Luna's Awakening

19

I felt sweat break over my skin as anxiety swept over me. I walked even faster, wanting to get out of there.

Shit! Shit! Shit! I never should have gone into that warehouse!

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" the man shouted. "I know that was you that night!"

SHIT!

I ran even faster. I took off running full force down the street. Unfortunately, there was no one else on the street to witness this and call the police.

I heard his footsteps pounding behind me, increasing more and more as he tried to gain on me.

I felt his fingers fumble on my arm for a brief moment and I ran even faster. I picked up speed and had reached the sidewalk. I rounded the corner and ran down that sidewalk. I heard him still running after me.

I ran down the sidewalk and rounded the other corner and ducked into one of the nearby stores, not even looking up to see what the store was. I ran in and hid behind one of the shelves.

I stayed there for several minutes. I panted heavily, trying to catch my breath, my heart beating as hard as a drum, sweat coating my skin, dampening my hair and clothes.

"Uh, miss?" A finger tapped my shoulder.

I jumped and spun around, fully expecting the man from the warehouse to be there and ready to strangle me, but it was just a female employee staring at me in concern.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

I glanced around and saw that I was in a small grocery store and the people around me were staring at me.

I self-consciously gave them a small smile before turning my attention to the store's employee.

"Yes, I'm fine," I told her, my voice shaky and breathless from running down almost three sidewalks at full force. "I. . .I just had a situation."

"Do you need me to call the police?" She reached for her walkie talkie but I shot out a hand and grabbed her wrist without thinking.

"No, no, it's okay," I said a little too loud, causing her to jump and for more people to look over at us.

"No," I said, lowering my voice and letting go of her wrist. "That's not necessary. Thank you. It's all just a big misunderstanding. I--I have to go."

I turned around and quickly left. I could not have anyone calling the police and having attention put on me. I could get arrested for even being at the warehouse and my parents didn't know I was there, much less nearly got caught by someone. Grandma Marie had slapped the shit out of me for it but had agreed not to tell Mom and Dad. They'd be wondering why a man was chasing me in the first place, and they already had enough stuff on their plate.

I was almost out of the store when I nearly ran into Jackson. Jackson, of all people.

I stopped myself seconds before I bumped into him. For a brief moment, we just stood there, staring at each other.

I watched as his expression darkened. I knew he was about to say something rude and snarky, but I wasn't about to hear it. Like the other million times he told me, I knew he wanted nothing to do with me.

I was about to step aside when his mom came up behind him. She beamed when she saw me.

"Grace! What a pleasant surprise!" she said and we stepped to the side so we weren't blocking the door.