Chapter 3

I did as he asked, but instead of going inside and getting changed, I went into the bathroom to try and wash away the dirty feeling that Dave had left on me. Sitting in the bottom of the shower, I tried to wrap my head around things. How did that guy know that I was in trouble? I never screamed or anything, so how did he know? And what did he mean when I asked him if he killed him? I made a mental note to ask him if I ever saw him again.

After a shower, I went back to bed, not to sleep but to pretend I had never left. Blue stayed close the whole time. I could tell that he was hurting from where Dave had kicked him. I had a few bruises on me from how hard Dave had pushed me down onto the table. I ensured that the clothes I put on would cover them so no one saw them and would ask how I got them.

After about an hour, I got up and went downstairs to see if anyone was up. In the kitchen, Mum, Dad, and my brother Jack were all sitting around the table eating breakfast.

"Oh honey, I thought you had already left for work", Mum said as she saw me walk through the door.

"I took today off." I lied.

I could see the puzzled look on her face. I never took days off because I never really got sick or anything. I think she could tell by the look on my face that I didn't want her to start with a million questions like she usually did. Instead, she just smiled at me. I walked over and poured myself a cup of coffee before leaning back on the bench.

The phone started to ring. Mum got up going to answer it.

"Hello"

"Oh my, that's horrible," she gasped. "Yes, of course. I'll let her know, and I'll get my husband to drive her to the station immediately."

Jack looked over at me. "What did you do?"

I looked back at him, trying to give him a shocked look while shrugging my shoulders.

Mum hung up the phone, coming back into the kitchen. I already knew what she was about to say before she said it. It was written all over her face. Someone had found Dave. My heart started pounding in my chest. Why would they want me to go down to the police station? Surely, no one had seen me there. I held my breath, waiting for her to talk.

"There's been a terrible accident with your boss, and they need you to go down to the station to answer some questions," her voice was shaky.

I knew that I had to say something here, and I had to act like it was a shock. My heart was pounding in my chest, feeling like it was going to burst out at any second. A voice came into my head. "Stay calm; act like you know nothing. Ask if he's okay." The voice sounded familiar, and something about it calmed me down. I let out the breath that I had been holding.

"Is Dave okay?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I'm so sorry, darling, but he's dead."

I don't know if I did a good job at pretending like it was a shock to me or not, but I'm pretty sure they brought it. Dad drove me down to the station. I was so nervous that my hands were sweating. I was thankful, though, that my body just went into autopilot, taking over for me and getting me through it all. They asked me if I knew what Dave was like outside of work and if he had anyone that didn't like him. Then they let me leave. As I walked out, Sarah was out the front having a smoke.

Walking over to her, I could see that she was the one who had found him. As soon as she saw me, she threw her arms around me. "Oh, it was horrible," she sobbed. "I went in cause the back door was wide open. I knocked on the office door, and there was nothing, but after about half an hour, it got the better of me, so I went in there." She paused for a second like she was relieving everything. "His head it was gone like it had exploded."

That just left me with even more unanswered questions. How does a man's head explode? I thought back to it, and I remember right before the guy that saved who I should probably ask his name if I ever see him again. Well, right before he came up and everything went black for a minute, I do remember imagining that his head exploded. There is no way I would have known that without being in the room, and I wasn't there.

"I'm really sorry, Sarah", I patted her shoulder. "I'm going to go for a walk and clear my head" Before she could say goodbye, I left. I needed time alone.

I set off for the woods, Blue following beside me. Most people around here were scared of the woods, making up stories about people going into them and never being seen again and all these stories about monsters that live in them. I've always felt at peace in them and don't believe in monsters. I think the people who go in and never return end up getting lost cause they don't know their way around. I don't have that problem. I've always been good at navigating them.

I take the long way home, not ready to face my family and all their questions. It felt like someone was watching me. I've been getting this feeling for a few days now, so I just shrugged it off and kept going.

A noise behind me makes me uneasy. Turning around, searching the woods for anything, Blue is also on high alert. I can't see anything, so I turn to start walking again, bumping into something hard, making me stumble back. A hand grabs my arm, stopping me from falling. Looking up, it's the guy who saved me.

"You can't be here", he says, never once taking his eyes off me.

I look back to his hand on my, making him let go. "Why? Are you following me?"

"You just can't be here," he said, looking around like he was waiting for a monster to jump out at us.

"Why?" I asked again, my tone more demanding this time. 

He runs his hands through his hair in frustration, letting out a groan. "Because of your smell. Now go home."

I tucked my nose under my armpit, taking a sniff. "I don't smell", I spat at him, screwing my face up in confusion.

He rolled his eyes. "That's not what I meant. Now, please get out of the woods and don't come back. I won't always be around to protect you," he said, slipping off just as fast as he came.

Like always, he left me feeling confused about everything, and I still don't even know his name. Looking around, I felt uneasy now because of what he had said. I hated him because I have always felt at peace in the woods, and he comes along and wrecks that. I decided to listen to him and go home. I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, so I hurried along.

I filled my family in on what the police had said, and of course, I got in trouble for not calling my dad to pick me up. I hate how much they worry about me—heading off to my room, hoping I could lie down and read a book to clear my head. My brain wouldn't switch off, so I moved over to my window, opening it up to let some fresh air in. Sitting in my window, I closed my eyes, leaning my head back against the wall. The mystery man came into my head. I could hear him saying my name. The way it rolled off his tongue gave me goosebumps. Something pulls me to him and makes me want to be around him. I've never felt anything like it before. Sure, I've had crushes, but never anything like this. There was something magical about the way I felt like my soul needed him.

Slowly opening my eyes with a smile on my face as I think about him.

"Thinking about me, are you?" a voice comes from outside my window. Making me scream and fall onto the ground, making a loud bang. Blue jumps off my bed, rushing over, standing between me and him, growling. The mystery man is sitting on my roof right outside my window. The sound of feet running up the hall before Mum and Dad come bursting into my room; turning my attention to them, I know they will be pissed about a boy being at my window.

"What's wrong?" they both yell at the same time, looking around the room frantic.

"I-I-" Looking back to the window, he was gone. Maybe I imagined it. "There was a - um - spider. It scared me" I gave them my best fake laugh, hoping they would buy it.

"Oh, thank god we thought someone was kidnapping you", dad blurts out.

I laugh softly. "No, no one else here but me, Blue and a spider."

They shake their heads, leaving the room and closing the door behind them. I let out the breath I was holding, turning back to the window where the mysterious man was now back in.

"I didn't mean to scare you", he said softly. "I thought you knew I was there."

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked him, a hint of embarrassment in my voice.

"You called me," he looked just as confused as I was.

"What? No, I didn't. I don't even have your number. What the hell are you talking about?"

He was quiet for a second while he thought. "oh, you don't know."

"I don't know what?"

Blue moved closer to him, growling louder, and it was almost like they were communicating or something.

"Never mind, nothing. What I meant to say is I came to make sure you got home okay."

"I got home fine."

"Good", he turned around to leave.

But before he could, I called out to him. "Wait, what's your name?"

"Brax" 

"I'm Blair."

He turned around, smirking at me. "I know"