possession (temporary title)

Chapter 1

Eliza stepped out of the club doorway and cursed as the first drop of freezing December rain hit her and ran down her neck before soaking into the velvet lining of her corset.

“Hey Liza, you gonna be ok getting home?” a voice asked from behind her. She nodded, too angry to reply, after all, if it wasn’t for the owner of that voice, her so-called best mate Sarah, she wouldn’t be looking at a half hour walk home in the freezing cold without even the money to pay for a taxi. The fact that she couldn’t even phone her boyfriend Stefan for a lift because the idiot friend of the single figure IQ bloke drooling down Sarah’s cleavage had dropped her mobile in his pint ‘accidentally’ after she’d turned him down just made things worse. That Stefan was probably too drunk to drive now having spent the evening with his mates at the local was something she avoided thinking about as she stepped from the relative shelter of the club doorway and into the cold winter night alone.

“Hey, Lizzy isn’t it?” a voice called, interrupting her thoughts as she walked down the street, the warmth of the club nothing but a distant memory now. It felt to her frozen arms that she wrapped around herself, trying to squeeze feeling back in to the numbness that her entire body had become. Instinctively she turned around, toward the voice and found herself looking in to a face she could barely remember, a pleasant face that showed the hard years it had endured but somehow survived.

“Nathan isn’t it?” she asked, dredging the name from the deepest recesses of her mind. He nodded and smiled.

“Why the hell are you walking around at this time of night alone and without even a coat to keep you warm?” he asked, concern in his voice. Even as he spoke he unzipped his own heavy black woollen great coat and put it around her shoulders.

“I’ve been out with a friend but she decided the night was still young and I didn’t wanna cramp her style.”

“Couldn’t she at least have offered to pay for a taxi?”

“I guess not” Eliza replied with a shrug.

“Look, need a lift?”

“Where to?”

“Wherever. I got no place I need to be.”

“Look Nathan, that’s kind but I can’t, I need to get home, Stefan will be wondering where the fuck I am.” She replied. Something about the man walking next to her, easy with the cold rain running down his face and soaking into the collar of his shirt, made her wary. She wasn’t sure if it was the fact he was still wearing wrap-around shades despite the almost pitch black night or something more fundamental that she couldn’t quite grasp that shook her at a subconscious level, an indefinable wrongness about him that defied any attempt to explain. From the moment he’d spoken to her, appearing like a ghost from the past behind her, she’d felt like screaming and running, a feeling that hadn’t faded and one that she was having more and more difficulty controlling.

“That’s cool, how about we head for a phone booth, you call a taxi and I’ll pay. I don’t like the thought of someone as pretty as you walking home alone.”

“Yeah, ok. But are you sure, I mean we haven’t spoken in years, I kinda feel like I’m taking advantage.”

“No problem, where’s the nearest pay phone?”

“A couple of streets away I think.” Eliza paused, trying to rack her brains for where the nearest callbox was but the alcoholic fog that still clouded her ability to think and the almost mind numbing panic caused by Nathan walking near her made thinking straight almost impossible

“Yeah, there’s one at the bottom of the main drag in town” she finally managed after several uncomfortable minutes of intense silence. “Are you sure you don’t mind? You must have been heading somewhere?”

“Doesn’t matter, I was just walking for the sake of it, needed to feel the air against my skin and get out of the car for a while. I’m only passing through and I’m in no real hurry. I got all night.”

She nodded, not sure what to say. Even as drunk and as desperate as she was, Eliza was beginning to think that she’d rather walk home than spend much longer with the enigmatic stranger walking beside her. He’d changed so much since school, going from being a complete loser in to, well something else, something that scared her and made her want to run and not stop running till he was less than a distant shadow or an unpleasant memory. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she realised that there was nothing of the awkward quiet boy she remembered in the man walking beside her and had it not been for his face, the Romanesque nose and slightly overstated chin, she wouldn’t have recognised him at all. Thinking about how much he’d changed, about the difficulties he’d faced that were written in the deep creases on his forehead and the hollowness of his cheeks provided her with a welcome distraction from the terror that kept threatening to overwhelm her and with the easing of her fear came the desire to talk, to find out what Nathan had been doing since they’d last talked, over a decade ago.

“Where did you go after you left school? Everyone thought you’d died or something. One moment you were there and the next day, gone. We all at least expected you to go on to college or something.”

He shrugged, dismissing the question with a smile and a raised eyebrow. Not ready to give in, Eliza decided to try another tack.

“Ok, so where were you heading? Has it got anything to do with what you’ve been up to for the past few years?”

“Perhaps, it doesn’t really matter. I had a few difficulties, I overcame them. Now I’m free, I can go where I like and do as I please. I wasn’t really heading anywhere in particular; I just thought I’d pass through and see what had happened to the town I grew up in. I didn’t expect to see anyone I knew or for any of you to remember me.”

“Are you like a journalist or something?”
“No, why do you ask?”

“Well it’s just that you sound like you don’t have a base, somewhere to return to, I thought you must have one of those jobs that you need to travel about for.”

