Page 2 of Flame and Starlight

“Oh, yes please. I only work ’til half past six. Can I run to yours after and drop off all my stuff, and then I’ll meet you?”

“Yeah, of course. I’ll let Liz know you’ll be stopping by.”

I handed her my coffee, pulled out my keys, and twisted my house key slowly off the ring, handing it over. She was still looking at my neck. “Did you finish the book?” I asked, taking my coffee back. I glanced down. I still didn’t see anything, but there was a strange creeping feeling making its way over my shoulder.

“I did. I’m not sure how exciting he can make Alice in Wonderland, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.”

“At least he isn’t hard to look at.” I grinned into my coffee and tried to wink.

She laughed. “Your winking looks more like a stroke.”

“Oh, thanks,” I said, nudging her with my shoulder as we walked into the lecture.

“Hiya!” I called out to my boss as I raced into the little shoe shop.

“You alright, Alys?” she called back. I waved at her in response and started up the three stories to

the top of the skinny building where the lockers were.

“Hey, guys,” I said, poking my head in quickly on the first landing into the break room. “Cuppa?” Tom asked as I started up the next flight of stairs.

“Three sugars, please!” I yelled back.

“You will get two and be happy!” he shouted after me. I laughed. “Bloody American,” he said

more quietly.

“Heard that!”

Taking two stairs at a time, I climbed the other two stories and tossed my bag on the floor. I

slipped out of my coat and shoved it into a locker. It was always so dark up in the top-floor

stockrooms. There was one skylight in the room on the left, but the only other source of light was a

couple of dim ceiling lights. Those lights never fully worked, and the ceilings were low, so low that

my five-foot self was able to reach up and touch them. It never failed to give me a bit of vertigo. And

it didn’t help that every building in this sodding city was five hundred years old.

I pulled at my tights and readjusted my tight black skirt and oversized sweater back over them.

Kneeling down next to my bag, I took out my little mirror and touched up my makeup. Sitting on the

creaky wooden floor, I felt a prickling sensation make its way around my neck and up into my scalp. My heartbeat raced, and my breathing picked up. My palms went clammy. I could feel something

behind me. I just knew there was something in the back of the stockroom to my right. I turned around

quickly, but I was only met with shoeboxes on shelves. The feeling disappeared, and my heart

returned to its normal rhythm as I rubbed the sensation away from my neck.

I shoved everything back in my bag and ran downstairs, more quickly than was necessary, the

feeling licking at my heels. When I rounded the corner and went into the break room, Tom was just

finishing my tea. Ella stood off to the side, sipping hers and playing on her phone. I rubbed my neck

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