Seeds of Autumn

by HB Lyne

  Chapter Three

  1st November

  The moon hung low in the sky, full and bright. Ariana was perched on a rooftop, watching clouds skidding across the beautiful moon that bathed her in soothing light. The night was almost silent and she felt at peace. An itch tickled at her ear and she raised a paw, licked it and rubbed it over her head, ear and whiskers, just like a cat.

  Ariana woke with a start and looked urgently at her hands. Hands, they were hands. With a frustrated sigh she dropped them back onto the bed. She was too awake to go straight back to sleep and with resignation she got out of bed to fetch a drink. As she stood at the kitchen sink she noticed a man standing in the street outside. He was leaning against the wall opposite, his hands wedged into the deep pockets of a baggy old army jacket. The hood was up, hiding his face from sight. She looked at the digital display on her microwave, it was just after 4am. Looking again at the shadowy figure outside, a chill went through her.

  Ariana moved cautiously back to her bedroom and went to the window there, she looked down and watched him for a few minutes. He hardly moved a muscle, just stood there letting the rain pour down over his coat. Fatigue dragged her back to her bed and she slept restlessly until the dull light of dawn crept in through the bare curtains and a familiar tone from her phone roused her. Ariana picked up her phone and opened the new message.

  Are we still meeting for coffee? Ben xx

  Ariana smiled, glad to be reminded of her plans for the day. The memory of her strange dream and the haunting figure in the street came upon her and she looked out of her window. He was still there. Unnerved, she distracted herself with responding to her friend.

  How are you up so early?! I'll see you later xx

  Ariana showered off the glitter and remnants of make up from the party, her mind running over the fun she had had and lingering longingly on the kiss she shared with Rhys.

  She dressed and ate breakfast, trying to focus on happy thoughts, rather than the creepy stranger still standing outside her house. Each time she passed a window she took note of him. Sometimes he was looking up and down the street, at others his gaze was fixed on the entrance to her building. Just after 9am Ariana saw him push away from the wall on which he had been leaning for so long and walk casually away up the street.

  'Creepy guy,' she muttered under her breath.

  When it was time, she picked up her coat and set off to meet Ben in the city centre, again regretting her lack of umbrella. She jogged to the nearby bus stop and took shelter there with a handful of people. No one spoke. St. Mark's was not some leafy suburb where strangers made cheerful small talk, it was a risk to make eye contact with anyone here and as everyone pressed forward to greet the arriving bus, Ariana wondered, not for the first time since moving to Caerton, if any of the people around her were armed.

  As she took a seat on the busy bus, the hooded figure from outside her flat walked past her to take a seat near the back. A sudden breath caught in her throat and she tried to hide it, her whole body tensed up. She liked to think she had good instincts and a knack for noticing things, but his presence on the same bus had blind sided her completely.

  Her heart hammered in her chest and a lump sat uncomfortably in her throat. Caerton city centre could not approach quickly enough and Ariana rang the bell and moved up to the front of the bus just before her stop. When she demounted and set off walking again she glanced back and sure enough, her new best friend followed her off the bus and walked behind her through the city centre. The bustle of the city was not enough to shake him, and as she approached her destination she was close to turning and confronting her stalker. The presence of innocent passers by who could easily get hurt in a physical altercation was just enough to make her quicken her step instead.

  Ben was sat in the café window and waved as she approached. She tried to grin back at him, but faltered. She squeezed her way through the crowded café to Ben's table.

  Ariana took off her coat and slung it on the back of her chair. Sitting down, she looked anxiously out of the window and saw that her hooded follower had sat down on the steps of the shopping centre across the broad road, traffic sloshing by between them. People rushed past him, eager to get out of the rain and cast him incredulous looks as they passed.

  'I ordered your usual,' Ben said quietly, drawing her attention. 'Is everything okay?'

  Ariana shrugged. A waitress brought their coffees over and Ben thanked her.

  'You look rough,' they both spoke at once and then cracked up laughing.

  'It was a great party,' Ariana said. 'Marcus pulled it off once again.'

  'He does that,' Ben said, grinning.

  'How's work?' she asked, sipping her cappuccino.

  'Busy,' Ben groaned. 'Maybe I've taken too much on. There's this big new project, but same old story, I can't actually tell you about it. Sorry,' he said, sipping his coffee. 'But between you and me, it is about bloody time, it is ridiculous that Caerton doesn't already have one,' he teased, but Ariana was too distracted to bite.

  Her eyes moved back to the hooded figure on the steps opposite and she chewed her lip.

