Kismet

Chapter Eight

I hear something hitting against my window around three at night. I groan and pull a pillow over my head, trying to block out the sound.

   When it doesn’t stop, I flip my covers up and set my feet on the floor. I stand wearily to my feet and walk silently over to the window. It’s not a branch or anything, as I see when I look out. It was a perfectly clear night, with the moonlight shining down past the treetops.

   Then something flies at my face. It hits the window with a pop, and falls back down to the ground. A pebble?

   I open my window and gaze down at the ground.

   Ethan.

   He sits there with a smile on his face. He waves me down, and puts his hands to his mouth. “Hurry!” he hisses.

   “What are you doing?” I hiss at him, trying to not wake my family.

   “Just come down!” Ethan tells me.

   A little bit of fear pulses through me at the thought. Then I have to remind myself that it’s Ethan we’re talking about. He wouldn’t hurt me. But what could he possibly want? I wipe away the fear and shut my window closed. I couldn't help but remember a on Saturday when we gave me and Chris a ride home after the practice. The way that he helped me with the bow. . .

   Snap out of it! Gosh, Kiara.

   I tiptoe across my floor, and slowly open the door. I peer out into the hallway. My parent’s light is off, and so is Chris’.

   Why am I doing this? I feel like a teen that sneaks out of her house to go to a party or go with their boyfriends at night. I gulp. But I wasn't even doing anything. And Ethan wasn't my boyfriend at all. We met less than 2 weeks ago.

   I quickly make it down the stairs, and I unlock the back door. There wasn’t a chance I was going out the front. It was too loud and creaky to open.

   A loud meow at my feet makes me jump in fear. “Shelby!” I whisper. She runs across the hall just behind me feet. I roll my eyes and open the back door, sliding it open. I step out into the night. It smells fresh and clear, like I’m in nothing but the sky. It was a bit chilly, but I didn’t mind. I close the door and walk out into the yard. I quickly run across the grass, to the side of the house where Ethan stands.

   As I turn the corner, I see nobody there. Blinking, I turn around and gaze behind me. Was I imagining him there or something?

   “Ethan?” I call out softly.

   I start when something touches my shoulder slightly. Somebody quickly covers my mouth with their hand, silencing my scream. It was Ethan. I smack his hands off of my mouth, furious.

   “Ethan! Why’d you scare me like that?”

   He only smiles with amusement. “I didn’t mean to.”

   “And why are you at my house at three in the morning?” I demand.

   “It’s four, actually,” Ethan informs me.

   “Whatever.”

   “I was bored,” Ethan shrugs. He picks at a piece of grass in his hands. I notice he’s still in his clothes, and his hair is still in its normal form, curled around the edges of his hat. Not messed up, like you spent the night with your head on a pillow. I suddenly feel self-conscious. I look down at my shorts and over sized tee. My hair is messed up all over my head:  bad bed-head.

   “You- you didn’t sleep tonight,” I stammer. I quickly put my hair up into a ponytail, trying to get him to ignore the fact that my hair has a mind of its own.