An FWA Story by Veronique Belanger and Harry Wright
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She heard the slamming sound of the door. At this very moment, it was impossible for her to understand what had just happened. It wasn’t their first argument, of course. She had noticed that they would argue more often now, and every time, it seemed to be getting worse than the previous fight. Suddenly, he had looked at her in a way that was impossible to forget. She had seen a lot of anger passing in his eyes, and for a second, she even thought that he would strangle her. But he had left the house before anything could happen. Only, she had seen it and now she was scared.
It’s stupid to get mad at me and to run away because I provided the wrong answer to your question. I’m scared of you, but, at the same time I can’t get you out of my head. What if you come back...? What if you never come back...?
Lilly, a young woman of 24 years old was living a complicated relationship with an older man. He was dominant, if not violent. Lilly was only discovering this side of his personality now. The problem was that she had grown attached to him by now. She couldn’t really imagine her life without him. She had left everything to be with him, which was only aggravating.
And now I get the feeling that he is going to kill me one day.
Lilly took her keys and left the house. It was probably better for her to be absent when he would come back. She didn’t really know where to go. She had no family or friends in this town. The summer was already over and tourists had left the area now. She had the city for her alone, but could it really comfort her? She highly doubted it.
The young woman walked for a while and finally arrived at a beach. A panel at the entrance informed her that it was closed from 10PM to 8AM. She ignored it, removed her shoes and continued her walk on the sand until reaching a point far enough from the gates to remain unnoticed by police if they decided to check the beach.
Lilly sat down and wished she had brought alcohol with her. She wanted to forget how pathetic her life was. Not only was she hurt by the events of the day, but she was feeling that her life was a total failure.
I just need to calm down. I just need time to be myself again.
Even though her distress was growing, she was doing everything possible to calm down. She fixed her attention on the water and tried to remember how her life used to be. Was it really better before? Did Andrew really change her? Was she the same as before? And who was Lilly, anyway?
She vaguely remembered about reading that people who crosses our road always have influences on the person we become. As human, we always change... However, our personality traits remain mostly the same throughout our life. She had always been a passive person, so it wasn’t all surprising to find herself tangled up in this relationship.
Lilly had met Andrew on the campus, through common friends who had invited them to the same party. She couldn’t recall how had seen who first, but the result had been the same in the end. Evolving in the same circle of friends, they had multiplied the occasions to see each other and they had developed a strong affection for each other. When Andrew asked her out, she said yes and then everything started to speed up. Before the end of the semester, they had made projects to live together.
When Lilly moved in with her boyfriend, she slowly stopped to see her friends. They were living way too far from her new house and all her attention was focussed on Andrew anyway. As for her parents, they were separated and were too busy with their career and new lives to pay attention to her anyway. That’s how she slowly became so isolate from everyone. Lilly put her studies on hold too when Andrew convinced her that she did not need a diploma to be happy in life. He would be making enough money to supply everything they needed. She believed everything he had said... and now they had been living together for over three years. Andrew had done more than just influencing her life ; he had shaped her exactly the way he wanted. In Andrew’s hands, Lilly was barely more than clay.
As she was getting ready to leave the beach, she felt a presence around her. She had the conviction that someone was watching her. Someone was spying on her. Lilly took a deep breath and called : “Andrew? Is that you?”
No reply.
“Andrew?” she called louder.
Maybe it’s not him... it could be a lost dog for all I know.
Lilly stood up and tried to scan the horizon around her. With the only light coming from the moon, she was having troubles to see anything that wasn’t in a range for 3 meters. Even with her hardest efforts, she was doomed to fail.
Suddenly, her phone started to ring, breaking the silence of the night.
“Hello?” she answered with a shaky voice.
She heard a breathing sound, but the caller hang up without saying anything. Scared, Lilly started to run on the beach without paying much attention to the direction she was taking. She needed to head back in the city as quick as possible. Lilly did not want to be alone anymore, especially if Andrew had been tracking her and watching her since the beginning. She tripped over something and it took her a few seconds to be back on her feet.
“Good evening sweetie” said a voice way too familiar.
Lilly turned around in the direction where the voice was coming from. Andrew was standing right behind her. He had followed her to the beach, and now... And now what?
Lilly stepped backwards, away from Andrew, and slowly continued trying to put some distance between them. As she stepped backwards she could feel a stone wall behind her. The feel of the rough wall behind her told Lilly she was a the edge of the beach, but not how the distance to the gates. Andrew advanced towards Lilly, unaware of his intentions and not wanting to find out, she ran along the edge of the beach. As the gates came in to view, Andrew caught hold of her arm.
“Get off” shouted Lilly
Lilly continued to run and attempted to shake Andrew off her arm. As they ran together Andrew tripped, Lilly took this opportunity to get away and pushed Andrew off her arm. As Andrew fell, the push sent him towards the wall. Andrew had not yet got back up when Lilly left the beach, heading towards the city center.
As Lilly entered the city center, she was pleased to see that there were many people around. She sat on a small wooden bench and thought about the events minutes ago.
What if he hasn't got back up and is lying unconscious on the beach, but what was he doing following me out there in the first place.
Lilly didn't want to return to house, in case Andrew was waiting, or returned while she was sleeping, but she didn't know anyone in the area she could stay with. She went into a small bar and bought herself a drink to take her mind off things. After finishing her drink and cooling off from the run across the beach, Lilly decided to stay the night in a bed and breakfast. The room was quite small, but the bed was comfortable and Lilly was tired, so she was able to get to sleep easily.
The next morning Lilly was woken up slowly by the sun rising, she felt calm, the events of the previous night seemed like a bad dream. The night before seemed a lot more real after Lilly switched on the local news.
“A man has been found unconscious on the beach this morning, and has been admitted to hospital.” stated the news reader.
Lilly decided that continuing to live with Andrew would not be a good idea, and thought that while he was in hospital may be the best time to move out. Over breakfast Lilly contemplated what to do now. She contacted some of her old friends, but many of them had moved much further away after completing their diplomas, but eventually after numerous phone calls Lilly was able to find someone to stay with temporarily.
Later that day Lilly's friend Laura came to Lilly's house and together they loaded her belongings into Laura's car while they talked. Laura agreed with Lilly's decision to move out.
“You can stay with me for as long as you need to.” said Laura reassuringly with a smile.
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