  'Everything okay? You keep looking at that guy,' Ben asked, a frown etched deep into his forehead.

  'Yeah, fine,' Ariana waved her hand in the air dismissively. He looked at her disbelievingly. 'It's nothing,' she insisted but he raised his eyebrows at her. 'Look, don't overreact, but he's been following me.'

  'What?' he hissed, glaring over at the guy and half getting to his feet. Ariana pressed her hand on his arm and looked around, checking that they weren't drawing anyone's attention.

  'Sit down. If I thought there was anything to it, I'd take care of it myself. Like you could do better than me in a physical confrontation,' Ariana snorted with laughter and Ben joined in.

  'No I suppose not. Weird though, creepy hooded stalker, Ariana hon. Be careful.'

  Ariana shrugged off his worries and tried desperately to keep her eyes away from the stranger.

  'What did you think of Rhys?' She promptly changed the subject.

  'Oh my, your boyfriend is just delicious.'

  'Boyfriend might be a stretch at this stage, we only just started seeing each other.' Ariana's blood rushed to her face as she remembered the passionate kiss on her doorstep.

  'What? What happened?' Ben gasped, seeing her face go red.

  Ariana hid a big grin behind her hand and shook her head.

  'Nope, I'm not kissing and telling.' She laughed and Ben's mouth dropped open.

  'Oh I bet he is a fantastic kisser.'

  Ariana gave a non-committal jerk of her head. Rhys had made her dizzy when he kissed her, but she wasn't going to give away the juicy details, even to her best friend. She wasn't usually the kind of person to go into such details about her love life.

  They drank their coffees and chatted aimlessly for the rest of Ben's lunch break. Ariana tried to forget about the hooded figure across the street, but she felt his eyes on her and it made her extremely uncomfortable.

  Ariana left for work, parting from Ben with a brief hug. As she walked away, she glanced back to see her new friend crossing the road and falling into step behind her.

  Somewhere between the city centre and the dojo in St. Mark's, the stranger stopped tailing her, but it was little comfort. Throughout her classes that afternoon and into the evening she felt uneasy and as she left work late in the evening she cast furtive glances into the black sky, knowing that the full moon shone somewhere behind the clouds.

  5th November

  Ariana huddled with Ben on the edge of Redfield Park. A thick coat and gloves providing inadequate protection against the bitter November night but at least it wasn't raining.

  A huge bonfire raged in the centre of the park and overhead brightly coloured flashes filled the sky, accompanied by booming explosions. Children ran past with sparklers and little stalls lined the field selling toffee apples and candy floss.

  Ben “oohed” and “ahhed” appreciatively be
side Ariana, a big grin lighting his face, but Ariana was finding it difficult to get into the spirit of the occasion. She could feel eyes upon her, more than one pair. She hadn't seen the hooded figure for days and was just beginning to feel comfortable in her skin again, but now she sensed him nearby. She knew it was him, though she couldn't see him in the dark and crowded park.

  Somehow she knew he had friends with him and she tried to convince herself that it was a coincidence, he was here enjoying the festivities, just like all of her neighbours in St. Mark's and Redfield. But try as she might, she couldn't make herself believe it.

  The firework display came to a glittering end and gradually the crowd began to disperse. Ariana stuck close to Ben, her heart was racing as they moved towards the trees that lined the park.

  'That was so much fun.' Ben beamed at her, linking his arm through hers.

  'Yeah.' She tried to smile back and shake off the feeling that someone was walking close behind them. There were hundreds of people moving away from the park. You're being paranoid. She told herself.

  Ariana glanced over her shoulder towards the bonfire, still burning brightly with stragglers gathered around it. The faces of people walking behind them were all hidden in shadow, the blazing fire at their backs.

  Ariana and Ben walked briskly away from the park and headed south towards St. Mark's. The streets became quieter as the crowds dispersed and went their separate ways.

  Somewhere to the south another public firework display was still in full swing and the loud explosions echoed across the city. Each one made Ariana's heart leap into her throat but she fought her fears and tried to respond to Ben's cheerful babble by her side. Other smaller, private fireworks displays popped and crackled behind fences and walls that they passed and the air was thick with smoke and the smell of gunpowder.

  Each step they took brought them closer to Ben's flat and Ariana looked around cautiously all the way. She saw no signs of being followed and by the time they reached his home she felt almost at ease.

  'Will you be okay walking home on your own?' Ben asked at his door, his face full of concern.

  'I'll be fine,' she said, trying to convince herself as much as him. 'I think I can take care of myself.' She smiled and gave his arm a playful punch.

