Fall Encounters

Chapter one: Paranoia; the fear of being watched or followed.

I can't stand car rides. Especially long ones, we've been driving for about two and a half hours and I was exhausted, I don't sleep in cars either. So, I got to sit there and just enjoy the scenery, for two and a half hours. I rested my head against the window, it was cool. This is good, because of the massive headache I had then.

Aunt Gillian had driven up that morning to take me to the land of hicks otherwise known as Erie, Pennsylvania. We were in her car listening to this god awful music--which she loved by the way-she's been singing along with it.

"Aunt Gillian? Do you think that we could possibly change the station?" She looked at me as if I had suggested that we burn a few puppies. She was a beautiful woman. And eccentric as well. She had long grey white hair and piercing blue eyes

"Anabelle? Of course not! You know, this was the in thing when I was your age."

With a skeptical look I replied with, "You mean when Shakespeare was still writing Romeo and Juliet?" Okay, that was harsh, but I felt horrible and the music was just making it worse.

"Ha-ha," she performed a fake laugh, turning down the music. "What's the matter? You don't look well?"

I started to stare out the window wishing I were going home already. A flash of a black silhouette danced across my mind. I quickly dismissed it. My cat seemed to know what I had been thinking about because he bumped his head into mine. I looked down at him, he seemed to be staring at me as if to say, 'Stop that.' I smiled fondly at him then, began to rub my fingertips across the nape of his neck.

"No really, I'm fine." I flashed a forged smile in her direction. I've had a lot of practice.

"Alright, If you say so." She replied eyeing me oddly. I nodded then turned toward the window. My father was having some financial issues, or so he says, and asked his sister if she could care for me during the school year. It was nearing the end of August and the air wasn't nearly as muggy as it was during the beginning of summer. School would be starting in a couple weeks and I was not in any way ready for that. I had been in one school my entire life. I was forced to uproot my entire life just to move across the state. I mean I guess it wouldn't really matter either way considering I didn't have many friends back home. Rather, no close ones. Apparently when I was younger I would scare the other children with stories of the Boogie man. Telling them that if they weren't good that he would come after them the way he was coming after me. Another image of him flashed in my mind. I never got a good look at him. I wasn't even sure I could call him a person. He looked more like a shadow than anything else. I shook my head to clear the image. My father urged me to move out here saying it would be, 'good for me' and that I could, 'make some friends'. I didn't see the point if I were only going to be out here for a handful of months, but I guess he would say anything to get me out of his house.

About an hour and a half later we pulled into the driveway of her house, when Aunt Gillian all but squeaked with excitement,

"Look! We're home."

I looked out the window to see an old farm house painted an unnatural beige color with green shutters and a little fence to separate the brownish-green grass from the dirt road. It would be the perfect home for a farmer girl like my Aunt. So it was a complete contrast to my life back in the city. To add to the excitement there was woods right out back, perfect for hiking. I did it all the time when I was in the city, plenty of trees there. Home, right...

"Hey, Mrs. Hale!" I turned. There was a boy. He seemed about my age with chestnut brown hair jogging his way toward us. He smiled warmly at my aunt when he got closer. I didn't like that smile. It felt, fake. Without even acknowledging me he began talking again. "My mom said that you let her borrow this and she says thank you." He handed her leather bound book that looked ancient.