One | Cold

Life hadn’t always been like this.

Grey clouds covered the sun, choking out any ray of sunlight that attempted to filter through to the ground below. Thunder growled in the distance and lightning snapped across the sky, screaming in pain.

Small raindrops splattered on the windshield as Mason, her grandfather's assistant, turned off the road and onto the gravel driveway that led over the velvety green hill. As Michelle pulled her gray jacket tighter around her shaking frame, she took a deep breath.

“How was it yesterday?” Her fragile voice broke the grey silence, startling her driver slightly.

He cleared his throat as he put the car into park. “It was beautiful. I’m just sad you missed it.”

“It would have been nice if Liam had made an effort to accommodate my schedule,” she muttered.

“The media wasn’t too happy about your absence,” Mason spoke. “Missy wanted to know if you had time for an exclusive interview later today.”

Michelle sighed and closed her eyes. “Did she have any specific time in mind?”

“She said whenever.”

She nodded and opened the door, pulling the hood of her jacket over her head as the rain pelted down on her. It only took her a few seconds to arrive before the burial plot of her grandfather.

Hanging her head, she felt the tears slide down her face, warm and comforting despite the cold air that loomed around her. A shiver ran through her body as she sensed someone near her. She looked over her shoulder to see a figure standing there, their black jacket draped over their boney frame and the hood up, hiding their face.

“Who are you?” Her words tasted empty and bitter, almost identical to the tears that fell.

“Just a friend.” Their voice sounded congested as if they were also crying. The words sounded choked as if they didn’t trust their voice enough to speak louder. She almost didn’t hear them over the growing sound of rain yet their voice radiated through the empty spaces left by the droplets.

“Why are you here?” Her voice cracked and she squeezed her eyes shut.

She had hoped for a moment of peace as she stood by her grandfather’s grave but now it seemed she wouldn’t get what she wished for. Was a moment of quiet too much to ask?

The smell of the rain was calming to her, reminding her of the many summer afternoons she had spent with her grandfather, sitting in the park, watching the birds and insects reappear after a storm. It was always so breathtaking to watch the sunshine chase away the grey clouds that had brought the few moments of fear.

“I’m here to pay my respects.” The answer was delayed and she had been thinking they hadn’t heard her. “I missed the funeral yesterday.”

She sniffed. “Thank you for coming.”

She couldn’t blame them for coming or missing the service—after all, she had missed it herself. Family matters had called her back home where she had to sort out problems that had arisen because of the recent passing of her grandmother.

Now that her grandfather was gone, she was completely alone. A sudden feeling of abandonment crept over her, cold and foreign as she stood there. She couldn’t rely on the people she always turned to because they weren’t there anymore. Time had taken its toll on them, tearing them down and eventually taking them away entirely from her life.

A sigh escaped her lips and she took a step back, preparing to head back to the car.

“It’s following you.” They spoke louder this time and she could hear them properly, realizing that it was a male that stood next to her.

“What?” she asked, shoving her hands into her pockets.

“The Nightmare.”

She looked over at him, brushing her hair out of her face as she did so. Behind him, off to the side, she could see what he was talking about. The creature stood at the same height as her, its entire body nothing more than a seething sea of darkness. Underneath its filmy skin, she could see something moving, writhing, but looked away. Its glowing green eyes locked onto hers and, although it didn’t have a face, she knew it was smiling.

“Are you scared of Nightmares?” she questioned, stepping closer. “Don’t we all have one?”

He shook his head. “Not at all.”

“Then why do you care?”

“They’re dangerous.”

She bit the tip of her tongue to keep herself from snapping back. “I’ll handle it. It’s not a rogue Nightmare so don’t bother yourself with it.”

He leaned his head to the side and she caught a glimpse of his face. It was only a split second but that was all it took. He had eyes as dark as the storm clouds above them and as matte as the grave header before them. They shimmered in the dying daylight as he looked her over.

“I doubt you’re strong enough to handle them.” His words were sharp and sudden, reminding her of static on an old radio set.

Taking a deep breath, she answered. “I don’t know who you are that you can see my Nightmare or that you think you can handle it and frankly, I don’t care. But it’s annoying me that you’re trying to meddle in my affairs.”

He laughed as lightning flashed across the sky, startling her. “Fine. But don’t try and say I didn’t warn you.”

“Warn me?” she scoffed. “You didn’t warn me. You undermined my ability to protect myself.”

In a split second, he stood before her, mere inches away. The air around him was freezing cold, stealing the air from her lungs and paralyzing her. He smelled of iron, a mix between the aroma of metal and blood.

“Your Nightmare will go rouge eventually, Ms. Glass.” His words were like knives, digging into her skin and grabbing at the muscles and tendons beneath. “And when it does, you will regret snapping at me.”

“I highly doubt it,” she managed.

“I don’t.” He stepped around her and stopped by her side. “I don’t doubt it at all.”

She watched as he disappeared out of the corner of her eye and, only when he was gone was she able to breathe normally again. Her shoulders hunched forward, attempting to warm her shaking body.

