• You ever have that feeling that someone was watching you or following you? Well that’s the feeling that I got as I was walking down Cherry Street Monday night. I looked over my shoulder to see if anybody was there but all I could see was shadows being cast from the street lamps. Something scuffled not far away behind me so I hurried my pace. It wasn’t far to my house and I was in a hurry to get home anyway. There were some things I needed to do.
    I didn’t get far before the feeling intensified, and I whipped around in time to see something or someone slip around a corner of a building. I stood still for a second before following the thing I saw, the whole time arguing with myself for doing it.
    When I rounded the corner what I saw made me almost pee my pants. You know how in movies they have vortex things? Well I swear that is what was at the end of that alley sucking up everything in sight.
    And standing right next to it was the person who was following me smiling like the Cheshire Cat.

    Chapter 1


    Now that I had time to see the person I could se that it was a man, and he was dressed in a heavy cloak that covered most of his facial features. But you could definatly tell that he was smiling. Then he lifted his hand from where it rested at his side and beckoned me forward towards the thing he conjured.
    My legs seemed to have a will of their own for the next thing I knew I was moving towards him and I didn’t want to. He scared the s**t out of me. No one walks around in clothes like that, unless they are in a movie. I thought to myself as I got closer. I tried to resist going I really did but my legs wouldn’t stop moving.
    Finally I stopped about a foot away from him and I swear his smile got bigger and his teeth were filed down to points. The sight made a chill run all the way to my toes and back up my spine. He bent close to my ear so that I could feel his cool breath on the nape of my neck.
    And he whispered,” It is a pleasure to meet you Crystal.”
    I jerked my head back because how in the world could this freak of nature know my name? He stood back to his full height, towering over me, and knocked me aside to jump through the thing he had conjured leaving me on the ground. he and the thing seemed to disappear into thin air.
    “What a freak show and an a**.” I said aloud to myself still wondering how he knew my name. Most people just called me Chrys for short or just because.
    I got up and dusted the dirt off my butt and legs from him pushing me and started to leave the stupid alley that I shouldn’t have entered. When I got to the entrance I turned around and stared at the spot where he and that thing disappeared at. Maybe it was all a dream and I would wake up in the morning with no recollection of the whole thing. Yeah that’s what it is, I told myself. Yeah right, I rethought. that’s what they all tell themselves than they all end up screwed and that’s what is going to happen to me too.
    I turned and left the alley to go back home and this time I didn’t get the feeling of anybody watching or following me. I got home late and everyone was asleep so I just went to bed I had school in the morning.
    I knew last night wasn’t a dream as soon as I woke up because my butt hurt. That jackass left a bruise on my butt when he pushed me down. I frowned as I got out of bet and rubbed my buttocks on my way to the bathroom.
    As I was getting ready for school I idly wondered what that guy’s name was. He seemed to know mine but he didn’t give his in return. Now if you ask me that’s pretty rude. What id I saw him again what was I to call him? “Hey you?”
    My mom popped her head in my room as she was walking by to drop off laundry to hers. My mom is totally different looking than I am; probably because I was adopted as a baby but I still thought of her as my mother. To me I didn’t have another and I didn’t want one. she’s tall with beautiful long auburn hair and green eyes. She’s always had clear skin for as long as I could remember, and the constant size seven. The kind of thing any girl would kill for and she wastes it on me since the day she got me. I guess that’s a mother’s love. She must have seen the confused expression on my face so she asked “what’s bugging you this morning?”
    “Nothing. I was someone just said something really strange to me last night on my way home that’s all.” Which wasn’t a lie if you thought about it.
    “Okay just wondering.” She took a step towards her room then stopped. “Hey are you coming straight home after school or are you staying after with Krista?”
    “I don’t know yet but as soon as I do I’ll let you know okay?” I told her pulling on my shoes and socks.
    I made it to school with about ten minutes to spare and I spotted Krista talking to a group of people. I really needed to tell someone about last night so I looped my arm through her’s and dragged her off with me.
    When we got of ear shot of everybody she finally asked” hey what’s going on?”
    “I need to tell you something but I’m not sure you will believe me.” I said not slowing my pace. “But I want to tell you anyway even if you think I’m crazy for it.”
