Hello mortals. It’s me again. Sorry that I didn’t update you sooner, but a lot has happened. Yeah, a lot. So much that I can’t even tell you everything just in one post. It’s really crazy how much can happen in just a few weeks, or months. For now, things seem a little more quiet, so I guess now is the time to write down the things that happened. So, without further ado.
I felt like looking cute, so I put on some clothes that would hopefully reduce the number of judgemental looks I usually got. Can’t know if I don’t try, right? So some nice shorts, a pink shirt and a thin jacket would get the job done. After doing my daily routine I entered the kitchen and was greeted by the warm scent of, you guessed it, fresh pancakes. Jenny stood at the counter with her gaze towards the TV on which a fancy dressed woman delivered the amazing news about the weather being super sunny this day which meant that my sunscreen was gonna wear off quicker. Yay. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I don’t like the sun but the fact that it would burn me to death if I didn’t have any protection is kinda…yeah, rude.
Aaron flicked through his newspaper while stirring his almighty coffee. It’s the life essence of every police officer, he used to say. Don’t quite understand what he meant with that, the way I see it the “life essence” of most living beings is blood. It would be cool if any of you could explain what he meant.
Jenny and Aaron noticed I was standing in the door frame and I was greeted with a kiss on the forehead and a waving. I was slowly but surely getting used to this kinda greeting. It was a bit weird, but still somehow quite nice. I decided to not let the sunny weather ruin my good mood and sat down at the table, watching those typical morning talk shows with their typical programs of proving whether typical rumors are true or not. I didn’t even last five minutes before I had to distract myself from that awfully boring talk show. So I tried reading the articles on the back of Aaron’s newspaper.
“FOOD SCIENTISTS FOUND NEW DIET! Eating only mayonnaise for weeks significantly increases calorie burn.”
Ew.
“ROBBERY IN THE STONE GATE BANK At 4:36 in the afternoon a homeless man stormed into the Stone Gate bank, threatening the staff with a toy weapon demanding only a single dollar.”
What in Nosferatu’s name?
“ZODIAC KILLER ESCAPES PRISON The infamous Richard Belknap, also known as the Zodiac killer, escaped prison…”
I tried to read more but at that moment Aaron’s service phone rang and one of his colleagues ordered him to the police station. He put down the newspaper and gave both Jenny and me a quick kiss before grabbing his keys and badge and stepping outside the house. It didn’t take long until I noticed Jenny was behaving a little unusual. She checked her wrist watch several times per minute and she kept shifting her weight from one leg to the other. Aaron must’ve told her about that woman. Looking at her behavior that might’ve been a bad move. I don’t even know why I was so calm about this whole situation.
I finished my breakfast, brushed my teeth, grabbed my backpack and said bye to Jenny. I remembered I had an appointment today with Ms. Jones and the principal of the school. I didn’t break any of the rules so I figured they had something positive, or at least not bad, to discuss with me. I was actually really looking forward to this day. One class was canceled for today so Claire and I decided to hang out in town. That’s what the plan was, anyhow.
So I opened the door, expecting to be greeted by the lovely morning sun rays, but instead I was greeted by something else. Or rather, someone. There was a woman standing there, giving me a rather surprised look. “Oh! My apologies. Seems like I missed the right house, haha. Say, I’ve never seen you around here, could you be new here?” she asked me with a small smile. She seemed so normal but something about her was off…
“Uhm, yeah I just moved in last week…” I answered. I was starting to get a little nervous. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was making me nervous. But that’s when I noticed that the woman had broken eye contact and was staring at something just so slightly below my eyes. Eventually she left with a friendly wave. And then it hit me. I knew that woman. It was the one who broke into my room and stalked me the days after. She was just wearing different clothes. A suit, like business women have, and the glasses on her nose somehow made her face look so different. But the main indicator was her fiery red hair, bound in a ponytail. I quickly closed the door and waited until I couldn’t see her anymore before going to school. I met up with Claire before class and told her about the woman. She was pretty shocked and started to get worried, and we theorized about what her aim could be. It’s clear that she was after me for some reason and it’s safe to say that she tried to blend in so she could observe me without being noticed. And she definitely didn’t knock at the wrong house either, that much Claire and I were sure of. I thought about telling Aaron but Claire meant it would be better not to, at least for now. Informing the police and starting an investigation would likely cause that woman to go back into hiding before we could find out anything about her. I was a bit confused at first but when Claire explained her plan I could follow her thoughts. The plan was to pretend I didn’t notice who that woman was, to give her a false feeling of security. That way we hoped to find out more and maybe even gather evidence for the police. So far, so good, right?
