Keira rubbed her temples and shut off the light, closing her eyes. The ache in them told her she had been staring too long again. Pushing back from the desk, she dropped the book into the locked cabinet along with a spiral notebook with her discoveries. It didn't look like much, just scribbles and odd shapes, but it was five years of hard work for Keira.
She stood up and touched the picture on the desk, as she always did. It was of her and Pops. They were in the hospital, the nurse had been kind enough to take it for her. Even though he looked like a shell of himself, all Keira saw was the strong, smart and capable man that had taken her in and gave her the best year of her life. She felt sadness wash over her at the memory. He died three days after the picture was taken.
After the funeral, a woman showed up to his lawyers office. Keira walked in eyeing a thin blonde woman arguing with the lawyer.
"So this is the woman that convinced my father to hand over his life savings to her?" she stated, her look of disdain making her features look thinner. She wore a black business suit, dark stockings and plain shoes. Everything about her screamed plain, unlike her father that was warm and full of life. Keira felt anger rise at her throat.
"You never returned any of his letters, phone calls, nothing. He tried to contact you and your mother many times to no avail."
She huffed and looked at the lawyer, dismissing Keira completely. "Look, I want what's mine! I know he had some money stashed away and it belongs to me!" The lawyer looked as if his smile was plastered onto his face as he said, "The documents here are legal and valid, all possessions go to Ms. Dawn as does the store, which I assume is what you are here for?" He looked past the woman to her. "I have all the paperwork here, all you need to do is sign."
"Thank you," Keira said to him as she moved past the woman to sit down. She could feel the daggers the woman was staring into her. Her anger got the best of her and she turned around, "Your father was an amazing man. Smart, caring, loving. You came here today to receive some monetary reward. Well, there is none. I soon as cast it into the sea, then give any to you, you horrid woman. I found the letters he did receive. Every mean thing you ever spoken to him, every tear he shed because you refused his affection, blaming him for your mothers infidelity, your crummy life, even as he sent you both money every week. Leave this office and don't come back. You were never worthy of being his daughter!"
The woman looked at her in fear, Keira thought it was her words, but what she didn't know was in her anger, her eyes had started to change. They started to glow, a dark swirling red. The woman had felt hotter, a sweat broke over her as she stared in horror, and the woman wanted to be away from her gaze. As soon as she was done speaking, she returned to normal, turning around to the lawyer, he saw nothing unusual. The woman hurried out of the room, her heels clicking down the hallway, panic and fear over taking her.
Keira decided it was time for bed, letting old memories go. She needed to be up early for there was going to be an event for kids the next day at the store. After renaming the store to Pops, Keira had taken up a more active role in the community, offering programs to teach and help kids read, it had gotten so successful she was booked out most weekends.
She had fallen into a restless sleep. Ever since she found out she could see things in the book, she has been having weird dreams. Flashes of things she couldn't make out, and a pair of aqua colored eyes. She sometimes woke up hot, covered in sweat. This night she woke to the smell of smoke, jumping off her bed she could see the charred outline of herself, her bed sheets gently smoking.
What the hell is going on?
she thought worriedly. Her mind went back to the book, she was obsessive with it, that she knew, but there was a strong pull, an urge to be with the book, to know its secrets. It's like it was apart of her, but in a puzzle locked away.
Sighing, she headed to the little kitchen and put the kettle on. She checked the window, a bowl sitting on the ledge, to see if any strays had come tonight. The bowl was empty, licked clean, and Keira smiled. She had a fondness for animals and kids. It was a lack of a home life growing up, she figured. Stretching, she stepped out of her clothes and headed for a bath, while waiting for the water to boil.
She looked at herself in the mirror. She looked average. Pale, long red hair, her arm was covered in tattoos. She had gotten it done a month after Pops passing. Blue green flames wrapped around her forearm, meeting a stack of books and a lions head with 'Beta Echo Zero' written each on the spine of a book. Her nose was pierced, something she had gotten when she was eighteen, much to Pops dismay. She wore two earrings in each ear, just little studs, blue twinkles peeking from her hair. She was average height. Skinny, she had small breasts and a bit of a butt, she shrugged at her reflection, no super model was here.
Turning on the water, she set it to the highest setting. She couldn't stand cold water, and lately it made her feel sick. Getting in, she sighed as her skin met the heat of the water, relaxing her tense muscles. She felt lonely. Aqua eyes flashed before her again and she found herself playing with the piercing on her nipples, they were something new, and still a bit sore. Steam rose from her body as she focused her mind on the eyes, and suddenly she was in a room.
The room was dark, she couldn't make out much, but of the sleeping form in the bed. A window was in front of it, casting light upon the sleeping area. It was dark outside, and had Keira noticed, she would have realized it was space, stars and darkness and a passing ship silently rolled by. But she was too focused on the breathing form as she moved closer, her feet quiet on the floor. The figure turned to lay on its back and its eyes opened. Aqua met brown, and Keira found herself crawling up to sit on him, she felt an overwhelming need she had never known before.
Keira wasn't sexually active, even with herself. Growing up and watching her mom bring home a new man every week, she had learned fast about the dark dirty side of sex. It had affected her growing up as she had shied away from it ever since she came into womanhood. But now, all she wanted was to pull away the blankets and impale herself upon this man.
He looked at her with surprise and lust, like she was the first woman he had ever laid eyes on. He wrapped his arms around her middle, drawing her down for a kiss. Their tongues met, and Keira felt lightheaded, forgetting to breathe. The man, giving her little pecks along her jaw, grazed one thumb around her nipple, through her nightgown, an over sized Metallica tee. His other hand cupped her bottom under her shirt, fingertips stroking, teasing at her panty line.
Keira felt herself heat up, unable to control the emotions and desires in her, and she heard the man say no, pleadingly, and she was snapped back into the bath. Panting, she became aware that there was no more water, the tub was empty, a steam rising from her skin. Shakily, she got up and wrapped a towel around herself.
