Ravenous Book 2

She stood in the middle of a dark street, hearing the distant sound of the waves crashing against a boulder.

A chilling gaze sent a shiver down her spine, making her break into a cold sweat that trickled down the side of her face. Someone was watching her.

Mia heard a sigh so close to her ear that it made her jolt. She turned to the sound, yet found no one. It was then she noticed the sound of waves had disappeared. Her surroundings were eerily quiet.

Mia woke up to the sound of her ragged breathing. Sweat covered her forehead down to her spine, making her shiver in the autumn night. But the room was warm enough.

Beside her, she saw his loving face. Richard’s eyes were closed, his breath calm and even. Thankfully, he hadn’t startled awake from her restlessness.

She looked up at the ceiling with a deep breath, lulling herself to sleep.

In the morning, she woke up and turned to find no one beside her. However, she could smell breakfast filling up the house, reassuring her.

Mia decidedly got up and washed before making her way downstairs, where she heard Richard humming in the kitchen.

“Mornin’, sleepyhead, how would ye like your eggs cooked this morn’?” he greeted without glancing in her direction.

Richard had his back to her while frying something in the pan.

“I’ll have a sunny-side-up today, love,” she replied. “Do we have tea?”

Although he still hasn’t looked at her, Mia smiled and nodded, “Yes, please.”

A minute later, Richard walked to the dining table, carrying two plates of eggs, bacon, and toast. He sat down, and they ate in blissful silence.

Richard wasn’t one to make idle chitchat in the morning, and Mia had grown accustomed to it.

Once they finished, Mia hastily headed back to their bedroom, getting ready to head out. She also grabbed Richard’s satchel while he finished cleaning up the dishes.

Mia waited for him by the entrance, checking her appearance in the mirror by the doorway. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and she wore the checkered wool scarf Richard gifted her last Christmas.

Mia looked decent at first glance. But the longer she stared, the easier it was to pinpoint the dark circles under her eyes. Finally, Mia collected her composure with a deep sigh.

Richard joined her, seemingly unaware of her trepidations from last night.

“Shall we go get yer tea and my coffee?” he asked as he gestured to the door.

Mia grabbed his coat and handed it to him along with his satchel, turning her face away, trying to keep him from noticing. “Ready when you are.”

“Thanks, love. Let’s go,” he replied and briefly kissed Mia on her cheeks.

Hand in hand, they walked the short distance to a local coffee shop within their neighborhood.

Unfortunately, morning rush hours kept the place packed. But since Richard would go to the office a bit late in the morning on Fridays, there weren’t many people in line.

As they entered, a deep earthy scent of newly brewed coffee and the chatter of people greeted them. Richard and Mia stood at the back of the line, waiting for their turn to order.

“So, what would ye like to get today? Are ye going to spice it up and try some expresso with me?” Richard teasingly offered.

Mia chuckled and shook her head. “Just an English Breakfast tea for me.”

“With sugar?”

“Of course, you know what I like.” She beamed.

“Aye, ‘course,” he said and lightly brushed off the stray hair covering Mia’s face. “While I order, why don’t ye get us a seat somewhere? We have time to enjoy our drinks.”

“Are you sure?” Mia glanced down at her wristwatch. “Won’t you miss the bus and train?”

“Aye, I can take the next one. My boss asked me to report at ten today. And it’s just past eight,” he replied. “So ye have me a bit longer today if ye dinna mind my company.”

“Of course, I don’t mind,” she gestured around. “I’ll go find us a table.”

She retreated in search of an empty table with two seats. Mia saw one by the window in front and decidedly sat down.

Richard joined her quickly with both his coffee and Mia’s tea in hand. They sat enjoying their drinks and listening to the murmurs around them. But then, Richard grabbed her attention with a question.

“So, what’s the plan with yer aunt and the business?”

Mia peered up at him knowingly. “Aunt Leanna told me she’ll offer me a marketing position as a start. But I’d rather earn that through proper procedure, though.”

“Ye mean, d’ye want to apply for it?”

She nodded. “I do, and it seems fair enough. I know you’ll say I’m inheriting the business from my family anyway.

“But still, I’d rather earn the position than have it given to me without merit. I’ve just graduated from business school. I don’t have real-world experience yet.”

Richard smiled. “Yer one of the people I ken who shy away from nepotism. But ye’ve done enough shadowing yer aunt for the past year. In my opinion, ye do have real-world experience.”