    She stopped walking witch made me swing back and run into her and the air rush out of my lungs. “For starters you can stop walking and trying to pry my arm out of it’s socket. “She pulled her arm out of mine and crossed them over her chest. “Okay so tell me what it is you want to say. I’m not asking I’m telling.” And leaned against the school wall.
    So I told her what happened last night beginning with me walking home. She didn’t ask any questions or interrupt only got a weird look on her face when I told her about the thing he conjured up. Then I told her how he knew my name.
    “Now that’s pretty strange. You’re sure you’ve never met this person before?”
    “I’m sure I’ve never met him before last night and if I had I wouldn’t have given him my name. I mean did you miss the part about his teeth?”I asked and a shiver went down my spine just recalling the memory.
    “Okay Chrys I hear you and I did listen to you when you described his smile. I thought it was interesting.” She looked down at her feet away from me.
    “Interesting? It was creepy it sent chills down my sine.”
    “Well I guess that if I was there in your place I would feel the same but I’m only hearing about it. So can you get my point/” she asked looking at me from beneath her bangs. “It does sound interesting if you weren’t there.” The warning bell sounded before I could thank her for listening so we grabbed our stuff and ran to first period.
    The school day passed in a slow daze and the teacher seemed to only call on me when I wasn’t paying attention. So I got the answers to their questions wrong or had to ask them to repeat the question. It was embarrassing. Instead of taking notes I drew a carton likeness of the guy from last night.
    On my way home from school I realized I wanted to see him again if only just to get his name. But I knew I probably wouldn’t. Running footsteps interrupted my thought and I turned to see who was coming my way when the person ran right into me knocking us both over.
    “Ow.” My head hit the sidewalk and I tried to roll over onto my side but the person was on top of me. I opened my eyes to see the guy from last night smiling down at me. I could tell it was him from his creepy smile and closer inspection showed me that his teeth weren’t as sharp as I thought. I glared back and tried to sit up, this time he let me and sat next to me on the ground.
    “Sorry I didn’t see you there I was in a hurry and well yeah.” He explained still looking at me.
    “Okay since this is the second time you’ve knocked me over I’m allowed to ask you your name right?”He gave me this amused look then looked away towards a nearby tree.
    “You can ask but that doesn’t mean I’ll answer.” He said with a shrug turning his head back to look at me again.
    “Well can I have your name since you know mine?”
    “That’s for me to know and you to figure out later.” He said.
    “Can I at least get a hint?” I asked as he was standing up. He held out his hand to help me up a well and I took it.
    He started to walk down the sidewalk in the direction that I was going before I was plowed so I followed him. “So it’s a clue you want is it?”
    “Please.” I answered keeping pace with him.
    “You get one clue, and you get to choose what it is.” He looked at me through the corner of his eye. Weather if it was to see if I was still there or paying attention I don’t know. “Okay?”
    “Okay.” I thought for a moment and made up my mind. “I’ve decided want to know the first letter of your name.”
    He looked confused or a little startled, I couldn’t tell. “Why?” he asked.
    “So that way I can come up with a lot of different names until I get the right one.” I said triumphantly.
    “Even if you guess correctly how do you know if I’ll tell you if you are right or not?” he questioned further.
    I sighed and said “I don’t. But I hope you will.” Looking down at my feet as I walked. But that’s also part of the fun.” I smiled a little.
    He thought for a minute then gave in. “my name starts with the letter ‘t’. But you get no more hints got it?”
    “T….t….t” I thought for a moment pressing my finger to my lower lip trying to come up with a list of names. “How about Toby?”
    He made a face as if to grimace then smiled, “no. it’s an okay name just not mine. That’s more of a nick-name Chrys.”
    He was right. It kinda was. “What about Trent?”
    Laughter came from my side “no that’s not it either. Not even close.”
    I was glad he was cooperating and I continued. “What about….”
    We talked and I tried guessing his name a few more times as we strolled down the street. I didn’t guess his name today but he said that I was free to do it again the next time we saw each other or run into one another when he dropped me off at my door. I laughed and agreed. When he left I went inside and into the kitchen and found my mom waiting. It was about a twenty minute walk home frome school and my mom knew that so I wasn’t very surprised to see her standing in the kitchen waitng, she’d done it before when I didn’t call and was late. My mom could be a little over protctive about some things since the day my dad died a few years ago in an accident. I figured I had a good excuse this time though, not that I’d tell her the real truth. Maybe part of it.
