Echoes in the Night

Best day ever!

Thea hadn’t travelled or moved around a lot as a child. She was a small-town girl who’d had a normal and stable upbringing. With loving parents and two overprotective older brothers, she’d never ventured far from the borders of town. But she’d always dreamt about exploring the world and experiencing something…different.

When she was offered a job and a 2-bedroom apartment in the Big City, hours away from the small town she grew up in, she had jumped at the opportunity to move. It was her break to start fresh, to pave her own path in life. Away from everyone else’s curious eyes and free-flowing opinions…

Thea looked proudly around her new home she’d spent the past hours cleaning and decorating. It was cozy. It was so her; a haven she could finally call her own.

She squealed happily and threw herself onto the made-up bed, allowing her body to bounce a few times. She spread out her limbs like a starfish and sighed with contentment.

Welcome home, Thea Luna Cross.

Finally alone, after assertively prompting her parents and brothers to leave, convincing them she was going to be just fine, Thea was ready to turn in for the night. It had been a long and satisfying day. She crawled underneath the comfortable covers. She was exhausted, but in a good way. And sleep would come easily.

Or so she hoped…

The noises outside her window were unfamiliar…unnatural. Back home the sounds of chatter and laughter, birds chirping, and dogs barking, created the usual ambience. But the urban sounds of traffic and angry pedestrians were something she would have to get used to from now on. She really hoped she would. Her ears perked up at the high-pitched sound of yet another siren.

Hadn’t she heard an ambulance pass by just 2-minutes ago? Was this normal?

Well, this was now her home. And with it came a new soundtrack to life. A small price to pay for independence, she reminded herself.

After tossing and turning for it seemed like hours, her eyelids eventually grew heavy, and she sank deeper…and deeper…until…

***

Crash!

Thea sprang up in bed. It took a moment for her to realize where she was.

That’s right. Moving day. Cleaning. New home. Fresh start.

It was still dark outside. Her mobile lit up, and the number 2:39 winked at her teasingly. She normally slept quite soundly. But something had woken her.

What?

The first night in a new place was always mixed with excitement and unease. It was natural that her subconscious mind would be a bit more alert, registering alien sounds, echoing through her fogged up window.

Thud!

A sharp, but a muffled sound of something breaking. Or falling? Where was it coming from?

Thump!

There it was again. Thea jumped when something hit the wall next door. Her heart fluttered frantically. She took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm her racing heart. This was normal, right? Living in an apartment building, of course you would hear various noises from complete strangers you shared space with.

Her mind drifted to her next door neighbor she had briefly glanced at earlier that same day. She’d been so preoccupied with moving that she’d not paid him much attention. At all.

She had barely noticed his pristine, tailor-made navy-blue suit, bright green eyes, light brown wavy hair, athletic body, and handsome features, framed by neatly-trimmed beard. Okay, maybe a glance was an understatement. The truth, he’d caught her gawking.

Cringe. So embarrassing.

She pressed her ear to the wall wondering what he was up to at this late hour.

Hurried footsteps? Hushed voices? The sounds were all muffled and difficult to analyze, and then…

She quickly pushed away from the wall in disbelief.

Wait? Was that…a scream?

The stillness that followed was unsettling. She shook her head. What was she doing? She was being ridiculous. All of this was simply in her mind. It was that stupid Thriller she’d watched the night before that was feeding her already overactive imagination with scary thoughts about the activities of her handsome neighbor. She was no longer living in a house surrounded by family. And hearing stuff through paper-thin walls was inevitable. Not to mention it was rude to eavesdrop.

Mental note: Future YouTube Karaokee-sessions, won't be happening.

Chuckling to herself, Thea was in no doubt she would get used to all this at some point. Living on her own was what she had always wanted, and what she had fought for. Everything was as it should be. This was life in the big city. With that thought, she closed her eyes once more and drifted off…

***

Oh no! She was terribly late!

Thea grabbed her bag and keys and rushed out the door. Never had she imagined she'd be late on her first day.

