Unseen Strings

Chapter 9

Angelina

"Angie!" My mother called.

"Yeah?" I shouted back from upstairs.

"Come down here!" she yelled.

"What?!" I was confused. It was 7 pm, dinner was over, and I was sure it wasn't my turn to do dishes.

"Angie!" she shouted again.

"Alright, alright! I'm coming!" I yelled, rushing downstairs.

Midway down the stairs, I stopped, my eyes widening. My mother stood with two police officers. Her arms were crossed tightly, and her eyes were narrowed at me.

"Uh...so...what's going on?" I asked.

"Do you know a young man named Charles Gutierrez?" the female officer asked.

"Uh...yeah?" I replied, raising an eyebrow. I'd only met Charles a few times, most recently when he'd asked me out, which I declined. "Why?" I asked.

"Charles was attacked a couple of nights ago," the male officer said. "Apparently, not long after he was seen talking to you." He pointed at me.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," I shrugged.

"Were you with Charles a couple of afternoons ago?" the female officer asked.

"Yeah...but only for a few minutes," I shrugged again.

"What did you talk about?" She pulled out a notepad.

"Not much..." I sighed. "He wanted me to go out with him, but I said no." I grimaced slightly.

"Why?" the male officer persisted.

"I-I don't know him," I shrugged, uncomfortable under his intense gaze.

"Hey," the female officer said, "lay off."

He looked at her, and she rolled her eyes.

"We'll be back if we need more information," she said with a small smile, elbowing the male officer.

"Rosie!" Laci's voice startled me awake. "Are you up?!"

"I am now!" I called back, stretching and rolling over.

I felt air on my chest and looked down, surprised. I couldn't remember opening my nightgown...had I gone to sleep like this? I shook my head, trying to forget the disturbing dream, and pulled my nightgown closed as I got out of bed.

"What's wrong?" I asked, opening the door to face Laci.

"Are you done with your exams?" she asked.

"Yeah," I shrugged, "why?"

"John and I were wondering if you wanted to take a trip with us and Amanda and Marcus," she said, beaming.

"I don't know..." I hesitated.

"Why not?" she whined. "It'd be a great getaway! You need to get away for a while!" Her eyes were full of pity.

"My idea of a vacation," I yawned, "doesn't involve Marcus and Amanda."

"They're great!" she protested.

"I barely know them," I retorted.

"Well, Marcus is a maybe, but Amanda's definitely coming! You should too!" she begged.

"I'll think about it..." I said, rolling my eyes, knowing I wouldn't go. Trips weren't fun for me; they never were. I was too jumpy, too anxious. A trip with Amanda, Marcus, John, and Laci...made me even more anxious. Laci was really my only close friend; the others were just acquaintances.

"Even if you don't go on the trip, you should come out with us tonight," she said.

"Oh no, no, no," I said, waving my hands. "Not after last time!"

"Listen! This is my idea!" she began.

I cringed. I hated her ideas. Over the years, dealing with "him," she'd had so many ideas...and they'd all failed.

"If he comes out this time," she continued, "we can catch him!" She snapped her fingers. "It'll be so easy!" She beamed.

"It won't work," I shivered at the memory of his hands on me.

"It will!" she argued. "Promise!" She looked at me with wide eyes. "So...are you coming?"

I sighed heavily. "Do I have a choice?" I asked.

"Nope!" she said, smiling. "It's a deal! This'll be great! We'll be like Nancy Drew and George Fayne!" She clapped her hands.

As I went back to my room and slammed the door, I thought about her countless failed ideas. She'd tried to lure him out at school four times—all failures. She'd had me leave my bedroom window open, which only attracted mosquitoes and a stray cat. She'd also had me sit on the porch for hours some nights, trying to catch a glimpse of him...again, nothing. Last time was a fluke...he'd never been like that before, and I was so shocked I'd frozen. Looking at myself in the mirror, I felt disgusted...but there was something about me that he liked, and I didn't understand what it was.

"Rosie!" Laci burst in without knocking.

I just turned to her.

"We're going to a club tonight, so dress like you did last time! But in something different!" she said, smiling widely. "We're leaving at 7!" She closed the door behind her.

I sighed and fell back onto my bed, burying my face in my pillow.

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Unknown

My poor Angelina... always too kind for her own good. She never could say no to that damned Laci. I could tell she was in no mood to go out. She looked so comfortable curled up on her bed in that incredibly sexy nightgown, her soft curves outlined against the sheets. The very thought of touching her...

Laci always manipulated her into doing things she didn't want to do. My poor Angel was so afraid of being alone, of losing her friendship with Laci, that she never stood up for herself. It infuriated me...And I absolutely loathed the new crowd Laci had introduced her to. Amanda was a two-faced gossip, always whispering behind people's backs. Marcus was an ex-con, with that shifty look in his eyes that screamed trouble. And John... John was just plain weird, with his intense stare and unsettlingly quiet demeanor. He made my skin crawl. Laci, bless her heart, was a complete idiot. Always impulsive, always making terrible decisions. My Angel, on the other hand, was the voice of reason, the quiet strength that held things together. Maybe that was why they were still friends, despite my numerous, and admittedly clumsy, attempts to sabotage their relationship. I hated them being friends. Laci was far too nosy, too curious for her own damn good. She'd tried to set traps for me countless times, desperate to catch me, but she'd always failed. Each and every time. Even now, as she excitedly outlined her latest hare-brained scheme to Angelina, I could see the doubt in my Angel's eyes. She knew Laci's plans never worked.

I was always close by, watching, waiting. But I was never foolish enough to fall into Laci's traps. I was far too clever for that. If anyone was going to catch me, it would be Angelina, and Angelina alone. No one else even came close.

Laci's latest plan, another idiotic idea to go clubbing, was laughable. But it was also perfect. It gave me another opportunity, another place to blend into the shadows, to get close to my Angel, to finally... possess her. She was, after all, 20 years old now. No longer a naive teenager. She was a woman, ripe and ready. Primed for the taking. And I was going to be the one to take her.