《The Running Girl》


 Chapter 1

    I remember it vividly. It was a bright day in the middle of summer. The sun shone brilliantly in the pale, blue sky, not a single cloud in sight. And yet, despite its harsh rays beating against the ground, both concrete and not, the air and ground itself remained pleasantly warm, enough to make you wish to lay upon it and bathe in the gentle kiss of the ultraviolet rays. It was on such a day that I was sitting on my porch, a rather well built one in front of my house, forged from deep, brown mahogany.


    Crafted and built with love by my grandparents, me and my parents had recently moved here to tend to the place while my grandparents were on vacation, somewhere in the Bahamas, I do believe. I was sitting on the lovely swinging chair, situated a little towards the left of the door. Despite the fact I hadn''t even graduated High Schooland was rather young, for whatever reason I had taken up the unusual habit of just sitting outside and watching the world and people around me. It was just relaxing I suppose, or something like that. Definitely not the sort of thing you''d expect from a teenager, especially since it was currently summer break. With a glass of cold lemonade in my hand, I took a sip of the tart liquid, enjoying the feel of its icy embrace quenching my thirst. It was then, that I noticed her. A girl, jogging, no, running, down the street. She did not look sweaty, there was nothing particularly remarkable about her, and yet, I found myself entranced with her. As she jogged I observed her clothing, which was suitable for running, of course: dull red shorts and a plain t-shirt, coupled with some sort of shoes I couldn''t identify from this distance.


    It was a wonder, I thought at the time, that no one should comment or wave to this girl. However, it wasn''t until she came closer to my house, which was not at all far from the street, only a few feet of a pathway leading up to the sidewalk, that I was able to see her face. Her face was alight with a certain mirth, eyes shining with joy. She was in her element, and born to run. But I had spent a long time watching people. I had grown used to discerning what lay within. And within those eyes, I perceived a certain loneliness, and, even sadness. With blonde, straight hair, perhaps down to her neck, tied into a ponytail and streaming behind her, she quickly zoomed by my house,running down the street. She did not stop, and I found myself marveling at her stamina, at how easily she was able to move.


    Indeed, eyeing my nearby neighbors, they did not even seem to notice her existence. The old man to the right, who lived in a relatively well built single storied house, who was outside watering his petunias. The nice lady to the left, who lived in a similarly built house. She was outside, observing her two kids playing with a soccer ball. None of them even looked at the girl. As I watched her form disappear down the road, I found it curious and indeed even strange to consider why a girl would be running down the street.


    By happenstance, I checked my watch, a simple yet beautifully crafted analog clock with embezzled silver around the edges and crisp, old fashioned roman numerals in place of the more common alphanumeric system. Around 5PM, as it were. It was a perfect day for a Saturday, then, I thought as I went to take another sip from my glass....only to find it empty. How disappointing. It was comfortable to sit in this padded chair, slowly rocking back and forth. I lamented this dilemma, the unprecedented need to feel the touch of cool liquid against my throat, yet unwilling to get up. I wished my mom were here. She''d be able to get me some more.


    Sadly, my mom and dad both worked daytime hours, and were rarely home most of the time. Despite how pleasant it was, I found myself still thirsty, for whatever particular reason. Ah, whatever. It''s not as if there is anything to observe. I got up from my perch, albeit reluctantly, and slowly stretched, preparing my legs for the remarkably short distance into my house and to the fridge. Glass in hand, I reached out and opened the screen door, then the main one, entering into the living room.


    "Home, sweet home..." I murmured to myself, slipping out of my shoes and leaving them beside the shoe rack, which was situated just to the right of the door. My living room didn''t have much, to be honest. A large couch and two recliners were situated along the center, facing the northern wall, in front of which was our entertainment center and 32-inch flat-screen TV. Along several shelves were our movies, games, and in one, my gaming console, the ultimate reward I had earned with my own money from working the odd job here and there during my free time. Along the wall situated to the left of the wall the TV was situated in were two glass windows, their curtains spread apart to allow sunlight in. Of course, there was my cat, sprawled on the carpeted floor, bathing in the sun''s lukewarm rays. A few bookshelves were along the wall to the left of the door. There were two entrance ways as well, one beside the entertainment center and one just beside the stairs that led up to the second floor. I entered my kitchen, which of course, looked about as what you''d expect from a kitchen.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Placing my glass on the counter, I went to open the fridge, observing the amount of yellowish liquid within the plastic gallon pitcher. Maybe around a half pint left. Groaning in despair at this sudden turn of events, I reluctantly poured the rest of the lemonade into my glass, hurrying, for the ice within had begun to melt, and I did not want the water to dilute the sugary sweetness of the lemonade too soon. The phone began ringing. Sighing, I reached forward and picked it up, bringing the wired phone to my ear. "Hello, Smith speaking!"


    "Oh, hey Smith!" Came the crackling reply over the phone. I smiled, realizing who it was. It was Alexander, one of my two friends I had made during the days I had spent at school in this town.


    "Alright Alex, what''s the issue?" I asked in jest, not surprised at all that he had called.


    "Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out, is all! I called Samantha, and she said she''d be right on over! I got a new movie, wanna spend the night?" I laughed, savoring the potential fun that might include.


    "Is it any good?" I asked.


    "It totally is man! It was a dollar and I''m pretty sure the actors in it aren''t even D-list..." Oh boy, he''d gone and rented himself one of those B-horror movies.


    "Ok, ok! Let me call my mother and ask her if I can come over, ok?"


    "Smith, come on! You''re sixteen; it''s time to live your life a little!" I was unrelenting in my answer. "I''ll call you back...oh, wait!" A thought occurred to me then. "Say, Alex, did you see a girl run down your street?" Alexander didn''t live very far away from me, perhaps a block, if that. He was literally up the street.


    "Eh? A girl? No. Then again, I don''t have a habit of watching the neighborhood all creepily like you do!" I winced at that. Was it really creepy?


    "Well, I just thought it weird because I saw a girl running down the road..."


    "Ohhh, how spooky!" Alex said in a mocking tone, although it quickly shifted with his next words, "...so, was she hot?" He was more serious now. I sighed. How could we be the same age and yet have such radically different priorities?


    "I''ll call you back," I said, hanging up. Although...I thought back to the girl, musing on the question. Come to think of it, shewasfairly cute. Perhaps not a bombshell, but definitely a looker. Wait, I shouldn''t let myself be distracted!


    What was I supposed to be doing? Oh right. Call my mom. I picked up the phone and dialed her work number. After speaking with the manager, I was forwarded to her office. "Hey, Mom, Alex just invited me over to watch a movie, can I go?"