Fortunately I could forget about the woman during lunch break. Claire and I were sitting at one of the bland looking tables chatting about what we were gonna do later, when a boy approached us. Claire later told me that he was a rather quiet type, and the local underdog that no-one liked to hang out with. Mainly because he had a big interest in the occult, which is also why he approached us. He had heard of me of course and wanted to get to know Claire and me. We decided to talk to him, he seemed nice. Honestly, I didn’t understand at all why the other students avoided him. He was really friendly and respectful and all. I guess it might have been the fact that he kind of looked similar to me. Pale skin, dark eyes and hair, eyebags, though for him it’s because he doesn’t really leave his house except for school and he suffered from insomnia according to him, that’s why he had eyebags. His name is Colin by the way.
We invited him to go into town with us but he still had class so we went alone. First we went shopping for some new clothes. I wasn’t really in the mood for that, but Claire was, and I didn’t wanna make her upset. And what I thought would be a 30 minute shopping session turned into a four hour session. I took the opportunity when Claire was changing into a different top to message Jenny to let her know why I wasn’t home yet. I could feel how much she worried because someone broke into my room so by messaging her I tried to reassure her a little. No idea if it worked though.
“Well? What do you think, Phoebe? Now we’re in partnerlook! Kinda.” Claire said and came out of the changing cubicle. She was wearing a top that had many little bats on it. I really wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry at that moment. “Where did you even find this? In the children’s department?” I replied, chuckling. It really was kind of funny and sweet of her, in a way. Even though she sometimes made allusions to my non-human nature, she treated me like a normal person. Like a friend. Like…a human. And I really enjoyed her company and having her as a friend, I still do today of course! Claire doesn’t care about what you are. She cares about WHO you are, and let’s be honest, this is how it should be. This is why I love her as a friend.
“Uh, yeah, I did find it there, actually. How did you guess?” she asked, perplexed, as if I had just performed a magic trick or something. “Oh you know, just my intuition.”, I jokingly rolled my eyes. “You don’t like it?” Claire purposely put on a disappointed tone. “Take it off!” I yelled and used my shadow to pull her back into the changing cubicle. I didn’t mention it before, but I can control my shadow, make it do things. Like, pulling on that top, or grabbing things for me that are out of my reach. It’s really convenient, though I don’t use it that often.
It went on like this for another hour before Claire was finally satisfied. We continued our trip through the mall and eventually sat down in a restaurant to eat. I couldn’t decide what to order so I let Claire choose for me, and let me tell you, that was the best decision I made that day. We were just talking about what we could do in the upcoming days, maybe together with Colin even, when we were interrupted by a familiar voice.
“Hi there girls! Going on a shopping trip?” It was Ms. Jones. If there was one person I didn’t expect to meet at this place then it was her. But it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless, and I was happy to see a familiar face I could trust. Ms. Jones sat at our table and ordered something too. She told us she was a regular customer in this restaurant, she eats here at least once per week. That’s what I would’ve called dedication, but as it turned out it’s because the restaurant’s owner was her best friend. That’s certainly one way to support your friends I guess. A friendly waitress eventually brought our food. Her warm smile turned into a startled look when I returned the smile. I kept forgetting to smile with my mouth closed. That was a little awkward. “Well, it was nice chatting with you two! Go ahead, I’ll pay for it all. I’ll see you in school tomorrow!”
We thanked Ms. Jones and left the restaurant. I felt a little guilty because she paid for our food, but it was her decision, and with that thought in mind I tried to calm down my brain. It took a while but it worked eventually.
Claire and I eventually parted ways and I took the route through the park to go home. Like last time, I used the opportunity to wash my face at the fountain, and I looked for funny shaped clouds, though this time I was actually successful. I spotted a cat at first, then I saw a star and lastly a crescent moon. I then started going in the direction of my home again. On the way, I saw Colin sitting under a tree hugging his knees. He looked upset, so I decided to approach him and ask what’s wrong. He jumped a little when I asked what’s wrong, he must not have noticed me before. He looked up at me with a discouraged look in his eyes. He then told me that Kyle and his friends harassed him earlier. He had a fight with his parents so he relaxed in the park when he was found by them. “They took my book and threw it up the tree. It’s stuck up there, see? But I can’t get it back because I can’t climb…” I looked up and sure enough, there was a book sticking between a bunch of twigs. The tree itself didn’t look really climbable either, at least when you’re not a professional, which neither of us were. I asked him why this book was so important to him but he didn’t say much about it, just that he wrote down his thoughts in it. Apparently he called it his mind book. I then told him to close his eyes for me. He did, albeit hesitantly. I then turned into a bat and grabbed the book and turned back before telling him he could open his eyes again. “Woah-! My book! H-how did you do that?” This bamboozled look on his face was really amazing, haha! “Never ask a girl her secrets.”
“Oh…Right, sorry.”
I figured he would know how I did it, maybe he was just too surprised to think straight. Or something, I don’t really know. Colin thanked me and we chatted for a few minutes before I finally went home. My skin was already starting to itch, which meant that my sunscreen was wearing off. Terrible feeling. It’s like a bad rash all over your limbs. And once it really starts to burn you know you gotta hurry. This time I didn’t let anything distract me. Sun was already setting, but as long as it was still there, it was risky taking too long.