Nathan laughed a deep laugh with an inflection of slight madness that sent a shiver of renewed terror up Eliza’s spine.

“No, I’m not a journalist or anything, I just don’t have anywhere I live, I go where I want, where I feel drawn to.”

Just for a moment, as he turned towards her and finished speaking, Eliza felt the full weight of his gaze fall on her, as it hadn’t since meeting, as if for the first time he was really studying her, dissecting her in his mind, considering what use he might put her to and without meaning to, her pace quickened.

“You don’t look to great, what’s on your mind Liz?” Nathan asked her, his tone friendly yet somehow also threatening, as if he could read Eliza’s thoughts. Despite her haste to reach the phone box and the relative safety of the well-lit, town centre, he seemed to match her effortlessly, as if determined she wouldn’t escape. Eliza shrugged in turn, not trusting her voice to stay calm if she spoke. He seemed to accept her silence and instead walked with his head slightly tilted to the dark sky, apparently enjoying the feel of the heavy rain on his pale, drawn skin.

“Look , I think I’ll just walk. It’s really kind of you to offer to pay for me and stuff but I feel a little queasy and the walk’ll probably do me good” Eliza ventured no longer able to ignore the sense of unease that threatened to tip over in to hysteria if she stayed with him much longer.

“Want me to walk you home then instead?”

“No thanks, I’ll be ok, I just think I wanna be alone for a while, let my system pull itself together.”

“You sure?” he asked with an ‘it’s your choice’ shrug.

“Yeah, I don’t want to offend you but I drank too much and I’m feeling a little spun out, I don’t wanna risk getting billed for throwing up in the cab” Eliza replied, hoping that he wouldn’t see through her obvious lie. To her surprise, he didn’t try to press her, just smiled and gave her a quick hug.

“This is my mobile number” he said, handing her a small card. “My car’s nearby so if you feel anyone following you or anything, give me a call and I’ll come find you. I still remember the way around here pretty well.”

Somehow, despite the reassuring tone he used, his last words sounded almost like a threat or a warning to Eliza and it was with relief that she watched him turn around and walk back the way they’d come. She stood watching him slowly blend in to the night until he was no longer visible and then with a sigh of relief, started to make her own way home.

Nathan walked, alive to the sounds and subtle rhythms of the night as no other creature under the darks skies could be. The girl, Eliza filled what passed for his thoughts and even as he’d walked away, the scent of her skin had remained with him, a scent rich with a mixture of life, energy and sensuality that made him ache to possess her as he had so many others. That her scent had also contained the sharp tang of fear, a sourness that left a bitter taste in his mouth mattered not, he ached for her and it took all the self control he possessed not to run to his car, to pursue her. Though he knew he couldn’t hope to catch her on foot, he knew that the coat she still wore that contained his own distinctive scent would lead him to her as surely as day followed night. He knew that his lusts for her, so many and so varied, would be sated soon enough and that alone gave him the strength to control the raging need within him, gave him the patience to plan and consider how he might go about the business of possessing her.

Eliza, unaware of the dark thoughts floating through the consciousness of the creature she thought of as Nathan, walked through the rain, glad of the thick warm coat that held the worst of the cold and damp at bay. Already the fear of him, so mind numbingly overwhelming when he had been beside her had faded and become nothing more than an unpleasant sensation that while unwanted, was at least bearable. In fact, as she crossed the last street before hers, the whole encounter had assumed an almost nightmarishly dreamlike quality that by the morning would leave her wondering if it had even happened.

When she finally reached the front door, keys in hand, a voice calling her name stopped her cold, a voice she knew but hadn't expected to hear, one that had no business being outside her house at this time of night, particularly when she herself hadn’t been there.

“Hey Liz, I thought you were out with Sarah?”

“I was. Why the Hell are you outside my house at one in the morning Andy?”
“Because somebody needed a lift.”

“Does Stefan know you’re out here?”

“Probably.”
“I thought you and Stefan fell out over the whole thing with me and Alice, you gonna tell me he called you?”
“No but it was your house number that came up.”
“You wanna tell me what’s’ going on?”
“You don’t want to know. Just come for a drive for a while and let it go. Trust me, you look like you’ve had a rough night, you don’t want to deal with this tonight Liz.”
“Andy, I stopped trusting you when you tried to knife Stefan for dumping your sister. Why the hell would I start now? Just tell me what the hell s going on.”

Before he could reply, the front door opened behind her and a male voice swore loudly. Eliza turned around, already knowing what she would see and felt hot tears form in the corner of her eyes. I should have guessed she told herself as Andy’s sister Alice smiled at her from her own doorway, one arm wrapped around Stefan’s waist and the other down his pants.

“Hi Liz, home early aren’t you?” Alice slurred, barely able to stand. The fact that her normally perfect hair was nothing more than a tangled matted mess and the laces of her corset were barely tight enough to hold the thing on her body only reinforced the feelings of shame and degradation that were flooding through Eliza as she realised the man who told her every morning how much he loved her had spent the night with his ex.

“Shut up Alice. Look Lizzy, come inside and talk things over with me, this isn’t how it seems ok?”

