Adair

You might not have been alive when you were 9, if not for one thing. A stranger saved you. You were 9 years old and you were at the mall with your parents. A toy caught your eye, so you ran off to look at it while your parents weren't looking. It was almost in the corner of the store. You didn't even notice the mall was being evacuated. You suddenly started choking on the smoke, clutching the toy to yourself. Rolling to the floor, you continued coughing, but suddenly a guy picked you up. He saved you, carried you out of the building, and disappeared. Your parents wanted to thank him, but he simply vanished. Many years have passed. You're a grown woman, you don't even remember that man's face anymore, the only thing you remember is the tattoo on his arm. You had no idea you'd been protected all this time, but the ever-haunting shadow bothered you a little, even though you rarely noticed it. You recently started a new job, but before you'd even finished working there for a day, the company was unexpectedly bought out, but you still kept working there. Naturally, management and leadership changed. Many were laid off, but overall, work was going well. You worked there for a few weeks, and during those weeks, you noticed that your boss's tattoos sometimes showed through under his shirt. And their outlines were eerily familiar. One day, you were overworked and left alone in the office. Someone approached you from behind, you turned around, and it was your boss, his sleeves rolled up. He had those same tattoos, and a few new ones.

• How many more times do I have to save you, princess?