CRYSTAL

The plane touched down in New York City after long hours of being drifted in the sky, the city where I'd never thought of coming back to, a place that held a story I never wanted to tell. I inhaled deeply, clenching my fist slightly as the hurt from the past came rushing into my heart as if it happened yesterday,it was a wound that was still fresh and didn't want to heal.

Ella,my manager sat near me, sorting out some work on her tablet while I just let my thoughts wander, ‘Did I make the right decision ? Will everything go well? Will I ever be free in the city that held me in bonds from my childhood?’ I exhaled, letting the tightness in my chest release.

“It's time, ma'am,”Ella said, breaking my thoughts. I nodded, grabbing my Jacket, ‘I got this,’ I noted mentally as I stepped down from the plane.

We got into our ride and drove straight to the hotel where I would get ready for the Aether award.

A few weeks ago, I got an email that I had been nominated for the Best Artist award 2025. The Aether award is celebrated for honoring different kinds of art by the likes of digital art, paintings, drawings. They pick artists who had the best art for the year all around the world and give them an award of recognition

I blinked my eyes repeatedly in unbelief as I stared at the mail. “Will you just keep staring and not say anything?” She asked,meeting my eyes.

I stepped away from her and went back to my half painted canvas to continue work, “Seriously? Are you going to miss this?”Ella asked, dropping her hands by sides.

I let out a deep breath, “I didn't say anything about missing the award,Ella. I.. It's not that I didn't want to but…” I paused, dropping my paint brush on my palate. “The Award ceremony is taking place in London. You know how It feels to go back there,”I said,my brow furrowed with worry.

Ella closed the distance between us, “I understand you but you need to think about this, your artistry is getting recognition by the most popular and influential ceremony in the world. You can't let it pass you like this,you should go get what you deserve.” She encouraged me, sitting on the chair across the room.

“You know it's really hard to get nominated for the Big Aether Award, right?,”she said, dreamily.

‘She is actually right. I shouldn't let my past hold me back from getting the world wide recognition I deserve.’

“I guess you are thinking it over and while you do that I need you to put away that depressing look before I wipe it off your face,” she said, laughing, making the tension in the room disappear.

“Wow,wow, you seem to forget who the boss is here,Miss Clark,” I said, feigning a serious tone but my expression said otherwise.

“Yes Ma'am,” she replied amidst a chuckle.

Back to the present,we soon got to the hotel and settled in,Ella didn't waste time as she already made arrangements for my clothes.

It's been three straight hours of picking out clothes that would fit the occasion.

Ella finally settled for a floor length purple gown with a fitted bodice and a non- symmetrical neckline,one shoulder draped in sheer organza that cascaded into a soft transparent sleeve.

My makeup was done and we were set for the award ceremony. I felt nervous as we rode,my heart wouldn't stop beating despite Ella's words of encouragement.

Our ride soon stopped in front of the award ceremony magnificent building which is sculpturally decorated.

As I stepped out of the vehicle the loud cheers from the crowd standing by both sides of the red carpet made my ear hurt as it got louder when someone from the crowd screamed my name, “It's Crystal,” I turned to the direction of the voice, waving my hand and smiling as I walked towards the entrance. “I love you,Crystal,” Another said as the cheers got louder.

In the building, Men and women dressed in classic clothes filled the room checking out the paintings hung on every part of the wall. Series of paintings were on display and I couldn't help but be drawn to a particular one, I just felt at peace by looking at the painting. The painting features a gentle sunrise over a misty lake, rendered in soft hues of peach lavender and pale blue. The still water reflects the sky creating a mirror - like calm.

“It symbolizes inner peace and renewal,” a masculine voice said, distracting my attention from the painting.

“Sorry?” I said, turning to see a set of piercing ocean blue eyes looking at me. His broad shoulders complimented his commanding presence,fair skin,neatly styled black hair and blue tailored suit which hugged his body.

He cleared his throat softly,“if I had a dollar everytime someone stared at me like that. I'd have one pound. What do you think about the painting?”

‘Shit,he caught me staring,’ I thought,diverting my eyes back to the painted canvas.

He stepped to my side as we both stared, “Peace….it exudes a calm serene,” I replied. “And it's warm too. How do you know what it stood for?”

His lips curled up in a smile, “ I painted it,” he said. “I'm Jack Harrison,” he said, stretching his hands for a handshake.

“Crystal Morgan,” I replied, returning the handshake as a few others came to chat with us.We exchanged complimentary cards before entering the hall to sit at our different tables.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 25th Aether Award ceremony,” the host announced as a round of applause echoed in the room. Everyone walked into the hall where seats were reserved for us.