“Go to hell, you think I wanna listen to you try and lie your way out of this? You should have stayed with her in the first place if she’s the one you want. Every morning when you told me how much you loved me you were lying, I hope you’re proud of yourself.”

“What’s the matter, don’t like it when someone does it to you huh? Now you know how I felt when I got home and found you and Stefan on my bed.”

Alice laughed as she finished talking and turned to her brother.

“Andy, take me to my parents, I’ve had enough of hanging around with these losers.”

As Alice pushed past her, still wearing a triumphant smile, it took all of Elizas’ self control not to hit her. She watched as Alice climbed in to her brothers’ ford and slammed the door wishing she could kill the other girl, wishing she could find a way to hurt her as much as she herself was hurting but it was too late, the car started and Andy drove off, gunning the engine ruthlessly in his haste to get away from the awkward situation. As the car drove off, its rear lights fading in to the distance, Stefan turned to her and tried to placate her, tried to find some way to put out the raging anger that burned inside her, scorching him with its heat as she gazed on him with hateful eyes.

“Come inside, let’s sleep this off and talk about it in the morning.”
“No way, you think I’m gonna sleep in the same house as you after this? I’ll call you when I want to come and get my stuff and you’d better pray you’re not there when I come round.”

With that, she turned on her heel, the metal plate on her boot grinding up the mud and grass with the force of the action and started to walk away, oblivious to the weak pleas coming from Stefan. It was only after she’d walked maybe a hundred metres that she noticed she was being followed. Somehow she knew who it was but she stopped anyway and let the car draw level with her.

“Hey Eliza, look, I know I shouldn’t have but I was worried about you so I followed you home to make sure you were safe.”

“Thanks, at least someone gives a damn about me.”

“Look, the guy’s an idiot but it’s his loss, you’re a beautiful woman.”

“You saw huh?”

“Yeah, I saw. Wanna ride somewhere?”

For a moment, she considered turning him down and running as the memory of the strange feelings of fear he’d caused in her earlier surfaced but she pushed the thought down, burying it under her hatred for Stefan and what he’d done to her. She nodded and he leant over and opened the car door, inviting her in. She hesitated for only the briefest moment before gratefully sliding in to the warm car and out of the rain, thankful for the respite form the cold bite of the rain and wind on her frozen skin.

“So, where we heading?”

“I don’t know, I need time to think. Do you mind if we just drive for a while?”
“No, whatever just let me know when you’ve had enough and decide on someplace you wanna be.”

“Sure and Nathan, thanks, I didn’t mean to be rude earlier.”
“Don’t worry about it, just glad to be able to help.”

She nodded and settled back in to the car seat, surprised by how tired she suddenly felt. She wanted to drift off in to a deep sleep, let her tired body and mind rest but something wouldn’t let her, the memory of the strange fear she’d earlier felt around Nathan and the worry that it might return kept her from being able to close her eyes and surrender to her tiredness. The fact that from the moment he’d pulled up outside her house she felt an odd sense of relief, almost as if she’d been waiting for him, like she’d had known he was going to appear. As her eyes had met the blank lenses of his shades, she’d felt a sudden deep longing for him, a feeling she couldn’t understand no matter how much she tried to think about it. That she could go from being scared almost to the point of insensibility by someone to wanting them near, no, needing them near, left her confused yet strangely peaceful, as if things were happening that were meant to happen. Finally, too tired to think anymore about the strange coincidences of the night, let alone her confused feelings that were probably just a reaction to the betrayal she’d suffered by Stefan, she let her eyes slowly close and without even being aware, she slipped in to a deep, untroubled sleep.

Nathan looked over at the sleeping woman beside him, his gaze lingering on her moon-pale skin and long night black hair and allowed himself a wide predatory smile. Aware as he was of the confused thoughts racing through her mind and more than a little responsible for the odd state of mind Eliza was currently experiencing, he or rather it, sighed in deep contentment. Now that she had finally succumbed to the need for sleep that he’d planted in her mind, he knew he was free to act on the plans that had been forming in his mind since he’d first seen her that evening and the sudden rush of anticipation that flooded him left him feeling giddy, almost drunk, well at least what he imagined feeling drunk to be like since his current state made that impossible. He pressed down on the accelerator and the speedometer on the dashboard climbed, quickly reading well past 70 and the car surged ahead, as if it shared his eagerness to reach their destination and begin the work that Nathan so desperately longed to undertake. Perhaps a tendril of his thoughts communicated itself to Eliza, invaded the sphere of her sleep and she moaned suddenly, her beautiful face twisting with an unexpressed fear before with a few whispered words, Nathan calmed her once more. For a moment, he felt the briefest sense of panic as his soul responded to the faintest stirrings of Dawn in the dark skies overhead and for the briefest instant; doubt clouded his mind, had he underestimated the time remaining to him that night? He looked up, as if seeking to gage the remaining hours or minutes of darkness left and gave thanks for the clouds that would hold the coming day at bay for a precious few extra minutes, time enough perhaps for him to finish all that he planned, no needed, ached to do with the helpless woman sleeping beside him.