    "Alright, but James, I want you back by nine, alright?" I sighed in relief as she readily agreed. Then again, I can''t really imagine why she wouldn''t.


    "Ok." Hanging up, I quickly exited my house, locking the door behind me. I walked to the road and began jogging up the road. As I did so, however, I felt a chill go down my spine. Why did I feel so uneasy? A quick glance to the left, a qucick glance to the right, but all was normal. Maybe behind me? There was nothing. Then what might the cause for this sensation be? Although, one thought did strike me; I realized I was going the same way the girl had come. Before I could form an idea about what I was thinking, the sensation passed, and oddly enough I quickly forgot about it upon arriving at my destination.


    I had fun at Alex''s house, and we and Sam had a great time poking fun at the movie''s cheesy graphics. Under my laughter and good spirits, a manifestation I had not let realized was brewing. One that would alter my life in a direction that would bound me to the running girl.

 Chapter 2

    It was a few days later, that I had come to realize the girl would not stop. Every day at 5, she would appear and run down the street. I found myself wondering keenly about where her route went, when she started, when she finished, and just how long she ran. To someone who appeared to have gotten to know just about the whole neighborhood through hours of hours of watching them, it was frustrating to see such an enigma run by every day.


    I could not figure her out, no matter how much I tried, although my keen eyes noticed that a light smile tended to flicker on her face when she ran past my house, as if she knew I was watching her. I suppose in hindsight it should''ve been obvious, since no one even paid her attention. To them, it was like she did not exist. I checked the time on my watch. Three o'' clock. Tuesday. Thank god for Summer vacation, I''m not sure I would want to go to school in this state of mind. Oddly enough, the air was surprisingly temperate and mild, not at all blisteringly hot like I remember it. Probably something to do with climate change or whatever. It didn''t matter.


    What did matter, was that I was on the porch, as usual, studying the young man who lived across the street. Like the other neighbors, I had discerned his schedule. Every day at three, without fail, he walked to his car and left. I don''t know where he went, probably work. I watched as he opened his car door, only to turn and wave at me, smiling. My neighbors were kind folk, and had accepted me for my eccentricities. I suppose rather than creep them out, my presence must''ve comforted them. I was always watching, and likely to notice anything amiss. I quietly pulled out my handheld phone, noticing Alex had sent me a text. Hey bro, I just no scoped some skrubs and now they''re ganking me hard. Wanna come over and troll them?


    Hm...tempting, but I checked my watch, noticing it was four now. I would not want to miss the appearance of the mysterious girl. Sorry, I''m busy right now. I''ll come over in a few hours though, aight?


    I ignored the inevitable stream of emoticons he was likely sending me as I pocketed the phone and waited. A car passed by, then another. It was surprisingly quiet, and barring the light wind that flowed through and the rustling of the trees, it was almost enough to want to make me sleep. Others might get bored, sitting for hours on end, just watching the world, but I never tired of it. For some reason, I found myself constantly checking my watch, eager to see the girl appear. It wasn''t as if I liked her or something, but the more I watched her pass by my house, the more I seemed to connect with her, if that made sense. It was like we were two entities in a world of nothingness.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    My heart began to race as the watch finally registered 5:00. Looking up, I was relieved then to hear the faint footfalls of the girl as she approached in the distance, lightly jogging. However, unlike before, she broke her usual routine to look at me as she ran by. Chills ran down my spine as our eyes met for the briefest of moments, but in that brief exchange of glances I saw something in those eyes of her, vividly blue. I had to meet her. I needed to talk with her. I stood up and tried to move forward, but by then she was already down the street, seeming to melt from view. No worries. There was always tomorrow, after all. Still...why did I feel somewhat empty when she left? I placed my hand on my chest, confused. Now that the girl was gone, however, I was free to go up to Alex''s place.


    And go up to his place I did. As I sat down beside him, Alex looked towards me inquisitively. We were the same age, of course, but Alex usually sported longer hair, which was a darker shade of brown compared to mine, and something I liked about him was that our eyes were the same color: a light hazel.


    "So...Smith, you seem a lot busier than usual, what''s the big deal?" he asked me this with a concerned look. I thought for a bit, then decided to just tell him the truth. After all, he was my best friend, he deserved to know.


    "You know the girl I mentioned earlier? I''ve been waiting for her every day. Every time at 5, without fail, she runs by my house," I said. Alex snorted.


    "Dude! What happened to bros before hoes? Why would you want to watch some chick run by when you could be playing games with your best friend? What, you like her or something?" I shook my head.


    "No, I don''t, but...she seems familiar, and no one seems to notice her."


    Alex smiled wryly. "Sure you don''t~! Why don''t you go talk to her? I''m sure you might be able to land her with your charming looks!"He completely ignored the second part of my sentence. I, of course, begged to differ, but the encouragement he was offering me was at least sincere.


    "I intend to try and talk with her tomorrow," I told him. Alex grinned.


    "That''s my boy! Now come on, let''s go challenge these skrubs to a rematch...."


    He turned on his TV and passed me a controller. Video Games were addicting, this I had to admit, but they never had that same allure that they do on me the way they do with others. I would rather prefer to watch the world around me, but video games were fun too. As we played together, I couldn''t help but feel that there was something off about Alex, as if me mentioning the girl had upset him internally. People thought I was observant, but no one really seemed to know just how perceptive I was. I could read people like a book, and something told me Alex was not going to be a fan of this girl. Regardless, as I walked home in the dark down the road, I felt the same chills as before. What was going on? I hoped that by talking with the girl, I could figure things out and get some answers.

 Chapter 3

    I laid in my bed, thinking to myself. After cooking myself dinner, I was filled in trepidation at meeting the girl. What would she be like? Would she be hostile? Maybe she wasn''t even human...No, that''s stupid. Such a thought was completely folly. Monsters and creatures didn''t exist; they were mere tales in books and such. But, I could not sleep. My mind was far too active. I thought of all the things I could say to her, and then, I merely shifted my gaze around the darkened room. It was very dark, pitch black, almost, and all I could see was silhouettes.


    Still, looking into the darkness gave me an odd comfort. I had never understood why people fear the dark. Sure, it hid things from you, but it also hid you from things as well. As a child, I had been afraid of the dark. However, when we had moved here, that fear seemingly melted into thin air; non existent from that point thereon. I had thought it was part of me becoming an adult and growing more mature, but now that I think about it, it was weird. Of course, right as I thought on that I began to grow tired. Perhaps reflecting on my past was the best way to go to sleep?


