Chapter 1.2 - An Encounter

Amber has been working hard. Struggling through the first few weeks of life on her own. Her job doesn't pay very much but she is sure she will be progressing to the next level soon and that should make things a bit easier. She has also been working out a lot at the gym, despite how much she hates the place. Slowly working towards the fitness level she will need for her job, exceeding all expectations set out by her boss.

Amber came home filled to the brim with confidence, she had just got the promotion at work, along with a big bonus on her pay check. As she climbed out of the car when she got home, she noticed that the mailbox flag was up, "Mail?" she thought to herself, "I never get mail." She opened it up and removed the contents, there were a handful of envelopes inside.

"I wonder what all these are?" She said out loud, and proceeded to open the first one.

"Water bill?" Amanda was shocked, "I have to pay for water? I thought water was free? Isn't it a human right?"  She read through the bill and saw the number at the bottom of the page and in big bold writing was the word DUE.

"Ok...I can deal with this, but what are these other three letters?" They were all in similar looking envelopes, the words "Private and Confidential" in the corners of all of them.

"Electric Bill"

"Gas Bill"

"Phone Bill"

Had it been a month already? Amber couldn't believe it, she knew she would have to pay bills, but she didn't realise how many there would be. She looked at her payslip, even with the bonus, she would only just be able to pay all these bills. She sighed, "Oh well, so much for getting that treadmill or new TV." She signed the cheques for the bills and posted them. Then, disappointed, she headed indoors.

 Amber had been given an opportunity to earn some extra cash; her boss, David Pok, had created a tracking device that he wanted her to test. All she had to do was to go jogging for an hour and bring it back to him. Amber needed to make as much money as possible if she was ever going to get better things for her house, so agreed.
"Plus, it will make a difference to working out in that smelly gym!" Amber thought to herself.
She didn't ask any questions as to what this tracking device would be used for if it worked properly, she didn't think it would be a good idea to be questioning her own boss after all.
She started to jog around town, she was really starting to get a feel for the surroundings, she had never realised it before but the town was actually quite pretty. A lot of the buildings were dated but that seemed to add to the charm of the town.
"Maybe I can find my way in this town, it seems very quiet and everyone keeps to themselves, life will be a lot easier with nobody poking their nose into my business!"
She admired the colours that she saw on all of the trees around her, the way the mist seemed to curl up off the grass, setting the town in a dream-like haze.
BE-BEEP BE-BEEP BE-BEEP
The tracking device went off, she must have been running for an hour already, even though it didn't seem like it. She was so lost in her own thoughts about the town and her place in it that she didn't even notice how long she had been running for. When she realised she had been running for an hour straight, longer than she had ever run before, her legs didn't want to move any more! So she flagged down a cab and returned the device to her boss before heading home for a shower and something to eat before going to bed.
"I think I am going to go running more often." Amber thought, "This town is so pretty, and it is a much better workout to be in the fresh air instead of breathing stale sweat."

 The next day, when she got home from work Amber went for a run, determined to go running any day that it didn't rain. She didn't exactly know where she was going, she was going to let the road decide. The evening was warm still and the sun was hanging low in the sky, the grass was green and the breeze felt nice on her skin.
It felt good to spend the time outside rather than in her tiny little house. She only really used it to make food, sleep and take a shower now. She didn't see the point of spending any more time in it than was absolutely necessary, it wasn't like she had family at home, or had anything to do when she was there. Her house didn't yet feel like a home, no matter how much she tried making it feel like home, until she could modernize it, she thought she would always feel out of place there.
The sun began to set and the air was getting cooler. Amber felt like she should probably go home, have dinner, and start heading to bed, but she felt a strange sensation. Something pulling her further into the town. Like she needed to be somewhere. So she carried on running.

Amber found herself stopping just after the sun had set. She was outside a pub, a quaint little building named "The Toadstool". Amber was thirsty so figured she might as well go inside and get herself a drink. Her stomach growled "Maybe something to eat too" She said to herself.
She entered the pub, as she did, a strange feeling washed over her. Like she was stepping into another world, it felt almost supernatural. She had heard from people at work that there was magic in this town, rumours of witches, fairies, vampires and even werewolves who lived amongst the town people. "Surely those are just stories and rumours" Amber thought "The supernatural doesn't actually exist!" Amber shook her head, and the strange feeling dissipated.
She went to the bar where a young girl, with blonde pigtails and bright pink clothing served her, she took her drink and was told she would be informed when her food was ready.
Amber left the bar to look for somewhere to sit, as she was looking around, her eyes briefly met those of a well dressed man sat by the fire, lounging on a sofa. His dark eyes were set below dark brown eyebrows. Everything about this man seemed dark, everything but his skin, which seemed to glow in the light of the fireplace..
Amber moved past him and sat at a table, slowly sipping at her drink, waiting for her food. She couldn't help but keep glancing in the direction of the man, there was something about him that she couldn't explain. Every time she looked out the corner of her eye at him, he seemed to be staring at her, whenever she actually looked towards him, he smiled at her. But the smile seemed cold, like his face wasn't used to smiling.
Her food came and Amber ate it slowly, becoming more and more self conscious that the man was watching her. She was only halfway through her meal when she pushed the food to the side, she had lost her appetite. She got up to leave, but as she pushed her chair under the table, she found herself turning, not towards the door, but towards the mysterious stranger.

She didn't know why, but she walked towards him, as if her legs had a mind of their own. As she approached the lounge area, he stood up and adjusted his suit.
"Hello there, it's Amber right? My name is Ayden. Ayden Van Gould. It's a pleasure to meet you. Did you enjoy your food?"
"I'm sorry...do I know you, Mr....Van Gould?" Amber said "How does he know my name?" She thought to herself. She felt like she should be worried, but instead she felt strangely calm and intrigued by the man in front of her.
The man gave her another half-smile "No, you do not know me, but I have heard of you. It is not often we have a new arrival in town. I am the owner of this establishment."
"Oh, well, the food was lovely thank you. But I had better be getting home, I do not normally stay out this late." Amber said, "Not since I moved here any way."
"Why not stay for a while? I will get you a drink, on the house." Ayden said "I make a point of getting to know everybody in this town, and I find you very interesting." Ayden's eyes locked with hers and it felt like he could see right into her soul, she found that her mind had completely changed, that she wanted to stay and get to know him too.
"You have yourself a deal Mr Van Gould, I shall stay for another drink." Amber said.
"Please, you can call me Ayden." He said.
Ayden brought her a drink and the two sat chatting for a while. She couldn't explain it, but Amber felt enchanted with this man, he kept himself poised and presentable, and didn't really reveal much about himself but she couldn't help but feel some connection to him. As though fate had brought her here just to meet him.
A bell at the bar rang, "Closing time folks!" The girl with pigtails said loudly, "We hope to see you again soon."
"Oh my gosh!" Amber exclaimed, "Look at the time, I really need to get home."
"Very well, I am sure we will meet again soon Amber Dark." Ayden said mysteriously.

Amber didn't even remember how she got home, she must have taken a cab.
"Have I really had that much to drink?" She thought to herself.
The whole evening's memories seemed hazy, as though she had dreamed it all. She tried to focus and get the events of the night in order, but she couldn't.
She took a shower and got into bed. As she did, all she could think about was the bills she paid when she got home from work. She could remember that, then she went for a run, that's where everything went hazy.
Eventually she fell asleep and found herself dreaming of money, having enough to do whatever she wanted, and having a payslip large enough to not spend everything on bills.