The Hidden Sun

Chapter XII

After I had my drink, I went back to my corner and watched the couples dance. It was a little while later that I realized someone was watching me. There was a guy on the other side of the gym staring at me through the crowd. I ignored it, expecting that he was just another boy trying to get me to dance with them.

Everything was fine until I ran out of punch. I threw my cup away and went to stand in my corner. Like clockwork, the stalker guy came up to me with two cups of punch. I tried not to roll my eyes and plastered a fake smile to my face.

"Looks like you could use another drink," he said as he drew near.

I nodded awkwardly and took the cup from him. "Thanks."

I had never seen this guy before and he looked too old to be a student here.

"I would ask you to dance, but I'm sure your boyfriend would get mad. That's why you've been rejecting everyone else, right?" He turned his intense stare to me as if daring me to disagree.

I laughed nervously and nodded. I figured if he believed Chris was my date, he would leave me alone.

"Where is he anyways?" he asked. "It's not very polite to keep a beautiful girl like you by yourself. Someone might steal you away."

I tried to smile, but it probably came out like a grimace. This guy was really creepy.

"Um. He promised his friend he would dance with her," I lied.

"So he just left a beautiful girl like you all by herself? Seems sort of rude," he flashed me a smile.

All it did was make my stomach uneasy, and not in a good way. I didn't respond, hoping he would take the hint and leave me alone, but he just kept the conversation going.

"Aren't you going to drink your drink?" He asked innocently.

The cup had been sitting in my hand. I had forgotten that I even had it.

"I'm not thirsty," I replied.

"Come on," he chuckled. "Didn't all that dancing make you parched. The punch is pretty good, trust me." He polished off his drink to prove it.

"I'm going to go find my boyfriend," I lied. As I turned around to leave, I felt a hand on my wrist. He twisted causing me to wince in pain.

"Drink your punch," he whispered in my ear.

"No!" I grunted. At that moment, I yanked my arm back and spilled my drink in the process. I looked down and realized that it was all over my dress. I didn't have much time though, because I dropped my cup and booked it to the bathroom. I could see everyone whispering about me as I rushed out of the gym. I didn't know what to make of the whole situation.

When I made it to the bathroom, it was deserted. I quickly grabbed a towel and began wiping at my dress and arms. I gave up a few minutes later and threw the towel in the garbage. I took a deep breath and examined myself in the mirror. I often forgot that there are dangers in the normal world. I was one of the lucky ones.

I took the comb out of my hair and ran my fingers over it. It was so beautiful, but the important part was that it was indestructible. A perfect memory of the night my parents first met. I wondered about the dance they shared. Was it anything like what I just experienced?

I was still examining the hair piece when the door flew open. I quickly turned around and saw no one there. How is that possible? It was moments later when I saw the shadow of a man.

The creepy man slowly walked into the room. His eyes were dead, like he couldn't feel anything. He got closer and closer. I was frozen. What was I supposed to do? He stopped in front of me.