C2

He watches you, from afar, but

                                                                 Close up...

Camila climbed the stairs still holding her sister's hand. She wanted to get to her classroom right away.

“Wait, Camila, what's wrong with you? “Why did you act like that? “she wanted to know, letting go of her hand and standing up.

Camila looked at her, took a deep breath, thinking that maybe she was right, she shouldn't have acted like that, she didn't even know that boy enough to want to run away from him. But it was like an impulse that she could not avoid.

“Look, Nicole, I don't have time for explanations.... “he began to tell her, just as the bell started ringing to announce the start of classes. Just go to class, okay? See you on the way out.

Without another word, Camila walked down the hallway looking for her classroom. The other kids were starting to enter the school. Some in a hurry and others in a carefree manner. Camila found her classroom at the end of the hallway, walked in, a few kids inside, and looked for a chair in a corner, next to a huge window overlooking the forest.

The other kids started to enter, she noticed Carmen among them, she smiled at her, sitting down next to her.

“Are you all right? I guess I didn't quite understand what happened out there. “Carmen commented.

Camila was about to answer, but the professor's voice prevented her from doing so.

“Good morning, kids. “He greeted, and behind him they came in. The dark”haired boy with the blonde girl, and the black”haired boy. They walked to the end of the chairs in the other corner and sat down. “I think I should have a new student come today, don't you? “He looked at the group, stopping at Camila. At that moment she just wanted to disappear. “It's you, isn't it?

Camila nodded.

“Do you want to come forward? I think we all want to know who you are and where you come from. “he suggested. Camila, using all her willpower, stood up and walked to the front, feeling everyone's eyes on her.

She had never liked being the center of attention, sometimes she got nervous, the fact of knowing that many people are attentive to what you will say makes her like that. She turned around. Now she was facing them.

“Go ahead," said the professor.

She swallowed thickly as her gaze swept over each of them, stopping on that mysterious boy, his dark eyes fixed on her. But she couldn't decipher their expressions. Camila blinked and cleared her throat.

“Hi, my name is Camila Clear, I'm from New York and I have.... “She stopped dead in her tracks as she looked at something through the window. There, in the middle of the trees she noticed a man standing. She frowned, forgetting that perhaps everyone was staring at her in bewilderment, and narrowed her eyes to get a better look. That man was super tall and thin, wore a suit and looked like he had his back turned because she couldn't see his face. He was just standing there, doing nothing.

“Camilla?

The professor's voice made her jump a little in her place, provoking laughter from the others. She turned her gaze to the professor, who was scowling at her.

“Is that all?

Camila turned her eyes to where the man was supposed to be, but her biggest surprise was that she couldn't find him anymore, he wasn't there. And that seemed strange to her.

“Yes, that's all. “She answered, heading to her seat as quickly as possible.

Today couldn't have gone any worse for her, now they would think she was weird.

“All right, guys, take out the history book on page 169..... “the teacher's voice was getting lost, she was not paying attention to the class as her gaze was on the window, thinking that since she had come to this town the things that happened were not normal. First the feeling of being watched, the fear for no reason, then the figure of that man.

She just wanted a normal life and it seemed that she was far from it.

The hours passed, it was time to go to the cafeteria, she hung up her bag and went out thoughtfully in search of something to eat, although she was not hungry at all, she would just have a juice and that was it. The high school had a lot of students, you couldn't walk well in the hallways because they would push past you, there was no room. In addition, the murmurs on one side and on the other did not give any peace of mind.

When you got to the cafeteria you could see almost all the tables full, you could also see that mysterious boy sitting at the middle table with the others. Only the popular and wealthy guys. It was obvious that he belonged to that circle.

“Look at her, she's weird. “Veronica, the blonde girl who was the girlfriend of that brunette boy Camila had seen before, muttered. Adrien looked at her, she didn't look weird to him, quite the contrary.

“What do you think that girl could have seen to make her get stuck when it was time to introduce herself? “asked Veronica.

“Let her be, it's all new to her..... “said Chris, Adrien's best friend and Veronica's boyfriend.

She gave him a dirty look. Camila in the distance was looking for a juice and sat at a table in the back, Adrien didn't take his eyes off her.

“And he dresses funny," Veronica continued.

Adrien observed that she was looking through the window with some curiosity and some fear, he wondered what was going on in that girl's head so that she wouldn't stop seeing the forest.

“I bet she must be one of those easy girls, the ones that look like they don't break a plate are worse. “What Veronica said, made Adrien look at her completely pissed off.

“Stop talking nonsense, will you? “she spat, standing up and walking away.

Camila turned her face to the exit of the cafeteria, where that mysterious boy was leaving, looking angry.

