Alexander Williams
"It's only a thousand dollars. It isn't even that much to ask for."
I stood next to Audrey, holding a maroon wool sweater. It was a simple design—the one-thousand-dollar price tag was an obvious extortion, but one touch of the soft wool, and I was sold.
Audrey glanced at me with an impatient look, her eye twitching. "I've already spent thousands of dollars on you today." She gestured pointedly at all the clothing and jewelry. "Do you really need this?"
Mustering the best pleading voice I could, I said "Audrey, I don't have any new winter clothes, and this is the softest sweater I've ever felt. I promise this is the last thing I'm getting. Trust me."
A memory flashed in my mind of three winters ago in Quebec—watching a niche anime. My A.C. failed me, and I had no warm clothes, only a thin blanket. Once I met Audrey, I vowed to always have warm clothes.
My patron gave me a look I couldn't fully decipher: exasperation, irritation, affection, and resignation. "Alright, fine, if this is the last thing you're asking for, then I'll allow you to get it."
Where had my life gone wrong? Eight years ago, I had wanted to become a lawyer—now I was pathetically relying on benefactors to get by. While it was very awkward to say my role in Audrey's life, the nature of my relationship with her outweighed the downsides tenfold. Audrey Jackson was an investor, and a successful one at that; we had met two years ago, and she had become one of my benefactors over time.
If I said I hadn't originally agreed to the deal just for money, I would be lying, but I wasn't heartless. I had grown attached to Audrey emotionally as well, and I spent as much time with her as I could—well, as much time as I could spare from my second benefactor.
A splitting headache tore through me—my vision blurred, and blooms of red clouded my perception. I had been experiencing these migraines throughout the day, so I had been trying to ignore them, to little effect.
Audrey seemed to notice something was off. "Are you okay, Alex?"
"Yeah, I'm alright. Let's go check out, alright?"
Audrey nodded but didn't seem convinced.
We went to the cashier, and I held the bags of clothes; looking up to see the cashier, staring past me to Audrey. She was mundane in the way all things were prosaic these days. The black bow sitting on her hair reminded me of the bow tie I had worn to my high school graduation, when my dreams weren't completely shattered.
Sighing, I held up the bags for the cashier to scan. She paused before looking past me at Audrey. "I apologize for asking, but might you be Mrs. Audrey Jackson?"
Audrey gave the cashier a crooked smile, more forced than genuine, her English accent more pronounced. "Hello, Courtney. I see you're still in retail. How... consistent."
The cashier—whose name was Courtney, apparently—flinched at the insult, her expression darkening.
My brain blanked; I had no idea how Audrey knew this Courtney, so I looked back and forth between the two, trying to come up with a solution. I was trying to figure out what the hell was going on. A vibration against my thigh broke the tension. I pulled my phone out, the name on the screen making my stomach drop. Fuck. Not now.
Breaking the tense silence between the two women, I addressed Audrey, "Audrey, I have to take a call—I'll be back in a few minutes." I paused before adding, "It's Cassandra."
Audrey nodded at me and I hurried away. Quickly, I hit the accept button and put the phone to my ear. It was a gamble, seeing what Cassandra wanted. It could be her checking up on me, or she could be calling me to her estate. Not keen on dropping everything and driving to her, I hoped for the former.
The phone made a soft beeping sound as I passed a mannequin wearing a shirt with a three-headed cat; I pressed the phone to my ear, the call connecting. A moment of static followed as I heard the familiar deep alto from the phone's speakers. "Hello, Alexander."
A deep sigh emanated from my lips, "Is there a reason you're calling, Cass?" I took a breath. "Do you want something from me, or do you just want to check up on me?"
It was as if I could hear my benefactor's smile from across the phone. "As a matter of fact, yes I do need you, right now if possible."
I frowned. Cassandra saying 'right now if possible' meant I had no choice but to go. It would be an impromptu leave—I felt Audrey would understand.
As if Cassandra could read my mind, she said, "If you're with Audrey just finish up what it is quickly. You majored in pre-law in your undergrad, correct? I have an issue and have to run some ideas with you."
Thinking longer, I came up with a realization. I knew Cass had lawyers, so why would she want a state university dropout like me helping her? It was pretty clear she just wanted an excuse to see me. I didn't quite mind, but given I was spending the afternoon with Audrey, I should have refused.
As I was about to say something, I realized avoiding this duty was impossible—after all, no matter how long I had known Cass or Audrey, this was the nature of our relationship.