  He drew her into a warm hug, Ariana hugged him back, a little reluctant to let go and go on her way. Ben was the one to release her and she stepped away from him with a heavy sigh.

  'See you next weekend, I expect,' Ben smiled. 'Cocktails at the new bar by the river.'

  'Of course.' Ariana made a gallant effort to give him a broad smile and they said their goodbyes.

  She set off walking quickly, she lived on the opposite side of St. Mark's. She knew the route like the back of her hand and although she was eager to get home as quickly as possible, she decided against taking the little short cuts through alleys that she knew so well, instead sticking to the bigger, well-lit roads.

  A low snarl behind her made her pick up the pace, afraid to glance over her shoulder. Her heart hammered in her chest and she started running. There were more unfamiliar noises behind her and she let out a frightened cry and picked up the pace. At the next corner she grabbed hold of the iron fence and used it to pivot around the corner with extra speed and agility. She chanced a glance back and saw two huge dogs sprinting down the pavement towards her.

  Ariana leaped up onto the wall next to her, still clinging to the iron fence that topped it and watched in stunned silence as a rangy fox leaped out of the shadows on the opposite side of the road, followed by a long haired dog that looked suspiciously like a wolf. The two new arrivals intercepted the vicious dogs heading for her.

  Snarls and sharp barks filled the air and teeth snapped in warning. It was a stand off. Ariana watched, open-mouthed. The two dogs that had been chasing her were definitely wolves, as was the other canine that had come to her rescue, she was sure of it. The pursuing wolves slowly backed down, they turned and jogged back the way they had come. Her wolf saviour followed them, his nose to the ground, apparently escorting them off his territory.

  The fox turned to look at her, his eyes were amber and glistening under the street light. She stared into the familiar eyes, a nagging sensation of a lost memory tugged at her and she slowly stepped down from the wall and took a few cautious steps towards the fox.

  He stared at her, breathing heavily and sending out little puffs of hot breath into the cold air. She stopped and watched him, trying to read him, there was something about those eyes.

  Suddenly the fox snapped his jaws and jerked towards her. Too much, too long. She understood him instantly and she stepped back, acutely aware of her surroundings once more, the spell was broken. She turned and walked briskly away, desperate to get home.

  She didn't look back, but she knew he was following her, seeing her safely home.

  10th November

  Ariana hadn't told anyone about the encounter with the wolves and fox in the street. It was all too strange and she instinctively knew it must be kept private. Not just because it made her sound crazy, but she felt the inexplicable need to protect these strange animals by keeping their existence secret.

  She went to work each day, aware of the hooded stranger's eyes on her. He never left her now. She felt safe, protected. She decided he was her guardian angel, not her stalker. Even when she had gone with Ben and Marcus to the new bar as promised, her guardian was there, hooded and hidden from view. He blended into the background somehow, but she knew he was there.

  As she left work that Saturday night it was raining, the rain seemed relentless now that November had taken hold, she pulled her coat around herself and set off at a brisk walk. She looked around, waiting for him to appear from the shadows and follow her home.

  After a block there was still no sign of him and she started to feel anxious. Her eyes darted around, searching the darkest corners, the deepest alleyways as she walked quickly through the wet streets.

  A passing car shone its lights into the mouth of one such alley and she was startled to see two yellow eyes fixed on her. The lights quickly passed and the eyes were gone, but Ariana knew the fox was still there, hidden in the dark. She took a cautious step into the alley, her hands open at her sides, hoping that the fox would accept the gesture.

  'Where is he?' she asked. She laughed a little at herself, surprised by the question, surprised at saying anything to the fox that she couldn't even see. For a moment she wondered if she ought to be embarrassed at herself, but decided quickly that it felt right to talk to this fox with the amber eyes. 'I'm worried about him. He's been there every time I've been out on the street for days now. Is he okay?'

  She felt movement in the alley ahead of her and she took another cautious step, engulfing herself in the shadows, away from the orange glow of the street lights. Her eyes began to adjust to the darkness and she latched onto a shape nearby that seemed about right to be the fox. She knelt down, bringing her eyes level with his and slowly his form became more clear.

  He stood looking at her, his eyes not quite making contact with hers, there was no other light to catch his eyes, so they were dark too. He let out a small noise in his throat, so dog-like and normal that Ariana was startled; she had almost expected him to speak. She stood abruptly and shook her head. What was she doing?

  Without another word, Ariana turned and walked quickly back onto the street. She wasn't far from home and she finished the journey shaking her head and scolding herself.