You can’t make someone fall in love with you. You can only stalk them on social media and hope for the best. To my juvenile and immature teenage brain whose thought process was at par with that of a dim pigeon, stalking seemed like the perfect and perhaps only option to get the love of my life to love me back. And so naturally, that is exactly what I did. Even though that experience didn’t quite end the way I would have preferred it to, at least I learned a lesson from it.

I fell flat on my face for him the day he joined school. I felt this certain tinge of excitement run through me. And so obviously, I tracked him down on the vast range of social networking sites, and added him as my friend. I smiled, satisfied with the hour’s work. At least now he was an actual part of my virtual world. That was quite some progress for the first day.

“What are you up to? You seem unusually engrossed in your work, if that is what you’re doing” my father noted.

“Important project. I have to complete it today. Submission date is coming up quite soon” I replied.

Pleased with my answer, he went back to his work, and left me alone, giving me time to discover all that I could about my new-found love. My curiosity started off with me spending half an hour to forty five minutes going through his profile and posts each day, and it went on to reach a lengthy duration of five hours. Before I knew it, I had turned into one of those people who I had despised earlier. I was officially an online stalker. Circumstances made me so.

He joined three years ago right when I did! At that moment I knew that we were meant to be! Moving on, I traced each small step that he took right from the time he joined till the current date. In between I found a highly disturbing revelation. There I saw, a photo of him with his former girlfriend. Well, I forgave him. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone makes bad choices. Moving on to his friends list, let’s see, same surname, hence sister or maybe a young aunt. Different surname but his mother also has her in her friend list, so she has to be a relative or family friend maybe, either way she’s not a hindrance in my way.

He liked another girl’s photo! How could he do that? I mean, of course he can do that, but why would he do it? Doesn’t he have the slightest idea that I love him? Maybe he does. But if he does, then why hasn’t he reacted to that? Maybe he doesn’t care. Or maybe he does care and he’s just playing hard-to-get! Upon realising what was happening inside that thick head of mine, I shut down the laptop immediately and lied down to at least try and sort out my messed up brain.

I heard my mother yell out for me so I went at once to hear what she had to say. She asked me to get ready in ten minutes as we were going to go out for dinner with some distant relatives of ours who had recently moved to this city. I pulled up a pair of jeans and the first decent tee shirt I could find, put on a pair of old sneakers and took the car out as I waited for the rest of my family to get ready to leave. On the way to the restaurant my mother briefed me about the people we were going to meet, and somehow I managed to understand how they were related to me. They were basically a distant aunt, uncle and cousin of mine. Great! New relatives to deal with. As if the ones I already had weren’t enough.

We reached the restaurant and went ahead and booked a table, seated ourselves and ordered beverages. After about five minutes or so, my parents rose suddenly and I looked around expecting to find these new relatives of mine. I choked and spurted lemonade all over my sister, who unfortunately was sitting right in front of me. She wasn’t pleased, not at all. Well, neither was I! There right in front of me, I saw all my fantasies and dreams shatter to a million pieces. There he stood with his parents, my future husband-to-be or rather now future husband-was-to-be.

“Janet, this is your cousin Allen” my mother said introducing him to me.

“We’ve met aunty! We’re in the same class” he said with that smile that had captivated me earlier.

“You have? That’s wonderful!” came the remark of his parents and mine.

I looked at him and smiled, offering my hand for a warm handshake instead of for marriage. In one word, the entire situation was just plain ‘awkward’ for me. And to add on, later on during dinner I also found out that his father, my uncle, was my new maths teacher. Smiling politely, I focused on the food with a broken heart. All those efforts that I put in, all that hard work, and all that time that I spent stalking him online, all of it was in vain. I’ll keep in mind to be a little more careful about who I fall for and stalk the next time.

“I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into” her father said when she received her confirmation letter from CES Consulting, one of the world’s most renowned private consultancy firms in the vast and rapidly expanding field of banking.

“Yes, as a matter of fact I am quite well aware of where I applied for a job” she said.