The ceremony was opened with children artists who showcased their artistry, followed by music and other entertainment. Then it was time for the fans to vote for the best artist of the year.

My breath etched in my throat as my name was the names of the nominees shown on the wide screen. Nervously, I gulped down the glass of the campaign place in my front.

I closed my eyes for a while,“Calm down, Crystal. It doesn't matter if you didn't get to be the winner –’”

“Ladies and gentlemen the winner of the artistry award 2025 is…Crystal Morgan.”

‘Wait a minute. Did I just hear my name? No, I'm not the only one that goes by the name ,Crystal,’ I thought.

“Crystal Morgan, please come forward,” the host said as the limelight showed on me.

A round of applause echoed across the room as I walked to the stage to collect my award. Butterflies danced in my heart as I stood in front of the crowd with my award as I said a thank you to the host , everyone present and my fans.

The ceremony continued with other winners collecting their awards and the ceremony came to an end. I was on my way out of the building when I suddenly felt a pair of eyes on me like someone's eyes were on me.

The unsettling feeling in my gut didn't stop even as I stepped into the vehicle but I waved it off,‘I’m not the only one here so it's obvious a lot of people are looking at me.’

The ride home was smooth after Ella made me promise her that we would celebrate my win the next day.

I walked tiredly into the hotel building and stopped on my track when I had a feeling of being watched again but no one was in sight when I glanced. ‘I must be really tired’ I thought.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me or maybe I was just so stressed. I hurried inside my hotel room and landed on the sofa

I undressed and went to take a quick shower and laid on the bed when a text message notification alerted me.

My hands hovered on my phone screen, seeing that it was an unknown number. “It's nice seeing you in person,” the message read, followed by a picture of me at the award ceremony.

I smiled, looking at the picture, “It must be from a fan,” I muttered. I was still staring at the picture when another message entered.

I clicked on the message and saw another picture of me entering the hotel building, “What the hell?” I yelled as I yanked out of bed.

Another message entered “You look so beautiful in person, sweetheart,” the message said.

My eyes widened and my mouth parted slightly in-between gasp and scream as it hit me, “I wasn't being paranoid when I felt like I was being watched. Someone has been following me,”I thought.

CRYSTAL

My heart pounded so fast I could hear it in my ears,each beat echoing louder than the last. I reread the message,hands shaking as though seeing it the second time would change the words but the words were still glowing menacing on the screen – You look beautiful in person, sweetheart.

‘In person’

That meant that they’d seen me.Up close. Recently. And had followed me.

A chill crawled up my spine as I began to tremble. The room suddenly felt too exposed, like every wall had grown transparent. The blinds,I hadn't closed them earlier. I hurried towards the window and yanked them shut,hands clammy with sweat.

Panic curled in my gut,thick and heavy. ‘Could it be dad?’ a thought dropped in my mind which made me shiver the more as I backed into the corner of the room,the corner room suddenly the only place that felt safe as I sprawled myself in the corner.

My breathing came short and quick. I picked up my phone,hands hovering over the screen. ‘Who do I call? The police? Ella?

I clicked on Ella's number, and she picked the call on the third dial. I told her about the messages and my fears, “I want you to calm down,make sure your door is locked. It's late already, I will come see you very early tomorrow.”

“Okay,” I muttered,still stricken with fear. My eyes well wide open all through the night. Every creak in the floorboard,every gust of wind tapping the windows made me flinch.

The night dragged on more than usual as I was now overly conscious of my surroundings. Nature finally took over me in the early hours of the morning.

White light reflected through the curtain indicating that it was morning but I kept sleeping due to fatigue.

A knock on the door interrupted my sleep, “Crystal,are you there?” Ella's voice sounded from the other side of the door.

I stood up and opened the door and was wrapped in Ella's embrace. The fear that plugged in my heart reduced as she assured , “it's alright.”

“Show me the messages,” she asked as we disengaged. I passed the phone to her as I watched her read the messages.

“Do you think it's dad? What if he sent people to monitor me here?” I asked,as the fear of the past rose to my chest again.

Ella sighed, “I don't think so. He is in a different city and doesn't even know about your whereabouts,” she paused,then sat on the sofa.

“This letter couldn't have been written by your dad. It could be a fan who just saw you for the first time and is overwhelmed by seeing you”

The vibration from my phone interrupted us and I picked the call.

“Hello,” I said, waiting for a response.

“Hi Crystal, this is Jack Harrison. We met at the award ceremony yesterday, remember?” The caller said.