“Thanks, love. But I’d rather do something for the company first before I start parading that I’ll inherit a chunk of it in the future.”

He held up his hand in defeat. “Whatever ye choose to do, I’ll support ye.”

She took a deep breath and sighed.

“I was thinking this past week, if I were to take on this job Aunt Leanna wanted, we have to move to another state. But then, I know you love your job here with Daniel & Oslo construction. So, I’m on a bench whether—”

Richard reached over to grab Mia’s hand, making her stop mid-sentence. “Ye dinna have to worry. We’ll make it work. Ye ken we’ve always had.”

Mia regarded Richard for a moment and nodded. “I know you’d go along with whatever I chose. But I’d rather have you be happy, this time. You’ve already compromised too much for my sake.”

He scoffed and smirked. “D’ye think I’m compromising my happiness for yers? Then I may have failed to show my sincerity in the past. Ye are what makes me happy now, Mia. That’s my choice.”

Mia lightly squeezed his hand. “Thanks, Richard.”

“Aye, dinna worrit. It’s my pleasure,” he said and lightly squeezed back her hand before letting go.

“Besides, I’m sure I could convince my boss to transfer me to the same city you’d be assigned.

“Ye may feel strongly about nepotism, but I’m glad yer aunt is a friend of my boss’s boss. Mrs. Stanton won’t keep us apart. She likes me enough.”

Mia laughed at his confidence. But he was right. Leanna would likely do the favor if she asked, and she did like Richard for her.

After they finished their drink, Richard excused himself to go to the bathroom. Mia waited outside for him, feeling anxious as the shop began to get crowded. It was then she noticed something eerie.

She felt someone watching her. Mia looked around; her eyes wandered amongst the car parked by the pavement and the handful of people walking across the street. Yet she couldn’t find the person’s gaze.

“Mia?”

She snapped out of her stupor, recognizing the voice who called out to her. With a smile and bright eyes, she hid her prior concern.

“Mia, sorry for making ye wait. Ye should have stayed inside. I wasn’t going to take long,” Richard said as he walked up to her.

“The place was getting crowded, and I needed a bit of air,” Mia replied. “So, shall we go?” she asked and gestured towards the bus stop.

As they walked on, hand in hand, Mia made a quick assessment of their surroundings. The feeling of being watched was gone.

Although she could have walked the distance, Mia wanted to prolong her time with Richard and rode the short bus ride with him to her destination.

Once they separated, Mia gave Richard a quick kiss and goodbye before hopping off on her stop.

She then stood there for a second, watching the bus drive off. Finally, it was another minute’s walk to the building across the street.

After settling in Seattle, Mia had offered a ballet class and rented a dance studio. It was a rough start. First, however, she gained affiliation with a few schools, gaining trust in the neighborhood.

Then, she started gaining students and regulars. Her students were young kids ages nine to fifteen who took up ballet as an extracurricular activity.

Hence, as her own boss, she was able to schedule her class around school after hours and got the holidays off.

On weekdays, she taught two classes, one in the afternoon and one in the evening. Although she could have added classes on the weekends, Mia opted out of the opportunity to give herself time for a reprieve.

But then, two years ago, after the legal trials and media coverage that happened in Scotland ended, Leanna advised Mia to get an associate’s degree in business management. After that, she balanced her school life and managed her ballet classes.

After graduating from North Seattle College a few months ago, Mia went on a business trip with Leanna, who’d been teaching her the ropes of managing businesses with Stanton Enterprises.

But then, those trips mostly happened twice a month. Hence, why Mia chose to keep her weekends free.

Arriving at the studio, Mia greeted her only employee, Natalie, a college senior who she met during her time in college. Although a few years younger than her, Natalie proved to be responsible at work. She managed the student’s class schedules, accounting, and opening.

“How’s your week, Nat?” Mia asked while taking off her scarf and coat, placing them by the coat rack.

Natalie glanced up from a small reception desk by the door.

“Morning, Mia. My week is crazy. I’m working on my thesis, but my group mates are giving me a headache. Also, we haven’t yet finished collecting data from our market research.”

“Do you need help? You only need to ask, Nat,” she offered sincerely.

Natalie shook her head. “Don’t worry. I can manage. I’m just ranting about my troubles. You’re easy to talk to, Mia. And you always listen to my rants.” She gave her a thumbs up. “You’re the best, boss.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Mia said and nodded in the direction of the open-floor studio. “Because we’re about to start cleaning and preparing for the afternoon and evening class.”

