Hooked

Chapter Seven: Party Girl

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Chapter Seven: Party Girl

It was obvious that Adrian wouldn't be returning to my apartment tonight. The wind howled in a rain-less thunderstorm, and lightning flashed outside my window, but still he didn't show as the darkness coated the sky. 

Needless to say, and against my will, I'd waited for him. It was nearing eight o'clock, and I was beginning to worry. I groaned and turned to the kitchen, rifling through the nearly bare cabinets to find something to call dinner.  A small container of leftover food from a day ago was all I could imagine stomaching at the moment, so I placed it in the sparking microwave and paced in a frustrated circle as I waited longer. 

Not ten minutes later I found myself back in front of the back door, the food left hardly touched on a small table in the den. I couldn't stop the little flicker of something in my chest as I peered through the opaque glass. 

Something moved in the darkness. At first, I brushed it off as a tree blowing hectically in this horrid wind; then, looking closer, I saw the light flashing of something large at the treeline of the forest, and my heart gave a strange thump. Scrunching my eyes, I placed my palm to my chest, wondering what could be wrong with me, before a low sound reached my ears. My eyes flashed up again, and almost subconsciously, I reached up and twisted the knob, pressing against the light door to open it to the woods. I didn't hesitate until I stood just a few meters from the trees, and my eyes quickly swept through the darkness. Something was certainly in there, and my curiosity was intensely piqued as the leaves rustled directly to my left.

I could hear the old horror movie chants warning me as I took a step further into the shroud of trees, preparing to continue onward when something hard suddenly wrapped about my waist. A scream elicited from my lungs, and I opened my mouth to cry out.  A spark abruptly shot down my spine, but this time, I quivered for a different reason as lips pressed the side of my throat in warning.

"You shouldn't be out here right now, Angel," Adrian said lowly. "There are wild animals in these woods. You know that."

I wriggled out of his grip, cursing my reaction.

"I..." I couldn't find a way to explain my attraction to these woods. Looking up, I realized that it was twilight; though there was not a sign of the moon anywhere in sight, I could feel its presence around me, concentrated in the very spot I stood. Could another supernatural creature be near me? The thought was ridiculous, I knew, but I couldn't stop myself from wondering.

I realized how long it had been since I'd spoken, and quickly said, "I just thought I saw something. No big deal."

I tried to keep aloof as I pulled away from him and turned back to go into the apartment, stopping just inside the door and turning to him. "You coming?" I asked him. 

A smirk spread across his lips, and my stomach somersaulted. His teeth flashed in the darkness as he jogged toward me, brushing dangerously close to my body as he turned to squeeze past me into the tiny space of the apartment. I stood for a moment, regulating my breathing, before turning into the house and shutting the door behind me.

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It was Saturday. Blissful, sunny, and gorgeous, it showed the reasons I'd wanted to come to this place in the beginning. It was new and fresh; just what I needed.

Today was the day Mia and Avery Whithers had called upon me, asking for my acceptance to go out with them tonight to meet more people. With my inner social butterfly crying for joy, I had said yes, glad for the fact that someone had taken an interest in me enough to involve me. Of course, they weren't the only ones showing interest, but I thought it was too early to begin thinking of Adrian all over again.