by Ivy Rose
“Hi, Julian.”
“How’s your day been? Have you settled in all right?”
“Yes, I think so. What—”
“Julian and Aurora, is everything all right back there?” Julian gave me a quick smirk and turned towards our teacher.
“Everything is fine, Mr Robertson. I was just showing Aurora what we’ve been working on so far.”
Luckily math was my last class and when the bell rang, I was happy that this day was finally over. I was exhausted and I’d had enough of all these new, gorgeous people for one day. Lexi offered to drive me home, but I decided to walk to the library in town.
It was quite busy on the first floor when I got there, so I made my way up to the second floor instead. I found a little study nook available and sat down and grabbed out my new math textbook. I decided to work ahead a few pages, just in case I found myself distracted again next time Julian was around.
After almost an hour of math, I decided to dedicate some time to English. Lexi had told me what they were doing this term, and I was already quite familiar with it. Still, it didn’t hurt to brush up on the subject.
I lost track of time as I sat there, immersed in my work, and didn’t realise it was already past seven o’clock until I looked up and saw the big clock on the wall. I immediately packed my belongings and left the library. I’d promised Mum I’d be home before dark, and it was almost dark. It would take some time to get used to the early sunsets here. All the shops were closed along the main street, except for the supermarket further down, and the street was deserted.
Did everyone here just go straight home and stay inside during the evenings? Didn’t anyone ever go out after dark? Paris was lively 24/7, and I had a feeling that this new quiet life would take some getting used to. I wasn’t sure of the bus schedule, so I decided to walk to Mum’s work instead.
I knew exactly where Kinsley Antiques was, even though I hadn’t been there in years. I turned down a side street and past a dark soccer field. When the street finally came to an end, I’d reached the industrial area. It was just as quiet and dark as the rest of town, and I suddenly felt uncomfortable walking by myself.
Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. Maybe Angel Falls was a dangerous place to walk alone at night. I didn’t know enough about this town. I decided to keep going anyway, because I knew I was now closer to Mum than if I turned around and walked back into town. I moved to walk in the middle of the road instead of in the shadows of the footpath. It felt a little bit safer.
I could hear a car engine start somewhere, but just as quickly the sound vanished. The further down the street I walked, the more uneasy I felt. This was a stupid idea. I stopped and reached for my phone to call Mum to come and meet me, and that’s when I heard something that made my blood turn to ice. Footsteps. I swiftly turned around, but there was no one there.
“Hello?” I tried.
The next thing I knew, I felt something whoosh past me and I spun around again. No one there. Okay, this was seriously starting to freak me out. I looked down at my phone and noticed that I had no signal. How was that even possible? I was in a built-up area; how could I have no signal? Frustrated, I threw my phone back in my bag and looked at the dark street ahead of me.
That’s when I saw what had been following me. Straight ahead, maybe a hundred metres away, someone was standing under the only working streetlight. He or she, I couldn’t tell, was dressed in all black with a hood covering their face. Pure panic ran through me and for a second I just stood there, paralysed. Then, something kicked in and I did the only thing I could think of; I started running for my life.
Chapter 6
I’d never run so fast in my whole life; I didn’t even know I could run that fast. I was high on adrenaline, and the urge to get far away from whatever was following me kept my burning legs moving as I flew down the street. After what felt like an eternity of dark, deserted buildings, I finally made it back to the soccer field.
To my enormous relief, the field was now alight, indicating that there were people down there training. The sight of the lights gave my adrenaline another boost and I sped up even faster, as if my life depended on it. For all I knew, that might actually be true. When I got closer to the field, I noticed parked cars on the street that hadn’t been there when I walked past earlier. I felt a huge sense of relief and managed to slow down and throw a quick glance over my shoulder, just to see if I was still being followed.
I couldn’t see anyone behind me, but right when I was turning back around, I bumped straight into a huge, hard chest. A pair of strong hands grabbed my shoulders and my instincts and adrenaline told me to fight and scream with everything I had. There was no way I was going to give up without a fight.
“Aurora. Calm down. I’m not going to hurt you. It’s me,” a familiar voice said, while grabbing hold of my hands. “Hey, you need to stop fighting me.”
I knew that voice. Even with my eyes closed and my focus solely on breaking free, I could feel it in my very core. I let myself surrender into his arms with complete exhaustion. Adrian.
“That’s better… Are you hurt?”
Too exhausted to speak, I just shook my head and leaned my head against his chest. He slowly let go of my hands and moved his arms around my waist, his hands gently stroking my back. After several moments of silence, I looked up to meet his concerned expression.
“What happened to you?” He gently pushed my hair away from my face and his gaze roamed over my body, looking for any signs I might be hurt.
“I think someone was following me, back in the industrial area,” I said with a shaky voice.
Adrian’s eyes darted down the street, before returning his gaze to me. “Did someone try to hurt you?”
I shook my head. “I just thought I saw someone—”
“Everything all right here? I thought I heard someone scream,” an unfamiliar voice interrupted before I had a chance to finish my sentence.
“Everything is fine, you can go back to practice,” Adrian replied over his shoulder, still with his eyes on me. “I think?”
I nodded reassuringly.
“Are you sure? You still look a bit shaken up…”
Someone appeared behind Adrian, and I knew straight away who he was. He had the same black hair but cut in a slightly different style. Then there were the eyes. Adrian’s were paler, but you couldn’t miss the similarity.
“Aurora, this is Elijah, my brother.” Of course.
“Ahhh, the intriguing new girl. Well, finally.” Elijah grinned. “I knew I would run into you at some point. It seems like I’m the only one left who hasn’t had the pleasure. Were you the one we just heard screaming?”
“Yes, I thought I was being followed.”
“Followed? By whom?” Elijah asked with furrowed brows.
“I-I don’t know. I saw someone under the streetlight ahead of me… And then there were these footsteps behind me.” I was talking so fast I was quite sure I didn’t make any sense at all.
“Hold on. Did you actually see someone following you?” Elijah asked as he and Adrian exchanged a quick look, before their eyes returned to me.
“Uh, no…but I felt it.” God, that sounded so lame. What the hell was I thinking?
“And where was this?”
“In the industrial area.” I shivered. Maybe I was being paranoid? Come to think of it, I didn’t really see anyone following me. I just thought that someone was. But what about the person under the streetlight, and the creepy footsteps? Had I imagined that too?
“What were you doing in the industrial area all by yourself?” Adrian asked with a concerned look.
“I was on my way to Kinsley Antiques.”
“The industrial area isn’t the safest place to walk around at night but in general, Angel Falls is safe. What you saw was probably a homeless person. They tend to sleep down at that end. I don’t think anyone was out to hurt you.” Adrian looked at Elijah. “Right, Elijah?”
“Yep, h
e’s right, Aurora. You’re in safe hands in Angel Falls. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to training. Will you two be all right?”
“Yeah, we’ll be fine.” Adrian looked at me. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“How are you getting home? Do you have a car?”
“No, that’s why I was going to Mum’s work. I wanted to catch a ride home with her.”
“Don’t worry, I can take you home if you like?”
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be in a car with Adrian. He made me feel something strange and I didn’t think that was healthy for me. I was already developing a pretty serious crush on him, but considering the intimate encounter I’d witnessed with his mysterious girlfriend Evangeline, I knew I couldn’t get too involved with him. I would end up with a broken heart; I knew that much by now.
“That’s fine. I’ll catch a bus,” I tried and started to walk away. He caught me by the elbow.
“A bus? Aurora, you won’t find a bus that will take you all the way to your front door this time of night. Come on, let me take you home. It’s dark and I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving you now.”
It was dark, and it was getting quite cold. The thought of trying to find a bus appealed less and less by the minute, especially after the weird event I’d just experienced. “Okay, I’ll come with you. Thank you,” I added quietly.
“If you want, I could take you to your mum?”
“I’d rather go home, if you don’t mind?”
“Of course, I don’t mind. Come on, let’s get you home.” I saw a flicker of a smile, before he released my arm and started walking towards his car.
“What about your soccer training?” I tried as I followed him.
“This isn’t the school team. It’s the local soccer club. I don’t play soccer outside school, I was just dropping Elijah off,” he replied over his shoulder and opened the passenger door for me. I jumped inside. “Are you cold?” he asked once we were both seated in the car.
“Y-yes.” I was absolutely freezing at this point. I was shivering in my seat, both from the cold and my adrenaline wearing off. Adrian put the heater on and started to drive.
“Are you hungry? Do you want to stop and grab something to eat?”
Actually, I was starving, but I didn’t want to spend any more time with Adrian than necessary. I didn’t trust the feelings he stirred in me, and I didn’t want to go down that road when I knew he had someone else. He was off limits.
“I’m all right,” I said as my stomach grumbled loudly.
He slid me a quick look. “You’re hungry.”
“I really want to go home, if that’s okay?”
I could see him throw me a glance from the corner of my eye, before he concentrated back on the road. I had to practise a great deal of self-control to resist the urge to meet his gaze.
“Do you want to talk about what happened tonight?” he asked, again.
“Actually, the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that I was being paranoid. It’s silly to think I was being followed. You said it yourself: it was probably a homeless person standing there, and I didn’t actually see anyone run after me. It was more a feeling…except for the footsteps, but I might have imagined them too. I don’t know.” I shook my head.
Adrian just nodded, but I could see a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
“What so funny?” I asked, suddenly feeling embarrassed about this whole situation. He must think I was a crazy, and maybe I was.
“You threw a few good punches at me. I’m quite impressed.” He grinned.
“Oh…I’m so sorry, I hope I didn’t hurt you?” I blushed.
He threw his head back and laughed. “No, I’m not hurt. Don’t worry about me. However, I do feel maybe you owe me somehow…”
My eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“Are you home alone?”
“Yes? My mum doesn’t finish work for a while.”
“Well, I would like to spend some more time with you. Let’s pick up some pizza.”
“I don’t think…”
“Aurora, I insist,” he said softly, and my whole body reacted to the tone of his voice; I nodded yes.
