Shadow of Doubt: Part 2 (14 page)

Setting his bag down, he punched in
1031 again. The door didn’t unlock. He rubbed the stubble on his
chin as he thought. He tried 3110 and a few other similar numbers,
to no avail. He hit the door in frustration.

Tapping his finger against the door
knob, he tried to remember if the old man had said anything to him
in the hospital. Biting his lip, he closed his eyes to think. It
felt more natural to think in the dark. The guy said his name was
January or something like that. What was basic about
that?

Aaron opened his eyes and punched in
0101. He blinked when he heard the click and slide of the door
unlocking. Lifting his bag, he pushed it open and stepped
inside.

Nice pad!
He looked around. He owned the entire floor,
probably about five thousand square feet. The place was huge. From
the door, he caught a glimpse of a modern, black kitchen with
chrome appliances.

He eyed the living room in
appreciation. The dark-stained oak on the staircase continued on
the wooden floors. Large, bright windows were everywhere. He could
see the entire city from his living room. He headed towards the
dark leather sofa and sat down. He looked up and saw the old, red,
British pay phone set beside an old wooden pillar. It was the best
thing in the room.

Walking quietly over to it, he ran his
fingers lightly over the red enamel metal and felt the coolness of
the lead glass. It was a K6; his inner sense confirmed what auction
papers had stated. Pushing the door open, the light turned on and
he slipped inside and curiously picked up the receiver. He smiled
when the sound of the dial tone reached his ears. A pay phone that
didn’t need quarters. The thing was awesome!

He stepped out, and the light inside
switched off. He felt a strange draw, and it took some effort to
physically turn away from the booth. He headed towards what he
assumed was his bedroom. The strange pull he’d felt towards the
booth weakened as he walked away. He glanced back and paused for a
moment, wondering why.

Once inside his room, he went straight
for the black, wood bed. The soft duvet had no cover and,
strangely, there were no sheets on the bed. Exhaustion seeped into
his core. He sat down and pulled off his sneakers. He took care to
not injure his tender ribs as he rolled onto his back. As he caught
his breath, he remembered he had to see Dr. Apate on
Friday.

He brought his hands up behind his
head and looked around the room. There were no photographs of
himself or anyone else. The only thing that caught his eye came
from the reflection in the mirror. Above the headboard hung a large
picture of a waterfall. He tried to look at it from where he lay
but couldn’t see it clearly. He gazed back into the mirror. As he
let his eyes fall shut, he remembered it was Falls Creek. He’d have
to make a trip across town to Cornell University sometime to see
the falls in person. Too tired to think about anything else, he
drifted off to sleep.

*****

“Where is he?” Coty paced inside the
tiny coffee shop. It had been two weeks since he’d seen Erebus or
Nanny. “Did she do something to him?”

“Sit down. You’re making me nervous.”
Janus pointed to the chair across the table. “He’s not with Nanny.
She’s gone off to the West Coast or possibly out of the country
now, somewhere warm, maybe South America.”

“Did she do something to him? Or tell
the Night Council?” Coty dropped dramatically into the seat. He
grabbed his coffee, added another spoonful of sugar, and swallowed
it back in three gulps.

“She left without seeing Erebus. She
had nothing to report to the Night Council that wouldn’t get
herself into serious trouble.” Janus’ voice sounded
sympathetic.

“Then where is he?” Coty’s voice
broke. He felt like he’d already lost his best friend and never had
a chance to say goodbye.

“He’s in the wind. I know it’s hard to
understand, but he’s gone. Not through the Night Council or
anything like that.” Janus stood, resting his big hand on Coty’s
shoulder. “You’ve got a new pal named Reece. Erebus would want you
to focus on the now and the future, not the past. Destiny comes
full circle. You’ll see that one day.”

*****

Aaron stood outside the closed door,
taking several deep breaths. He needed to calm his anxiety. It was
hard to believe six months had passed since he’d woken up in the
hospital, not knowing who he was. Not much had changed. His mind
hadn’t opened up to anything about his past. He had fleeting
thoughts and déjà vu moments, but none of the dots
connected.

He wiped his sweaty hand on his pants
and opened the door, switching the lights on to the dance studio.
He’d taken a position as a dance instructor at Cornell. The
elective course was offered in the evenings. Dr. Apate knew another
instructor and had hooked him up with the job. He told Aaron he was
pretty sure that with his dance skills, he must have taught or
danced seriously. Aaron had said yes to the job. He didn’t need the
money. He needed something to do.

Clearing some dust off an old
gramophone sitting in the corner of the room, he pulled it towards
the front of the room. He’d tested it out over the weekend and had
found some great old waltz vinyl records he could use. As he wound
the brass arm, he heard students begin to trickle in behind him.
They whispered quietly amongst themselves, staying towards the back
of the room. He understood how they felt. He had the same
butterflies.

He looked out the window and took
comfort in the setting sun. He clapped his hands and turned to face
the group.

