Page 3 of One Last Wish (The Elder World)

“H ow did it go with Danny ?” I asked Evelyn over the breakfast bar in the morning. Our apartment was small but stylish. It had all the latest mod cons that were perfect for compact living.

“A little disappointing,” she pouted. Her dark, coffee eyes searched my face. “What was your screaming about last night, anyway? I don’t think for a moment that you had a guy in your room.” I was screaming last night? I didn’t remember that part. “It sounded like you were being gutted or something. I had to check on you, but you were fast asleep.”

“Oh, it’s probably the fantasy book I’m reading. I’ve been having weird dreams the last few weeks.” I tucked my hair behind my ears, trying to play it off.

“You’ll have to let me read the book once you’re done if it makes you scream that much.”

“Yeah, I will. I think you’ll like the male lead. He’s quite...possessive.” Evelyn loved her smut and possessive alphas.

“What kind of dreams do the books make you have?” I knew what she was asking with that dirty smirk on her face. “Are they vivid and lifelike? How large was his penis?”

“Not those kinds of dreams! You can be such a dirty bitch.” I don’t think I’d ever had a dirty dream.

“And you are such a closed book ! We’ve been living together for two years and I only ever see the real you when we get drunk!”

“We’re roommates! You don’t need to know anything about me.” It was true. We didn’t need to know anything about each other. We only ever had conversations in the morning for a few minutes before we went about our days.

“You are fucking cold, Alora. Has anyone ever told you that?” A few times, actually. “You were really screaming, and not in a good way! Sorry for giving a shit!”

“Okay! Okay!” Damn, Evelyn was a temperamental bitch this morning. “It was a weird shadow dream. This hand tried to grab me, but the room spun upside down before the hand could get me. That was probably what made me scream.”

“Like one of those hot Shadow Daddy’s?” I really shouldn't have gotten Evelyn into fantasy books! She was less annoying with the contemporary novels.

“ No . There was no man in the dream. A male voice, but not an actual man!”

“Weird. Yeah, I agree, no books for a while! Your overactive imagination probably doesn’t help.” Looking down at the smartwatch on her hand, Evelyn jumped up. “Fuck! I’m going to be late for my lecture! Are we still on for drinks tonight?”

“Yes,” I called, watching her grab her bag and rush towards the door. That would teach her for inviting Danny back last night.

After washing up my cereal bowl and coffee mug, I got showered and dressed, ready for another thrilling day at Bookends. At least Theo was off today. I’d have the pleasure of Ned, Alice and Daisy, instead. The three work colleagues that feared me the most. It was going to be a nice, peaceful day.

I arrived at the corner bookshop first. It was rare for Malcolm to make it in before his staff. By the time I got in and put all the lights on, Ned and Alice had arrived. I was setting up the tills, Alice gave me a small smile, but all I did was glare back. Daisy got in a few minutes before Malcolm. I’d never met anyone as happy as Daisy. Nothing seemed to faze her, and she always had an annoying grin on her face.

“Good morning, Alora! Isn’t it a beautiful day?” It was November . New York was cold, dull, and full of tourists here for Thanksgiving and the festive holidays. What the fuck was she on?

“Can you unbox the books out the back?” I needed her as far away from me as possible.

“Let me take my coat off first!” Daisy giggled. “You are such a slave driver!”

“There are some new bookmarks that need to be priced up and put on display, too! Oh, and a few new window display posters. Get Ned to help you,” I called as she went out of view.

At least I could stay at the cashier desk today. With Theo being off, I didn’t have to find lots of hiding places.

“Thanks for opening up,” Malcolm called from behind me. “I’ve been thinking about your idea to host a midnight fantasy release party.” Oh! Was he finally giving in? “If you’re happy to run it, I think you could be on to a winner. It will give Book Junkies a run for their money.”

“That’s amazing news! Of course I don’t mind running it!” My mind was on overdrive with ideas. I had been begging him for months to let me organise one.

“With Richard leaving this week and Mary still being on probation, I’ll need to recruit another member of staff. I’m not sure if you’ll get anyone other than Theo that will work the midnight shift, though. I can add a little more for a night rate, but not much.”

“That’s fine. Theo and I should be able to run it. If it goes well, we can plan the rest from there. I’ll have a look at some popular releases and work out a date to host our first one.”

“If this event goes well, Alora, I’ll speak to the head office about a promotion for you. You really do have some good leadership skills.” And that would cement me to this place forever. Ground, swallow me up now, please.

