the entire building and the grounds. We found no one.”

“I saw someone. I saw a man.”

“It was dark. Maybe ...”

“I saw someone!” She said in a too loud contemptuous tone. “Where were you? If you’re not going to be here in the evenings… I’m sorry, I can’t do this…” She stood up from her chair, an indication that she wanted to leave.

“I’ll see to it that I’m here in the future. Let me take you home.”

“Thank you.” The muscles of her chin trembled like a child and tears ran down her face.

He reached out to console her but she jerked her arm free.

Thank you for reading and please let me know what's your thoughts on this chapter.

I pictured Kevin James as Sam. He is so adorable. What do you think?