    I woke up, groaning. Given the level of light filtering through my window, I figured I must''ve slept in. OH NO! I jumped out of bed and quickly checked my clock, sighing in relief. 2:00 P.M. Thank God for that. I got ready and then sat down on my couch, grabbing the remote and for once in my life, decided to watch some TV. The things that went on were fantastic, and I found myself briefly enthralled by some action movie, but inherently I was aware that it was all fake. Sure, the things on TV were things you could never see in real life, not normally at least, but to me, I felt that to truly appreciate such fantastical events, you had to see them in real life. And perhaps for that reason, was why I enjoyed watching the world around me. I checked the time, noticing that it was almost 5.


    I slowly got up and left the house, walking down the wooden steps and towards the paved road. It was oddly quiet today, but I found myself enjoying the nice quiet. For once, the cicada''s weren''t buzzing annoyingly. And then, I waited. And waited. Finally, I saw her in the distance. As she got closer, I was able to see the barest trace of surprise in her eyes as she briefly slowed down. I tried to talk to her, but she merely jogged right past me.


    Undeterred, I turned around and began jogging after her, and at her reduced pace, easily caught up. "H-" I tried to speak, but it was surprisingly hard. It was as if something was holding the words back. An unfathomable pressure entered my lungs, and words would not form. But I couldn''t let that stop me! I had slowed down at this point, the girl outpacing me easily. Seeing my chance slip away, I desperately struggled against the unnatural pressure, opening my mouth and closing it, and in that instant, I managed to utter a soft "hey".


    Almost instantly, the pressure faded away gradually, and I verbally flung my words at her. "HEY WAIT!" Instantly, the girl slowly stopped, turning to face me.


    I quickly walked forward towards her, doubled over and trying to catch my breath, despite the fact I had barely done anything. Why was I not able to speak? What the hell was that? As I finally caught my breath and stood straight, I realized we were about the same height. And, with that smile of hers, I realized just how cute she was. "You finally talked to me." she said softly, her lips perfectly enunciating each word. She spoke with a faint accent, and it was one I could not figure out. I merely stared at her, the words I had spent so long thinking about merely gone in the wind. It was as if the world conspired to keep me from talking to this girl!Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    I was never an extrovert, but neither an introvert too. I merely was a man of few words, and never felt the need to talk to anyone. And yet, if someone sought me out, I would talk with them. Meeting Alex and Samantha had been somewhat weird, I''ll admit. Alex had sought me out and basically hung around me until I had "accepted" him, and Samantha kinda came with the package. But...this was the first time I could remember actively seeking someone out. The girl patiently waited. Most people would be annoyed to find someone shouting for them, and then merely gawking, but rather than a deep annoyance that was veiled behind a polite facade, the girl genuinely seemed to understand my situation.


    "W-who....are you...?" I finally muttered. The girl tilted her head, her eyes slowly shifting sideways, looking at nothing particular. "Hmm...." the smile faded, replaced with a thoughtful frown.


    "Mm...my name doesn''t really matter, I think." she said finally, her eyes sliding back to look into mine. I realized how close we were, suddenly, and remembering personal space, I quickly took a step back. She tittered at my action. "You''re...not used to talking with people, are you?" she asked me.


    I slowly shook my head, struggling to form my next sentence. "I''m....Smith," I said softly. The girl slowly nodded, the lilting smile on her face returning.


    "I know." she said this simply. I thought then that such words would have been inherently creepy, but coming from this girl...it was completely natural. "How do you know my name....?" I asked her. The girl giggled. "You''re not the only one who watches the world, Smith," she told me.


    I pondered her words, realizing that I had never considered the possibility someone could have the same mindset as me. But, I also realized that it seemed to me this girl did not merely watch the world around her for the sheer joy of it like I did, but rather for another reason entirely. I found my eyes wandering, studying her up and down. Being from far away, I hadn''t been able to entirely look at her, but now that I was close...she was somewhat skinny, which was to be expected, with a nice figure, and yet she was not as shapely as I thought someone like her would be, but that didn''t detract at all from her physical appearance. My discerning eyes could also tell she was definitely not at all weak, since her skin had a healthy hue to it, neither too tan nor pale, and I could almost imagine the feel of supple muscle if I were to to touch her arm. An interesting fact I noticed was that she was wearing the same clothes as usual, a plain white t-shirt and red shorts. Surprisingly, she was not covered with sweat, which I deduced meant that she was either very efficient with her running, or she had not been jogging for very long.


    I also realized that this intrusive type of gaze was the perfect reason to get hit. It wasn''t as if I were "checking her out" like most men would, but rather I was more curious about her on a whole. She was an oddity in a world of normalcy, and that definitely needed to be investigated. As my gaze returned to her face, I had noticed she bore an inquisitive look, one eyebrow raised. "Finished your assessment?" she asked me. I felt my cheeks redden slightly, mumbling a brief apology. The pause between us grew longer, but thankfully she spoke, for once initiating a conversation.


    "You know, I was wondering when you would talk to me," she said. I tilted my head, confused. "I''m glad you did. You aren''t exactly discreet with those eyes of yours, you know," she told me. "And also, I''d rather you not look at me with such scrutiny," she added as an after thought. I blushed as she continued, "but still, I had to admit I was disappointed when you didn''t try to talk to me at first. It must''ve been quite difficult, but you''ve taken the first step. Not many can say the same!"


    Her words reminded me then of another observation. "Say...why doesn''t anyone else notice you? Its like they don''t even acknowledge you!"


    A thoughtful look crossed her face. "Boy, you know how to ask the right questions, dont''cha?" She looked left and right, studying the world around them, which was still quiet.  "Mm...it''s because they only see what they want to see," she said softly, the words barely a whisper. My eyes slowly widened at her cryptic words, the inevitable reply already escaping my mouth: "What do you mean?"

 Chapter 4

    "What do you mean?"


    I asked her, but she seemed to sigh, looking disappointed. "I guess you''re still not ready yet..." she mumbled softly. I was not about to try and even decipher that, and before I could even comment on it she cut me off, advancing the conversation swiftly. "Say, do you want to run with me?" she asked me. I thought of the times I had walked down this road, and thought of the creepy feeling that had sent chills down my spine. Truth be told, I would love to run with her. Still...for some reason, I found myself unwilling to accept. "...can I think on it? I''ll decide tomorrow," I told her.


    My reply was a sad look and another sigh. "Is that so...?" I had to admit, the sight of her looking so...dejected made me feel super bad.


    "S-sorry..." I told her. She turned around, preventing me from seeing her face.