Mr. Jacques shrugged in response, giving her the typical ‘don’t tell me I didn’t warn you’ expression. She smiled knowingly, very well aware of his concerns regarding her new job. She was entering the mean corporate world. Young and inexperienced as she was, her intellect and highly logical mind made her competent enough to make herself a big name in this presently male-dominated profession. It wasn’t going to be an easy ride, and she knew that. But she had all that was needed to do the necessary deeds in order to reach the top, leaving all the men and their egoistic heads somewhere way down below where they were free to rot to death, after all they were soon going to wish that they were dead.

The next morning, she woke up with a smile, a cunning smile. Soon was going to begin a new era in the world of banking. She was going to make it happen. Keeping her target focused in her mind, she got up and began her day. Simple and classy as she was, she put on a knee-length black skirt, a crisp white shirt to go with it and a pair of well-polished black formal shoes. Tying her hair back into a neat and tight bun, she gulped down a quick breakfast and drove to her new office.

Getting a valet to park her sedan in the shade, she stepped out of the car and made her way into the squirming crowd of high-headed males. She curbed a smirk as she felt everyone’s eyes turn to her, as she went straight towards the clerks who were seated in a far corner of the marble-floored hall.

“Dominique Jacques?” one of the clerks asked when she approached him for direction, eyeing her carefully, taking in every detail that there was at first glance.

“My face is up here, and you shall always address me as Ms. Dominique” she snapped and she sensed a slight tremble pass through him, as he bowed down in respect, muttering a close to inaudible apology and led her straight to her cabin. Pleased with the first impression she had made, she seated herself comfortably, when she noticed a letter waiting for her on her desk. There was to be a meeting in an hour to welcome her and introduce her to her colleagues. She took a deep breath and calmed herself down, as she felt her pulse beat rapidly for a moment. This is what she had prepared for. This was her dream, her sole purpose in life. This was what the men deserved, and she would make sure they got it.

She reached her boss’s office sharp on time for the meeting. Most men didn’t even have the courtesy to at least show some decency for the first time. There they stood leaning against the wall, with their shirts unbuttoned at the top, their blazers hanging on their forearms, and their uncouth eyes darting about crudely. This sight didn’t disturb her one bit. She had been expecting this ever since she made the decision of working here. She was pleased to find that her boss, Mr. Fredrick Jean was also one of these impolite men, and that was going to make things easier for her.

A brief introduction took place, and she could bet that she heard a hoot and a whistle when she stood up to greet everyone. All the men introduced themselves too. The first few were bold, but her stare was cold enough to evoke a certain sense of diffidence in them, the others muttered their names quickly in order to end the discomforting session soon. In that one meeting she had the rest of her plan all figured out. She could easily identify which man was to be used for what purpose, and how she was going to take her first step. She had victimised three men, one was working at the same level as hers and was her only competition, one was her department head, and one was her boss himself.

During the lunch break that day she made her first move. In the cabin next to hers sat a certain Mr. Peter Houten who happened to be working on a certain task that he was due to submit in a week. She found out sufficient details about the task, and then approached Mr. Fredrick and asked whether she could do the same task separately too. Pleased to see her keen interest, he agreed. Things were too simple for her now. She produced a legitimate piece of work in two days time. And on the day of submission, she found a way to get certain pieces of her work in Peter’s. Once those documents reached her boss, she blamed Peter for intellectual theft at such a professional level of consultancy, and got him fired, out of her way. He got kicked out of the office to which he had contributed eleven long years of his life. He had a major share in getting the company to this level. And what did he get for that? A good kick out of the building, he was left on the road with nothing to his name other than a sign that clearly read ‘fraud’.

One out, two more to go.

In two weeks time she got her second chance. Her boss held a short meeting to ask for someone’s assistance that Mr. James Lancaster required for the project he was working on. This was her chance. She offered to help, and worked with him overtime till around one am. They walked out together and were about to head their own separate ways, when suddenly he did what she was hoping he would.

“Can I interest you in some coffee?” he asked, his eyes gleaming with a certain hunger. She knew where this was headed, and as unpleasant as it was, she knew she had to do it.