“Hello, Camila!" Carmen appeared in her field of vision with a tray. He sat down in front of her.

“Carmen," he half smiled at her.

“Are you all right? You look pale. “said the girl, opening her juice and taking a sip.

“I'm fine," she replied confidently.

“Can I ask you something? “He asked her, Camila nodded, "What did you see that made you pale in the living room?

Camila looked away and debated whether to tell him or not, they might think she was crazy or who knows what, but it was just a man, a man who was too tall and too thin. A man whose face and hands she could not see. Just a man whose back was turned and who disappeared when she took her eyes off him for a second.

“I just thought I saw someone, that's all.

Carmen hesitated whether or not to tell him about the legend of the town.

“Was it a tall man? “she asked in a whisper.

Camila looked at her expectantly, how did she know, had she seen him too?

“Did you see him? “she asked.

Carmen denied, but, looking all around, leaned a little closer to her.

“Don't you know the legend?

Camila denied.

“What legend? “she asked nervously.

“This town has a legend from many years ago, they say that a tall, thin man stalks weak and vulnerable families, disturbing them. “Camila frowned. She didn't believe in legends. “His name is Slenderman. They say Slenderman takes children deep into the forest, keeps them there for a while, then kills them mercilessly and takes their faces. Because he doesn't have one.

Camila thought that this story was ridiculous and that there was no such thing.

“You don't think so, do you? “Carmen continued. “Do you know who looked at him and nobody believed him? “she asked, Camila denied. Adrien.

“And who is Adrien? “she asked.

“The boy now, the one who got out of the van. The one dressed in black and so on," he explained.

Camila recognized him, he was the mystery boy. And his name was Adrien.

“What do you mean nobody believed him? “Cami wanted to know.

“Yes, they say that when he was just a kid, he and his younger brother, decided to go to the forest to confront Slenderman, they also thought it was lies and wanted to prove it, but they say that the younger brother named Sandy disappeared that day. Adrien swore and swore that the Slenderman had taken him. They searched for Sandy for a whole year, but he never showed up. Months later he was presumed dead. Adrien has since become like that, quiet, lonely, expressionless, wild. A real bad boy. Now he lives in an apartment in the city and his parents live in the same house. He moved away from them. I think he blames himself for his brother's death.

Camila couldn't believe the story, yes, she had seen a similar man, but it could have been anyone, there are tall people. And about Adrien and his story, maybe she had seen him, or maybe she just mistook him for a child”stealing thief and he misunderstood everything.

“But maybe Adrien mistook him for someone else who might have taken Sandy? “he muttered.

“Maybe, but when the officers asked him for a description of the man's face, Adrien replied that he didn't have one, and that instead of arms he had tentacles. Imagine that, anyone would say he was crazy, but he was a child and that's why they dismissed that.

Camila thought about it, Slenderman? It was ridiculous, and kids obviously have big imaginations. However, she felt bad for her brother's disappearance and for everything Adrien had to go through.

“It's all so... Unbelievable. “She whispered more to herself.

Next to her Carmen was finishing her lunch.

“Take care, Camila, I know you live in the forest house.

Camila frowned and looked at her.

“How do you know?

“Your sister told me when I met her when I came here," he answered. “And you know what's worse? That that was the house Adrien and his family lived in before the incident.

Camila's eyes widened in astonishment, now that the house they were living in was Adrien's. What a coincidence. But the more she thought about it and the more she wanted to convince herself that none of it was real, something inside her, like a hunch told her she had to believe. And that drove her crazy.

A message arrived on her cell phone, she took it out of her jacket pocket and read it:

From Mom:

Everything okay? Camila, do me a favor, will you? Before you go to the second hour of classes, take a cab and go home, I want to see that Bea is ok and that the nanny doesn't mistreat her, ok?

You know I don't trust them.

He cursed between his teeth and stood up.

“Carmen, I have to go out for a while, I'll see you later.

Camila walked at a fast pace towards the exit, she had to find a cab right away. As she went out to the parking lot she could notice Adrien leaning on his car, he was smoking. His gaze was lost. Camila continued on her way, Adrien noticed her. She stopped in front of the road, flagging down passing cabs, but none of them stopped. She opted to walk, if she kept waiting she wouldn't make it in time, besides it wasn't far. She walked at a fast pace along the sidewalk, in the distance Adrien watched her silently, that road she was following was to her old house and she honestly did not want to relive memories, but she would go alone. Through the woods. And she didn't like that at all. He knew what the forest contained, and, without knowing why, he wanted to keep her protected. Safe.

Without a second thought, he climbed into his car, started it up and hurried to catch up with her.