“Hey Jack, it's nice hearing from you.” I said as I moved close to the windows,using my free hand to lift the binds to check if there were any suspicious people in sight.

“Same here. What do you think about us having dinner today? Just to get to know each other,” he said, warmly.

“ Who is that?” Ella whispered,gesturing to me to put it on speaker.

“Are you there?”

“Yes,I'm here,” I replied, weakly .“I would love to but–”

“I promise you will have the best time,” he interjected convincingly.

“I will think about it,bye,” I replied, then hung up the call and turned to face Ella again.

“I am scared,Ella. What if the person comes after me? How about we inform the police about this,” I said with worry.

“Take a chill, Crystal. It must have been a die hard fan who wanted to express their excitement about seeing you,” Ella paused, giving me an expression of do you get it.

“Look, I think you are being paranoid about this. You need to embrace the fact that you are now practically a celebrity that has fans,” she stated.

“You are kinda right. Fans can be lovely and scary too, courtesy from what we have seen on the news and TV,” I agreed with Ella.

‘Ella is right.This can only be done by a fan not father–,’ I said in my thoughts.

“To make you feel better or relax, let's report this to the police,” she said, breaking my thoughts.

I got dressed and we drove to the precinct and made our complaint known and dropped the necessary information and we were assured that they would get back to us.

I was still stricken with fear even as we got back to the hotel. Despite being tired due to fear,Ella made me text Jack that I would be looking forward to the dinner and when it was evening Jack was downstairs waiting for me. Ella said,smiling “Have Fun!”

I walked out of the hotel to see Jack resting in his car,his legs crossed stylishly.

A glint crossed his eyes as he saw me approach but then it disappeared quickly.

“I must say,you look beautiful,” Jack complimented as we sat in the car.

My cheeks grew warm at his comment, “You aren't looking bad either,”

“Thanks beauty,” he replied, focusing on the road. “ Are you okay? You look tired.”

“No, I'm fine,” I replied, trying to let go of the worry.

Jack led me to a classic restaurant, its elegant facade and dimly lit interior made it more romantic. We were directed to our seat and perused the menu while the waiter returned with our drinks and took our orders. I opted for grilled steak while Jack chose a pan-seared salmon.

We sipped our wine while we awaited our food, “So Crystal,tell me about yourself,” Jack said,his eyes locking into mine.

I blinked, feeling uneasy yet like the way he looked at me, “There is nothing much to say about myself. I'm an artist,of which you know,” I giggled softly. “I moved here for work. So,what about you?”

“I grew up here in the city,” Jack said. “I own an art exhibition. Talking of art exhibitions,we would be holding an exhibition next weekend and I'd love you to come.”

“Sure,” I smiled.

Our food soon arrived and we dug in. We were in the middle of eating when a delivery guy approached our table,a bouquet of flowers and a letter in hand.

“Miss Crystal?” he asked,his eyes scanning the table.

I nodded,surprised as the delivery guy handed me the bouquet and a letter. “For you,”he said, before turning to Jack and handing him a separate letter, “And for you,sir.”

My eyes widened as I took the beautiful flowers,my mind racing with questions. “Who could have sent this?”

I glanced at Jack but he was just as puzzled,his eyes fixed on the letter in his hands. Jack's expression changed as he read the letter,his brow furrowed.

He excused himself,his face contrasting to the smile he wore before he got the letter.

“I'm sorry, Crystal. I need to step out for a minute.”

My curiosity piqued as I watched him go. ‘What’s going on?’ I took the letter Jack left on the table as I scanned the content of the letter written in capital letters

My heart skipped in fear as I read the letter, “STAY AWAY FROM MY WOMAN OR YOU WON’T LIKE THE CONSEQUENCES.”

Then, I flipped my own letter open, “ THE ROSES ARE AS BEAUTIFUL AS YOU ARE TODAY.”

My body shook with fear as I read the letter again as only one question filled my mind, ‘Who could this be?’

CRYSTAL

Silence followed as the question filled my mind. My heart pounded against my chest like it was going to break free and cold sweat broke across my forehead and I could feel my skin go pale.

My hands trembled as I grabbed my bad and brought out my phone to call Ella. Ella said she would join me in the police station after I explained all that happened to her on the phone.

I shoved the letters into my bag and hurried out of the restaurant ignoring the waiter who bade me farewell as I boarded a taxi that drove me to the precinct.

As I stepped down from the taxi,Ella was already waiting for me in front of the precinct. She quickly closed the distance between us and pulled me into a tight hug.

“Hey, it's okay,”she said softly,her voice calm and reassuring. “Where's your date?” Ella asked with a furrowed brow.

