PROLOGUE - Last Part

            As she stared, her veins were heated by a seething blood flow, due to the revelation of that mysterious man's face. She stepped back while her mind searched for courage to face the watery blackness of a tattoo that slowly began to emerge, covering the right side of his forehead. Dark and sinuous curves snaked his face, involving the right eye like claws of an eagle. The rest of the ink dripped sinuous branches on his cheeks as a sharp and poisonous thorn. Finally, he revealed himself as a definitely dangerous man.

            — I understand... — He commented. — It's hard to get used to the tattoo, but don’t worry. Only you can see. - He took a step forward as he spoke. - You know why I'm here today. You know that bad feeling every time you’re watching a horror movie, or hearing a noise coming from the kitchen won’t go away. There’s a cold breath of wind whispering nightmares to your ears while you sleep. Something that makes you realize that there is something wrong with you.

            One more step ahead and he could whisper the next words in the sensitive ear whose hairs he drifted back mischievously.

            — Deep inside... All you want is that this fear goes away... And only I can give you the power to do so. You just need to say yes.

            Through the trembling face, bitter drops of desperation teared her skin abandoning her eyes, as she faced the hopeless expectations of her future.

            — Please, go away. — She begged.

            — Tonight, we'll meet again. - He answered.

            A strong blow shifted her and then her eyes opened again. There was nobody near anymore. Her entire body shuddered again, as if shaking up the dust from all over. She mechanically walked out the door, reducing her presence in that place to a mere memory.

            Later that night, nobody around the building where she lived expected what was about to happen, but when the sirens and lights, flashes and voices populated the terrible accident that would happen soon, only one feeling could be clearly described in all those faces. Fear.

PROLOGUE - Part 02

            He watched her walk in and move to a distant aisle as if she was being blindly lead by a call. He closed the newspaper and stood up. Addressing himself to her, pacing his steps with the sound of a classical music that oozed from the speakers of the place, inadvertently invaded her protective circle of solitude, causing her certain discomfort. But she didn’t give him the grace of looking up to consider his presence. She just ignored him.

            Amid the placid sound of the environment, the seductive voice of that intruder disturbed her.

            — This book is not much of a help. — He said smiling disconcertingly, watching the self-help book she was lamely holding with the left hand.

            — Sir, — she said with a slight but unmistakable indignation in her voice — I do not want to be rude, but you're bothering me.

            The phrase surprised herself, who wasn't very much aware that she had become so naturally defensive. She acknowledged immediately, however, that the book would not serve her in anything. Her hand barely held it among the fingers, refusing to admit that she was considering it an option.

            The man laughed less pointedly, as if to demonstrate he knew that her answer was just a typical and predictable charm. He could foresee her frailty and read her gestures with the cunning of a ventriloquist.

            — Sorry. — He answered, putting his hands up, at the same time that his face bent back down, surrendering. — I did not want to upset you.

            For the first time, she turned to see who the incomer was. She noticeably blushed, noticing that he was a handsome man. The hand holding the book rejected it, putting it back on the shelf. She intended to leave, but once again his voice held her.

            — I know what you are looking for. - He said, this time with a grave and serious tone. – You are after me.

            — Who are you? - She asked nervously, finally crossing her eyes with his.

PROLOGUE - Part 01

            She gently chained her steps into the cold damp pavement, guided by an unpretentious and sad slowness typical of someone whose life was taken. Beautiful and delicate strings of black hair inebriated her aspect, like shadows, exalted by the elegant clothes which covered from the neck to her feet, which stood on impressive high heels. Everything about her was elegant and sad. Her eyes were calm, though, and disguised her secrets with an almost irresistible charm.

            Through the melancholic deepness of her black eyes, a thought lingered far. She had no children, no husband, no family, not even friends. There was only an unwavering presence in her apartment, always waiting for her at the end of the day: her loneliness.

            She didn’t want to face that yet, because her eyes were conducive to crying. With that in mind, she chose the bookstore that stands nearest to her office as a temporary home. Her crestfallen walk was nothing but a poor interpretation of the votes she had made of a lukewarm life, subtly curved, like a spiral of boredom.

            It would be unimaginable that any man dared to approach, even if moved by a good reason, but there was someone sitting at the same Café where she walked in who had considered the idea. Dennis was a man with a mysterious and inexplicable attractiveness. A body pale and slender, straight hair purposely mussed, he crossed his legs to read a newspaper, bordering his eyes above the horizon at the top of the paper, watching the graceful movements of sad woman that came in.