The evening I first heard of her existence, I was certain I had to see her, to be sure. Roy had brought me pictures and public records, but only I could truly know.
Seeing her brought back so many memories from the centuries we'd shared. It was December, and there she was—leaning over a stack of seven textbooks, completely absorbed. She looked exhausted, but even after her third cup of coffee, she didn't lift her gaze from the page. Her skin, still pure and untouched by time, showed no signs of surgery or tattoos. Everything had to be perfect, and it would be.
I needed to breathe her in, to feel the reality of her presence, so I entered the little coffee shop. I sat far away, but not before walking past her. She shivered, but didn't look up. Her scent hit me like a wave, exactly the way I remembered. I froze, fighting the urge to pull her away from this world and back into mine.
A short while later, a man entered and sat with her. From across the room, I could easily hear their conversation. This was Jack. From the rapid pounding of his heart, it was clear he was just as eager to be near her as I was. Ayana, however, was barely paying attention to his words, which made me smile faintly. She wasn't committed to this relationship—not like he was. But that could change. I could give her the push she needed. Her education? That would be irrelevant. After all, I was walking history. In time, she would be too.
The evening darkened, and the first inches of snow began to cover the ground. I left the shop, the image of her burned into my mind. She was alive, healthy, and waiting for me after all this time.
My driver took me a few blocks to her apartment, where I let myself in. Her little dog, Theo, sprang out of nowhere, barking madly and trying to attack me. "Stop." The command was simple. Theo stopped at once, turned, and trotted back to his bed.
Her studio apartment was cozy—books cluttered her coffee table. In the center of the mess was a letter from Jack. I could tell by the scent of old spice and cheap cologne that he had been there recently. The letter confessed his feelings for her, and tucked in the corner of the envelope was a ring. "Absolutely not." The letter caught fire in my hand, turning to ashes that I quickly discarded into the trash.
I moved into her bedroom, shedding my suit jacket and shoes before crawling into her bed, burying my face in her pillow. It almost felt like she was right there beside me. Just then, the front door opened, and I heard her voice calling for Theo. But I was already standing at the bedroom door to greet her. She screamed, dropping her bags.
"Stop."
Mid-scream, she fell silent. Her face relaxed. It was her. How else could my powers have worked so effortlessly on her?
"Will you sit with me?" I gestured to the bed. She nodded silently and sat down. The fear wasn't gone, but it was calmed—for now.
"You don't know me. Not yet, anyway. But you will. I just wanted to formally introduce myself and apologize for the things I'll have to do." She stared at me, her lips slightly parted, wanting to ask questions.
"But—who are you? What do you have to do? Please don't hurt my dog."
I smiled faintly at the mention of her animal.
"I'm not going to hurt Theo—or you, my love. I only want to bring us together. I promise, it's very easy to love me, to please me. You won't be miserable this time. I'll pay more attention to you this time."
She was confused, and I couldn't blame her—unleashing all of this on her before she'd even had a chance to enjoy her career.
"You're going to forget about this, Ayana. But I'm anticipating you coming home in the next two weeks." She nodded, seemingly accepting her fate. But I knew she'd forget this conversation by morning. Forget that the worst night of her life was only weeks away.
After putting her to bed, I collected the ashes from earlier and left her apartment, exiting through a back alley where a car was waiting for me. The driver held the door open as I climbed inside, greeted by a younger blonde woman.
"Maddie, I presume?" She smiled widely, offering her hand as the car pulled away.
We stopped outside a bar where Jack was waiting, anxiously checking his phone and looking around. Maddie left the car and walked toward him. Just like that, I had solved Ayana's problem.
"To the airport, Roy. We have things to do."