Chapter 4

Blue 

After almost being grabbed by that guy my heart is beating like crazy. I also feel super paranoid and can't help looking around me as I rush in the direction of the railroad yard. Forget the park! Besides, I swear people are watching me but I can't figure out why. 

What is happening? 

Is there something weird about how I look today? 

I cleaned up well before I went to Monica's but maybe I missed something. Except I'm pretty sure she would have said something if she noticed I looked off. 

"Excuse me." I stop short when a young girl stops next to me. 

"Yes?" I look around to see if anyone is watching us. 

She has to be fourteen, so I don't think she's a threat to me.  Maybe this has nothing to do with why that guy approached me. 

"You're the girl from the Twitter hashtag!" She smiles at me like she's just met her favorite celebrity. "I can't believe I found you! Can I take a picture with you?" 

What is she talking about? 

"Hashtag?" I ask her. 

"Yeah! See?" She turns her phone to me and I see a photo of me from an odd angle. 

Who would post this? I read the message on the post as well. 

Help us find this #bluehairedbeauty

Holy crap! 

"It's you right?" The girl asks pulling her phone back. 

"No, it's not." I walk around her and pick up the pace. 

I need to get out of here. 

The look I got was too short to see the account that posted the picture but it didn't sound like the police. So who wants to find me enough that they would create a hashtag and post a photo? At least the hashtag was sort of sweet. 

Not that it matters since I'm officially going into hiding. Maybe I should get out of town sooner than I planned. Unless this follows me out of the city or even the state. 

It doesn't matter. I need to get moving and soon. 

I decide to take a shortcut where there isn't as many people walking around. Once I'm alone I stop and pull out the envelope Monica gave me. I nearly cry when I see almost a hundred dollars inside. There is no way I made this much in tips, but right now I can use every cent. It's going to help pay for my way out of here. I just wish I could have thanked her and said goodbye to everyone. 

There isn't time.

With my mind made up I head in the direction of the closest main street. I have all my stuff with me so I can head straight to the bus station now. It doesn't take long for me to hear the sound of traffic and step out onto a crowded street. I glance around to find the bus stop and see it across the street. When a large group of people passes by I slip in among them and try to hide until I reach the crosswalk.  

My heart hasn't stopped racing and I'm starting to feel light-headed. This is usually a sign that a panic attack is about to set in, but I try my best to push it down. I can't lose myself inside my mind right now. I can't break down.

The sound of the crosswalk alarm nearly has me tripping into the street, but I recover enough to quickly make it across. I don't slow down until I reach the bus stop. There is an AD display next to it, so I use that to hide until the bus arrives. 

A few people are sitting on the bench on the other side but I don't think they know I'm here. One of them is watching something on their phone and I peek out to see it's some sort of news channel.

*"Everyone is talking about the hashtag that just went viral in less than a few hours. Many are wondering why Tech Billionaire Artemis Rhodes would post such a thing, but nevertheless, this girl has become a mystery everyone wants to solve. In fact, we have pictures from several people who have seen the girl in person."* 

The screen of the phone is small but I catch several pictures of me flashing on the screen. This can't be happening!

You know that panic attack I had been pushing down? Well, that thing comes back with a vengeance. It feels like all the air is sucked out of me and my chest gets tight. My vision blurs and I register I'm falling just before things go dark. 

When I wake I'm worried I've somehow gone blind because there is white everywhere. With a few blinks things start to make more sense. I'm in a hospital. I try to wrack my brain and figure out how I got here but I can't remember. What I do remember is seeing my face all over the news. 

The reminder has my heart pounding and I make a sound of surprise when a loud beeping starts. I quickly cover my ears and look to the side of me to find a monitor blinking. What the heck? Why is it so loud? 

The door to my room opens and a woman in purple scrubs rushes over to the machine and starts pressing buttons. Once the ringing stops I let my arms fall to the bed. 

"You're awake!" She says far too cheerfully. "How are you feeling?" 

How am I feeling? 

Well let's see...a man tried to grab me...a girl asked to take a photo with me...my face was on the news in photos taken by strangers as I walked down the street...

I'm not doing great. Of course, I don't say any of that. 

"I'm okay. What happened?" 

"You passed out at a bus stop. Someone called the ambulance and they brought you here." She says as she fidgets with the wires connected to me. 

"How long have I been here?" 

"Just a few hours. Your heart rate was very erratic but you were stable until you woke up."

"Yeah well waking up in a strange place can do that to a person," I grumble. 

She laughs. "It sure can. I'll go get the doctor so he can talk to you." 

I nod but before she reaches the door it opens and a man walks in. Behind him comes a stunning redhead. 

"I'm sorry, are you family? Only one visitor can be back here at a time." The nurse says, but she stops talking when a man in a doctor's coat walks in as well. 

"Relax Miss Riley, this is Mr. Rhodes a donor to our hospital. This woman is his fiance. I'll take things from here." The doctor says and steps aside to let the nurse out. 

I watch her scurry away before I focus on the doctor. He's an older man with white hair and a friendly face but he gives me weird vibes. 

Wait...did he just say, fiance?

"I'm sorry what did you say?" I ask. 

"About what dear?" The doctor says walking over to the computer next to the bed. 

"Me being...someone's fiance!" 

He chuckles. "You must have hit your head hard when you passed out. Mr. Rhodes was relieved to hear you were brought here." 

Mr. Rhodes? 

The name from the park bench...

I look over at the only other man in the room. He's already watching me and it isn't exactly in a friendly way. It's more calculating. 

"Hi! I'm Abigail Simmons, I'm Mr. Rhodes's assistant." The redhead says moving to the other side of my bed. 

She seems nice by the genuine smile she's giving me. 

"Hi. What is all this about me being...his fiance?" I point at the man still standing by the door. 

He looks familiar now that I think about it...

Oh my gosh!

"I ran into you this morning! Is that what this is about? Did your phone break? Because I can try and pay you back for it." 

He must have told everyone he's my fiance to get into the room. Now that makes sense. 

"She's looking good Mr. Rhodes. I'll get started on her discharge papers." The doctor says before reaching down to pat my hand. "Feel better dear." 

I pull my hand away and cradle it to my chest. He really gives me creepy vibes, but he seems unfazed by my behavior. 

I watch him whisper something to the suit guy before leaving the room. A room that becomes deathly silent. 

"Okay, so about your phone..."

"This isn't about my phone. I have a proposition for you." The man says. 

"A proposition for me? What do you mean?" 

"A proposition? It means-"

I wave my hand. "Not that! I'm not an idiot. I mean what proposition?" 

"I want you to marry me." He says with a straight face. 

We stare at each other for a minute before I burst out laughing. 

Did he just propose to me?