Ugh!

To her utter shock, she noticed her next-door neighbor exit his own apartment at the very same time. She quickly looked away, fiddling with her phone, trying to keep calm. She was not prepared for this encounter, especially with no caffeine in her veins.

What would be the best getaway? Stairs? Fire-escape?  

“Welcome to the building.”

Well, too late running for the stairs…

Thea slowly looked up and was met with a beaming smile. Her neighbor was even more charming up close. It was impossible not to react to his presence. She felt the heat rise to her cheeks, knowing very well she possibly resembled a ripe tomato.

“Eh…thanks,” she stammered and stepped into the elevator. And just as she’d feared, her neighbor followed closely behind.

“I’m Owen Miles Green…” he continued cheerfully. She stared at his outstretched hand, and then into his strangely green eyes.

“O.M.G.”

Shoot! Why had she said that?

Fighting the need to facepalm herself, Thea hoped he would be charmed by her weird comment and think it adorable. But this was real life. Not a movie. And she'd never been good in these situations...erm, finding the right words and be all confident and sophisticated around guys in general. And right on cue, instead of keeping silent and act cool and collected, she did what she always did...

Why wouldn't she?

“I just moved…” Well, that was obvious, “…first night in a new place and all that…” Doh. “…I heard some weird noises that woke me up and…” Stop talking. Now!

“Oh?” Her neighbor raised one eyebrow sporting a lop-sided grin, and new interest shone through his eyes.

Okay. He wasn't acting as if he thought she was a complete psycho.

“I think I heard someone scream. Did you hear it too?” she continued, instantly regretting her words.

Her good-looking neighbor snorted unexpectedly. And after a few seconds of awkward silence, they both laughed, and they had what could only be described as…a moment. Or at least that's what it felt like.

“I was watching TV,” he explained with a chuckle. “I’ll make sure to lower the volume next time.”

“Oh, you don’t have to…I mean, it’s fine…I'm a heavy sleeper...so feel free to...you know...whatever...”

To Thea’s relief they finally reached the ground floor, and she was about to make a run for it when her neighbor gently grabbed her arm.

“What’s your name?”

Thea blushed and looked at where his fingers curled around her arm. She mentally shushed her parents’ warning about not speaking to strangers. Yes, technically this man was a stranger, but now that she knew his name, and they lived next door to one another…maybe this was the first step in settling down in the city. Feeling grounded and at home. She didn't have any reason to be guarded, did she?

Besides, the screening process for this place was extensive. And no one with a criminal record was allowed on the premises. Or that's what she'd been told. She didn’t have to worry. This was as safe as it could get.

“I’m Thea Luna Cross…” she blurted out, a little too eagerly. “I mean…Pleased to meet you, Mr. Green.” She then quickly exited the elevator hoping to escape before embarrassing herself more than she already had.

“Call me Owen…TLC…” he teased, matching her steps. “And enjoy your first day in the city.”

Speechless and flustered, Thea came to a halt and watched Owen exit the building, sending a cheerful greeting to the doorman out front.

Totally the best day ever!

***

So far, so good.

Thea’s mood had only gotten better after her impromptu rendezvous earlier that morning. Her new neighbor wasn’t only handsome, but he was also sweet, and friendly. She’d felt silly exposing herself by admitting she’d been eavesdropping on his nocturnal activities. His explanation had made sense. How often had she stayed up all night watching TV because she couldn’t fall asleep? Countless times. And considering how she had redecorated and shuffled things around her own apartment in the evening, all sorts of tales could be conjured about her own activities.

No need to cry wolf when there was no wolf in sight.

Everything was as it should be. And everything was working out perfectly. She loved her new job and colleagues.

She’d instantly hit it off with one of them, Ella Preston, a born and raised Chic Urbanite, so much so that they’d already swapped numbers and made plans for the weekend.

Life. Was. Good.

Thea pressed the button to the 16th floor and stepped in. She glanced at her own reflection and noticed the smile that hadn't left her face since that morning.

