Stay Away (The Beocraftian Gambit - Book One)

CHAPTER THREE: PAST AND PRESENT

Dreda was right. Something about the stranger made her a little wary of him. Back there on the field, when he'd gotten so close, she felt an unholy energy encircling him, the kind meant to shut things out. And his warning—stay away from me—was just so condescending.

Natasha never recalled showing any sort of interest in the cold stranger. She was confused why he would warn her off so sternly. Perhaps this has something to do with her bumping into him earlier. She tried to choke back her anger when she remembered that her phone was still broken.

She walked in through the front porch of the big bungalow into the lounge. There she saw her little brother knocking himself out on a video game. The moment he saw that she was home, he quickly tossed the control pad and trotted towards her, announcing her return with a loud scream. "Natasha is home!"

"Cut it out, Damien." She smacked his head, walking past him.

"Ouch!" He held his head, frowning at her. "What did you do that for?"

"Oh, please! Not now, Damien." She said and left the room.

Just as she was about to enter her room, she met William at the passageway. "Hi, dad," she greeted, forcing a weak smile.

"Natasha." A line appeared between his brows. "You don't look well. Is everything okay?" He cupped her cheek, checking her temperature.

"I had a terrible day, that's all."

Concern grew over his face. "Why? Did something happen in school that I should be aware of?"

"Nothing serious," she droned, and was tempted to add, "Just some random guy who thinks he can make my life miserable."

He squinted at her uneasily. "Is someone bothering you in school?"

"No, no. Not at all." She wore a smile to keep him from worrying. "If a guy was bothering me, you'd be the first to know about it, and besides, nothing I can't handle."

Natasha didn't want to stick around before he continued with his grill. "Got to change up now, dad. See you at dinner."

She turned the knob back down and quickly dashed into her room, closing the door behind. She latched the door and shifted her weight against it, sighing heavily. Then she threw her bag on the wooden table across the room and kicked the shoes off her feet.

Natasha fell on the bed effortlessly and turned to face the ceiling, and exhausted, she fell into a restless sleep. Fifteen minutes into the nap, Natasha came awake to the sound of her phone ringing. Her eyes opened blearily, and she groaned curse words not so loudly.

She ignored it and returned to sleep, but the phone remained persistent and continued ringing, unwilling to stop until she answered. Slowly opening her eyes, she turned to her side, staring in frustration at the phone buzzing on the nightstand.

"Christ, what does a girl have to do to get a good sleep around here?" she muttered under her breath as she rolled over the bed to pick it up, pissed at whoever was calling. She checked the caller ID and saw that it was Madelia.

"Some of us are trying to catch some sleep, you know," she tattled as soon as she answered.

"His name is Kevin," came the reply.

"What?" Natasha asked, momentarily confused.

"The stranger. His name is Kevin."

"Oh my God, Madelia?" Natasha recoiled in shock. "The day is barely even over and you already know his name?"

"I figured it wouldn't bite to know his name," Madelia chuckled, "Especially after what he did today."

Madelia was 21, only a year younger than Natasha was, yet didn't act her age. She lived with her mom on the outskirts of the city, and didn't talk much about her dad. Natasha wasn't even sure if he was dead or alive, and it had never bothered her to ask.