Savior

Invited to Stare

Chapter 4

When I approach the church the next morning, I find myself searching for the strange man. I have no reason to, not after our odd encounters yesterday. The only encounters I've had with him, in fact. I don't even know his name, let alone why he was hanging around outside all day yesterday.
That doesn't seem to matter, though, as I climb the steps and take a few glances around the grounds. I don't see anyone at all, considering how early it is, let alone him, so I shrug to myself and walk inside.
"Well, hello, there," an oddly familiar voice says, and I pause in my walking as I automatically turn to find the one who spoke.
Of course, it's him. He's leaning against the wall, grinning at me in a way that should probably make me uncomfortable, but I'm too startled to feel that way.
"What are you doing here?" I ask, suspicious of him, suddenly. "I don't remember you saying you worked here."
"I don't," he says, slow and casual. "I'm just helping out."
I stare hard at him. "You're new in town, though," I say accusingly.
He tilts his head, still grinning. "Yes, so you keep saying," he agrees. "I'm new in town, but that doesn't mean I can't volunteer my time helping."
"Volunteer-?"
The doors open again to admit Melinda this time, and she sounds delighted when she says, "Oh, Zach, you got a friend to come and help today!" The way she says it makes it sound like I'm in elementary school again and brought by my newest friend to introduce to my teacher or something. To say the least, it's annoying, and I discreetly roll my eyes.
"I don't know him," I correct quickly. "He's new in town."
"I should start getting paid for every time I hear that phrase, given how often it is," the man says. My face flushes with embarrassment at the amused look on his face and I sigh, already frustrated despite it still being early morning.
"Well, if you're really here to volunteer, then let's get to it," I say, sounding a little more irritable than I really should. Melinda tilts her head, confused and concerned, but the man just laughs. Somehow, just that is enough to bother me even more.
No use in letting it get to me, though. Biting back a rude remark, I wave them into the main chapel as another few people come in behind us.
Every other morning, I and a few others set aside some of our time to tidy up some of the church. It's not exactly necessary, but it's a decent way to pass the time, and it ensures that people will be greeted by a clean room when they come in to worship. What else is a church for, really?
Usually, these mornings are nice and calming for me; I don't mind spending time cleaning, and the others who come in aren't at all bad people, so I never feel the need to look forward to the morning ending so I can be alone.
That's not the case this morning, though.
Every time I glance up from whatever I'm doing, the man is staring at me. I can't fathom why. Even when he ends up breaking our gaze to do something that Melinda asks him to, he always ends up looking back to me eventually, and always with that infuriating grin on his face. There's nothing inherently bad about it, I suppose, but it makes my skin crawl anyway.
What is this guy's deal? I think, only a little furious. Why is he here? Where did he come from? And why is he staring at me like that?
Too many questions, and not at all enough answers. Clearly, I have to get to the bottom of all of them... somehow.
I highly doubt he's the kind of person to give them to me easily, that is.