“Welcome everyone. I’m Aaron Buss.
I’ll be your dance instructor for the next eight weeks. I’ll
introduce you to the waltz, the fox trot, the cha-cha, and – ” he
froze when another student walked into the room. A petite,
beautiful girl. The same girl that had been gracing his dreams
almost every night. With the light from the hallway behind her, she
looked angelic. Her wavy blonde hair even seemed to have a halo
around it.

She tentatively stepped inside the
door, staring at the floor before glancing around at the other
students. They turned to look at her, probably trying to figure out
what made their instructor stop talking.

Her green-blue eyes grew wide when she
noticed him. She didn’t speak, but her lips mouthed the word
“Aaron.”

“Would you excuse us for a moment?” He
spoke to the class but paid no attention to their response. Not
sure how he ended up in front of her, he tentatively touched her
elbow and led her out into the hall.

“I apologize if this sounds strange
but, do you know me?” He couldn’t help but feel excited. She might
be a link to his past.

She seemed stunned. “I’m… I’m not
sure.”

He loved her beautiful, husky voice.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know your name.” He shifted his weight from
foot to foot. “You see, there was this accident half a year ago,
and I can’t seem to remember much of my past.”

“You don’t remember?” When he shook
his head, a wonderful smile sprinkled her lips. “That’s terrible
but it seems we, I mean you, have a second chance.” She held out
her hand. “Hi, Aaron. I’m Aurora.”

He shook her warm, firm hand. “It’s a
pleasure to meet you. Would you care to join our dance class? I
have a feeling the students are listening by the door, trying to
figure out what’s going on out here.”

A deep, hearty laugh escaped her
mouth. She nodded and began walking towards the dance studio. Her
hand on the door, she paused before pushing it open. “Not to sound
like I’m hitting on the teacher, but do you want to go for a coffee
after class?”

“I’d love to. The only thing is…I
can’t stand coffee. Maybe we can go for a drink or
something?”

She laughed again. “Sure.”

EPILOGUE

Five years
later…

A handsome, steel-grey-eyed man pushed
his son on a swing in the park. The boy squealed with delight,
wanting to go higher and faster. The pink sun slowly began its
descent for the night. The man knew they needed to head home soon.
His wife had nagged him that their son needed to be in bed on time.
He grinned as he thought of his angelic wife.

A movement out of the corner of his
eye caught his attention, and he turned to see a young man appear
out of the last bit of shadows of the day, near the bus stop by the
road. He watched the man start to cut across the park, then pause
mid-stride when he noticed them. The man approached them, a
friendly smile on his face. He stopped and watched them for a
bit.

“Excuse me,” the man said. “I don’t
mean to sound rude or like some sort of freaky stalker, but you
look very familiar. Could I ask what your name is?” The young man
stared intently at him and glanced at his son, all the while
scratching his head.

“Aaron.” The stranger seemed to know
who he was, even if he didn’t admit it.

“Oh.” The man sounded slightly
disappointed. “Sorry, I thought you might be someone
else.”

“No problem.” He lifted his son off
the swing and set him on the ground. “Come on, Cody. It’s time to
head home.”

“Daddy, I want to stay. I like
swinging in the dark. It’s fun.” Cody ran back to the swing and
tried to get back on, his little legs too short.

“Cody Buss, if we don’t go now, your
mom’s going to get mad at both of us.” He tried to sound stern but
knew it wasn’t working.

The stranger’s eyes widened. “Cody
Buss? You’re Aaron Buss?” The way he said Aaron’s name, it sounded
slurred, like one word – Erebus.

“Yeah, we do have the same last name.
He’s my son.” He laughed at the stranger’s weird
excitement.

“Great to see you, man. I thought you
were dead and gone. I always knew you’d find your freedom. I’m so
happy for you.” He slapped Aaron on the shoulder as he turned to
go. “By the way,” he called over his shoulder, “say hi to Aurora
for me. I’m an old, old friend.”

“What’s your name?” Aaron called after
the disappearing figure. It was by far the strangest conversation
he’d ever had since waking up in the hospital with no
memory.

The man was halfway across the park,
fading into the darkness. Aaron could have sworn he heard “Coty”
through the laughter.

THE END

About the
Author

WJ May is the author of the popular
series, The Chronicles of Kerrigan.

She grew up in the fruit belt of
Ontario - St. Catharines. She had a happy childhood with a vivid
imagination and loads of energy. She is the youngest of six, having
four older brothers and a sister who taught her at a young age to
be competitive in all aspects of life.

At sixteen, she began competing in
track and field athletics and before her seventeenth birthday she
proudly represented Canada in the high jump. She continued to
compete, breaking Canada's JR High Jump record of 1.92m (6' 3
1/2"). She has represented Canada at the World Championships, World
Juniors, and won the Francophone Games. She attended The University
of Toronto and Kansas State University - winning CIAU's and
becoming a six time All-American NCAA Indoors Runner Up.

Her favourite pastimes are traveling
and reading. She has an on-line business that she operates with her
husband. Writing has been her passion for years but after
continually putting it off she began in earnest in 2009 after the
death of her father. WJ May is a writer of Young Adult and Fantasy
Fiction. She is currently represented by Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge
Literary Agency.

Want to read more books by
WJ May:

The Hidden Secrets Saga:
Blood Red Series: