Obsession

Chapter 51

"Mara? Are you okay?" Anna asks, pulling me out of my daze.

I turn and glance at her, for not even a full second. When I turn back around, Kai is gone. I look around, hoping he's still here somewhere.

"He's here..." I say, carefully surveying the area. "I can...feel him."

Anna looks around, furrowing her brows. "Okay, but...that's weird."

Suddenly, my eyes land on a tall figure across the street. As I study it closer, I realize it's definitely Kai. He meets my eyes, beckoning me.

Something strange comes over me, almost like a magnetic pull. My feet move on their own accord, across the street and through the crowds of people until I'm standing right in front of Kai.

I'm not afraid, like I usually am. Instead, I have an odd, spacy feeling; one that makes me feel high. My limbs feel light and nimble. It's strange, but I can't say I don't like it.

"I've never seen anything more beautiful," Kai smiles at me. "Did you know that red is my favorite color?"

"Of course I knew that," I smile back.

"Since we're all dressed up, why don't we go somewhere special," he suggests, offering me his arm.

I latch my arm with his, looking up at him and smiling. "Let's go."

Within a flash, we're standing at the top of the Empire State Building. I look around in confusion, wondering if this is all a dream or if Kai can add teleportation to his growing list of abilities.

Either way, I have to earn his trust. So that means no getting caught with my guard down. Not even for a second.

"Wow, this is beautiful," I whisper, looking around.

"I thought so too," he says, looking down at me. "You know, Mara...I can take you anywhere in the world. Anywhere you want to go."

"Really?" I ask in surprise.

He nods, smiling. "Is there some place you've always wanted to go?"

I take a second to give it some thought. I've got to use this opportunity to my advantage. Finally, I meet his eyes and return his smile. "Take me to a place that's special to you."

He studies my eyes, probably able to see right through me. I can't let him think something is off. Not when I've finally found him.

"I never really had a chance to get to know you before. I think maybe, if I had, things might've turned out different for us," I add.

Thankfully, his smile returns and he takes my hand into his. I hold my breath, expecting it to be hot and painful, but I'm surprised when nothing happens. Before I can ask questions though, we're whisked away. I open my eyes and gasp when I see a field of cherry blossom trees, as far as the eye can see. Each of them have beautiful pink flowers, petals gently falling to the ground and giving this place a real magical feel.

"I've never seen anything like this before. Where are we?" I ask him.

"This was my favorite place to come to when I was a boy. Back before I moved to California."

"So...we're in Japan?" I ask.

He nods, leading me through the trees. This place is straight out of a dream world. The sky is a vibrant shade of blue and the sun, while I can't see it, is very bright, illuminating each petal as if falls.

It's so beautiful, I start to forget who I'm with and why I'm here. Which is exactly what he wants. He wants to take my mind off of everything else and pull me into his mysterious world.