We stopped in at the local pizza joint and ordered some to go. It wasn’t until we turned off the main road and started driving along the back road towards the manor that it hit me: he hadn’t asked for directions. He clearly knew where he was going; my body went rigid in my seat.
“How do you know where you’re going?”
Adrian chuckled. “Relax, Aurora. Everyone knows where the Kinsley Manor is; it’s famous in Angel Falls. Besides, the Christmas market is down by the riding school. I come here every year.”
I exhaled. What was I thinking? That Adrian was somehow dangerous and wanted to harm me? I shook my head in frustration. I really needed to take it down a notch. “Of course. I’m sorry, I’m a little bit on edge tonight.” I laughed nervously.
After a few minutes of absolute darkness, the lights from the manor reached us between the trees. “Is it just you and your mum living here now?”
“Yes, Mr and Mrs Peters live on the other side of the property.”
“Do you ever get scared?”
“This is my home. Why would I be scared?” I replied with confidence.
He smiled. “I’m just checking. It’s a big house…”
“Yes, but this is my home. I know I’m safe here.”
Adrian parked the car outside our front door and turned the engine off, then looked at me. “Hungry?”
I swallowed and nodded. I was going to have pizza with Adrian Hunter, alone. Why on earth did I do this to myself? Well, it was too late now, and I was starving. But I knew deep down that wasn’t my only excuse. I liked being around him no matter how hard I tried to deny it.
Adrian walked around and opened the car door for me. “After you.” I was acutely aware of how close we were, and I had to concentrate really hard on where to put my feet as we walked up the steps to the front door. With my luck, I’m surprised I didn’t fall over and completely embarrass myself. Once inside, I switched the alarm off and turned back to Adrian. He was leaning against the front door, watching me intently. He grinned. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
I swallowed. “Of course – come in.”
He pushed himself off the doorframe and walked slowly towards me. I could feel my heart pick up speed as he approached with a lazy grin. He stopped just in front of me.
“Am I making you nervous, Aurora?” he asked gently. I shook my head, and he gave me an amused smile. “You’re a bad liar. Has anyone ever told you that?”
“I’m not lying.”
He chuckled. “Yes, you are…”
I straightened my back to try and look confident. “Why would I be nervous?”
Adrian raised an eyebrow. “You tell me…”
I walked past him without answering and made my way towards the kitchen. I could hear Adrian chuckle again behind my back as he followed.
“Where do you want to sit?” he asked and put the pizza on the kitchen island.
“We can sit here. The table feels a little big for two people,” I replied and headed to the cupboard for some glasses. Who would have thought I would have Adrian in my kitchen by the end of the day? Certainly not me. I turned around and caught him staring at me. “What?” I squirmed under his stare.
Adrian pointed to the barstool next to him with a playful smile. I returned his smile briefly, hesitating once again to be so close to him. He didn’t say anything, just watched me with curious eyes, waiting for me to make a move. Again, I couldn’t help but feel like he was playing some kind of game with me.
“Aurora, I don’t bite. Please, come and sit down,” he tempted with that soft, hypnotic voice of his. I found myself automatically moving towards the barstool. I put the glasses down and went to the fridge to grab something to drink, before sitting down next to him. I felt Adrian’s leg b
rush against mine as he shifted in his seat. The brief moment sent my heart racing again. How was I supposed to eat now? What I really wanted was to ask him about Evangeline, but I couldn’t find the courage to speak to him about her. I didn’t want him to think that I was jealous in any way, because I wasn’t that jealous…was I?
Just as I was trying to convince myself that it was curiosity, not jealousy, I heard him chuckle softly next to me. I looked up from the pizza I’d started eating. Oh my God, I probably had food on my face.
“What is it?” I asked and anxiously reached for a napkin to wipe any food stuck somewhere where it shouldn’t be.
He shook his head, still grinning. “Nothing, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you so nervous.”
Wait, how did he know that?
“I can tell by your body language,” he replied as an answer to my unspoken question.
What?!
“You see, I’m quite good at reading people, and I find you particularly easy to read,” he continued his explanation, without me even asking for one aloud.
This time it was my turn to stare at him. This was just a freaky coincidence; it must be. “Why? What do I do that makes it so easy?” I couldn’t exactly ask if he could read my mind, without sounding like a true lunatic. He did have a unique ability to read me very accurately, but mind-reading? No way. Maybe it was more that I acted like a crazy person around him. I was always so shy and nervous, making it way too easy for him to push my buttons.
“You have trouble looking me in the eyes, your breathing changes, and your voice shakes slightly. You also tuck your hair behind your ear, like this…” He leaned slightly forward and brushed a few strands of hair off my face and tucked them behind my ear. I couldn’t break eye contact, no matter how hard I tried. I was completely lost in his eyes. I wanted him to kiss me, just like I had watched him kiss Evangeline this morning.
Wait, what?!
I had never been one of those girls who tried to steal someone else’s boyfriend, yet here I was, silently begging him to kiss me. A slow grin spread across his face just as the thought crossed my mind.
