Enigmatic

01

I stand with the rest of them, blending in like a shadow in daylight. My face turned down, slouched enough to be invisible among the crowd of kids. Just another sixteen-year-old waiting for the school bus, mind on anything but him. He can't see me. Not yet, anyway. But I can see him. I've been seeing him.

The man across the street has been here before. Same spot, same time, like clockwork. He's always early, leaning on that fence and watching the neighbourhood with a curious devotion. But it isn't his yard he's watching—it's the playground beyond it. The kids, smaller than me, louder than me... More trusting than me, carefree. His eyes latch onto them as they laugh and stumble through the grass, oblivious to the way his fingers twitch on the fence, curling and uncurling, scraping against the wood like they're itching to reach something just out of grasp. Disgusting.

I've learned his habits. Not many would notice, but I did. Monday mornings he's here, punctual, lurking on the sidelines. Most people think he's just another neighbour. A nice, quiet man with a habit of taking morning walks. They don't see it. But I do.

It took a month to learn his routine, and another to learn his life. He lives alone in that house, in a room lined with neatly organized shelves. A man with a place for everything—everything except his urges. They spill out, seep through the cracks, and surface like a sickness he can't suppress.

People like him—they always show their hand.

I glance away, fiddling with the strap of my backpack to sell the part. There's an itch in my palm that won't settle, the thrill of what's to come simmering just below my skin. Not yet. Patience, Y/n.

He's oblivious to me, but I'm anything but that to him. I know his name, Jason Reed. I know his crimes, even if he's gotten away with it until now, I know every vile detail. He slipped through the cracks last time, one appeal after another until they wiped his slate clean. Innocent on all charges. Right.

My fingers tense. My eyes flicker back to him, waiting, studying. He has no idea I'm here, studying him right back. And when the time comes, he'll see me. He'll see the real me.

The bus pulled up, cutting my vision off from the man and let out a sigh as I adjusted the strap of my bag before climbing up the stairs after the other students. I just had to wait a little more, everything was planned and now I just had to be patient...

I made my way more to the front of the bus before sitting down on the first empty seat, dumping my back on the seat next to me as I leaned my head against the glass panel and just stared off into the distance, the bus slowly pulling off and taking us to our next stop, that hormonal cesspool they called a school, seriously, why did I have to do all this just to blend in and avoid... Him...

Soon enough, we were on the main road, trees on either side of the road and I just let them speed past my vision as I continued to think about my plan. Where was it going to happen? Drug there and then go there, what tools were I going to use? Did I just need to bring my bag or should I...

"Oh, come on!" The sound of a chair being hit and a gasp reached my ears before his annoying voice, my head turning to find the usual jackass... I'm sorry, the cool kid as he likes to be called, he was leaning over the chair by that weird purple-haired girl I've seen around school.

This didn't concern me, it had been months and I hadn't drawn attention to myself, as far as most of these people were concerned, I didn't exist and right now, I would keep it that way so all I had to do was ignore him and his antics and let her sink or swim, fight him off or just take it...

"What are you hiding from?" Kyle muttered with a smile as he leaned closer to her, she leaned further against the glass, shrinking in her seat...

Your code... "That's enough!" I called out as he looked at the two of them, Kyle's smile turned towards me and I just sat there. Maybe we could stop this from escalating...