– CHAPTER 3 –
The Watcher
That night, as Anna tossed and trembled in her sleep, taunted by her dreams, a figure lurked in the shadows of the streetlights…
He snaked between the overcast trees as they shivered in the whistling wind, treading over every stone and leaf that lay scattered among the woodland path. The darkness had fallen early tonight and he was grateful for the extra time.
Suddenly, the man stopped in his tracks, reaching a hand to wipe a cold drop of water from his cheek. The sky above was an inky black and it grumbled as the rain began to fall.
Great. He thought to himself, Just what I need…
He pulled a chunky, woollen hat from the inside pocket of his grimy coat and yanked it over his head, grunting as he clomped through the woodland of Mulberry Park.
He knew he couldn’t return to his usual place, certainly not after the girl had almost seen him.
No.
He needed to be much more careful from now on. The consequences of being discovered were too dire to think about. The rain fell harder, pummelling the ground with a patter and soaking the man, but he couldn’t stop. A little rain was nothing compared what he’d been through recently.
He broke through the bushes, glaring at the house ahead. He knew everything about that house… and the people living in it.
The girl’s grandparents were home most of the day while she was at school and when she returned home at around four in the afternoon, they’d be waiting. If she were a measly fifteen minutes late, her grandma would be peering around the edge of the white net curtains, standing arms crossed, stern faced at the window.
However, a wrinkle of worry in her brow had been noticeable on more than once recent occasion. She, too, knew it wouldn’t be long before it happened. And there was nothing that she or her precious husband could do about it.
He crouched down in the water-logged soil, soggy behind a prickly bush that had already shaken its golden leaves, and waited, his eyes fixed to the girl’s house…
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The Intari Chronicles: Twisted Sovereign
FantasyFive years ago, Anna Harper lost her parents, her home and everything she valued most in the world. Sent off to live with grandparents she never knew existed, it was no surprise she didn't fit in with their elaborate lifestyle. Branded a daydreamer...