My attention was drawn back to the phone as Cassandra continued to talk, "So can you do it, please Alexander, it's important."
"Okay, sure." I stayed silent for a bit, "I'll head to you. Give me an hour; I'm at the mall downtown, so driving with traffic will take a bit."
I could feel the happiness radiating through the phone, "Perfect, you can help me with my problems, and after you finish that we could drink wine, and go in bed and—"
My melancholy shattered as my face turned deadpan—I hung up the phone, opting to ignore her suggestive invitation. I went back over to my benefactor to inform her.
It seemed that the two women were just where I had left them, but their conversation seemed to be coming to an end. Audrey noticed me when I was a few feet away.
"Is everything alright, Alex? What did she say?"
I rubbed the back of my neck, averting my eyes, unable to meet hers. I had promised Audrey I would spend the whole day with her, and now—I was going to have to break the news.
"I have to help Cass with something at her estate." A pause. I quickly added, "Don't worry I'll be done before dinner then we can go to that one restaurant you've been dying to go to."
Audrey frowned. A pang of guilt washed over my body; she had planned the entire day for activities we could do; I could see that she felt defeated, and it felt as if my heart was being used as a chew toy.
I went up to Audrey and took her hand, "Listen, I know things aren't going to plan—I'll try to hurry back as fast as I can; then we can have the rest of the evening and night to ourselves."
"You can't go," she said abruptly.
All the color drained from my face. My life before I had met Audrey and Cass flashed before my eyes. If you believe having two rich and influential patrons that pay you and want your attention is a good thing, you're mistaken. Yes, I get benefits obviously, but there are many times when my two benefactors want two separate things, which is a tricky situation to handle.
I couldn't just say no to Audrey's command, but I sure as hell couldn't ghost Cassandra. I was tied to two cars going in opposite directions—no matter what it wasn't going to end well.
"Audrey… Audrey… I know we scheduled today for ourselves, but I really need to go to
Cass's place" I looked away before muttering under my breath, "Because I already used up my excuse when I was playing that LitRPG."
Audrey looked at me, her face hard.
"Ok, ok, ok, I get you won't budge normally—listen, if you let me go to Cassandra's house now." Thinking deeply before saying my next words I continued, "tomorrow I'll spend time with you from morning to night with no interruption"
She seemed to brighten a little at this, and we went and picked up our bags. She let go of my hands. "I paid for all the items already—I'll drop you off at Cassandra's house and… and call me when you're done, alright?"
Nodding, I grabbed a majority of the bags; the plastic crinkled as I grabbed hold of them, and Audrey and I left the store. The noise startled me. The rest of the mall was crowded at its peak traffic. There were hundreds of couples, families, and people alone that were walking around with bags of bought goods.
A couple of kids laughing in an ice cream shop, probably college students; It reminded me that I hadn't talked to any of my friends from university, and I vowed I would call them soon.
While walking, I decided to ask Audrey the question that I really wanted an answer to, "Audrey—how did you know that cashier?"
Audrey stayed quiet for a bit before saying, "Courtney was a peer of mine in university." She paused in her step causing me to almost stumble, "We had a falling out, and haven't spoken until today"
Audrey continued her walk, her skirt swaying back and forth hypnotically. Taking in the new information I had gotten I thought. I had known Audrey had gone to Oxford before moving to California, but she rarely talked about anyone she knew there; knowing this information created a new question. Who else did she know from Oxford that I didn't know. Hell, she could've gone to class with a member of England's royal family.
We arrived outside of the mall—I had to cover my eyes from the sun's radiance; The crisp fall air caused my bangs to move in front of my eyes. I made no move to brush it away. My Rolls was easily visible compared to the other cars in the lot.
"Keep the car for the afternoon, Audrey. Just pick me up when I'm done. Calling your drivers would be a hassle."Audrey nodded before opening the car door.
I followed suit, opening the passenger door and looked into the familiar interior. The crème-colored seats were a welcome sight; memories of everything I did in the car came in a quick flash as I climbed into the passenger seat.
Audrey went into the driver's seat, and I tossed her the car keys. She started the engine, and as the heater kicked in, I sighed and sank into my seat; pulling the seat belt around my body—I took my phone out and checked my messages.