And just as the elevator door was about to close, a hand shot through the crack and in walked Owen. Her handsome neighbor. That was another positive, living next to a good-looking guy like that. Of course she didn’t want or expect anything to romantically happen between the two of them, because that would complicate things and easily get messy. But, it didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy the view.

“Hey…” His voice was hypnotic, drawing her in. “How was your first day?”

So sweet of him to ask.

“It was great.” She felt her cheeks heat up but remained silent out of fear of embarrassing herself again in his presence.

As the elevator came to a stop, Thea’s plan was to smoothly slip into her own apartment to avoid another verbal blunder. One per day was plenty.

“Would you like to come in for a drink, a welcome-to-the-building drink?” Owen asked quietly, fidgeting with his keys. She noticed his cheeks turn adorably pink. He was just as nervous as she was, and it made her heart jolt.

Surprising herself, Thea responded, “Why not?” A hint of regret flashed through her body, but she quickly brushed it away reminding herself that it was a perfectly normal reaction. She was pushing herself out of her comfort zone. Trying something...different.

That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, was it?

As she entered Owen’s immaculate apartment and sat down in his comfortable leather sofa, that strangely enough was still covered with plastic, Thea was happy to make yet another friend.

Two friends in one day. Yay! Not too bad for a small-town girl.

Being offered her apartment in this neigborhood, had turned out to be the greatest blessing. The rent had been surprisingly low considering the amazing central location. Even Ella, her new bestie from work, had been flabbergasted, trying to figure out why and what the catch was. But Thea waved her suspicions away. She'd come to realize that city folks were naturally skeptical. To her, the Universe was simply rewarding her. And she would enjoy every single gift thrown her way.

She took in the surroundings of her hot neighbor's home. She was impressed by how stylish and clean his place was. Her brothers could definitely learn something from this seemingly perfect specimen of a man. She'd never before seen a man's home this impeccably tidy and meticulously organized. It was fascinating.

Owen glanced in Thea's direction and smiled. And as he brought her a glass of red wine, her phone started to vibrate, catching her attention. She was thankful for the brief interruption. She contemplated responding back to whoever was texting, but it was rude to do so when you were in good company. She might not be as sophisticated as women from the city, but she was well-raised by her parents.

“You don’t want to get that?” he asked, nodding at her phone.

She casually shrugged her shoulders and put it away. “No rush. Later will come soon enough.”

“Cheers to that, TLC.”

As she clinked her glass to Owen’s, Thea knew it was yet another sign she would enjoy life in the Big City. It had been smooth sailing so far, beyond her expectations, and she couldn’t have wished for a better first day.

***

A few blocks down the street...

Highway Howie hadn’t expected to find any treasures during his routine search through the usual container. But when he spotted that mobile, he had hit the jackpot. He hurriedly scrambled to get to it and cheered victoriously.

The screen was cracked, but not so badly that he couldn’t read the last message its owner had received. He brushed the dirt off the screen with his greasy fingers, using his own saliva for added shine.

Ella:     Girl! Read this…

            Link: Local woman found dead in apartment. Suspected foul play…

Howie pocketed the phone, and mentally high-fived himself for his great discovery. Life could be foul and stinky, especially when forced to search for food in garbage containers. And life on the streets showed no mercy. He had to hustle and work hard for every single crumb.

But every now and then his luck would turn, and other people’s garbage became his treasure. After all, beggars couldn't be choosers, now could they? One of life's harsh lessons he'd learned. As a result he'd come to appreciate the smaller treasures life threw his way each day.

Returning to his usual corner, paved with cardboard and newspapers, Howie tiredly leaned against the cold brick wall, its roughness scratching his back, as he slid down to the ground. He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of the concrete jungle he now called home.

The familiar noise had a soothing effect on him, so he felt himself dozing off, falling deeper...and deeper...

Ping!

And just like that, peace was disrupted by his new-found treasure.

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