The next morning she presented her boss with adequate proof, accusing James of sexual abuse, making sure that he was out of her way. She made a convincing case. He was left shattered, jobless with a reputation that made certain that he would remain unemployed for the years to come, and with a divorce coming up for him soon. He lost his job, his entire career in fact, his wife, his children, his house, and all that he valued. He was left with nothing but a pathetic excuse to plead not guilty. He was done for good.

Two out, one more to go.

Her boss, her final victim. The last person that she had to take down before this entire branch was hers. And then soon, as time goes by, chances are the company would end up hers too. It wasn’t easy but she managed it with commendable efficiency. Playing a few cards at appropriate times, she filed a complaint to the region head of the company regarding how her boss was involved in bribery. Corruption wasn’t acceptable. Not in banking consultancy. For that matter, it wasn’t acceptable anywhere. Fredrick was out of her way too. He had no family, he had left them a few years back in order to pursue his dream of heading this company one day. He had devoted himself to his work, and what he received in return was a few years in prison with nothing and no one to fall back on.

Naturally, Dominique was recognised for her dedicated work in the company and officially got appointed as branch head after five days. That night she slept peacefully. Her mind at ease, her soul satisfied with her work, yet her hunger for power raged on. She wanted more, much more.

“It’s happening” she whispered softly, her voice a mask for the secret she hid deep within her fragile self. She felt herself go weak at its sight and she collapsed onto the autumn forest floor. Gripping onto the tree beside her, she gasped for breath as her eyes sunk back deep into their sockets, her pupils went haywire and a dizzy sensation filled her. Her hand flew to her throat as she clutched onto herself firmly and choked herself till she was numb. Her insides fired up and her skin burned, glowing red hot as it radiated heat, thawing her immediate surroundings.

It was here. Each of its stealthy moves unrestrained yet gradual, it approached the hills in a sinister way. It forced its way down, breaking through the clouds which lay so snugly above. It crept down, sneaking past thick densities of coniferous ferns. The first few metres were passed by unhurriedly. It moved down cautiously like a predator eyeing its prey, and taking careful steps to prevent its presence from being known. And then it charged down as if nothing was blocking its way.

And at last the mist settled in slowly on the cool blue lake. It cloaked the lake entirely, leaving behind faded reflections of what lay around. A gust of wind hushed by, forcing the clouds ahead. They drifted further away reluctantly, and streaks of golden sunlight pierced through the misty depth, making the lake sparkle with delight.

Her vision blurred and a sudden jolt of electricity raced through her viciously. A string of memories flashed through her mind as her limbs shook wildly, hitting against each other and bruising themselves from the rough path on which she lay. She stared above blankly and her hands spread out wide, open towards the sky, as if they were pleading, begging, yearning. The mist was a sign for her. A sign which had always been there. A sign signifying an event of destruction, an event of violence. A sign that made no appearance for long periods of time, but when it did grace her with its presence, hell broke loose. The mist was back. Here it was again.

She got up and tried to find her way through. The path ahead led her straight out of this place, and so she turned around and went the other way. She had to find him. She knew he was around here somewhere, she could sense it. And she knew he was close by because she could hear his thoughts. He was scared, and so was she. They were lost, afraid and insecure. She heard a loud thud behind her, and the sight that met her broke her at once. Her hands trembled, her feet seized, and she fell on her face. She dragged herself forward, grabbing hold of the earth and pushing it back as she hauled ahead.

Her hand reached for his neck, and felt a dying pulse. It grew softer and slower by the second. Tears welled up in her eyes and streamed down her frozen cheeks. Severed in many parts, and with his lips cut open, he tried to speak but couldn’t. He had bled too much, and all of the blood had frozen in on him. He spat out a lump of blood, and stammered weakly.

‘The mist?’ he asked in his thoughts, and she nodded in response. His pulse was now down to two or three a minute. These were her last moments with him.

“He did this to me. He’s here. Run!” were his last words as she felt his soul depart.