Incubus

Chapter 8

Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it

~C.S. Lewis

I didn't go straight home after my strange encounter with Hayden. I instead decided to head farther into the city and look in a few different stores to find new outfits for the summer. It was close to six in the evening before I finally decided that it was time for me to go back home.

Emmalyn phoned me that night, but not to ask me to come and visit her. It was to make sure that I wasn't sitting at home, and outside doing something with myself.

"You better be out and about, Corin! If I found out that you spent this free time at home watching television, I'll be severely pissed at you!" 

It seemed that bit by bit she was slowly returning to her old self, and I was glad of it. But I knew that this experience would stay with her forever, no matter what else were to happen. She would never truly be the same Emmalyn again. But why not make the best of the situation?

Ever since that encounter with Hayden, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me. Perhaps it was because the first two encounters I had with him, he always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. That was the most unsettling part. For all I knew, he could be watching me right now. I stopped in my tracks when this thought crossed my mind and slowly turned to look out the window. I saw a rustle outside and raced over to wrench the curtain closed. I didn't think anything was out there, but it never hurt to make sure. I thanked God that I had air conditioning or otherwise this night would be stifling with all of the windows closed. 

Glancing at the kitchen clock above the stove, I saw that it was only four minutes to seven and that it wasn't nearly late enough for me to go to bed yet, no matter how tired I was. I also didn't want to fall into another nightmare. They seemed to be getting worse recently, and it started to worry me. I hoped that I wouldn't have to start retaking medication, that was one part of my childhood I did not want to relive. 

I also couldn't help but notice the coincidence of my nightmares getting worse every time I encountered Hayden. It was another reason to try to avoid him, but I stupidly agreed to go on a date with him. Maybe the way he set me on edge made me even more anxious than usual and therefore caused my dreams to get worse. I considered not going on the date but realized that he never told me where we were going, which meant that he would pick me up. Here. 

Shit. I groaned as I fell back on my couch. I sat there for a while, going over my options. I could refuse to answer the door. I could already picture him waiting outside my door until I left with him. 

I could say I have a family emergency, but that would only postpone it for another time. And my telling him what I thought of him only seemed to make him pester me more; it didn't matter what I called him, he thought it was funny. 

I sat on the couch for a while before I pulled out my favorite book that I kept re-reading in the hopes that it would pull me into the enchanting world of Anne Fortier. Juliet was my favorite book of all time. I loved how it wove two different stories from two different time periods together, it gave the story more depth. 

My phone started buzzing next to me, and I picked it up, imagining it would be Emmalyn, making sure I was productive. The screen lit up, and I looked at the new text message. Glad to see you're finally home.

My face scrunched up in confusion. Why was he texting me? I thought of getting rid of this phone and getting another, but knew I didn't have the money to do that. I pondered about blocking his number, but then knew he would confront me about it. I decided my best option was to ignore the text and continue reading.