Hunted

Chapter 1

Tuesday, September 5th

This morning I had a really disturbing dream. Someone was chasing me through the forest and it seemed like they were holding something in their hand... I think it was something white, but it was stained with blood. (Or wine. Or pomegranate juice. I don't know.) I should have not watched that horror movie with Kat last night. That was a horrible decision.

Today was the first day back at school. That had been terrible, too. Being a junior is such a pain; we had an hour of stuffy meetings just for the "responsibilities" of the "role models" of freshmen and sophomores. (That's us. Yeah. I know. Don't give me that look.) We also got our timetables today; I can finally start AP Physics C, though that's not due till tomorrow.

I feel like Nathaniel wants to get back together with me. That'll happen when the day is as dark as night. (In other words: never. Will definitely remember to tell him that tomorrow.)

I realized just now that I don't have Ms. Harrows for IT this year. Whew. That's a huge relief. I have no idea how people can spend time with her without going insane. She says that we need to hand the assignment in next week and then pretends she never says it and collects it the very next class. Because of that I dropped two percent. What a *****(insert multiple beeps here).

Kat told me that Josh asked her out today. Glad that they've finally decided to get a move on; these two years were like watching a soap opera, long, draggy and incredibly annoying. First Primrose decided to barge in and then Will made a move at the worst time ever. Then on Valentine's Day - yeah, I'll shut up now.

No one wants to hear about the most complicated relationship of the century.

Later

Just came back from work. God. That was a bone-chilling experience I never want to go through again.

So after our shift Kat got picked up by Josh and left early, because I forgot my jacket inside and my keys were in the side pocket. And of course I walked home - it wasn't that far, especially if you took a shortcut through the woods.

About halfway the sky started to darken, and it began to get cold. I should have realized that it's not summer anymore; the sun doesn't stay out long, and neither should I, because I felt like someone was following me.

I turned around, but there was nothing there. Nothing. None. Nada.

So I started walking again, but like when you know that you're being followed: you pretend that you haven't noticed anything and slowly, bit by bit, increase your speed. Still, you don't make it obvious that you are, that you are afraid that you might be suddenly caught in the clutches of someone you have never seen before, that you are dying a little on the inside, that you want to escape but can't go just yet.

Not in the spur of the moment, anyway.

Something in the bushes stirred and created such a tremendous amount of noise that a rabbit suddenly leaped out and ran down the path in the direction of my house. Of course, I was a bit frightened by this point - as much as I don't like to admit it, but it was dark and I was alone and what could my mind think about but this? Oh, and did I mention that a crow flew right over my head and its feathers brushed my hair?

Yeah. I know I was a little paranoid, but I got a bit freaked out.

I began running toward home until I ditched that section of the trail far behind, then sneaked into the house. It was dark too, inside - I had closed all the curtains before going out - the place was all quiet, glowing eerily with light coming from narrow slips here and there. It was quite creepy until I turned the lights back on.

I should just take a shower and go to sleep now. I've had enough of this to last me a lifetime.

Wednesday, September 5th 

I'm totally. A hundred percent. Shook.

So today at lunch in the cafeteria Kat was sitting with me - like usual - and Josh came over.

And then, right then, right there, they were having a full-on make-out session.

Wow. WOW.

GIRL, THAT WAS FAST.

You've only been official for a day, and this is what happens?

(I can't wait for the next few months.)

Anyway, it would have just been painfully awkward and gross if it just ended there, but no...

Primrose screamed and drama exploded - right in my face. And I meant that literally.

Yeah. Apparently Rosy Cheeks decided that throwing some cake at Kat would solve all her problems.

She has terrible aim. Guess who it landed on?

(Spoiler alert: it wasn't Kat.)

So now my hair and my shirt are stained with strawberry jam and this disgusting-looking cake icing with a lot, and I mean a lot, of rainbow sprinkles.

The good thing is that Nathaniel heard me screaming at Primrose and now he's off to comfort her poor, broken heart. Problem Ex is now solved.

Mom called me on the phone today after soccer to tell me that they won't come here any time before Christmas. Great; didn't need them anyways. It's been amazing on my own.

Well - not excluding the money they put in my bank account every month, but I work at the cafe, too, and I've made enough already. They can brag about their genius daughter who got two scholarships and finished first-year uni calculus to their business partners, and they can show them pictures of my trophies and awards - at which point those people would nod and smile - but not even my parents care about how smart I am, or which internships I might've gotten, or how many boyfriends I've had. To them, I'm just a pretty picture that they've painted with their imagination, a vessel that they can pass their whole life of dedicated work onto. They want me to paint their lives with pride now that (they think) they've painted me a nice one.

Ha. Fat chance.

I hear my phone ringing. Probably Kat. I'll go get that because you, being a book, obviously can't.