Natalie pursed her lips but otherwise didn’t make any remarks about the labor. She was a capable staff member with a vibrant personality, making her easy for the students to approach. Mia felt blessed to have hired her.

As evening came and her last class of the day ended, Mia decided to give Natalie an early off to give her time to focus on her school work.

She left the dance studio at half-past eight, leaving Mia alone to manage closing time.

However, Mia wasn’t close to cleaning up or closing. She remained in the middle of the wooden dance floor in her skin-tight black leotard, nude leggings, and pointe shoes.

She stared at her reflection in the wide mirror like she was seeing herself for the first time in months.

She pinned the cassette Walkman on her makeshift belt and put on the headphones. The tape had been rewound at the start of Tchaikovsky’s “Waltz of the Flowers.”

With a sharp intake of air, she allowed herself a moment to collect her composure and breathe out in a huff. She did a couple of stretches, warming her up for the routine. And as she pressed play, the orchestral music enveloped her ears.

But as the music built, her body started to strain. Accordingly, she stopped mid-routine, caught her breath, and tried again, hoping for a better result. But to her dismay, her mistakes piled up.

Though she couldn’t perform like in her peak condition, Mia knew there was progress in her movements. And yet, she found herself at a loss.

“I could have done better,” she muttered softly to herself.

The sound of someone applauding her performance caught Mia off guard. She glanced towards the sound and exhaled in relief when she saw Richard standing by the empty reception desk.

“Yer amazing, Mia. Ye should consider getting back professionally,” he said proudly.

She couldn’t hide her smile and approached him. Richard held out his hand to her, waiting for Mia to envelop him in her embrace.

“I’m quite rusty to do any professional dancing, especially as strict and competitive as ballet can be,” she replied. “But I’m glad you think so.”

Mia wrapped her arms around Richard’s waist, closing the distance between them. “Did you bring dinner, or are we eating out today?”

Before moving away, Richard briefly kissed Mia’s forehead, holding up a takeaway brown paper bag from a burger joint. “I hope you like a cheeseburger,” he said with a grin.

“I’d eat anything, actually. I’m pretty famished,” Mia informed, taking the bag off his hands.

He whistled and playfully wiped off the sweat on his forehead. “I’m glad ye think so. Because ye prefer something light most times.”

Mia rolled her eyes and gestured towards the wooden dance floor. “Do you want to have a picnic here, or would you rather eat at a table? I can pull out some chairs.”

“The floor is fine,” he said, walking towards the mirror and sitting down with his back to it. “I also have sweet tea for ye since I know ye’d prefer that over soda.”

“Thanks, love.” Mia sat down across from him, facing the mirrors. “So, how’s work?”

“Same as ever,” he replied before taking a bite off his burger. “And ye?”

“Same as well. But Nat’s been stressed with school. She’s a bit preoccupied. So I’m thinking of giving her a few weeks off,” she said.

“Would ye be okay running the place by yerself? I could help after work. But by then, I’m only good at helping ye close up shop.”

Mia lightly tapped her foot on Richard’s leg.

“Thanks for the offer. I appreciate it. But I can manage for a few weeks without her. I did start this place by myself without help for a couple of months before Natalie came in.”

“Ye dinna have as many students and classes then, though.”

Mia chuckled and helped up her drink in agreement. “True. But I have been doing this for years, so I know what to expect now.”

Before Richard could remark further, the phone by the reception desk rang, turning their attention to it. Mia put down her food and got up to answer it.

She hastily brushed off her hand on her garment, which took a bit of the food grease off her hand, and then picked up the phone.

“Hello? This is Harnett Ballet Class, Mia Harnett speaking. How can I help you?” she greeted. Her tone was business-like, expecting one of her student’s parents.

“Ms. Harnett, this is Detective Wallis from the Chicago Police department. I’m sorry for contacting you this evening. You have been placed as an emergency contact for Mrs. Leanna Stanton—”

Hearing her aunt’s name, Mia was quick to interject, “My aunt, is there something wrong with her? Has something happened?”

There was a brief pause before the detective gave her the news.

“There has been a car accident involving Mrs. Stanton. She has been rushed to the emergency room at Northwestern Memorial Hospital for intensive care.

“And per our procedure, as her first person listed on her contact, we ask you to come in as her representative—”

Suddenly, everything around her was in slow motion. Her vision started to go hazy. Mia turned and watched Richard, masked with concern, get up from his seat.

He reached out his hands to her, who sank into his embrace as her hand let go of the phone.