Until the Night Turns: Chapter 2
- Natalie Guttormsson
- Jun 24
- 6 min read
Stranger in the Woods (Edalyn)
Edalyn turned off her camera and sighed with relief as she removed her gold masquerade mask and red wig. She gently placed them on top of the faceless mannequin head that sat on top of her dresser. As she stared at them, she felt a knot form in her chest. She used to get a thrill each time she assumed her Mistress Raveneye persona, but lately she had mixed feelings about her alter ego.
Mistress Raveneye had far more influence online than she'd ever have as herself. She was lucky to be hired by amazing clients to help them track down missing things and people or to reveal long-lost secrets, and she hadn’t failed a single request in four years. Her fans knew she was the real deal, and they spread the word. Edalyn knew she should be grateful for the opportunities to use her special abilities and get paid well for them. But while the work gave her purpose, it also kept her trapped.
Moving away from the dresser, Edalyn entered the small bathroom across the hall. She never failed to be amazed by how she looked with Mistress Raveneye’s gold-painted eyes, thick fake eyelashes, and heavily applied rouge. The real Edalyn was the complete opposite. She reached for a cotton pad, poured some micellar water on it, and began removing the dramatic makeup. Each swipe of the pad brought her closer to her brown-haired, rosy-skinned, unassuming self again.
As she cleaned her face, her thoughts returned to a recurring fantasy that kept catching her off guard. She imagined living a life where she didn’t see visions every time she touched an object or person with her bare hands. What would life be like if a graze of her fingertips didn’t generate a flood of images of what someone had done, where they’d been, and who or what they’d interacted with?
What she really wanted was the freedom to be Edalyn Vigfusson, the indie musician. Maybe a stronger, more confident person could manage being a musician who also happened to have psychic abilities. Not Edalyn. In the real world, her gifts restricted her life. The worst part was that she had no control over it. The only way she could go about her day without losing her mind from overstimulation was to wear gloves. As frustrating as her gifts were, she also knew they paid her bills far more often than her music did.
But there was another layer to her internet fame that weighed on her mind. Most of her fans were supportive and wonderful, but there was also a portion of her followers who thought it was all theatrics. They didn’t believe her gifts were real and were vocal about it. Some were even abusive. Trolls mocked her in the comments sections and harassed her with threatening private messages. Edalyn knew she wasn’t an anomaly in this matter. Every woman getting attention online received threats and abusive messages, but it didn't give her any comfort to be part of a statistic. It was yet another reason why she had to maintain anonymity. As long as her true identity remained a secret, she felt safe.
Edalyn shuddered as she tossed the last cotton swab into the trash and left the bathroom. The weight of Mistress Raveneye was dragging her down, and she couldn’t let those feelings accompany her on stage that night. What she needed was some fresh air. A glance at the clock told her she had plenty of time to go for a run on the nearby trails. She quickly changed into her running shorts and a fresh t-shirt, filled her water bottle, grabbed her keys, and dashed out the door.
Pacific Spirit Park was a fifteen-minute drive from her apartment complex and her favourite place to run because the wooded trails provided excellent shelter and privacy. In addition to her psychic abilities, Edalyn was also a fast runner. Some observers might even say unnaturally fast. Back in middle school, when she first joined the cross-country team, she learned quickly that she had to intentionally lose from time to time to avoid scrutiny. Her classmates already teased her for wearing gloves; the last thing she needed was rumours about her speed. As a consequence, she never dared to test her top speed.
Edalyn parked her car on the street and walked over to the nearest entrance to the trails. The sun was peeking in and out of the clouds, warming the air, but bringing a cool breeze alongside it. It was perfect weather to run and keep the bugs away. Edalyn had just started to warm up her legs and select a playlist on her phone when a large man suddenly appeared at her side. She jumped away, but he was too quick. His fingers reached out and snatched her phone out of her hands. Then he took off running before she had time to yell or get a good look at his face. Edalyn shoved her earbuds into her pocket with annoyance before chasing after him. The thief had targeted the wrong woman and would regret it when she caught up to him.
To her surprise, the thief remained a blur of blonde hair and black running clothes. Each time she sped up, he did too, always staying out of arm's reach. Luckily, no one else was on the trail because Edalyn was reaching a speed that scared her, and still she couldn’t catch him. Alarm bells were ringing in her head. Who was this man?
Edalyn sped around a bend in the path where a fallen log blocked her way. Her phone was precariously perched on top of it. A survey of the area showed her that the thief was nowhere to be seen. She held her breath as she cautiously picked up her phone and slipped it into the pocket of her running shorts. That’s when she heard a twig snap behind her.
Edalyn spun around to see the man standing a few paces away, his muscular arms folded across his chest. Up close and standing still, he was intimidating. She wondered if she'd made a mistake chasing him into the heart of the park. If he was that fast running, what else was he capable of?
He was watching her carefully with a half smile on his lips.
“Well? Didn’t that feel good?” His voice was gruff, perfect for a thief.
Edalyn didn’t know how to respond. She’d never spoken openly about her abilities with a stranger before.
“What do you mean?” She asked, her voice shaking as she spoke.
“Tsk, tsk. Come on, Edalyn, I know you’re sick of hiding.”
Hearing her truth off his lips made her pulse race. How could he possibly know how she felt? And how did he know her name?
“You’re not as clandestine as you think you are,” he said as a devious grin spread across his face.
If Edalyn didn’t know better, she’d have thought he was reading her mind. Edalyn side-eyed her surroundings and noticed a pile of sturdy sticks at the side of the trail. If she had to defend herself, she’d lunge for one of them.
“What do you want?” She demanded.
“To offer you answers,” he said. “My number is now in your phone. Call when you’re ready to hear the truth about your abilities.”
He was gone as quickly as he had appeared, just a flash of black against the lush green of the trees and underbrush. When Edalyn felt certain he wasn’t going to spring up behind her again, she unclenched her fists and pulled out her phone. She unlocked it and scanned through her contacts for the new name. It was an easy task because she didn’t have many contacts to begin with. Under ‘S,’ she found an entry titled “Stranger in the Woods” with a local number.
Well, she thought, the thief had successfully captured her attention with his stunt; now it was time to find out who he was. She removed her right running glove and held her phone in the palm of her hand. The only image that came to her was the moment she’d searched for a playlist just before the thief snatched it. There was no trace of his touch. This stranger knew her name and that she could run exceptionally fast. Did he know about her psychic gift as well? He had specifically said “abilities.” How else would he know how to erase his touch on her phone?
She pushed her dear aside. Whatever this stranger thought he knew about her, there was no way he knew about her secret weapon—her godfather. Whenever Edalyn needed help, he was there, so to speak. She hadn't actually seen him in person since her parents’ funeral when she was three, but he was always a phone call away. He had money and influence. One call to him would ensure her safety against this thief. Although she tried to call on her godfather sparingly, preferring to make her own way as best as possible, this felt like a time of need. Edalyn pulled up his number and made the call.
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