Allure of Darkness

Open. Bloom. Wilt. Rot

A creature of infinite melancholy, with a bubble of hot poison in your loins and a super-voluptuous flame permanently aglow in your subtle spine.

-Vladimir Nabokov

***

It had been six months since the disappearance of Camilla's fiancé. Although the police were doing all that they could in an effort to find him or at least know what had happened, nothing came of it.

It was the worst feeling for Camilla. Her world was empty without his love.

Everyone in their little town had their theories; he had cold feet and disappeared or he had been murdered and his body discarded where no one would ever find it. But for Camilla, there was hope - a tiny flicker against the odds. She clasped onto it with all her life.

Giving up on searching for him was out of the question. Even though the task had consumed her life for the past six months, she didn't care. She was going to look for Kai until her dying breath.

Bergen was the capital city of Oldmont. It was vast and intricate, something Camilla had never seen before. She had heard stories about the famous city mostly from Kai but had never had the luxury to leave her hometown. Bergen had been where he promised to take her for their honeymoon.

She and her mother had been on the road for eight hours moving from Plagiá to the city. Since the police force in their town was not delivering, she'd decided to look at other alternatives. Ramiro had given her the card of a friend in the city who was a detective and when Manuela, her mother's sister who lived in the capital agreed to house them, they'd packed their bags.

Camilla awoke early in the morning for a trip to see detective Marcus Basset but it was a waste of time. He was away working on a case and would return in two days. As disappointed as she was, she knew she had to wait. He was the only one she could apparently trust to get the job done. Two days didn't seem too long considering she'd been searching for months.

Stepping into the cool, windy morning air, she caught her breath at the view. The Capitol sparkled like a vast field of fireflies and for a girl who'd lived in a small town all her life, it was fascinating. The smell of the capital was alien to her. She was so used to the scent of fish that this perfumed atmosphere set her on edge.

Camilla searched for extra change, in her harem pants. Earlier, she'd seen a coffee shop down the streets with a display of a variety of cakes, cookies, and tarts. Her stomach grumbled considering she'd barely eaten since they arrived.

Just before getting to the café, she came across a food truck parked miles away. They were selling alluring hot dogs that appealed to her pallets and, in an instant, she forgot all about the croissants on display that she had been craving.

With a pep in her step, she got in line and ordered two of the spicy hot dogs and a scoop of vanilla ice cream drizzled with shots of espresso.

"Thank you," she beamed at the server. Camilla caught a glimpse of a flyer on the truck advertising for an open position.

"Are you interested?" The lady who had served her asked when she noticed the curiosity in her eyes. "The interviews begin next week."

"You don't mind if I take one, do you?"

"No sweetheart." She picked one and put it under her arm. "Your beautiful face would be good for my business. Please, feel free to come for the interview."

With a wide grin, she turned around clumsily and bumped into the man who stood behind her. Luckily there was no spillage and her food was intact, that was the most important part.

"I'm very sorry." She raised her head. Camilla's hand lost its grip and everything she held went crashing to the ground.

"Are you okay?"

There he stood, in the camouflage of sun and shade. Her bowels turned into ice water. "Kai?"

His hair was sleeked up, neat. In a pleasing attire; black pants, white dress shirt and a tie, odd because there was nothing Kai hated more than ties. The woman standing behind him cleared her throat and forced them to step aside. Camilla had to blink several times to reassure herself she wasn't dreaming before gazing at him again.

"Kai."

His brows furrowed. "Excuse me?"

Her heart beat with such fierceness she thought it may explode as a multitude of memories flooded her thoughts. "My love." She took his head between her palms and sought his face, making sure all this was real, he was real. "Yes. It's you. Oh, God! You're here. It's you."

He paused for what felt an eternity as tears fell from her eyes. Wrapping her arms around his shoulder, Camilla - with his help- lifted herself and wrapped her legs around his torso.

"They told me you were dead," she cried. "They told me... I thought... we thought you died."

Camilla hesitated for only a fraction of a second, then she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, and the whole world powered off.

At first, he was unyielding then he tightened his arms around her and kissed her back. The kiss seared her senses; it made her feel alive, sucking the past six months away. Waves of sensation pulled her under - drowning her. He tasted passion. He tasted emotion. He tasted a world she'd never imagined, one he hadn't let her in before. It was different, very different.

She pulled back and gazed into his eyes. "I thought I'd never see you again. What happened? Where have you been?"

"What's wrong with you?" He looked at her as if she was a stranger. "Are you crazy? Do you jump into strange men's arms and kiss them without their consent?"

Camilla wiped her tears away, still ogling at him as if he was a mirage. "What?"

Prying her hands from his shoulders, he set her back on the ground and stood straight. "You've lost your mind."

Her face wrinkled in confusion. "Don't you know me?"

His eyes were icy. "No, I've never seen you in my life."

"Kai, come on. Stop it, this isn't funny."

"My name is not Kai, I am Alexander."

Camilla shook her head in dismay then moved nearer to him, setting her hand on his head. "My God, are you feeling alright?"

He stepped back, turning away. "Stay away from me, crazy lady."

Camilla chased after him.

"Stop it," he warned her. "I am a detective, I will arrest you for harassment."

"Look me into my eyes and swear you don't know me."

He advanced forward, towering over her. She had to crane her neck to look directly into his eyes. "I told you, I've lived here my entire life and I've never seen you before."

She gasped and moved back, capping her mouth. "You must have gotten into a car accident and lost your memory. That explains why you've been gone for six months, right? That explains why you don't know me."

"You're insane."

"Kai..."

"Alexander," he insisted, gritting his teeth in frustration.

She clutched his face. "My love, it's me." Lifting her hand, she shoved her ring to his face. "Your wife."

He took her wrists and wrenched her hands from his face. "Sweetheart, I'm not who you're looking for. I've been married for four years to the same woman."

Camilla examined his face. She couldn't think. Her heart pounded so wildly, beating so heavily, she could hardly breathe. Her eyes trailed over his body for a sign, anything that could explain what he was saying but there was nothing.

This was Kai. Her Kai. Why was he saying otherwise? He had the same brown eyes she had waited to stare into for what felt like forever. His head was full of the auburn hair she had caressed while he lay in her arms for years. The lips that had kissed her day and night, plump and alluring.

What was he saying? No. This was impossible.

She scrutinized him again, comparing his appearance to her memories. Although Kai wore much simpler clothes, these were expensive and stylish. There was no doubt that this man came from money, she had been afraid to touch him lest she ruined his shirt. His long hair, always unruly, was short, brushed up and glistening. Then their eyes locked and she studied them. They were void of emotion and distant, unlike her Kai's which were always full of love and laughter.

Although the signs were there, Camilla didn't want to accept what her mind had already deciphered. As if understanding - and enjoying- her fear, the man smiled. "Are you satisfied now?"

"It's not possible." She explored his eyes. 'If you're telling the truth then how do we explain this? You're Kai's carbon copy."

Irritated, he reached the back of his pocket and shoved an ID into her hand. Camilla scanned it, reading all the necessary details. He was right, his name was Alexander Dimitriou.

"Don't look at me like that," he warned, eyeing her in distaste. "Sorry but your cheap tricks don't work on me. If this is your way of extorting money, then you've backed up the wrong tree.

She followed him when he continued to walk.

"No." He stopped her with his cold, uncaring eyes. "Don't you dare follow me again, because this time you'll know who I really am."

With that, Camilla stood rooted and watched him walk away. She couldn't help the Deja Vu, it was as if Kai was walking away all over again and there was nothing she could do to stop him despite knowing she wasn't going to see him again.