    "It''s fine. You''re special, Smith. I know you''ll make the right decision in the end...see ya around, alright?" I blinked as she began jogging once more, quickly making her way down the street. As she left, I found myself feeling suddenly empty, an unfamiliar emotion subtly making itself known. At that time, I did not know what it was, but I found myself wishing she would return. I watched her go around the corner down the road, and then she was gone, and I was all alone. As I walked back, I checked my watch. 5:03. "Mm...?" As I looked at the watch, I did not think on the fact that surely we had been talking for far longer than just three minutes.


    I walked up to the house and closed my eyes, thinking on the conversation I had had with the girl. Ultimately, I had not learned her name. My name does not matter. What sort of person says that? The thoughts culminated in my mind like a roiling storm, prepared to savagely lash out among the calm sea that had once been my mind. Through it all, a large tsunami swept through, filled with the questions that I had about her cryptic words. Trying to ignore the tumultuous thoughts in my mind, I sat down on my typical comfy chair, resting my chin on my hand, which was supported by my elbow upon the arm rest.


    They only see what they want to see... I was by no means an idiot. While I didn''t think I was an Einstein, I was at least smart enough to know that I did not know everything. Even with that, however, I could not help but think I was at least a bit more intelligent than the average teenager my age, but this was certainly beyond me. Maybe that''s why the people don''t notice her, I thought. After all, that had been her reply to my question about why she went unnoticed, but how did that work? She wasn''t some supernatural entity or ghost, I could see her, and she could interact with the environment. So what made the neighbors, the people I had known my whole life, not be able to see her? What was so special about her and the fact that I alone could see her?


    My thoughts wondered, and I resolved then to ask the neighbors for certain if they had seen the girl or not. First off was the young gentleman across the street from me.  I walked across the street and walked up to his door. I knew for a fact he would be off work by this time. I pressed my hand against the wooden door and softly rapped my knuckles upon it twice, then waited. A moment later. the door opened, revealing the kindly gentleman. I knew his name, of course. It was Roberto; but to me, with his elegant demeanor and sharp fashion sense, he was the ''young gentleman across the street''. "Ah, young Smith! What can I do for you?" The man asked this with a quizzical expression on his face.


    "I was wondering if you''ve noticed anyone running down the road?"


    A thoughtful expression came upon him. He was not as sharply dressed as usual, garbed in a plain white t-shirt and, surprisingly, jeans. His hair was immaculate, however, and his pale brown eyes were reticent; not at all revealing the gears surely turning in his head.


    "Running...?" he echoed in thought.


    "Perhaps around 5 P.M, exactly?" I proffered, hoping to jog his memory. The gentleman slowly shook his head. "No, can''t say I have. It''s nice to know someone is exercising though." I tilted my head, thinking.


    "So not once have you seen someone running down the street?"


    "No."


    I thought about this, but then a question was forced upon me. "Why are they running, if I might ask?" he asked me. I smiled awkwardly.


    "I uh, don''t know...." I admitted. The man closed his eyes, still thinking. "Mm...strangers can be dangerous, you know. I''d be careful if I were you." I suddenly realized that there was a certain meaning behind the man''s words, as if he were subtly warning me, like your stereotypical "be a shame if something were to happen" statement. Did he know something? At that point, however he smiled at me. "Is there anything else? I''m kinda busy here. Got some paperwork to file..." I nodded, dismissing the train of thought. "Yeah, go ahead." The door was closed, forever sealing away any further answers I may have gotten. I turned around, thinking on this predicament. Who to choose? The nice lady with the two kids? Or the old man? I decided to go with the latter.


    Walking across the street and then turning left, I walked to the old man''s house. He was not one of my favorite people to watch, but he was one of the more interesting ones, in that his routine never changed. It was the same thing, over and over again. Go out and tend to the flowers, water them, and then survey the area and head inside. Like clockwork. His house was not as nice as the gentleman''s, but it was homely in its own fashion, the classic architecture of the plain one story house fitting nicely among the buildings around it. Knocking on the door twice, I waited. "Just a moment..." a soft voice called. I waited. And waited. It was not a moment, but what I estimated was maybe five minutes later, the door slowly opened, admitting the old man, who looked at me inquisitively.


    "Oh, why hello there Smith! What brings you to my humble abode?" The old man asked me, his voice soft. Despite being old, with white hair and wrinkled face, the man was still formidable enough to live on his own and even do most things without the care of another person. He had a name, too, of course. I recalled from memory that it was Michael, but to me, he was just the old man.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "Hey old man, have you noticed anyone running down the road regularly, like say...around 5?" I asked him. The old man frowned, thinking.


    "Eh? Can''t say I have...why would anyone want to run in this heat?" I shrugged. "Still, young''uns exercising makes me happy. You should know the value of personal fitness," the old man told me. He never really missed an opportunity to launch into a lecture, but I was having none of it today. A thought formed into my mind.


    "Well, there''s this young girl who runs down the street every day at 5, and I talked to her today. I thought it weird that no one ever saw her or even looked at her..."


    "A young girl...?" the old man thought on this for a moment. "You shouldn''t talk to her then, I think." He said finally. Hm...he''s warning me too. Is it really that bothersome about me wanting to know more about someone? "Why do you say that?" I asked. "Strangers can be dangerous, but more than that, it reminds me of a tale my own grandfather told me..." the old man said softly. "He told me of people who would ride down roads, whose voice could kill those it called for. They heralded incoming death on black horses." I tilted my head, unbelieving. "Think about it, why else would you be the only one who could see her?" The old man pressed his point further.


    "That''s just a fairytale," I said simply. "She''s just a plain girl! Besides, she runs, she doesn''t ride a horse!" The old man shook his head. "Maybe so, but here...." He walked into his house and came out a few moments later. "Throw this on her. If she recoils or starts laughing violently, you will know if she is phantom or not...." He placed a small bag filled with some sort of powder into my hand. I couldn''t help but laugh at the old man''s superstitions; I had no idea he actually bought into such things; it goes to prove that even if you think you know someone, you never really do know everything about them.


    "I''m not going to throw mystery powder at a random person!" The old man leaned forward. "Just keep it on you, alright? It''ll keep you safe." I was going to ask him what was I supposed to be safe from, but before I could the door was closed. I tilted my head, uncertain.


    The old man was not usually like this. Oh sure, he would always tell stories to the children at the community center on Saturdays, and I remember visiting his house when I was younger to help him, and he told me stories then. I never once thought he would be the kind to be delusional or go calling people infernal demons, however. Furthermore, I was a teenager. I''m surprised he didn''t think I was trying to play some trick on him. Even if I was a respected person of the community, surely I must''ve sounded crazy to anyone, talking about a girl no one else seemed to even realize existed. Or...maybe I''m the crazy one?  I looked at the small cloth pouch, What the heck is even in here? I opened it and peered inside, fully expecting some sort of weird drug. Instead, I was met by a fine grainy solution of what looked to be particles of white, black, and grey. Against my better judgement, I hesitantly sniffed the edge of the bag, trying to discern if the powder even had a smell. There was a vague metallic scent. Iron? I closed it and pocketed it, shaking my head. I doubt the girl would appreciate being pelted with metal powder. Well, this was a dud. That meant the nice lady with two kids was up next..!


