7

"Hello," his voice rang in my ears, bringing a glimmer of excitement in my heart. "Hey! Thank you, For...uh...last night- this morning. It meant a lot to me "I expressed my delight at the fact that he sang to me at 4 a.m. "No- uh- it ok with me love," he responded cheerfully. "You have a truly angelic voice. Has anyone ever told you that? "I asked.

But I really meant it. It was beautiful how he sung the song to me like if it were his own. "Haha! Thank you, love! Also, no! I barely understand it, and you're one of the few individuals that do. Haha!" In his Irish accent, he chuckled. I was stumped as to what to say next, so all I could utter was "thank you" at this awkward moment, only to be interrupted by his voice, "so I was say-" which elicited a giggle from both of us. My smile faded and my eyes became lifeless as my brain sought to recall the last time I laughed, especially in front of a stranger. "Hello? Are you there...love?" It appeared as if he was attempting to figure out my name.

"Nyx, it's Nyx,". I said, my eyes still numb. He tried to be cheeky but failed miserably. "Oh wow, isn't that a pretty name for a pretty girl like you," he said.

"Haha! You can't make a snide remark!" With another tiny laugh, I responded. "I appreciate you making me smile." I murmured, a grin coming across my face. "Nyx, don't worry! I'm delighted I was able to make you smile." It had only been a few days, yet it felt as if I had created an indescribable bond with him, one that I would never be able to comprehend. "Well...So..." he said, his lovely voice bringing me back to reality. He wandered off into the distance. "To be fair, I told you my name, so what's yours?" I inquired, inquisitive as to who owned the other end of the line.

"What? M- m-my n-name?" He was stumbling. He sounded as though he was suffering a heart attack. "Yeah.....? What's your name, by the way?" In a 'duh' tone, I questioned.

"What's my name? What's my name, exactly? No.." He sounded as if he was speaking to himself. "How about this, you give me a name?" He was now settling down, and on the other end, there was some murmuring. I wasn't expecting someone to be with him, telling him what to say, and I was disappointed. "What are you talking about? No way! That isn't right! I already told you about mine!" I wailed like a baby. "Well, you wanted to know my name...," . He had an unpleasant smirk on his lips, I could tell. "Ugh! that's fine "I quit up, knowing I couldn't win over the phone against a stranger.

Nothing clicked in my empty brain when I tapped my foot on the ground, moved about, tapped my head, and did everything else. After an unending amount of thought, something suddenly snapped in my head. "I'll name you Angel," says the narrator. "Huh? Why?" He let out a short, perplexed giggle. "Aha! That's what you get!" says the narrator. It felt like We were conversing as if we had known one other for years. Over the phone, I heard him mumble something. "When we meet, I'll tell you wha-what it means."I responded, lost in thought. I could see he was deep in his thoughts because he didn't respond. My lips were forming a ridiculous grin.

"I have to leave... Sorry, I-I'll call you later." Before the discomfort took over the phone, I said something and hastily hung up.

I couldn't believe my eyes. I just told him that, and that when we'meet,' I'll tell him what it means, and that 'I'll call him later.' I had no idea where this was heading.

•••••••

"Nyx LEAVE! Don't be concerned about me; I'll be there! JUST GET OUT!" Grace's voice pierces my eardrum. "NO! I'm not going anywhere without you!" I respond with a shout, attempting to avoid the falling wood loge. "Nyx! Get out of here!" Her eyes burn with the reflection of the flames as she shouts in a weak voice. "GRACE!!!!!!!!" I shouted and raised my hand to catch her, only to find myself trapped in my new flat. As beads of sweat slid down my brow, my breath quickened. I rubbed my hand across my brow, I remembered another nightmare from that night. I swung my feet over the bed, my body still trembling from the experience. My eyelids became heavy as a tear that I had been trying to hold back eventually escaped my eye, followed by several. My feet led me to the bathroom, which was just across the hall. I gazed at my restless reflection as my palm came into contact with the cold water knob. My boring brown eyes reflected back to me a vivid vision of that night, of grace pushing me away.

My brunette hair fell just below my chest, a little jumbled up, in various layers, framing my face. It was as if I had forgotten who I was, or who I had been in the past. The girl I knew now was a confusing mess, her scared memories pushing her against the wall. It is said that life provides opportunities for second chances. So, why didn't I have the opportunity to have one? Whatever happened, I knew one thing for certain: surviving that night wasn't the greatest option. In fact, I would have preferred to be the one shouting for rescue rather than the only one who could help.

I splashed cold water on my face in an attempt to soothe some of the burning images. I didn't know why, but I felt deep down that I'd never be able to look myself in the eyes again like I had before. That old Nyx, along with everything and everyone else, was burned that night, and I'd never be able to find her.

••••••••

"Nyx? Nyx?" The sound of Cora's voice jolted me back to reality. "Yeah...I was just...," she said. I exhaled and locked my gaze on her.

I was back at work, hoping not to send anyone home with finger fries drenched in coffee. I checked my wristwatch, which indicated that it was 3 p.m. I had just an hour and a half till I finished, and my plan of working during the summer vacations until university started was beginning to fail me.

"Could you please forward this to table 15?" She questioned respectfully. Before receiving the tray from her, I smiled.

"Cora, I'll see you later. Thank you very much." As I walked out of the cafe, I waved to her. She was scheduled to stay until 8 p.m. tonight, when the store closed, and I was assigned to work tomorrow. 'Perhaps I should go to the mall,' I reasoned as I wandered aimlessly around the area. I was still having a hard time adjusting to the solitude in my new flat. Shopping shouldn't be my first choice in this circumstance, but believe me, I'd tried everything else and the library wasn't the best option last time.

I entered the shopping centre and began wandering about, knowing that I would not be spending any money because I had a tiny sum coming in. Different experiences, I suppose, teach you different things, and in my case, it taught me how to be responsible. I didn't know where I was going until I came across something... or someone? "Oh, my goodness! I'm so-so "His deep voice cut me off before I could finish. "Whoa! Ms., please! Keep an eye on your surroundings! You're just—wait! Aren't you the one who poured coffee on me - on both of us?" He inquired, pointing at me as his eyes darted around the room, attempting to recall something, making me feel very uneasy.

When I saw him clearly, my brain clicked; he was among the other boys as well, save for two boys I didn't recognise. Surprisingly, all of their gazes were fixed on me.

They made some remarks and refused to allow me pass or speak, but one comment that stood out to me was when the curly-haired boy exclaimed, "Yes, yes, Definitely a loner! She's just walking around the shops by herself, staring at things!" Between fists of laughing, he talked in his British accent. I realised they were laughing at me at that point. That remark echoed in my head, causing my chest to throb and tears to well up in my eyes. My lips started to emit a few sobs as a few tears found their way out of my eyes as I stared at them in disbelief.

As he tapped the rest of his pals to pause, the boy with bleached blond hair met my gaze and his chuckle began to fade. When they realised I was silent, their laughter stopped.

I pushed through them and the crowd, amazed at how 'kind' they were to me, and searched for the restroom. I'll never be anything more than a loner. I'll always be like this among a vast number of individuals. A loner.