Kidnapper's Lover

Chapter Two Stranger Danger

When I saw the figure, it had not quite dawned on me what exactly the figure was. The lights from the coffee shop were blinding me to the point where I couldn't see what lay within the shadows of darkness. I tried rubbing my eyes, trying to believe that it was just my vision messing with me. As I opened my eyes though, what I thought was just a dwelling of my imagination was really just reality trying to spread across my mind. I stepped a little closer, trying to make it in the safe of the coffee shop, but I still felt like this thing that was lurking in the darkness was still watching me. The coffee shop was always a safe spot for me because I felt at peace and at home. The different vibrant smells of the coffee being made always made me feel like I was relaxed and snuggled up under a big blanket. With that thought in mind, I tried to shake any bad thoughts out of my head. Maybe it was just a dog, a manikin, or something like that. As I went to slowly open the door, the figure stepped somewhat in the light to reveal what it was.

It was a man, a very mysterious man. I couldn't see too much of him due to how dark it was but from what I could see he didn't look dirty, and I knew just from looking at him he wasn't homeless. He was just a strange man who was now staring me down. I didn't know whether I should say hello, awkwardly run away, or join him in his game of a staring contest. I didn't want to be one who based decisions just on looks or if I felt uncomfortable because he could maybe just be a worker on break. So I thought running away would be the last thing I was going to do. For the longest time we just looked at each other. My arms were getting tired of holding my books and all I wanted to do was just go inside, but for some reason I felt scared of this guy. I decided to say something to try and lessen the amount of lingering awkwardness.

"Uh... Hello there. Can I help you?" I asked.

He didn't say anything. He just continued to stare me down, with the constant head turning to make sure of his surroundings. I started to question if this guy even spoke English.

"Tu necesitas ayduar?? Do you need help?" I tried speaking both English and Spanish to see if I was able to get anything out of this guy.

He got irritated with a heavy sigh and said, "I speak English sweetheart, no need to be speaking other languages." His hands were in his pocket and his foot began to tap.

Sweetheart? I thought to myself. Sweetheart? Who in the world has the right mind to say that to a stranger, especially when it's a random guy hanging out in the shadows near a daycare this late at night? I tried to keep my cool and go on with the conversation.

"My bad, I just thought that maybe you didn't speak English considering you didn't answer me before. Like I said though, do you need some-" he cut me off.

"Oh no, I heard you perfectly. I just didn't answer, even though you were kind enough to ask." He said in a sarcastic tone. He stepped closer into the light and by this time I got a better glimpse of him.

He had ragged purple hair, had blue eyes with what looked to be a purple tint to them, and he was wearing a blue and black work uniform. He looked oddly familiar, like I had seen him before but where? I took another glimpse at his name tag and saw the name "Vincent." Everything clicked.

"Hey, you're from the daycare aren't you? Yeah, I saw you on the news today about the kidnappings at the daycare. That's some scary stuff huh?" I asked.

He gave a small chuckle, "Yeah, I work at the daycare. Worst decision I have ever made, but it pays the bills and keeps a roof over my head. The stupid news crew having to come check out our place and accuse us for these "mysterious" kidnappings, like it's our fault. Ugh I can't stand them," he snarled.

I started to feel more and more uncomfortable the longer I was staying to talk to him. I tried to make it seem like I was cold by constantly rubbing my arms and shaking my body as if I was shivering so that I would have an excuse to go inside without trying to be rude. But every time I tried to leave he kept asking such random questions like how I got here and why was I here. I explained to him that I was here to do my homework and that I drove myself.