    A nice walk later, and I was at her house, a rather homely tudor style house. I knocked on the door, and a moment later, a rather young woman opened the door, looking down at me in mild surprise. She was a single mother of two children, and despite that set back was remarkably well off in life. Of course she had a name, which was Dorothy, but to me, she was simply the nice lady with two kids.


    "Smith! What a pleasant surprise, what brings you to my door?" she asked me with a smile. I couldn''t help but smile back as I told her my predicament.


    "A girl who runs, hm? I haven''t seen her, frankly," she told me this as she looked back over her shoulder.


    "She runs down the road every day, you say? Hm, must be weird since I''ve never seen her, I''ve even watched the road at around that time and I''ve seen nothing...Violet or Mike might know something, however..." she called their names, and a moment later two young kids appeared, a mischievous looking boy of about 9 years old, and a more sensible looking young girl of about 8 years old. "Oh look! It''s the creeper!" Mike shouted energetically, pointing at me, much to my chagrin. Alex wasn''t the only one who thought my people watching was creepy. The lady asked them the question. "Hm, a lady running down the street...?" Violet mumbled, her eyes cast downward in thought.


    "Mm, no, I have not seen anyone like that. Mike?" Mike grinned. "If there was someone running down the road, I would have tripped them by now!"


    "MIKE!" The lady''s voice cut the air like a whip, causing Mike to flinch, suitably chastised. "No...I haven''t seen anyone..." he mumbled. The lady shrugged, turning around. "Sorry, Smith. My kids play in the yard everyday and if they haven''t seen her, then you''re probably seeing things..." she looked back at her kids, who were now tussling on the ground, arguing about cookies. "Although..they aren''t the most attentive bunch..." I thought for a bit. "Well I was wondering because I talked to her today, and I was interested in possibly jogging with her..." The lady''s gaze swiveled to look at me.


    "Really? I''d be careful then, if I were you," she told me. I smiled awkwardly again. "Why?"


    "Well, I watched the news and apparently kidnappings have been on the rise. Even if the girl is the same age as you, I wouldn''t put it past her to be a ploy by some men to grab you or something..." That seemed oddly specific for an innocuous jogger running down a well populated area. "Really?"


    "Really! I wouldn''t mind my children talking with some random jogger, but for them to just ask you to run with them out of the blue? It''s creepy!" I internally frowned, contemplating that. But...I didn''t mention anything about her asking me.... I remained silent as she continued. "Just be careful, alright?" I nodded.  "Alright, but you know, I didn''t say anything-" A loud crash ensued. The lady flinched, words rising up from her throat. "Sorry, Smith. Another time, yeah?" The door was closed hastily, and barely muffled yelling reached my ears. I turned around and walked away, thinking.


    No one had seen the girl.


    All warned me she was bad, in one way or another.


    Ironically enough, their very attempts to drive me away from her instead gave her an even stronger allure. I was no fool- there was a mystery here, something hidden from the common eye. As I studied the neighborhood, which I had once thought to be peaceful and serene, I could sense a faint distrust that was palpable. I resolved then that no matter what, I would solve the mystery of the running girl. The curious thing here was that the people in my neighborhood were friendly and welcoming. Hell, if someone walked by and knocked on their door, they''d invite that person in for some cookies and a nice chat. If I had wanted to be friends with a random jogger, they would''ve accepted that, so what made this girl any different? Was it the news about the kidnappings? With that in mind, I reluctantly returned home, with my answer in mind.

 Chapter 5 (Intermission)

    So now I sit at home, on my computer. It''s probably about...maybe, eight? The sun has set, and weirdly enough, I''ve come to no answers. You probably want to laugh at me, right? I mean, it''s pretty easy to do so. She''s just a girl, there''s nothing wrong. Yet, my neighbors all seem to think she''s bad, even if they do not see her. I''ve known these people my whole life, and yet they are not the type to make predisposed judgments of a person they have never seen before. Should I trust them? Or should I make my own decisions?


    I usually have a strong "third eye", if that makes sense, about people. I''m fairly good at discerning troublemakers from the teacher''s pets, you know? I know for a fact the girl means well, in fact, just being near her brings me immense comfort. I still remember the sad look in her eyes when she ran, and I want to know why. The words she told me too, are also what I remember, and that terrible feeling in my lungs, that almost prevented me from speaking out to her...This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    It''s almost as if the world does not want me to acknowledge this girl, to learn her story.


    I told you earlier that this girl was a dear friend of mine, but that was after the wild ride she took me on; don''t worry, I''ll get to that part eventually.


    In a world of denial, I will go to the truth, and the only one who seems to know anything is the girl. Good night, and farewell.

 Chapter 6

    The alarm went off, and I found myself stirring, shaking off the chains of sleep that had bound me to my bed. Sunlight filtered in through my blinds, illuminating my simple room. I could feel the synapses within my eyes taking in the gorgeous scene. It was surprisingly dull. I mean, I wake up to this every day, what was I expecting? I rolled out of bed and walked to my dresser, quickly changing out of my pajamas and into my daytime clothing. A quick check of the radio indicates another moderate day. At this point I was curious. It''s Summer, so why isn''t it cripplingly hot or muggy? It was more like Spring...


    I tried to ignore that question. No one else seemed to think this was bad or anything, and I certainly wasn''t complaining. It was eleven in the morning, and the afternoon was soon upon us. And so will that girl... The thought came to me. I walked into the kitchen and opened the drawer, pulling out a plastic bowl and closed it. Another cabinet, and I had cereal. Something about it being fruity and loopy or whatever. I grabbed the milk and uncapped it, sniffing it gently. Still good. I turned around and slowly tilted the jug, watching the creamy white liquid flow out of the top and into the bowl, slowly filling it up. Careful not to over fill, I screwed the lid back on and put the cereal and milk back.


    Sitting down to my mediocre breakfast, I thought of what the girl had told me. I was determined to get answers, when the phone rang. I got up and picked it up. "Yo, Smith, you there?" My eyes slightly widened, not recognizing the soft feminine voice at first. I regained my composure. "S-Samantha? Color me surprised! Usually it''s Alex who calls me..." Alex tended to call me to let me know if he wanted to hang, while Samantha usually came up to my house and knocked to ask, either to hang out or to come inside.


