Through the Window

"Kinsey," I said. "Why are you here." It was a question, but my flat tone made it into a statement.

"I..." This hesitation made me wonder. Was she only here because she would save anyone if she could? I appreciated it, I guess, but... fuck that. For a second, I thought she actually cared. She could be saying that line to anyone, I realized. It wasn't specific to me.

"Nothing to say, huh?" I turned back around. If I could make it through the window, it'd be over. But when I looked down, it looked so fucking... terrifying. I didn't want to feel fear, but I did. Her words caused my own hesitation, and it was enough to cost me my confidence in this matter. Still, I don't like to go back on my word. "I guess this is it, then."

"No!" she shrieked again. "It's just like you said, Chase! All those years ago. You told me I'd follow you forever. And here I am."

I stopped once again. There was something about her. I didn't know what the fuck it was, but it made me feel...

"Hi, my name's Kinsey," she said, with a bright smile on her face. Those were the first words she said to me when we met all those years ago.

"Don't you mean Kenzie?" I asked because I had never heard her strange name before.

"It's not Kenzie, it's Kinsey!" Her smile faded, but I noticed that she was still pretty. I didn't say anything, so she asked, "What's your name?"

"Chase."

"Well, that's kind of weird too, isn't it?"

"Not really."

"It's a verb."

"Yeah. But you know what it means?"

"What?"

"It means you're going to chase me down forever."

"Chase," I said to her in the present after a moment of flashback, "You're going to chase me forever."

Then I stepped down from the ledge.