“Thank you, Malcolm.” My boss was a similar age to my father. Sometimes when I looked at him, I wondered what my dad would have looked like now. Maybe he’d have a bit of a receding hairline like Malcolm. My dad probably wouldn't have quite the belly my boss had, though.

I’d have to pay a visit to his grave at some point. It had been a while. He was out in Bridgewater, New Jersey. Maybe I’d do it on one of my days off in a few weeks.

“Alora, some of the new books are damaged.” Daisy snapped me from my thoughts, standing with her hands on her hips.

“Okay, you take over the till. I’ll go and take a look.” This really should have been Malcolm’s job, but he left me to do a lot of things these days. I already acted like his assistant manager and he knew it!

It was nice being out back. I took my time sorting out the damaged books, repacking them, ready to send back to the publisher.

Images from my dream last night flashed through my mind as I picked a few empty boxes up. Had I really been screaming? I found it difficult to believe, but I did remember a moment in that dream where I’d been paralyzed, too scared to move. Had I screamed then?

My hand began to tingle. Gazing down at it, I froze. What the fuck? It seemed to have a dull glow surrounding it. I looked around, confused. Maybe the light in here was reflecting off it? Shaking my hand, I looked back down. My skin was now the same ice white colour it had always been. Maybe I needed glasses. My eyes had always been a little sensitive to light.

Crap, I really hoped I wasn’t going crazy!

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“D OWN ALL THOSE SHOTS !” Evelyn ordered. “If you can stand after those, you win!”

We’d been in Clover Bar for hours, slowly getting drunk. She’d come straight from work, like I had after I’d changed my work top. Manhattan had some of the best, low-key bars. Clover Bar was a favourite of ours, with its Irish pub charm. We had planned to go to a nightclub down the road, but we were too drunk for that now.

I downed my last shot, slammed it onto the bar, and stood holding my arms up in the air in victory.

“Where do you put it all...a small thing like you?” the barman behind the counter asked, smirking. “How are you getting home in that state? I don’t mind walking you back, if you wait until my shift is over. It finishes in an hour.” He’d been flirting with me all evening. The guy had tattoos, but didn’t seem enough of a bad boy for me.

“Oh, you don’t stand a chance. She’s been dreaming of her own Shadow Daddy for weeks !” Evelyn slurred, draping her arm over my shoulder. “I’ll get her home safe, anyway.” I wasn’t sure Evelyn knew where home was.

“Can I at least get your number?” he pleaded, leaning against the bar. The guy was dark, tall and stocky, but he didn’t do it for me.

“Not tonight.” Pushing off the bar, I grabbed Evelyn’s hand. “Let’s dance.” The dance floor was small, but it didn’t matter as we swayed to the music. It was difficult not to notice all the men checking Evelyn out. We rubbed up and down each other. In this state, you’d think we were best friends. It was all an act, though. The alcohol made us feel closer than we actually were.

A guy tried to grab her around the hips, but I pulled her out of his reach. “Come on, sexy!” The drunk asshole shouted as I moved us away from him. We were young enough to be his daughters!

“I love your hair!” Another guy wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me against his chest, taking a strand of my hair between his fingers. “I don’t see many young women going for this colour. Isn’t it a bit old for you?” When I elbowed him hard in the chest, he released me.

“That’s her natural colour, asshole! Her eyebrows may be dark, but she doesn’t dye her hair.” Evelyn hiccupped. “Don’t you know anything? ” Wow! She was drunker than me. I don’t think she even knew where we were. Why was she talking about my eyebrows, though?

“Oh, come on, baby. Don’t play hard to get,” Mr. Grabby purred, eye fucking me. Yuck! “I don’t care what colour your hair is. That’s not what I’m interested in.”

“A word of advice! Don’t grab a woman that isn’t interested, and I’m not your fucking baby !” I seethed, pushing at his chest. I may have been a small thing, but I had some strength behind me. He wobbled a little before almost stumbling backwards. I’d had enough of this shit. Evelyn and I needed to head home. The dickhead was still calling us as I dragged Evelyn away.

The cold air on my face felt good after the stuffiness in the bar. Evelyn was wandering all over the place, stumbling as she tried to walk. I had to admit, once the night air hit me outside, I realised I was a little tipsy myself. I might have had one shot too many.