    "Yeah, crazy, right? Anyways, I was wondering if you wanted to come over? I can get Alex too, if you want. My dad bought me this new console and I got a game I think we''d enjoy..." I felt myself grin. "A chance to kick Alex''s butt? Count me in! I''ll let him know," I told Samantha. We talked briefly a while more, mostly about our summer homework; we were supposed to keep a journal, but as far as I knew, none of the kids in the class had even gotten around to doing it so far. A brief exchange of goodbyes later and I hung up, then rapidly dialed Alex and told him the news. I could practically hear his eyes bugging out. "You''re challenging me?! You''re going down town boy!" I laughed at his zealous words. It had been a while since we had had a proper get together- my obsession with the running girl had deprived me of time I could be spending with my friends.


    ====


    As I walked down the road, I realized that I did not feel uneasy like before. It took me a good long 15 minutes to walk all the way down to Samantha''s house. A soft knock later and the door opened, admitting my longtime friend. Her long brown hair was still wet, a clear indicator she had just gotten out of the shower. For a brief moment I searched her brown gaze, my discerning eyes determining that she was not pleased with me looking at her so closely. "Does your people watching have to extend to me too?" she asked me, although the faint smile on her face indicated a joking tone. I smiled back. "Sorry, so what game did you get?" I asked, stepping in. She allowed me to enter and showed me the console, and the game. "It''s some First person shooter. I''m not really a fan of them, but I reckon I could play good enough to at least cream you and Alex."


    "Good luck," I replied. "Alex is pretty dangerous when he games..." As we walked into her living room, the front door was flung open. "GUESS WHO!" A raucous cry shouted. "Speak of the devil and he shall appear..." Samantha grumbled, turning around with me. We both stared at Alex, who was looking at us unashamedly. "What?"


    "Don''t scream in my house!" Samantha barked. Alex winced, running a hand through his sandy colored hair nervously. "Sorry, sorry. Look, I''ll make it up to you by letting you get a free frag on me, alright?" He walked forward, sitting down on the couch. "So, you losers ready to be beaten?" he asked us. I sat down beside him while Samantha handed us controllers, then turned on the TV and console. "Depends," I said as the game loaded up. "I have to be back at my place by 4, I made some plans..." Alex and Samantha both looked at me sharply, although Alex''s eyes had an accusatory glare in them. He knew exactly what my "plans" were, or at least had an inkling of one. However, we were interrupted as the game began. Alex leaned forward, the joking tone between us all gone. A light tension permeated the atmosphere as Samantha chose a map, going with death match. As the loading screen filled, I could only marvel at the rapid change in atmosphere. And then, we were off.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ======


    As it was, I was putting up a better fight than I thought. Me and Alex had been tangling for a few minutes, but our firefight was interrupted by Samantha, who broke our stalemate by sniping me in the head. Alex cheered, only to scowl as he too, got sniped. Time seemed to fly by, but for some reason, something was telling me to get off. "Hey guys, what time is it?" I asked. Alex frowned. "Um...dunno," he said simply. Sighing, I got up and went into the kitchen, regretting not wearing my watch. I couldn''t help but gasp at the time. 5:15 P.M. "Guys! I gotta go!" I shouted, making my way to the door. Alex gave a faint good bye, the sounds of gunshots ringing from the TV as I closed the door behind me. I began running down the road, terrified that I had missed my chance. As I turned around the corner to the street that lead my house, I noticed a faint silhouette up ahead. A girl up ahead with blonde hair and blue eyes waited impatiently, her arms crossed and her foot tapping the ground rhythmically


    I ran up to her, panting. "S-Sorry!" I gasped, tired out from my dash. "Gee, thanks for making me late," the girl said, her voice angry. "I''ve had a clean streak for a long time up until now..." I apologized again, slowly catching my breath. "I was worried, you''d run by my house..." I told her. "Eh? Why would I do that?" she asked me. "Because...you always run by, at five, and you rarely stop for anything..."


    "But I stopped when you talked to me," she pointed out. I shrugged, having now recovered. "I''m the exception." The girl sighed angrily, although I could tell that it was mostly a facade; she didn''t truly seem to be mad.  "I''m glad you came..." she replied after a moment''s pause, confirming my previous assumption. "Since you came running down here in such a hurry, I take it your answer is yes?" I nodded. "You...didn''t have to wait for me," I told her. "I feel really bad for messing up your schedule, and you were so mad too..." The girl smiled, shrugging. "It''s no big deal. You''re worth it."


    You''re worth it.


    What did she mean by that? I looked at her again, curious. Was she hitting on me? No, there was no flirting or anything of the sort. It was as if she genuinely meant it, but in a platonic fashion. "So uh...can I have a name?" I asked her. The girl tilted her head. "Still on about that? I thought I told you I had no use for a name..." Now it was my turn to be angry. "I''m just tired of calling you "girl" all the time and never knowing what to call you!" she winced at my words. "Ok, uh, call me Bob!" I stared at her blankly. "What sort of name is that?" I asked her incredulously. The girl winked playfully at me. "Tell you what, run my route with me all the way and I''ll tell you my name~!"


    "Well, uh, how long is your route?" I asked her. I couldn''t help but feel a bit shocked by the distance she told me. "That''s so far!" I said, unable to keep my tone from anything but piteous. The girl laughed softly. "We''re only halfway, so you have it easy. Anyways, we''re burning daylight, but first off..." I frowned as she slowly bent forward, holding her legs straight as she allowed her hands to touch the tips of her feet. Frankly, I was amazed at how flexible and limber she was, but I had no idea what she was doing. She smiled when I asked. "I''m warming up. You can''t just exercise right from the get-go, if you do that you''ll likely tear a muscle or cause damage!" she told me. "Not to mention you''ll be sore the next day because of it."


    "That''s why you always stretch before doing any sort of exercise, especially if you intend to do it for a long time! Depending on what you planning on doing depends on which parts of the body you stretch. Since we''re going to be running, we should focus on stretching our legs..." she crouched and balanced most of her weight on one foot, extending the other one out as far as it would go. "Oh, ok," I said. The girl looked cross. "You know, you have to warm up too. Just follow me!" I reluctantly followed her directions, recalling the warm ups I usually did during P.E. So they really were for warming up? I always thought they were something dumb the Coach would make us do... After a few minutes, the girl slowly stood up straight and hopped once energetically. "Righty-o, that should do! You ready to do this?" she asked me. I walked and then smiled as we stood side by side. "...yeah!"


    "That''s the spirit! Let''s go on the count of three, aight? One...two....three!" And she took off, with me trailing behind her.