    I put my stuff down on the floor by a chair at the table and sat down to wait for her to ask me what took so long since I obviously didn’t stay after. She was making tea at the stove with her back turned to me, she took her time like always like nothing was on her mind or as if she didn’t hear me come in. when the whistle of the kettle went off she turned off the stove and poured some into her cup making her favorite flavor; vanilla cream. I loved the smell because she didn’t make it that often and the things that you rarely smell are sometimes your favorite.
    She turned around and walked to the table and set her cup down. Then she did the last thing that I expected her to do; she smiled at me and sat down in the chair opposite me. It was kind of weird having my mom look at me like that since I expected a lecture. She looked almost sad after I looked at her for a minute. She looked down into her tea as if she was contemplating something difficult. It couldn’t be that she was going to tell me that I was adopted she’d done that already. And I asked her not to even think about trying to find my real mother because she was it to me. That made her the happiest person in the world.
    I waited a few more minutes before I couldn’t stand it anymore. “What’s going on mom?”
    She was still looking into her tea when she said, “I’ve been seeing someone and I think I may be pregnant. I found out this morning after you left for school.” It’s not like this was the first time she’d dated someone since my dad had died but why hadn’t she told me about it? And pregnant? Don’t adults believe in protection anymore? They give us the sex talk and tell us to use it if we do it but they don’t have to? Where do they get off?
    I stared at her open-mouthed for a moment until my mind stopped reeling, then asked “ummm…. How come you didn’t tell me about the guy? You told me about others.” I sounded a little accusing and a little late I noticed my mom was crying and I felt bad. “I’m sorry mom that came out wrong.”
    “No it’s okay I should have told you from the start especially when it started getting serious.” She hiccupped and looked at me. “I was going to tell you in the beginning like I did with all the others but everytime I tried something came up so I just didn’t and forgot to. I’m sorry. Now I’ve got this problem that I found out this morning.
    “I don’t even know if he wants kids.” She hung her head over tea and her shoulders shook.
    I got up and went over to my mom and wrapped my arms around her frame, “it’s going to be all okay mom you know why? Because I’m right here to help you even if he won’t be. And if he is I’ll still be here cause I’m your daughter and that’s what i’m here for.”
    She looked up at me “ that’s got to be the best thing I’ve heard since you told me that I was your mommy.” She said with a tear stained smile and giggled. It made me laugh hearing her giggle at a time like this and she joined in.
    “So have you told him yet?”I asked when I caught my breath.
    “ No I thought you should be the first to know.”
    “But you’re going to tell him right?” I looked her in the eye when she would finally meet my gaze.
    “ I will after my doctor’s appointment and I know for sure. I don’t want to freak him out or get his hopes up if I’m not really pregnant you know?”
    “So freak out your daughter instead?” I laughed sitting down on my heels looking up at her with my arms crossed over my knees and my head on top of them. “When’s your doctor’s appointment?”
    “Next Tuesday at one while you’re in school. I’ll call you and let you know how it goes ok?” she smiled at me a small smile but her mind was elsewhere; I could see it in her eyes.
    “You ok mom?”
    “Yeah.”She looked down at me. “Oh I forgot to ask, what did you do today that you were so late coming home?” if I ever thought that mystery name guy’s smile was creepy well this one from my mom beat it ten-to-one.
    “Well ummm… as you can see I didn’t stay after with Krista I came home.” I saw that she was waiting for more than that so I continued, “ But I ran into someone on the way home or actually he ran me over,” I looked down and smiled. “And we started talking so he walked me home in payment for running me over.”
    "a boy walked you home? what's his name?"
    "umm... i don't really know, but i do know that his name starts with a 'T'."
    "you let a boy walk you home that you don't know the name of?" she asked looking at me in surprise.
    " yeah and on the way home he had me guess his name. so far i have figured out what his name is not." i laughed softly to myself and she looked at me sternly. "what?"
    "did you ask for his name at least?"
    " yes that's how i know what his name starts with. he wouldn't tell me what it was so i had him give me a clue instead, and that was the first letter of his name." my mom smacked herself in the forehead and wiped her hand down her face.
    she looked at me like i belonged on the moon or something for a second then smiled, "this boy ,whatever his name may be, must like you if he's playing games like these." i blushed and looked away towards the refrigerator and puffed my cheeks out in annoyance. i so dont get my mother at times, like when she starts talking about boys.




    not done yet