Skeletons

Chapter One

"What do I do? He's been there all day," she whispered to her coworker Melanie, sneaking a peak over at the man shuffling through the records, his eyes glancing over at her every few feet. His crystal blue eyes were piercing through her skin, goosebumps rising on her skin in concern. He didn't seem to be interested in the records he was shuffling through at all, doing it so quickly that there was no possible way that he could even be looking at them.

He seemed almost out of this world. His hair was snow white and neatly gelled back. His skin was the color of porcelain and looked almost flawless, as if he were molded out of clay and perfected by a world class artist. Through his thin white t-shirt, she could see the outline of muscles that pulled the fabric taut. His jeans sat snugly on his hips and he wore black Nike's. By all definitions, he was extremely handsome. His jaw line was sharp as a knife and had a gaze that could make any girl swoon. But at this moment, Lila thought he was anything but handsome. He wasn't gazing; he was staring creepily. His piercing features made a shiver run down Lila's back.

"Just... head home. I'll be fine closing up early by myself. Be safe," Melanie said quietly, gently pushing Lila to the back room. Lila looked back at Melanie. She was honestly one of her closest friends. She was so beautiful and so kind. She was curvy and had dark brown ringlets flowing down her shoulders to her mid back. She was Latina, tan, and had eyes that were almost black. With one last small smile, Lila walked quickly to her locker in the backroom, somewhere she was safe from the piercing man in the record store as only employees could come back here.

Opening her locker, she tossed her leather jacket into her black backpack along with her phone. She pulled off the burgundy work apron off and tossed it into the backpack as well. She looked at herself in the mirror on the wall next to her locker. She felt like a total mess. The black shirt and jeans she was wearing were faded and wrinkled. The black converses she was wearing were tattered and covered in dirt and mud. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a messy bun and there were bags under her eyes. But most notably, her mind was racing. She couldn't keep him out of her head, worrying that he'd be there when she got outside. More goosebumps sneaked their way up her spine and made her shiver. She closed her eyes, balled her fists up, and pressed them into her abdomen, taking a deep breath in as she tried to calm her nerves. It'll be fine, she tried to reassure herself. With one more deep breath, she put her backpack on, shut her locker, and walked to the back entrance of the record shop. Shaking her head to get rid of the things running through it, she opened the door and walked out.

The sun made her wince her eyes and she took a deep breath. The air was thick with the smell of cigarettes and smoke. She lived in the city so the smell had grown quite familiar with her. She was in the back alley of the record store she worked at and even though she was alone, she could hear the hustle and bustle of the city streets a few feet from her. The cars zooming down the city streets honked loudly at each other. People chatted with their friends and on their phone. Dogs walking with their owners barked at the people walking past. The city was business as usual even though Lila felt anything but normal. She opened her eyes wide and looked all around her, making sure he wasn't there. Some of the fear vanished as she realized she was alone. He wasn't lurking in the shadows or waiting for her by the door. He was no where in sight. She quickly walked to the main avenue before he appeared and cornered her, alone in an alley where no one could help her.

As she approached the busy side walk, she looked left and right. His snow white hair and eerie blue eyes were no where to be seen. Letting out a sigh of relief, she perched her backpack on her hip and pulled out her cellphone, placing it in her back pocket before she put her backpack on and began walking down Liberty Avenue.

Buildings lined the sidewalks and cracked concrete made up the path for everyone to walk. It was three pm on a Sunday afternoon so the streets were busy with people walking through the shops lining the sidewalks and people in business suits attending weekend meetings. Lila kept a watchful eye on the people around her, afraid that he would sneak up on her. A woman next to her had earbuds in, music blasting loud enough that Lila could figure out what exactly she was listening to. She had bright pink hair, lips painted to match. A silver ring hung from her nostrils and small hoops decorated her eyebrow. She was dressed in muted colors that contrasted against the brightness of her hair, her lips, and- Lila assumed- her personality. As Lila focused on the pink-haired woman walking next to her, someone walking the opposite direction bumped into Lila, nearly knocking her to the ground. The wind was knocked out of her but it wasn't the bump that scared her most. Fear crept into her bloodstream as the thought of who it could be ran through her mind. She turned her head to see who had bumped into her.