 Chapter 7

    As I jogged beside her, I had to admit it felt nice. But...there was something off, as if something was telling me to turn back. I ignored the feeling. "So...how long have you been running?" I asked her. The girl shrugged. "Since forever, I''ve been down this road every day for a long time." I thought on that. "But...then how come I only just now noticed you a few days ago?" I asked her. "You just weren''t looking hard enough," she told me. I frowned. "I think you''re lying," I told her. "There''s no way I could have missed you. I''ve been watching the neighborhood for years, I''ve never seen you!" I protested, my breathing beginning to grow heavy. We were passing Samantha''s house when she spoke. "Is that so? You place so much faith in your eyes, it makes me jealous," she said.


    "What''s that supposed to mean?" I asked her. "Sometimes your eyes lie, you know. Like with mirages in the desert. You think you see a puddle of water, and then you get there and it''s not there." I pondered this for a bit as we jogged, my legs beginning to burn. It wasn''t as if I was out of shape, but I was not used to exercise of this caliber. "But when you use your other senses, and your mind, to cross check what you see, to smell it, taste it if need be, only then can you be certain something is real," she said. I laughed at the esoteric sounding statement. "You''re quite the oddball, aren''t you? Does this tie in to the fact no one seems to notice you?" I asked. The girl nodded. "Precisely. Of course, it could also be because I have no presence. Apparently I''m just hard to notice..." it was true, now that I thought about it. Usually you could tell when someone was behind you, or notice someone enter a room, because you could feel their presence. But this girl had no such thing.


    It was as if she were a ghost. A ghost... my mind thought back to the old man, and i subconsciously reached into my pocket, fingering the bag that he had given me. I dismissed the thought, however. No point in worrying about it. I noticed the nice gentleman outside his house, getting into his car. "Yo! How''s it going?" I called out to him. To my shock, he didn''t answer. No, he didn''t even look my way, despite the fact I had said it quite loudly. I wrote it off as he was being busy, however. I rotated my head towards the girl, frowning in thought. She seemed unperturbed though, her movements swift and methodical as we ran down the road. I noticed something colorful out of the corner of my eye. It was Violet and Mike, the two kids belonging to the nice mother. I called out to them cheerfully, knowing they would answer. They never turned down the chance to talk to me.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Only they did. It was like I didn''t exist. I opened my mouth to say something, only to be cut off by her. "Don''t waste your time. They will never notice you." The girl said softly. I hesitated, closing my mouth. "But why? They don''t notice you, but why would they not notice me?" I asked her. The girl slowed her movements to a slow jog. "Still asking the right questions. I guess we''re just on another level, compared to them now. When you''re with me, their perception changes. Kind of like how you act around other people, you could be nice to a person to their face, and then talk bad about them behind their back..." I still did not understand, but I think I got the gist of it. "So...as long as I''m with you, they won''t even see me?"


    "Not so much see you as they just won''t acknowledge you," she replied. I closed my eyes, deciding that it was better to drop it. I doubted she would answer any further questions with direct answers.


    We rounded the corner that I had seen her pass around so frequently, and I was surprised to find that this area of the neighborhood was not very familiar to me. Yes, I recognized some houses and there were some people out there, but on a whole, the area did not have that familiar feel of safety. "Huh...don''t think I''ve ever been this way before," I told her. "Yeah, you usually go up the road your friend''s house, dont''cha?" she said. "How do you know that?" I asked her suspiciously.


    "I told you before, you''re not the only one who likes to watch people," she said teasingly. At this point the unfamiliar sensation seemed to escalate a bit, a rising sense of danger in my mind. My lungs were also burning, so at this point I began to slow down, struggling to catch my breath. The sun had barely moved below the horizon. "How...much...longer is....it?" I wheezed. "Oh my, out of breath already? I''d say we''re only five percent of the way towards the end," she said, looking off to the distance. "But you did good," she beamed at me with a brilliant smile. I could only laugh weakly in response. "Sure, we only ran for like, what, ten minutes?" The girl smiled sweetly. "Better than most, trust me on that. Go home, Smith." I held up a hand. "W-wait, can I run with you again tomorrow?" The girl gave me a smile that seemed to light up the world. "Of course, you can run with me anytime!" I waved and watched her leave. Now that I was no longe rmoving forward, the oppressive feeling in my head was diminishing. But even that paled to the fact that I couldn''t help but wonder why my heart was still beating so fast even after I had caught my breath.

 Chapter 8

    The next few days passed by, and I continued to run with the girl, who I became familiar with as time went on. I was delighted, too, to find that rather than run past my house like she used to, she would wait in front of my house for me, and once I joined her, we would begin our daily stretching. I felt myself improve, and despite the constant nagging worry, I began to notice that it was as if I could develop a resistance to it. The more time I spent dwelling on that particular matter, it was on one such occasion that I felt the need to ask her something, almost on an impulse. "Say..." she looked up at me with her blue eyes, head tilted inquisitively. "Do you want you come into my house for a cup of tea?" I asked her, and instantly hating myself for it. Her head tilted in it''s usual fashion as she regarded me with a rather bemused, yet puzzled, look.


    "What prompted you to invite me?" she asked. I sheepishly rubbed the back of my head, trying to laugh it off. "Well I, er, figured that since you''re jogging before you come to my place, you could use a nice cold drink or something...I don''t really see you run with a canteen or water bottle..." She slowly nodded, while I sighed internally in relief. "Hm....how about this~?" she asked me in a sly voice. "If you run with me for longer than you usually do, I''ll accept your request!" she told me with a grin.


    "What?" I asked her, stunned. She leaned forward playfully, looking at me. "Well, having me over at your place would be a reward, and rewards should be earned, yeah? It''s an incentive!" I closed my eyes, definitely not expecting this outcome. Whatever. I could do this. I would do this, although I had no idea why I was willing to go so far just for this. I mean, I had Alex and Sam over all the time, so what was so special about this girl? I put these thoughts to the back of my mind as we began to stretch. Once we were done we started off at a light jog, slowly working our way up to a steady run. By this point I had stopped initiating conversation, as I had learned early on that talking was a waste of breath.


    Besides, I couldn''t help but feel that words weren''t needed when running with her. It was good enough just to run. As we moved around the corner, perhaps around 7 minutes in, I felt the pleasure of realizing that neither my legs nor lungs burned - now that I was actively exercising my body, it was quite easy to improve physically. Still, I continued to observe the houses around us, marveling at the scenery. Despite our running, time seemed to slow, allowing me to perfectly take in the emotions of people as we ran. Indeed, I noticed the same effect as always: no one noticed us, it was as if we were nothing but ghosts.


