52 Week Short Story Writing Challenge - #16

Background:Why is school so difficult to keep up with? Every time I turn aroundthere’s a whole pile of Japanese work – and that’s just onesubject. Without further ado, four new short stories
ShortStory #16 – Turn
Nota guard in sight, Nue turned toward the neat row of multi-colouredshipping containers and smirked. Their prisoner was a most wantedfigure of sorts, the reputable Mr. Harrowleigh. She found the veryhumanlike man in one of the least likely places, a shipping containerwith holes and mould. Its walls were flaking, chipped red paintstripping away to reveal the rust underneath. Nue took a small breathand stepped inside, its door slightly ajar from its thick brokenhinges.Nuedidn’t turn on the light, a single bulb that was suspended from theceiling. In the middle of the space directly below the bulb was agurney, a middle-aged figure tied by wrists and ankles to its bars.His eyes were shut, gagged with a black cloth; black hair fell intohis eyes. She had a brief moment, imagining what he would have lookedlike in his youth. Handsome no doubt, in that way teenage rock starswere.Shemoved forward, taking in the outline of the scalpels and othermedical equipment whose names she did not know. The silver shonedarkly with blackish liquid, remnants of whatever horrible things thescientists had been doing to him. She looked at him again, his skinunmarked and barely touched by wrinkles. She was a Valkyrie, a womansent to the bravest of figures to determine whether they deserved tolive another lifetime. What had this man done to deserve such anhonour?Shestepped closer to him, frowning as some distant memory of the pasttugged at the edges of her mind. Her skin took on a luminescent glowas she stepped out of the moonlight drifting calmly through the door;she reached for the man’s cheek, her skin brighter than the sun asthe memory sparked.Athousand memories shared between the two flitted through her mind,both hers and Mr. Harrowleigh’s as she looked at his teenage years.Indeed he had been handsome, smart and a little arrogant, too, but aconstant feature in his memory was her smiling face.Nue,sitting under the cherry blossoms of the house she’d rented,pretending to be the new girl in the neighbourhood. Another memory:her first day of high school through Mr. Harrowleigh’s eyes, hisadmiration flaring inside him. She hadn’t changed – no Valkyrieever did, except to lessen their beauty to blend with humans – andhe had loved her instantly.Therewere other memories too, some very dark and depressed. The good wereof their first kiss, so beautiful and free, but everything leaked ofcolour as she looked at his memories without her. Even his weddingday to his stunning wife looked bleak in comparison to his memorieswith her. She staggered back a step but stopped as a warm handwrapped around her wrist.Mr.Harrowleigh – Ayd – was awake and watching her, his face full ofhope and love. His eyes were the only thing that hadn’t changedwith age, as wide and brilliantly blue as his youth. Within her shefelt her heart stutter, responding to the soul mate she had leftbehind.“I’vemissed you,” he said quietly. He offered her a joy-filled smile andtouched her long deep violet hair. “You haven’t changedwhatsoever.” Nue smiled sadly, gazing deep into his eyes.“I’vemissed you too,” she whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek. Aydreached for it, his fingertips barely grazing her cheek before herhypnotism had him pinned and his hand dropped limply.Shewiped the tear away fiercely. “You are exhausted,” she murmured.“By power of the Sky and Earth, the Valkyries and Higher Powers, Icarry your soul to the next life.” She climbed onto the gurneybeside him, eyes fixed on his. “We shall meet again.” She gentlykissed him, watching as his eyes slid gently shut. She rested herhead against his chest, listening to his heart as it slowed.“Ilove you,” he whispered, wrapping his arm around her drowsily. “Nohypnotism is strong enough to stop me.” Nue couldn’t stop herselffrom crying, watching as her glowing skin turned to flame and theydisintegrated into flame together.“Ilove you too,” she whispered.