Karael – the angel who has the power to fight demons.
If before, Chaise was pestering me, pretending to be cute and teasing me around school, he was now staying away. I could still see him watching me during lunch or on the grounds when he was hanging out with some friends and I happened to pass by. I couldn’t make out the expression on his face. He looked genuinely hurt… or pissed.
“Did you do something to Chaise?” Denise asked me one time during lunch. I was sitting with her at the far corner of the cafeteria. Chaise was in the center table with all the other popular boys and girls.
When I looked at Chaise, he was staring at me. He was wearing a red jacket over his hooded sweater.
I stared at Denise for a while and then I shrugged.
“You know… ever since he came to school, he was always watching you. He looked really interested.”
“Seriously?” I asked Denise. “Have you looked at my face lately?”
Denise rolled her eyes. “Yes! And I say you’re pretty! Prettier than most girls in this school. Prettier than Chelsea and her gang. And they didn’t have the scars you have.”
“Exactly! I have ugly scars.”
Denise sighed. “You’re beautiful, Alice. And when you cover your scars with your hair like that… no one would actually guess you weren’t flawless,” she said. “Chaise must have seen what I am seeing. Don’t you want to give him a chance? Wasn’t he nice enough to help you out with your job at his aunt’s shop? Maybe he really does like you.”
I shook my head.
“It’s still that guy, isn’t it?” Denise asked, looking at my necklace. “H?”
I looked down at my pendant and remembered Hunter.
Yes. It will always be Hunter.
“You don’t know what happened to him,” Denise said. “Maybe he’s not coming back. Has he even called you since he left? Emailed or snail-mailed you? If he’s serious about making you wait, he would have at least given you hope that you are waiting for something.”
I bit my lip. I hate to admit it, but Denise had a point. Where was Hunter? If he had a treatment, or a transplant, it would have healed by now. If it was unsuccessful, then he would have returned to the center. And if he’s back, he would have called me, right? After all, Meredith’s contact numbers were still there. He had a way of reaching me. But I had no way of reaching him.
Has he given up on me? On us?
“Maybe it’s time you give some other guy a chance,” Denise said. “What if Chaise was serious about you? What if he was sincere? He knows about your scars… and he’s still making an effort to reach out to you. Don’t you think that’s reason enough to give him… a chance? Just get to know him at least?”
“I don’t think so, Denise,” I said. “I don’t think I’d be dating soon.”
“You won’t,” Denise said sadly. “Because you weren’t even trying. Because your boyfriend… who may never come back… still lives in you. You’re not even giving another guy a chance. I hope you think about this. Before it’s too late.”
That night, I closed Alibri thirty minutes later than usual because of last minute customers. Good thing, Meredith wasn’t in town tonight. She wouldn’t like me getting home later than ten-fifteen.
As I double-locked the doors, I turned to look at the corner street and something caught my eye. There was a guy standing behind the post in the corner. He was wearing a dark gray hooded jacket. He looked like he was waiting for someone.
Dismissing him, I began to hike. After I walked a block, I turned to look behind me, like I always did. I saw the hooded guy walking about thirty meters away. He walked a normal pace… his strides didn’t look suspicious at all.
Coincidence!
I turned the corner again. After a few steps, he turned up the same corner and walked on the same direction. This time, I kept a faster pace to increase the distance between us. He didn’t make an effort to walk faster. I turned the last corner leading to my house. I ran to the porch and inserted my key. I quickly got inside and double-locked the doors. I went to the window and took a peek. The guy walked past my house, looked at it for a couple of seconds and then walked away. I didn’t catch a glimpse of his face. But his form looked like he was just a teenager.
I know it isn’t possible, but suddenly, I had a strong feeling that it was Chaise.
But why?
I couldn’t help remembering that the last time I spoke to him, I gave him a power slap on the face.
What if… he was following me and finding the right time to attack? What if he couldn’t accept the fact that I rejected him and he was thinking of avenging his ego?
The next day in school, Chaise was still the same. He never made an attempt to talk to me anymore. But boy, if looks could kill, I would be dead already. He kept his eyes on me. Watching me. Sometimes, even glaring at me.
That night, I saw that guy again. He was standing in the same corner as last night. And when I started walking, he started walking too. My heart pounded in my chest and I could feel all the hairs in my body rise.
I took a few short breaths and reached out for my bag to grip my pepper spray. I took a different route tonight. Just to see if he would still follow.
After walking a few blocks, I looked behind me and to my dismay, the guy was also there. But he kept his distance. Sometimes, he walked much slower, making no attempt to close the distance between us.
Was it still a coincidence? Or was he really following me?
When I reached my porch, I turned around to look behind me again. I saw the boy standing at the corner street about thirty meters away from me. He just stood there and watched me go inside the house. Once I was safely in, I peeked through the window. I saw him turn around and walk away.
Now, that was really creepy!
The next night, I saw him again. I walked slower this time, still keeping my pepper spray within reach. I held my breath and looked behind me. There was no one there. I sighed in relief. He didn’t follow this time. Maybe the last two nights were just coincidences. Maybe I was just being paranoid. After all, what could he want from me?
I kept looking behind me. I didn’t see him. I was alone, walking the deserted streets towards my house. For the first time in days, I felt myself relax.
I went inside my house and locked the door behind me. I felt relieved. No one was stalking me. I had nothing to worry about.
But just as if it had become a habit, I couldn’t resist peeking through the window, just to check. My heart dropped to my toes, I forgot to breathe and all the hairs in my body rose to attention when I saw the familiar hooded guy walking on the sidewalk. He turned to look at my house, slowed his pace down for a little bit… and then jogged away.
I leaned against the wall and took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm my hammering pulse.
When I wrote to my diary that night, I told Hunter how scared I was because I suspected that the boy was stalking me. I told him it could be Chaise, the same guy who stole a kiss from me.
It took me a moment to realize that I was rambling in what I was writing. But I thought that if something happened to me, Meredith would find my diary and read it. So, I had to make sure I leave enough clues about my suspicions. If it wasn’t Chaise, he’d be able to prove his innocence.
I paused from writing. Maybe I was just being paranoid. Crazy, even.
Yes, I’m crazy for thinking that Chaise Anderson was stalking me.
I sighed and looked at the diary before me. Maybe I was even crazier for thinking that Hunter would get to read this diary someday.
I touched his necklace. He said he loved me. But why hasn’t he come back for me yet?
Is there still hope for Hunter and me?
The next day was the same as any other day. The corridors still went abuzz about me when I walked to my locker, girls still slipped in snide remarks intended to insult me when I walked past them during lunchtime. Denise and I still sat at the far corner looking like a bunch of outcasts.
“Chaise didn’t go to school today,” Denise said.
I gave her a weird look and then a teasing grin. “Okay… that’s bordering obsession.”
“No, silly!” She giggled. “I kinda miss watching him watch you. It’s really entertaining.”
I rolled my eyes. “For the last time, Denise, he’s not interested in me. If he is… then it would be for scary reasons.” I almost shivered at the thought of the boy, who I suspected was following me every night. He had the same height and built as Chaise. If he was Chaise… then I should really be scared of his intentions… especially since I bruised his ego.