Like usual, my messages were just as I had left them. Empty. I thought about doomscrolling but decided I had been indolent enough today
I looked over at Audrey and saw her gripping the wheel tightly. Nervous of what Audrey would do, I rested my hand on her passive hand. She flinched slightly before softening her expression. It was subtle but clear. I internally thanked my lucky stars before looking at my face in the car's mirror.
I saw something extremely strange. Where my face should have been was the face of a young child, staring at me with piercing red eyes. I blinked at the strange sight, but when I looked back it was just me, black hair with pale skin and dark eyes. I looked back at the car interior, my mind racing.
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The rest of the drive went by in a flash with no strange occurrences; Audrey and I shared some small talk but other than that the ride was silent. As we rode into Cass's neighborhood, I saw the telltale signs that every resident there was a millionaire: all of the lawns were completely trimmed, most houses had a visible pool—most obvious every single house was as big as a museum.
Audrey parked in front of a house reminiscent of Renaissance architecture; as we ended up in the driveway, the front door swung open, as Cassandra stepped out, her figure unmistakable even from a distance. I could see her wave when Audrey and I left the car. We walked up to Cassandra.
"Hello, Audrey. Hello, Alex."
Audrey went to shake hands with Cassandra and she accepted the gesture. There was a tense silence in the air—I waited to see what the two women would do; the air itself radiating a tension. Cassandra gave a wry smile to Audrey, and she frowned slightly, her expression darkening. I held my breath waiting for the fuse to light. After what felt like hours, Audrey nodded at Cass before turning around stiffly and heading back to the car, as Cass's smile grew a bit wider. I breathed a sigh of relief as the awkward tension left the air and turned to Cassandra. She took a step closer to me before taking my hand. "Alexander, you made it. Come to the living room. I'll give you a debriefing."
Entering Cassandra's house was like stepping through a portal to a century ago—if there were flat-screen TVs and monitors in the 20th century. The house smelled like wine and money. We arrived at our destination. Calling the living room large was an understatement, it was larger than my old apartment suite.
I scanned the room taking in the familiar details before my eye settled on the couch. The couch was as comfortable as you could find, but my attention went to the wine bottle. It was a bottle of Nineteen Ninety Six Chateau Lafite Rothschild.
My expression brightened immediately—I rushed over to the couch and grabbed the Rothschild. To hell with finding a glass. I'll drink it straight from the bottle. Maybe it's not something Cass or Audrey would do, but I wasn't either—I was Alexander. As I was drinking the wine Cassandra cleared her throat.
"I get you're enjoying your beverage, but I really do have an issue you need to see"
I ignored my patron opting to continue indulging in my wine: Bad Idea. Cassandra's expression darkened as I continued drinking the
"Remember when you hung up on me, Alexander. That was strike one. Now you're ignoring me. That's strike two." She stepped closer to me, and I quit drinking the wine, "I would suggest you start behaving before strike three"
I gulped, realizing I had been acting out of line. I put the bottle down and looked at her—my heart was racing, wondering what she would do. Cassandra looked at my fearful expression and sighed all the anger leaving her face.
"I truly apologize, Alex I got angry and almost took it out on you." Her face looked genuinely remorseful, "What I meant to say is for you to look at these papers."
Cassandra grabbed a stack of papers I hadn't noticed. There were probably twenty papers in that stack so it would take a while to finish.
I grabbed onto the papers and sat down onto the couch, sinking into the plush seat; I remembered the couch after all I had sat there multiple times—Cassandra and I had been on that couch together hundreds of times watching movies, reading books, and other less scrupulous acts.
Cassandra sat next to me before laying her head on my lap. I was caught by surprise for a moment but quickly shifted positions slightly. Out of habit, I ran my hands through her silky hair causing her to react with a pleasant smile.
It was a peaceful moment, one that showed that my life could be enjoyable and pleasant. I brought the documents up to my face starting to read them.
The world shifted suddenly; it was subtle, but clear to me in the stillness of the room. The wine couldn't have acted so quickly, so what was happening? My perspective shifted more violently this time, like the world was a napkin that was folding.
The comfort of the couch left me, the warm feeling of wine left me, the comfort of Cassandra left me. My mind went to panic trying to understand what was going on.
The smell of ammonia leaked into my nostrils as everything around me seemed to freeze in place and yet swirled faster than I had seen before. My vision blurred as I lost all sensation to my body.
"Cassandra?" I asked but got no reply. It was like my worldview was a sweater torn and yet stitched back together. I could see… no it was more my body, disconnected from the world. The world went dark as my consciousness slipped.