The Guardians of Aelvdene

It's Not Stalking - Grayson

TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE TAKING

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I stared at the house, unnoticed by the girl I was watching from the rooftops. I'd been told by the commander, "You're not stalking her, for the last time. She is part of a much bigger picture. And in order to paint that picture, we must gather information on this girl. Which is your job." I had assumed she meant we were to assemble a team or group involving the girl, but she could have meant something completely different. She was confusing like that.

I lowered the binoculars and wrote quickly into my notebook, She has just walked into the room again. She looks... distressed. 

I paused as I looked up at her again. She has now gotten onto her bed and appears to be ranting to her stuffed bear. I put down the notebook, then picked it back up and added, Are you absolutely sure this is not stalking? 

Almost immediately, the lined page flashed with a golden light, then dimmed to a faint yellow glow. I read the four words that had appeared beneath my sloppy handwriting.

IT'S NOT STALKING, OFFICER. 

I could almost hear her strict voice in my ear as I closed the notebook and lifted the binoculars up to my eyes, only to find that the human I was supposed to be watching had disappeared. I blinked; no, she hadn't disappeared, she'd simply hidden herself under her blankets and-

"Mmph!" I gasped and made a startled noise through the device over my mouth, dropping the binoculars. The girl was staring right at me.

The notebook beside me flashed. Grayson! Is there a disturbance? The monitor just went crazy.

I picked up the notebook and wrote, It was nothing. A bird scared me is all.

Another flash. Understood. Continue with the operation, officer.

I looked back up at the girl's room and did a double-take. She was gone; really gone, this time. Her blankets were on the floor in a heap, her stuffed bear fallen on top of them. I furrowed my brows, concerned.

Commander, you are not going to like this, I wrote. The book flashed instantly.

What do you mean, officer?

Well, she seems to have-

I heard the slam of a door and looked up, immediately wishing I hadn't. The girl was walking very quickly towards my location, something large and shining in her right hand.

My heart did something of a rapid tango in my chest. Did she see me? Was that even possible, considering the precautions I had taken? As she got ever closer, I decided that yes, the girl had in fact spotted me, and did not seem happy about it. In a panicked frenzy, I stuffed my equipment into my pouch and backed into the shadows. I quickly jumped over to the next roof and slid to the other side, peering over the edge at the approaching girl. She hadn't seemed to notice my movement- or maybe it was an act.

"Who are you?"

With a jolt, I realized that she was talking to me. I could pick up her whispering voice clearly in the evening silence, thanks to my enhanced hearing. I did not move, closing my eyes so that their golden glint wouldn't give me away.

"I know you're there."

I shook my head, jaw clenching. The notebook flashed in my hands, but I didn't open my eyes.

The girl's head snapped in my direction. "I can see you."

My eyes flew open and I reached for the ledge. But before my fingers could even brush it, something hard and very, very heavy slammed into my chest, knocking me from the roof. My cry of pain, muffled by the mask, was cut short as the ground met my back. MY head hit an inconveniently placed flowerpot, stunning me momentarily. Only momentarily, but enough for the girl to hop a fence, parkour over a hedge, and land excruciatingly hard on my already throbbing ribs, pinning me down. Not that I was going to try to escape; I had a feeling that wouldn't go too well for me.

As the girl stared down at me, I moaned, both at the pain and at the thought of what the commander would do when she heard what happened.

She would not be proud.