“Let’s head back over the bridge,” I commented to Evelyn, who was trying to chat up a guy waiting for a hotdog. It was past midnight now, and was fairly quiet for Manhattan.

“But I want a hotdog!” she pouted, resting her head on the guy's shoulder. “You’ll buy me one, right?”

“You can have whatever you want, beautiful,” he chuckled.

“Evelyn! You don’t even know him! Come on,” I sighed, pulling her away from the random guy. He wasn’t even her type! She’d thank me for that save in the morning.

“Yo...Y...You are no fuuunnn!” she slurred as I led her towards the bridge. “Let me at least get his number!” She fumbled around, trying to find her phone in her bag.

“He wasn’t even your type!”

“Yes, he w...” Evelyn got distracted when she realised we were on the bridge, even though we’d been walking on it for at least fifteen minutes. “Oh, look at all the pretty lights,” she gasped, rushing over to the side rail. How she managed to not fall flat on her face was a miracle. We were so high up. I loved the New York skyline at this time of night. Nothing but darkness and the sprawling, lit up city in front of us.

“Let’s take a selfie!” Evelyn hiccupped, finally finding her phone.

“Let’s not.” She’d plaster the photo all over her social media in the morning. I wasn’t her friend! Evelyn was a convenience to me—someone I could get drunk with, and forget my pathetic existence for a little while—nothing more.

“Fine! I’ll take photos on my own!” She was by the barrier now, trying to fix her long brown hair. I should have recorded her. She looked ridiculous. When her fingernails got caught in her hair, disaster struck and her phone slipped from her grip. “Shit! My phone!” It had become lodged on the other side of the railing.

“I might be able to get that,” I mused, looking down at the railings. “You’re lucky it didn’t fall into the traffic below and get run over by a car!” If I carefully climbed up and held onto the lamppost, I would be able to get it back for her. My body was pretty flexible.

“Alora! We all know you’re suicidal, but this is ridiculous,” she snorted, watching me climb up on top of the railings. Fuck, it was windy. I gripped the lamppost for support. I could do this, I wasn't going to fall and get hit by traffic. I kept chanting that in my head, hoping it was true. I was pretty tipsy, after all! “I’ll get a new phone! It’s fine,” she stressed. “Get down from there. You’re making me nervous! What if you slip?”

“I’ve almost got it.” I winced, trying my hardest to reach for the phone.

It all happened so fast; one moment I was holding onto the lamppost, stretching one more inch to be able to touch Evelyn’s phone. The next, as I grabbed hold of it, I lost my hold on the lamppost. I was falling forwards to my death. Fuck, this was how it happened! Selflessly, I’d die trying to get a friend's phone back. A friend, I couldn't deny that fact. Evelyn was the only person that cared about me. Truly cared. She was a friend, and I would miss her.

Closing my eyes, I waited for the impact, hoping it would be quick at least! My neck might break or a car might hit me. Evelyn let out a blood curdling scream before yelling my name. Something surrounded me, but I was too scared to open my eyes. Was this the afterlife? I hadn’t felt a thing. The force grabbed me and pulled me backwards. I couldn’t even describe what it felt like, but as my back softly hit the sidewalk, I opened my eyes to watch a small dusting of shadows disappear before me. Wait! I wasn’t dead? How!?

“Alora! Alora! Fuck! Are you okay?” Evelyn cried, rushing to my side. “Shit! I thought you’d slipped!”

“I...I...I did. I fell. H...H...How did I end up falling backwards? ” I gasped, confused and a little freaked out.

“I don’t know! I must have gone into shock when I saw you slip, and everything went dark. When I opened my eyes you were here! Shit! You almost fell ! Fuck! Fuck! Are you okay? How could you be so stupid ? You could have died !” Evelyn’s panic attack was drawing attention. A few people were rushing over to check on us. “She almost fell getting my phone! Check her head! She fell backwards on it!” Evelyn ordered the couple that had rushed over to us.

I wasn’t hurt, I hardly felt the fall, it was so soft. Almost like landing on clouds. What the fuck had happened? Had I really been lucky enough to correct my balance? Or had something else saved me? Evelyn had her phone back, too! I’d somehow held onto it?

Playing the scene over and over in my mind didn’t help. None of it made any sense!

I sounded crazy! It had to be the drink making me imagine things. What could have possibly saved me? I must have managed to fall backwards somehow. I kept telling myself that until we finally got a cab home.