Prologue

It always begins with a feeling.

Not fear. No, fear is too sharp, too obvious. This is softer. 

Warmer. 

Like the sensation of being noticed in a crowded room. Like eyes resting on you just a second longer than they should. Maybe this is the reason she did not go to the cops yet. 

Mirei stands at the train platform, rain tapping lightly against the metal roof above. The city hums in muted tones, blurred by fog and dim lights. She doesn’t turn around, but she knows he’s there.

He’s always there.

Her fingers tighten around her bag as her heartbeat slows instead of quickens. There’s something strange about that, how calm she feels.

 How… 

aware she is of herself. The way her hair falls. The way her breathing sounds. The way her body exists in space.

She shifts slightly, just enough.

Just enough to be seen.

The train arrives with a screech, doors sliding open like a mouth waiting to swallow her whole. As she steps inside, she catches a glimpse of him in the reflection of the window.

Watching.

Always watching.

And for a moment, just a moment, her reflection smiles.