Uhhh

"Hey Aya! Glad you could make it!" A co-worker said. "We thought you wouldn't show. It's amazing, you are almost never late."

"I know. I just got a little... distracted. That's all." She gave a shrug and a shy smile. "I hope I didn't miss anything." Aya added on.

"Nah." The same co-worker shook her head. "Just Isaac and Dessa making things lively, Marcus and Damon talking about last night's game... and then there's you and me. Nothing unusual, really."

Aya nodded. "Alright. that's great. I've just been so caught up in things, lately." She sighed.

"Does any of this have to do with what you asked me earlier?"

"Yes, Nia. It does. It's... complicated, really."

Nia patted the seat next to her. "I've got time. Tell me about it."

"Alright." Aya agreed and sat down. "So, after work was over I went back home and looked through this diary I was sent. It... it came with that little riddle I asked you earlier. I wanted to see if there was anything that could help me. I wasn't really sure where to start. I figured I might as well just go into it.

"From reading the first few entries, I got to know her. At the time she started writing, she was fifteen. Unlike most girls her age, she hated being prim and proper. Cameras and photography was starting to grow. She loved working in her father's shop. She also wrote some things about liking this one boy that often stopped by. Now, I'm pretty sure she liked him. That might be just about the only girly thing about her." Aya explained, thinking back to all that she had read.

"Anyway, she was the oldest of four children. Her parents were very strict on her, almost border lining abusive. I can't count how many times I was scared for her life. I skipped a few years ahead, and life seemed to either get a little better or she was withholding information. She worked in her father's store more often, and was very restless with her life. One day, I guess her parents had enough.

"They set her up to get married. The moment she heard about this, however, she packed up her bags and ran off. She wasn't going to get married on her parents' terms. She doesn't write anything about being followed by them, but I'm sure that was always at the back of her mind. About a year or so later, maybe a bit less, she runs into that boy she used to always see. I'm pretty sure you can image what happened from then." Aya said.

"They... they got married." Nia stated, still in slight disbelief.

"That's right. In fact, it was in this very city. She wrote about how she wanted at least something traditional about her wedding. So, she went and found a wedding dress. She couldn't afford it at the time, so she had to work for the tailor that made the dress for some years after her marriage."

"Wait, how do you know it was in this city?"

"I met the descendant of the tailor that made the dress." Aya stated simply.

Nia just stared. "Wow. Um... ok then. I won't argue with that."

"Ok, that might be a lie, but I saw the dress. Anyway. After many years of working with the tailor, she realized something. He wasn't normal. She noticed eerie things going on in this shop. Finally, she pieced it together. He was a practicer of dark magic. Immediately, she was afraid for her life. But... she realized it was too late. Whatever curse bound her would stay bound until her life ended. The night of her epiphany, her husband was killed. She didn't specify how, but it happened."

"Wow. Way to add insult to injury." Nia commented.

"I know. By the time I had gotten that far, I realized I was going to be late coming here. I had to tear myself away from the diary. I really did. So, I have an outline of her tragic life, but I don't know how it ends, or some of the stuff in the middle. She lived a sad life, no doubt."

The two sat in silence, letting the information settle. Aya let her mind trail to the flier she found that started it all.

"Hey Aya. What's up?" Isaac asked, and settled down on the seat next to her.

"We haven't seen you here in awhile." Dessa added.

"Oh, I've just been... busy is all." Aya lied. She wondered when the last time she hung out with her co-workers was. At least a month ago. But what HAD she been doing on those nights? She mentally shrugged it off.
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A/N: I would've worked on this more, but I'm changing locations soon, sooo... I just had to put this up. It's rough, but... it works.