Contract Flames

Ghosts in the Daylight

Aurora woke up with her heart hammering and her skin damp with sweat. She sat up fast, pressing her palms hard against her face. Her hands still smelled like the strong soap she had used to scrub herself raw the night before. No matter how many times she washed them, she couldn’t get rid of the feeling.

She glanced at the clock. 4:47 a.m. Another long day was waiting whether she was ready or not.

She went straight to Leo’s room. He was already awake, sitting up in bed with his sketchbook on his lap, oxygen tube running under his nose. Even at ten, he tried to act strong for her.

“Morning, Rory,” he said with a small smile. “I drew something new for you.”

Aurora sat on the edge of his bed and looked. It was her again — cape flying, fists raised — fighting off a monster made of hospital bills. She laughed softly, but her chest felt tight.

“You’re supposed to be resting,” she said gently, brushing hair from his forehead. He felt a little warm. Not fever, warm but enough to worry her.

“I wanted to wait for you,” Leo replied. “You were talking in your sleep again. Sounded scared.”

Aurora forced a smile. “Just weird dreams. Nothing serious. Did you take your hydroxyurea already?”

He nodded, but when he reached for the glass of water on his bedside table, he winced sharply. The small movement clearly hurt his joints. Aurora pretended not to notice, but inside she felt that familiar twist of fear. The crises were coming more often lately. The doctor had mentioned they might need stronger treatment soon. Another bill she couldn’t afford was sitting unopened on the kitchen counter like a bomb.

She helped him with breakfast, made sure he took all his medicines, and waited until Jane arrived before leaving for work.

“Take care of my superhero,” she told Jane at the door.

“Always,” Jane replied, then lowered her voice. “You still haven’t told me what really happened that night three months ago, have you?”

Aurora just shook her head. “Later. I have to go.”

The café shift was its usual madness. By the time she finished and rushed to the hotel for her afternoon job, her feet were swollen and every muscle ached.

That’s when she first noticed him.

She was clearing a table near the windows when she felt eyes on her. Heavy. Focused. Different from the usual sleazy stares. When she looked up, a tall man in a crisp dark shirt sat alone in the corner, quietly watching her. Their eyes met for a second before he looked down at his phone.

Her stomach dropped.

She told herself it was nothing.

But two days later, he was back. Same corner table. Same intense stare. This time her pulse spiked. It was him. The man from that night.

By the third time, Aurora was seriously considering telling hotel security. A man showing up repeatedly at her workplace wasn’t normal. It felt dangerous. But something stopped her. Maybe curiosity. Maybe exhaustion. She wasn’t sure.

During her short break, she marched over to his table, fists clenched.

“Are you stalking me now?”

He looked up calmly. Up close he was even more striking — sharp jaw, dark hair, broad shoulders filling out his expensive shirt. He didn’t look guilty.

“I’ve been looking for you,” he said, voice low and steady. “My name is Adrien.”

Aurora felt heat rush to her face. “Well Adrien, I don’t want to be found. That night was a drugged mistake and I want to forget it ever happened. Stop showing up at my jobs like some creepy rich asshole.”

She turned to leave, but his next words stopped her cold.

“I have a proposition that could change your life and your brother’s.”

She froze, back still turned to him. The words hung heavy in the air.

“Not here,” she said finally, voice tight. “And definitely not tonight. I’m going home to my brother.”

Adrien nodded slowly. “Fair enough. But I’ll be around, Aurora.”

He already knew her full name.

Of course he did.

She walked away fast, heart pounding, feeling his eyes follow her the entire way.

That night at the club, her hands wouldn’t stop shaking as she served drinks. Every deep voice behind her made her tense. Every shadow felt threatening. When her shift finally ended after midnight, she was completely drained.

She was heading toward the staff exit when she saw him again — standing near the bar, tall and composed, waiting.

This time she marched straight up to him, anger winning over fear.

“What exactly do you want from me?” she hissed. “Another night? Some kind of payment? Just be honest so I can tell you to f**k off properly.”

Adrien stayed calm. “I want to talk. Just five minutes. That’s all I’m asking.”

Aurora let out a tired laugh. “You think because you’re rich you can just walk into my life and I’ll listen? I have a sick brother at home who needs real help. I don’t have time for whatever game this is.”

She turned and left before he could say anything else, but his words followed her the whole dark walk home.

Back at the apartment, everything was quiet. Jane had left a note. Leo was asleep on the couch, sketchbook beside him, breathing steady through the oxygen tube. Aurora stood there for a long time, just watching her little brother.

The unopened hospital envelope still sat on the kitchen counter. She still couldn’t bring herself to open it.

She went to the bathroom, closed the door, and leaned her forehead against the cool mirror.

This man — Adrien — was dangerous.

Not because he might hurt her.

But because some tired, desperate part of her was already wondering what his proposition was… and how much she might be willing to give up to save her brother.