The next day started like all the other days before. Except that Aaron left early to start the investigation regarding the Zodiac Killer. I haven’t heard much of him, but he definitely sounded creepy. At school I chatted a bit with Claire and Colin. I haven’t known him for all too long, but it already feels like he’s part of our little friend group now. At lunch however, things started to get a little uncomfortable again. It was the jerk, Kyle. He hopped onto his table and started yelling, and mocking us.
“Hey look at me! I’m the lonely dude with an obsession over supernatural stuff! I’m so lonely I forgot my own name! And you better all stay away from me cuz I’m possessed by a deeeemon! Hahahaha!”
Colin didn’t say anything. He just grabbed his bag and ran out of the cafeteria. Seriously, I don’t get what Kyle’s problem was! I noticed Clair wanted to speak up and confront him, but he continued immediately.
“Oh my gaaawd hiii everyone, it’s me Claire! Does anybody wanna go shopping with me and my new vampire friend? I promise, she will totally not bite you and suck you dry! And before you ask, I know I was crazy before but now I’m completely nuts! Woohooo!”
At this, I could see Clair getting so mad that her face turned red. Understandably so. But before she could say anything, Kyle went on to me.
“Greetings! It’s me, the vampire, totally not after your blood or anything! I’m just like you pathetic mortal humans! Okay yeah, that was a lie, hahaha! KCHHHH! You all better run before I’m coming to get you!”
I was SO close to getting up and slapping him across the face, but before I could the janitor came in and…
“Hey, what’s going on here? Ugh, seriously Kyle? Again? You never learn, do you? You’re coming with me!” he said before grabbing Kyle’s wrist and pulling him out of the cafeteria.
“Hey, wait! I’m not done yet…!” were the last words we heard from Kyle before he and the janitor disappeared in the hallways. Awkward silence covered the whole cafeteria. I carefully looked around and saw that everyone was looking at us. Needless to say I felt more than just uncomfortable. I froze up in embarrasment as Claire took my hand and exited the cafeteria with me. She asked me if I was okay and I hesitantly said yes. I knew he was just an idiot and nobody really took him serious but still, it hurt.
“Seriously, I don’t get what’s wrong with that jackass! I know he’s an attention seeker, but it’s gotten worse over the last few weeks!” Claire exclaimed, angrily putting her hands on her hips. I assumed it was puberty starting to really hit him in the face, and Claire agreed, as it was the most plausible explanation.
On my way home I went by that same alley in which I was attacked a few days ago, which was a huge mistake as it turned out. Just like last time, I was grabbed on my wrist and yanked into the darkness of the alley, as the same guy with the same voice started to speak. His voice, it was the same as last time, but it sounded so familiar all of a sudden. I knew I had heard it before somewhere, though I couldn’t remember where.
“I see you’ve been behaving yourself so far. Good girl.” God, his choice of words made me wanna throw up! That’s when I noticed a scent that I had also smelled before. But unlike with his voice, I definitely knew where I had smelled it before. It was also attached to the note that was in my locker, telling me that I was being watched. It was probably an aftershave or something of the sort.
As my body started shivering again, I had to force my voice out of my throat. “Y-you…you’re one who sent me that note…!” A smug smirk appeared on his face as I said that. “You catch on pretty quick, don’t you?” Since he wasn’t pressing a water gun presumably filled with holy water against my lower jaw this time, I was able to bring up a little courage, just enough to give my voice a sarcastic tone. Still scared, but sarcastic nonetheless.
“Y-yeah well…if you spray your aftershave all over the notes you send out, it’s not that hard to puzzle the pieces together…” He really didn’t like that. I don’t even know why I thought it would be a good idea to give him a sarcastic comment. His grip on my collar tightened and the smirk disappeared from his face within just a mere second.
“Listen up, you little pest! I’m not playing games here! I’m still watching you, and if you get too close to someone’s neck, you’re finished, capiche? I’m not letting you off the stake just because you’ve been a good girl up until now! Understood? Now, skedaddle!”
Not wasting any time, I ran out of the alley to catch my breath and to calm down. After about two minutes my phone buzzed. It was a message from Jenny, asking if I’m home early today. I asked why, and apparently she had a new colleague visiting and she wanted to introduce me to them. Thinking nothing of it, I immediately went home, this time skipping relaxing in the park.
I closed the door behind me and took off my shoes. I could already hear Jenny, Aaron and the new colleague talking in the kitchen. I put down my bag at the bottom of the stairs and followed the voices into the kitchen when I suddenly froze. Jenny’s new colleague, the one standing in my home, our kitchen, having a cheerful chat with my adoptive parents was none other than the woman with the blazing red hair. The woman that broke into my room. The woman who showed up at our door not too long. The woman that the pin with that strange sun sigil belonged to.
My stalker.