Eight hours before she decided to die, Nora entered the newsagent’s, weighed down by the despair growing in her chest like a crushing weight.
‘Sheltering from the rain?’ the woman behind the counter asked.
‘Yes,’ Nora replied, keeping her head down, her thoughts consumed by her own mortality.
A National Geographic magazine caught her eye, featuring an image of a black hole that seemed to mirror her own state of emotional collapse.
She remembered her father's enthusiasm for science and research, particularly his stories about Svalbard, the Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. She had always been fascinated by the remote, frozen landscapes and the scientists working among the glaciers and fjords.
As she stood there, lost in thought, she noticed Ravi, her brother's friend and former bandmate, browsing through music magazines. His appearance was a painful reminder that her brother was alive, and possibly back in town.
‘Ravi, hi. I hear Joe was in Bedford the other day?’ Nora asked, trying to sound casual.
Ravi nodded, his eyes avoiding hers. ‘Yeah, just a fly-by.’
Nora felt a pang of irritation. ‘Did he, um, did you see him?’
Ravi hesitated before responding, his voice laced with a mix of anger and disappointment. ‘I did actually. He’s depressed, Nora. And he's going to have to move out of his small flat in Shepherd's Bush. The rock band didn't work out, and he's struggling to make ends meet.'
Nora's heart sank at the thought of her brother's struggles. She felt a sense of resentment and frustration, directed not only at her brother but also at herself.
‘He’s not himself,’ Ravi added, his voice heavy with regret. ‘He's going to have to start over.’
The woman behind the counter gazed at Nora with a mixture of curiosity and concern.
‘How did you two part ways?’ Nora asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Ravi's expression turned cold, his words laced with venom. ‘We had a deal with Universal. We were going to be the next big thing. But you dropped out, Nora. You let everyone down.'
Nora felt a surge of anger, her words tumbling out in a rush. ‘You hate me, Ravi. You've always hated me. You're just as responsible for the band's downfall as I was.'
The atmosphere in the shop grew tense, the air thick with unresolved emotions.
As Nora turned to leave, Ravi called out, his voice dripping with disdain. ‘Tell Joe I said hi. Maybe he'll have some good news for you.'
Nora felt her eyes prickle with tears as she watched Ravi walk out of the shop, into the rain-soaked night.
The woman behind the counter, Kerry-Anne, approached her, a cheerful smile on her face. ‘Hi, Nora Seed! I'm Kerry-Anne, a friend from school. Remember Mr. Blandford's assembly about your potential Olympic career?'
Nora nodded, feeling a pang of nostalgia for her former life.
‘So, what do you do now?’ Kerry-Anne asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Nora hesitated, unsure of how to respond. ‘I'm between things,’ she said finally, feeling like she was stuck in limbo.
Kerry-Anne's smile faltered, and she looked at Nora with concern. ‘You know, some people might say you're in a bit of a rut right now. But you're not alone, Nora. There are always doors ahead of you, waiting to be opened.'
As Nora escaped the shop, she felt a sense of desperation washing over her. She longed to walk through that door, to leave everything behind and start anew.