I sighed wearily, “He left.”

“What! Why?” She asked in surprise.

Then I showed her the letters and watched her as her jaw dropped as she read.

“Oh no! This is bad. This must have been an obsessed fan and it's very dangerous,” she said. “I'm so sorry,babe.”

I tried to speak but my voice trembled slightly as I replied, “I’m scared. What if my suspicion was right.”

“Don't conclude yet. That's why we are here,right?” She said as we walked into the precinct. “The police will do a good job in tracking the person.”

We approached the police behind the counter and tendered our complaint.

“We came yesterday,to file a complaint,” I said. “We were told to speak with officer Barry.”

The officer nodded curtly,his demeanor uninviting and called out to officer Barry, who came out shortly.

“Hello ladies, concerning the complaint you gave. We have tried tracking the number down but unfortunately,it has been unsuccessful.”

“Are you sure this was the number that called you?” the officer asked, making Ella and I exchange confused glances.

“Yes, it's the number,” I replied. “Apparently,I got another letter from the person some minutes ago,” I said, showing him the letter. He glanced through the letter and gave it back to me.

“ Do you have an idea who it could be? Friends? Family? Neighbors?” He asked as he scribed on his jotter.

“I don't,” I replied.

“Okay. We would need more of your information and also,we are on it and would get back to you soon,” he said as I was provided with materials to write down my information.

“ Thank you, officer,” I said.

I felt relieved getting assurance from the officer,at least I know that their hands are on the desk, looking for this stalker.

It was quite late,Ella refused to go home and insisted on staying with me for the night but I turned her down after assuring her that I felt better and at rest. After much persuasion,she decided to go home and promised to check on me the next day.

I dropped on the bed as I got to my hotel room, tiredly took off my dress and laid on the bed when I saw my phone buzzing and Jack’s name lighting up on my screen. It was the first time he called after leaving me the other day.I rolled my eyes as I took the call,then waited to hear what he had to say.

“Hello Crystal,” he said. “Hey, I'm so sorry about leaving you like that in the restaurant. It's because –”

“Is it because of the letter?” I asked, knowing fully well that, that might be the reason.

Silence followed briefly,then he spoke up.

“Yes,it is. I have always kept a reputable profile because of my status and I don't want something that would tarnish my image. I'm so sorry, I didn't feel at peace since I left that day…I should have done better,” he said, remorsefully.

“It's okay,” I replied, abruptly. “I understand, anyone would have done what you did if they were threatened like that,” I said.

“I'm truly sorry, Crystal. Sincerely, I promise to make it up to you,” he apologized.

“Who sent the letter? Your boyfriend?” He asked.

“Not at all. I haven't met him before,it's just some crazy fan” I said, trying not to dive into the ‘stalker’ discussion.

“That’s dangerous. Does the police know about this?” he asked,his voice laced with worry.

“ Yes,thank you,”

“If you need my help, I'm always available and if you get any messages from the stalker again,let me know I will make sure to track him down,” he said with all seriousness.

“I will,Jack.Thanks for that,” I replied.

“Remember I told you that my company will be holding a party this weekend. I hope you will be there,” he said with enthusiasm.

“Huh,I will think about it.”

“I'm truly sorry, Crystal,” he apologized again. “ If you don't come,I will take it that you haven't forgiven me.”

“Don’t sweat it, Jack. I really understand your point,” I replied.

“Thank you,” A brief silence followed. “So,what do you think of settling in NYC for business?” he asked.

“Stay in New York City for business?” I muttered as it suddenly dawned on me that I hadn't really given it a thought.

“ Yeah.”

I stayed quiet as I thought about it, forgetting that we were still on the phone until Jack excused himself, saying he had something urgent to attend to and would call me back.

*****

UNKNOWN POV

I stood in a dim light room filled with Crystal Morgan's pictures. The walls are covered now. Every inch. Her paintings, every one of her social media pictures and I can't seem to get enough of taking her pictures since she arrived in New York City.

Her paintings has given peace to my troubled heart since I encountered her artistic work two years ago. I had not stopped following her since then. It's like she quietly saw my pain,my memories and translated them into color and form without a single word.

I took one out of the many pictures of the wall,the picture of her at the Aether’s award ceremony, “Such a beautiful sweetheart,” I said,as my fingers trailed the surface of the picture. “You broke the walls that had sealed me in a confined space since I was a child. You did what my parents couldn't do for me.”

I muffled a small laugh, “I know you haven't met me yet and you are curious about who I am,” I paused. “I can't wait to meet you physically and have you in my arms forever. That's how badly I want you.”