The Spectre

Chapter Four : Stranger Stalker

I dozed off for several hours and when I woke up it was already in the afternoon. I hastily got up as I remember that Aunt Ingrid and I would take a walk to Brentville High and I went downstairs to look for her. I found her and my mom sitting on the sofa in the living room drinking tea and having a serious talk. Aunt Ingrid noticed me first and she smiled automatically at me.

"Arya, did you have a good sleep?" She asked me.

"Yup. Now I'm all charged up." I answered her. "I remember you told me that you're gonna show me the way to the school?" I asked. "But if you guys are in a middle of something I could wait."

"Oh yes I remember! I'm sorry." Aunt Ingrid slapped her forehead. "No, no. Your mom and I are done talking I guess. Let me just clean this up before we go." She stood up and started to pick up their used mugs.

"Leave it to me Ingrid, you guys go ahead." Mom took the mugs from Aunt Ingrid's hands and shooed us away. I kissed my mom on the cheek before we went out.

"Your mom's lucky to have a sweet kid like you." Aunt Ingrid told me as we started walking.

I laughed. "There you go again Aunt Ingrid, you keep on calling me a kid or a kiddo."

"What? It doesn't sound that bad." She laughed as well. "I would trade places with you if I could just to be called like that."

"But I'm no longer a kid."

"For me you are." She ruffled my loose hair and I pretended to pout and she just laughed at me.

"So Aunt Ingrid, how come you didn't marry? You got a big house and you're alone, I was just wondering.."

I look at my aunt and saw her smile and then she looked at me. "I was about to get married before your mom, but the one I love was taken away from me by an accident. He's my first love and I've never loved anyone except him."

"Until now?" I asked her disbelievingly.

"Until now." She answered looking at me thoughtfully and I went silent for awhile. My Aunt Ingrid looked pretty and still had a good curvature even if she is in her early forties. I felt sad for her that she has to live alone without someone to take care of her as she grows old. I could not imagine myself being alone for the rest of my life.

"I'm sorry I had to ask. I was just curious." I apologized with my prying.

"No it doesn't bother me at all, sweetie." She pinched my nose.

We came across a man in his mid-thirties wearing a suit and tie walking with his daughter wearing a preschool uniform. The kid had pigtails and both of them held hands as they walk. The man carries a pink backpack on the other hand and it looked like he had just picked her up from school. I smile as we passed each other.

"She looks cute." I muttered, still smiling.

"Cute? Who?" Aunt Ingrid looked at me with creased eyebrows.

"The little girl." I told her.

"Little girl? Where?" She looked confused.

I was baffled myself. "The people we just came across with, a man and a little girl. They were walking while they held hands and the girl had pigtails." I giggled. "Aunt Ingrid! Don't tell me you didn't see them!"

Aunt Ingrid looked a little lost for awhile and she stared at me for sometime looking serious. What is going on?

"Aunt?" I softly spoke.

"Oh, yeah. I've seen them. I wasn't just paying any attention." She answered then a smile slowly lifted from her face. "You're right they look cute." I smiled at her in agreement.

We took a few more paces and then I saw it, Brentville High, my new school.

"There it is, that's your school." Aunt Ingrid pointed at the school's sign just above its building. "What do you think?" She asked me smilingly.

"It's huge.. I could see the soccer field from here.." I answered her.

"Yeah, that school has good soccer players." She smirked and I just nodded. "Well, now you know where it is. Let's head back home, it's getting late and I have to make us dinner."

"Okay." I answered and we started walking back towards where we came from. I realized it would only take a few minutes of walking from Aunt Ingrid's house to Brentville High. It was in fact, literally near from her place. And after a few minutes we are already in front of her house. I told her that I want to sit at the front porch and linger for awhile and she agreed but she told me not to stay outside for too long and I promised her that I won't. I sat there for a moment and waited for the sun to set and watched the kids playing outside their houses looking carefree and laughing as they play with their friends. I somewhat envy those kids. They do not have any worries to think of unlike me.

I was kind of enjoying myself as I watch the kids go play when all of a sudden I caught a figure standing a few steps away from me from the corner of my eye. I flinched and hastily stood up and let out a sigh of relief when I saw who it was.

"Hi there."

"You again.." I pointed at him, the Korean boy whom I have met earlier this morning. "It's JD right?" I asked just to make sure.

"It's actually GD. G and a D." He smiled at me.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I have a problem when it comes to remembering names." I told him. "I should really do something about it." He laughed to what I have just said. "You keep on showing up huh?" I added.

His smile faded for a bit. "You don't want it?"

I was a little shocked with his question and his facial expression. I did not mean it to sound anything like I am not wanting to see him or whatever.

"No, it's okay.. I didn't mean anything.." It's just weird. I would have voiced out but just kept it to myself.

"Do you think I'm weird?" He asked me looking a bit worried and I blinked a few times. It creeps me out that every time I'm thinking about something this dude would voice it out like he had read my thoughts.

"No, no.. It's not like that.." But you somehow act like a stalker or something..

"I'm sorry if you feel like I'm stalking you.." He looked at me with apologetic eyes. "I just wanted us to be friends.."

What the hell?! I think this guy can read my thoughts! Dang!

"No it's okay really, I never thought of you as a weird, creepy stalker. I'm just a bit jittery at times. That's all.." I lied.

He looked at me for a moment and afterwards he smiled. God his eyes looks cute when he smiles.. I thought to myself.

Just then I saw a woman who lived on the house opposite Aunt Ingrid's and she is staring at the both of us from her window. GD must have sensed her too, and as he looked at her the woman closed her curtains frantically.

"What's wrong with her.." I muttered with creased eyebrows, totally confused.

"Oh don't mind Mrs. De Jesus, she really is a little weird." He smiled at me.

"Oh..." Was the only thing I managed to say and I heard my Aunt Ingrid call me from inside the house. "Hey I have to get inside." I told him and for a moment I saw a hint of sadness in his eyes. It's as if he does not want me to leave yet.

"Okay then, see you again some other time." GD tried to fake a smile.

"Yeah, see you some other time GD." I waved at him goodbye and went inside.