The shadow crossed the sun on an average summer day. It was sweltering hot, the kind of sticky, humid, gross heat that made most people stay indoors until dusk.
As I pulled into the parking lot of the mall, I sighed and prepared myself for the heat to smack me in the face.
The only reason I was here was to get a dress for the funeral of one of my old classmates from high school.
I hadn't known him that well, but was touched that his family thought to invite me.
The mall was blissfully cool, and the smell wafting from the food court had convinced me to have lunch via Panda Wok.
Within the hour, I had found myself a tasteful dress and shoes, and was now headed back to the food court for my teriyaki chicken.
I sat down to eat, hungrier than I thought I was, and three bites in I could feel it.
The feeling of spiderwebs against my skin. A knot formed between my shoulders, and anxiety began gnawing at my mind.
Somebody was watching me.
I knew the feeling all too well. Please don't think I'm trying to be vain, but as a woman...you pick up on a lot of things trying to navigate this world. And being creeped on is one of them.
Trying as subtly as I could, I looked around the nearly empty food court until my pair of eyes met another. They would be beautiful if there was anything behind them.
The owner of those eyes too would be beautiful, if it weren't for the feelings of dread and fear I got when I looked at him.
Silently, I gathered my things and decided to exit stage left.
I had gotten a few steps away, and I could see he had risen to his feet, and slowly fell in line behind me.
My fight was nowhere to be found, and flight took my feet as I raced towards the exit, bystanders looking on in confusion.
I burst through the doors and headed into the parking lot.
Then I felt a hand on my shoulder.
As my chest seized, I looked up.
And those same dead, dark eyes looked right back at me.
His mouth formed some semblance of a smile.
"Hello."
A lump had formed in my throat, and I stumbled over my syllables on their way out.
"I- uh have to go."
He looked at me, darkly amused. Chuckling, he spoke in a jovial tone.
"Mais, you look like you've seen a ghost."
I felt the color drain from my cheeks and my mouth went dry. How did this creep know my name!? My nickname at that!
I quickly spun on my heels and legged it to my car, tears forming in my eyes. Once I was safely inside, I looked back over to where he stood.
He was gone.
Shuddering, I drove home in total silence, replaying the situation in my mind over and over.
I hated feeling like this. Helpless. Threatened. Frightened.
Taking a deep breath, I looked in the rear view mirror to make sure he wasn't following me.
Said breath hitched in my throat as my eyes met a mop of dark hair and a pair of cerulean eyes that stared back at me, almost as if in a trance.
Stopping the car abruptly, I jumped out of the car and began running.
