***

After packing up her things, Olive skips her nightly trip to the bodega and heads straight to the back entrance that leads to her apartment upstairs. With each step she ascends, she can nearly sense every nerve in the soles of her feet. There is a warmth swirling in her chest, and she becomes acutely aware of her fingertips, which tingle in excitement. Her entire body feels unusually sensitive; she can even feel the air brushing against her earlobes as she walks. 

As soon as she enters her apartment, she drops her bag on the coffee table and pivots to the kitchen. Riley is stretched out on his cattree in the corner and jumps off to follow her. Olive scratches his head before grabbing his food from the kitchen cabinet. He meows with gratitude, weaving through her legs as she prepares his bowl. He eats greedily and purrs in response. Olive places her hands on her hips and shakes her head, humorously admiring her little furbaby. She’s grateful to come home to an apartment that's not empty everyday. She loves being needed by something so precious to her. She remembers what it was like to feel precious to someone once.   

Riley was the consolation prize from a bad breakup. While in grad school, Olive met a guy named Rictor who, at the time, swept her off her feet and into a passionate relationship. Within two months of dating, they moved in together. 

One day, Rictor came home with a black kitten in his arms. It was hard to say no as he explained that his friend Gina’s cat had unexpectedly given birth, and they needed to find a home for the kittens quickly. Riley was considered the runt. He had a slight tilt to his and because of that, no one else picked him.

A few months later, Rictor and Olive were doing well with their apartment, their cat Riley, and only one more semester before graduating. Although the initial passion had faded, Olive was comfortable, and that's all she thought she needed. Rictor began to spend more and more time away from the apartment but Olive didn't mind. She cherished the quiet moments to write and commit her time to self care. 

March 18th—Olive would never forget that day—Rictor came home with big news. He received a job offer for his dream job across the country, and…. Gina was pregnant. These two developments threw a wrench into the smoothly turning gears of Olive's life. 

In just 2 weeks, Rictor left for Seattle with Gina, but Riley stayed. Olive had considered selling him, wanting to erase Rictor from her life, but after weeks of depressive procrastination and being left in an empty home, she decided to keep her unexpected familiar. After all, it wasn't Riley's fault that they were both abandoned and she loved him too. 

Now, two years later, Olive still resides in the same apartment in the same old building above the coffee shop. It's a typical East Village one-bedroom apartment that's just large enough to accommodate the essentials. She neither loves or hates the space, with its green floral wallpaper and black-and-white tiled floors. Its outdated appliances don't bother her, as long as they continue to function most of the time. She likes that her windows are large, almost industrial, letting light into her darkness. 

Despite the apartment serving as a constant reminder of Rictor, Olive doesn’t handle change well, fearing that it would force her to start over and possibly fail. This is why she accepted her mediocre job and simple life of avoiding risks. She may have been a risk-taker once upon a time, but her experience with Rictor extinguished that flame. 

Not everyone needs to be extraordinary. Not everyone needs to grow. You lost your chance at reaching your dreams… It's too risky now. It’s too late now. It’s…

Olive's train of thought begins to enter into dark territory and she quickly pulls the breaks. She refuses to allow the darkness to consume her, as it had for so many months. 

Noticing Riley is finished, she bends down to collect his empty bowl, and tosses it in the sink. She reaches into another cabinet for a box of cereal, then retrieves some milk from the fridge before settling down on her brown leather couch. She doesn't watch much TV, so when Rictor left, he took it with him. 

She now sits in her living room, lit from the streetlamp outside her window and passing car headlights. She listens to the rain beat against the glass in a rhythmic pattern while digging into the box of cereal and drinking milk from the carton. The events of the evening continue to buzz around her head, demanding her attention. 

She wonders about the mysterious woman who seemed to have stepped out of the “Emerald City”. Olive had never looked at someone that way and had certainly never felt what she did when their hands touched. All she had felt for Rictor was an ember amongst the flames in her belly now.

What the hell was that feeling? How can someone be as striking as they are terrifying? The level of fear that struck my heart at her closeness was unprovoked. There was nothing about her actions or her gestures that communicated anything but kindness but still… An intense fear swirled in my belly at her proximity; a fear and an excitement that I couldn't place. Just one look and she somehow awoke parts of me that I thought were long-gone.  

Olive ponders the feeling repeatedly while inspecting her hand again and again, but she finds nothing out of the ordinary. The intense sensations and feelings however, don't diminish. Even as she realizes how tired she is, there is a buzz of anticipation crawling up her spine. The muffled sounds of the city lull her deeper into the couch’s leather. She reluctantly lets out a deep yawn, and her eyes begin to flutter shut. Her last thought is a whisper. 

Just a few more minutes and I’ll…

Olive blinks her heavy eyes one last time as she is pulled into a deep slumber. 

***
There is darkness all around. A small star flickers in the distance, pulsing like a heartbeat. I try to reach for it, but on this formless plane, I lack arms or a body. I exist as pure energy, a witness to this bizarre yet extraordinary event. The star grows with each beat, its sizzling and crackling flames becoming audible. It swells, consuming the darkness, until it vanishes to the far edges of the abyss. An echoing breath resounds, and the star explodes with unexpected grace before I’m cocooned in light.