A/N: Here’s part, what

A/N: Here’s part, what? 4? Enjoy.

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Chapter 4

I fidgeted in my seat, scratching my head and tapping my pencil on the table. I never should have told him my name, but I can’t beat myself up over it now—what’s done is done. All I can do now is wait long enough.

When I was near him, I didn’t feel like he was dangerous. But that’s his façade, huh? Act nice, but once you’re in an alley alone…

I caught the library and several other people staring at me and realized that it was time to leave. Though, I couldn’t leave the way I’d come. The front entrance was too conspicuous what with the huge ostentatious windows that created the front wall to allow extra light in. No. I’d have to find a different exit. But was there a back exit?

I gathered my books and headed for the help desk a few feet away.

“Can I help you?” the girl not much older than me asked automatically.

“Yes, is there an exit other than the one in the front?” I felt dumb asking it, so I scrambled my brain for an excuse and came up with nothing better than the truth. “There’s this strange guy waiting for me out front and I think he’s stalking me.”

She sighed. “Go down that corridor,” she pointed to a long narrow hall to the left of the desk. “Go to the end and take the elevators to the bottom, then take a sharp right, and on your first left should be the exit.”

“Thanks,” I muttered, trying to retain all the information. After following her instructions—and not liking it one bit—I pushed open the door and half expected to be hit with sunshine. But what I was hit with wasn’t like that at all. Panic flooded my body when I saw him.

Jackson stood in front of a row of cleanly cut bushed, his hands jammed into the pockets of his jeans, the wind toying with his short black hair, his polo shirt unbuttoned at the top…

I stood there, shocked. As if I was standing at the end of a long dark tunnel, I heard the faint sound of my books clattering to the ground.

“How did you—” I gasped, realizing that I’d been holding my breath.

He chuckled. “I told you—I see people.” He handed me my books. When had he picked them up? I faintly saw him smile and his eyes glittered from the light above the door behind me.

I stood there dumbfounded.

“So you couldn’t get anyone to come,” he mused as I walked past him, fully intending to leave him there.

“No, I just decided it wasn’t your place to decide what’s right for me. You don’t even know me!” I remarked angrily as he fell into place next to me. “And don’t even say ‘I see people,’ because I don’t care whether you see me or not!”

He just grinned. His smile was enchanting and almost enough to make me forget that he was a potential predator.

Almost.

“So,” I said, taking a step away from him and toward the main sidewalk. “I’d appreciate it if you’d kindly leave me alone.”

He just stared at me, his piercing blue eyes gleaming, head cocked, and hands shoved in his pockets. If he hadn’t been rocking back and forth on his heels, I may not have notice it. The swaying motion reflected into a puddle by his feet and what I saw was not just a tall dark-haired teen standing there, rocking on his heels. Not at all. What I saw was much, much more startling.

Standing behind Jackson in the puddle was a dark figure, completely shadowed over except the face. Red eyes glared at me and a dirty little smirk slowly slid across its face the same time the other Jackson frowned. It stared at me over Jackson’s shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” Jackson asked. My eyes jerked off the ground and scrutinized his face. He knew. He had to know what I was looking at. There was nothing standing behind him, but looking at the puddle, there was.

Without another word, I turned and ran, not looking back. My heart pounded in my ears as I raced to get somewhere, anywhere. I needed witnesses. Jackson wasn’t normal. I desperately raced down the sidewalk.

Or was I just seeing things?

No. That wasn’t it. The curve of his lips after he asked me what was wrong, the sharp look in his eyes. No, I wasn’t dreaming or hallucinating. This was real.

I made the mistake of glancing back the way I’d come when I made a sharp right around a turn, and when I looked back straight ahead, I ran into someone.

“In a hurry?” he asked seriously. “What’s the matter with you?” I was hyperaware of his hands loosely gripping my forearms.

I stared up into his eyes, speechless, unable to scream or anything. How had he gotten in front of me so fast? Something was up.

“Nikki. Nikki, hello?” He snapped his fingers in my face and I shook my head to clear it.

“Don’t touch me,” I hissed, ripping my arm out of his grasp.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he whispered honestly, holding his palms up towards me. “Really.”

“Just leave me. Alone,” I whispered, backing away from him. “Please?”

And I ran again. I whipped around him before he saw it coming. And this time he didn’t follow me. I made it back to the house in one piece. As for going to the library alone? Never going to happen again. LoJo would come with me if necessary.

“Have a good time at the library?” Mother asked from the bottom of the stairs as I pressed my back against the door.

“Sure,” I sighed unconvincingly. I tried to smile encouragingly, but she just rolled her eyes and headed for the kitchen.

I followed, trying to think what there was to eat, but nothing came to me off the top of my head. I clicked my tongue in disgust when I opened the fridge door. Hardly anything edible was in it. Mother kept a few bottles of nail polish in it because it made the color thicker or something, and there were a few ice packs.

“Collin called.”

“Really?” I asked, intrigued. Maybe I could convince him that I was traumatized and that he should come over. “Any idea what he wanted?”

“To talk? I don’t know, Nik. Just call him back and find out.”

Okay, fine. I will. And I did. It was a short conversation. Collin and his sister were going to go to dinner because his dad was away so they wanted me to come. Awesome. Food.

So there I sat, on the cold porch steps, waiting for Collin to pull up in his oversized pick-up truck. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. Maybe it was a tree. But the longer I sat, the more I began to feel like someone was watching me.

Please, oh please, don’t let it be a stalker.

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