Chills raced their way up my spine, my skin turned to ice, and I was so shocked I couldn't have made a noise if my life depended on it. My hands froze still, and had I not lifted them from the keys, they might have started to tremble and make a sound from the piano that would only add to the suspense of the moment.
His eyes watched me from the reflection.
The judges didn't seem to notice him. They were mindlessly scratching the sheets before them. I sucked in a sharp breath and swung around. He was there. I knew he would be, however, his presence felt so odd, so unworldly, I almost assumed he wouldn't have been there at all.
He met my fearful eyes with a satisfied smirk, "Boo."
"You," was all I could manage. Aside from his eerie presence, he was beautiful. If he were to close his eyes, he would have been quite handsome and almost normal. His hair was long for a boy, and it wasn't platinum, it was giving off its own light. It was as bright as his teeth, which he seemed to flash often. His build was normal, however he had some muscled peeking behind his clothes.
"Enchanted, are we?" He seemed pleased with himself.
"Ms. Hoffman, you may continue now to your fourth piece."' One judge finally announced as he rotated his wrist to release it from the stress it had underwent. I exchanged looks between the judges and him, and the odd boy lifted his eyebrows and brandished a sly smile as if waiting for my obvious course of action. "Is everything alright, Ms. Hoffman?"
I smiled and turned back to the piano, uneasy to begin. No one could see him. He couldn't have been a fellow judge or even an observer. No one besides the pianist may be on the stage, and only one at a time. This was one of the most professional competitions so there was no other answer.
"You're a ghost." I could hear my superstitious mother's voice rambling at the back of my head.
"Close, but to no avail." He casually sat next to me on the bench.
"Ms. Hoffman?"
"You better play." He sang.
I shook my head and continued to begin the piece.
"You're good." He remarked after a moment of watching my hands fly across the keys.
"Who are you?" I replied sternly. "Why am I the only one who seems to see you?"
"I want to kill you."
The response shocked me and my performance suffered. I estimated at least ten points would be taken.
"Did I scare you?" He breathed into my ear. In response I pushed him away, and I was almost surprised I was successful. I felt that since he was invisible to most, he wouldn't be tangible, but he was, and he fell to the floor with a huge thud. He obviously didn't see that coming either, and landed directly on his butt, then fell back and hit his head.
"Why are you here?" I growled and stopped playing. I had only my left hand playing anyways, the right was used to push him away, so my performance was ruined. Based on my "mess ups" and the professional performance of the others, there was no chance. 'Why today of all days?'
"Correction: I'm going to kill you." He snarled, suddenly showing sharp teeth like a wolf's.
"Who are you?"
"Hoffman! What's going on!" The judges rose, out of some idea that they could address the invisible problem, then fell back at the wave of the boy's hand. I caught a glimpse of one judge, blood leaking from his eyes, mouth and nose, some even started blossoming from his chest.
Arms wrapped themselves around me, and I felt something cold snake up my neck. "I want you to scream nice and loud sweetie." Everything was cold about him, his arms, his chest, his breath, his heart. My body quickly fell numb so I could no longer struggle against his death grip.
"Daniel." I whispered. I knew death was near, but I wanted to die peacefully. All I could hear was Daniel's song, and it gave me peace, the peace one would want when they die. I took a breath, and all the tension released from my body. I was helpless, and death was inevitable. His breath faltered, as if he was shocked.
"I wonder, is this a good time to pay back the solid I owe you?" The question was directed at me. I turned my head, regardless of the pain and effort it took to do so. There standing by a dead judge was another boy with his hoody up and a pair of shades on to hide his face. He flashed a neat smile, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. To him, there was just a girl on stage, and then she would fall off the stage dead and bleeding like the other judges he obviously didn't notice.
"Run." Was all I could say.
The thing behind me hissed and clenched me tighter. The new boy raised his arm and it started to glow red. "Let her go." Nothing happened. So fire shot out of his arm. The boy behind me released me to flee, but only after leaving a long cut from my left clavicle to my right ear. "No!"
The pain was sudden, and my vision was almost black instantly. Before I passed out, I saw my rescuer whip off his shades. His face was familiar, but I couldn't remember how.
And then there was a light.
~~~~~~~~
AN-
I always forget about my author's note!! :o forgive me if it's a bit tedious to read, but I think it's important since you want a sneak peek + an update, right?
Yay! Today was my first day at college! Fun fun! ^^
Note for the smart cupcakes! The mysterious boy has the power to sap energy and life force out of people, like how a snake squeezes the life out of his prey. He wanted to give her a cruel death is all. ^^
Why does Amy think of Daniel last sec? Could she harbor feelings for him? Who is this new stranger? What does he owe her for? Is he worse than the first?
STAY TUNED!!!