Everything about him had been cold, reminding her of the air that currently danced around her. A shiver raced up her spine, clawing at her skin as she pulled her jacket tighter around her.

“Idiot,” she muttered under her breath.

The rain began to pick up and the cold drops soaked through her sleeves and onto the skin beneath. Gritting her teeth, she looked down at the grave before her, her knees suddenly weak.

“I’ll come back, grandpa.” She sniffed. “Just not today.”

****

Michelle sat in the grey office, wet hair slicked back out of her face. She hadn’t left right away after the stranger had disappeared, but had stayed there to have a few moments in quiet. The storm had finally chased her off, soaking her to the bone, and now her hair was dripping water onto the carpet.

“Do you need a towel?” Missy slid into her desk chair, giving her a concerned glance. “I know it’s been a rough week for you but if you don’t dry off, you’ll get a cold.”

“I already changed clothes,” she spoke up. “I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?” She didn’t ask again after Michelle gave her a firm nod, waving off any look of concern.

“I’m sure you know why I asked for this interview,” Missy started. “And although I know this is a touchy subject, these are questions I still have to ask.”

“It’s fine,” she reassured her. “I’m okay.”

Missy clicked her pen opened and looked over the list of questions that lay on her desk. “The first one is one that the media has been asking repeatedly for the past twenty-four hours: why did you miss your grandfather’s funeral?”

Michelle took a deep breath and leaned back in her seat. “I was visiting my home back in Hong Kong actually. As you know, my grandmother passed away a couple of months ago and her home-going caused some problems to arise at the estate.”

She nodded, jotting down notes. “And how are you doing with the passing of your grandmother?”

“It’s not something that goes away quickly,” she started. “But little by little, I’m making my way through it. After all, grief is a process that can’t be rushed.”

Michelle bit her tongue and clenched her jaw to keep the tears from rushing to her eyes. She knew it was coming—it was inevitable—and the state she was in was still fragile.

“Now that the previous CEO of Gateway is no longer in office, who do you think is going to take that position?” Missy shifted in her seat slightly, uncomfortable with the question.

“It’ll be handed over to Liam Sanchez,” she answered. “My grandfather took him under his wing when he was just a young businessman and has helped him grow immensely in the past fifteen years. As you know, I am not yet old enough to take over the company so, until I am, Liam will be keeping an eye on Gateway for me.”

Missy smiled. “Are you and Liam close?”

“I know him.” She nodded, forcing a smile. “But close isn’t the word I’d use.”

The room settled into silence, weighing on her shoulders as she awaited the next question.

“Rumor has it that your grandfather enrolled you in Gateway’s Apprenticeship Program. Is that true?”

The question took Michelle by surprise but she kept the smile in place as she answered. “Rumors are called rumors for a reason, Missy. They’re not true.”

“What are your connections to Nehemiah Koehn?”

Michelle narrowed her eyes, unable to hide her annoyance.

“Along with the rumor of you entering the Apprenticeship Program, many people were wondering who your Mentor would be,” she quickly clarified. “I know you said that the rumors weren’t true but I still have to ask.”

“I’ve already put those rumors to rest so I’ll just answer your first question.” Michelle ran a hand through her hair. “I’ve known Nehemiah Koehn and his brother for quite a while now and yes, if I was to go through the Apprenticeship Program, he would probably be my Mentor but I am not doing that.”

Missy shut her notebook and clicked the stop button on the recorder. “Thank you for taking the time out of your day to come in.”

She smiled and stood. “Anytime.”

She headed for the door but stopped when Missy stepped between her and the exit. The casual smile that had been on her face fell away and Michelle saw the worry that had been hidden beneath. It wove its way through the early-set wrinkles that lined her mouth and eyes, making her look years older than she actually was.

“Just between you and me, Michelle, and off the record,” she spoke. “Let me know if you need anything. And I mean anything. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

Michelle slowly relaxed and took a deep breath. “Thank you.”

The woman stepped to the side and she brushed past her. Michelle didn’t look back.

Neither did her Nightmare.

****

Darkness swam around Michelle as she shut the door of her apartment behind her. Normally, the lights would be on and the smell of food would be coming from the kitchen but instead, everything was still—lifeless.

A sigh escaped her lips without her thinking about and she dropped her keys onto the counter. Slipping out of her jacket, she headed for her room where she quickly changed into more comfortable clothes.

She turned on every light in the living room before moving into the kitchen where she flipped all the switches, bathing the room in light. The counters were clean, the stove untouched, and no dirtied plates in the sink, all reminding her of the fact that no one was there.

No one besides her.

Taking a deep breath, she squeezed her eyes shut as the emotions welled up in her chest, making her whole body ache. The back of her throat burned as the sobs came but she swallowed them back, refusing to admit that grief had weighed on her shoulders immensely.

She gripped the edge of the counter to keep herself from crumbling to the floor. The last thing she wanted to do was listen to the sound of her screams fill the empty space around her so she clenched her jaw and forced herself to stand. One more day of pushing the feelings down wouldn’t hurt.

She’d done it before, she could do it again.