Chapter one

The cold breeze I felt as soon as I stepped out of the plane reminded me of the rainy night I escaped from Free city two years ago. It was the most unforgettable night of my life. After a few steps, I felt very uncomfortable in my stomach. It was exactly how I felt when I fled this city. It was the feeling of doubt and fear for a change.

      The cold weather  gave me goosebumps as I battled with my heavy luggages. It wasn’t just the luggages that felt heavy, my heart was heavy and filled with revenge. I pushed through with my burdens and luggages from the plane area to the terminal area where I bumped into something hard. ‘Oh my goodness’ I hissed as I tried to pile up my scattered bags back up on the carrier.

       “I am so sorry ma’am, I wasn’t looking”. Everything in the city remained the same. Nothing had changed. The busy terminals, the cold weather and a familiar voice that is always following me around. I needed no second guesses, I could recognize this voice anytime, anywhere and any day.  He helped me with my luggage and attempted to take the carrier from me when our hands touched.

       That touch! It was the softest touch I have ever felt. He paused as soon as our hands met and looked at me with all curiosity. I looked at him weirdly but it didn’t stop him. He looked at me with all the care and attention in the world and touched me again. “Hello!! What’s going on?” I pushed him away slightly. 

     He shook his head and quickly looked away. “I am sorry ma’am, you just look so much like somebody I know” he apologized and helped me with the carrier. He added his luggage to the carrier and pushed it towards the exit. I walked behind him slowly as I tried to fight all urges to hug him. He looked the same apart from his hairstyle that he had changed. 

      His new hairstyle made him more attractive, unlike his hairstyle two years ago that gave him the features of a nerd. His glasses were fashion glasses now, two years ago he had medicated glasses. He hasn’t changed his perfumes in two years, his smell was the same, with just one sniff, my brain recognized him. He was my savior, my advocate, my very own Harrison and my brother in law. 

      He stopped a taxi and waited for me to walk closer before he asked me; ‘Where are you heading?”. I was almost led to tears by his act of kindness. All my life, he has been the only man that has genuinely cared and looked out for me. This was his nature, a soft gentle man. “Queens hostel” I replied. He nodded and helped the taxi driver with my luggage. He opened the door and waited till I was sitting in the car.

      “I am really sorry ma’am. I mean for bumping and for behaving like a psycho. It is just that you look so much like my …” he hissed. “You look so much like a woman I know. Same height, same smell and touch. I am sorry if I scared you” he apologized sincerely. It was so hard to not cry and hug him but I held myself. I nodded and gave him a soft smile. I knew it was needed and necessary.

    Harrison has a problem with hiding his feelings. He is always like an open book, easy to read and accessible to others. Revealing myself to him out of pity would only jupatize my chances and set me up for failure. I looked at him and we exchanged glances for a few seconds before he looked away. In those few seconds, I could see hesitation and confusion in his eyes. 

   He paid the taxi driver and stood as watched the car zoom off. I kept looking at him till he was out of sight. I closed my eyes and exhaled. It was just day one in Free city and I was about to be rattled off. Forty minutes later, I was standing in front of Queens hostel with my bags. The hostel staff helped me with them and waited at the reception with me till I got a room. 

       As I collected the room access card from the receptionist, I saw a familiar figure. ‘308’. It was the same hotel and room number Harrison and I spent the night two years ago when I first escaped from doomsday. Memories flooded my mind as soon as I entered the room. From the interior designs and blue sheets that looked like they haven’t been changed in two years but neat. They created a flush of heat waves in my chest.

       I tipped the hotel staff that helped with my bags. He bowed slightly and shut the door behind him as he walked out. I fell on the bed with my back and closed my eyes. It was a long flight of eight hours and my legs were aching and my stomach still had the uneasiness of doubt. I freshened up wrapped myself in a towel as I searched one of my boxes for pajamas.  After three minutes of unboxing, I got one.

        I stared at Free City from the window with a cup of hot ginger tea and a black pajamas. It felt so unreal but it was. I was in the same city I was threatened with death and abandoned. I chuckled at the accident scene I had just witnessed from the window.  ‘Serves whosoever  right!’ I hissed. I closed the curtains and sat on the sofa in front of a round table and dropped my tea. 

      I picked my diary on the table and flipped through the pages till I got to today’s date. I picked my pen and started writing.

  “Dear diary, today I left Bombay city for Free city. For two years, I have dreamed of just one thing, ‘Revenge’. Today I made the first step to the journey of a thousand miles. It was a boring flight and a tempting arrival. On my first day, I bumped into the most unexpected person. The only man I had wished to be heated to, Harrison.

 It was almost as though he could see through my soul despite how unrecognizable I had become. Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for me”. 

      I dropped the pen and flipped my diary to the last page and read out the names of everyone that made my life a living hell. I had written the list a year and eight months ago. It was written in the order I wanted revenge. 

  Gerald

Mr Fernando 

Rubby 

Mom.

I ran my fingers through the list and my heart dropped as the pictures of how my body was covered in bruises flashed through my mind. “It is time”, I concluded.