    Eventually as we jogged, I began to notice the familiar burning in my lungs. I reckoned around 15 minutes had passed, and we were still running forward. However, a second feeling had affected me, a feeling of abstract uneasiness, as if I should not keep running forward. The sun too, was lower than it had been, instead just now hiding behind the trees rather than peeking above them. I could tell the girl obviously could run faster, but was making sure to keep match with me. "Don''t worry about the bad feeling, just keep running~!" she told me, finally breaking the silence between us. I looked towards her quizzically, my sense of unease growing. My lungs were burning right now and honestly, I wasn''t sure I could run for much longer.


    But how far was "farther", exactly? What if I hadn''t done good enough? I tried to push forward, but eventually, I slowed to a walk, breathing heavily. At this point, the uneasy feeling still remained, but seemed to be fading away now that I had stopped. The girl beside me stopped and laughed brilliantly. "Wow! That was farther than I thought we''d get! You did amazing, Smith!" she told me, her eyes alight with joy. I, for one, did not feel so joyful. Had I continued, it felt like the sensation would have gotten worse. Even now, looking down the road, which seemed to get darker the farther down, I did not want to go down it. This went beyond a simple lack of physical capability- I had come to think that there was a greater thing going on here.


    "Hey, you mentioned a bad feeling, right?" I told her in between my breaths. "How did you know...?" The girl looked like she''d just been slapped, indicating that perhaps she had made a mistake, though what type of mistake, I had no idea. "Oh, that. Well, I, uh, figured that you probably wouldn''t be very comfortable leaving your comfort zone. This is the edge of your neighborhood, so the next few blocks over will be unknown to you," she told me. I, of course, knew she was hiding something, but honestly, her explanation was good enough that I could find no fault with it. I smiled inwardly, remembering my own spiel to cover up my fumble of asking her over to my house. I decided to drop it, instead asking her if I had made it or not. She smiled, obviously grateful for the subject change. "Yeah, to be honest I''m pretty thirsty myself; I''m looking forward to that tea..." As we walked back up the road, I realized that the terrible feeling I had felt before diminished, and eventually disappeared as we went back around the corner. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    This road...I hated going down it. The farther I went, and the faster I went, that feeling grew tihin me.. And the moment I slowed, stopped, or walked back up it, that feeling would go away. Why was it like this? It was like sandpaper upon my nerves, as if you were leaning forward watching a horror movie, waiting to see if something would jump out from the closet. Whatever it was, I was glad it was gone.


    I opened the door to my house and invited her in. Her eyes instantly scanned the area. "It''s about as neat as I expected," she said with a warm smile. I frowned. "What, did you think it''d be messy?" I asked her. She giggled. "No, someone as methodical as you wouldn''t be messy. I''d be surprised if that were the case..." she made her way to the kitchen, me following her. I quickly pulled out two glasses and placed them on the counter, then pulled out the pitcher from the fridge, staring at the murky brown liquid inside. The pitcher itself was plastic, bearing a simplistic design and having a simple blue lid.


    "Parents not home?" she asked me. I smiled awkwardly as I tipped the pitcher, filling the glass with the chilled liquid, then moved onto the other one. "No, they aren''t. Some business trip, maybe. They''re really busy and rarely home..." I looked up, studying her. "What about your parents?" I asked her. She shrugged dismissively. "They don''t really care what I do." I thought on that. "Well, what about your house? Where do you live, exactly?" I asked her.


    "Up the street a ways," she told me, again in that dismissive tone. I decided to leave it at that, trying to figure out what to say next. I was stunned at the surprising awkwardness, although it seemed to be only mostly me; the girl before me was completely unperturbed, quietly taking a drink from her glass. "Mm, the tea is good. Not as good as home made, though." she said. I nodded, agreeing. "So...uh, what is at the end of that road?" I asked her. She thought for a moment. "Why don''t you find out?" she asked me. As she drank the rest of the tea, I broached a subject to her. "Hey...you''ve got a phone, right?" I asked her. The girl looked at me with a weird look. "...yeah, why?" I hesitated, aware of how it might sound. "Well, uh, I was-"


    "You want my number, right?" she asked, cutting to the point with brutal haste. I winced, nodding. The girl leaned forward on the counter after putting her empty glass down, resting her head on her hands with a mock look of offense on her face. "....does your audacity know no bounds? First inviting a girl to your house and then asking for her number? Sheesh, what other demands do you have?" I sighed, prepared for her inevitable ''no''. So, it came as a total shock to me when she answered.


    "....alright." My head shot up, and I couldn''t help but look at her with shock. The girl laughed at my expression. "Settle down there. I rarely use the phone, so its not like you have a good chance of actually reaching me. Still, it''s a good idea to have some medium of communication between us..." I nodded in agreement, and then wrote down her number as she told me. "Don''t get any weird ideas, alright?" I shot her a hurt look. "As if."  The girl flashed a grin as she slid the glass towards me. "Thanks. See you tomorrow, alright?" I slowly nodded as she began walking for the door. "W-wait!" I called to her. She stopped, turning to look at me.


    "What now?"


    "I''m, uh..." I was going to say I was glad to have met her. but it was too hard. The words fell flat in my mouth, refusing to come out. "Thanks for the encouragement," I told her. She smiled and waved, leaving. As she left, I still realized that I did not know any more about her than I had before, and that I wanted to know more about her. And, in addition to that...


    I wanted to know more about this feeling in my head, like the crackling of television static. I decided that I''d figure it out sooner or later.

 Chapter 9

    I woke up early this time to the phone ringing. Groggily, I slowly sat up and reached for the phone beside my bed, picking it up and answering. "Yo Smith, want to hang out around 4?" I recognized that voice anywhere. "Nn...Alex? That you?" I asked. "Yeah it''s me, kinda hurt you forgot about me bro," came the reply. "Sorry Alex...you woke me up. I can hang out with you earlier, but not around 4. I got plans." I told him.


    "Ugh, let me guess, that random chick you started hanging out with?" he asked.


    I could hear the irritation in his video. "...yes. What is your issue with her, anyway?" I asked him. "Because she has you wrapped around her finger, you idiot. Girls like her are nothing but trouble!" I frowned. Alex talking about girls in a bad fashion? Something was definitely off.


    "What makes you say that? Do you know her?"


    "Maybe. She reminds me of a jerk I once knew, but it could be a different person. Sorry for judging her, I guess." He said after a moments pause. "But you know, bros before hos my dude!" I laughed quietly. "Why can''t we hang out earlier? Is it work?"


    "Yeah. Gotta trim my neighbor''s hedges again, so I won''t be getting off till like four..." he sighed. "Alright bro, see you around then..." he hung up, and I pressed the phone back into its receptacle, sighing. I suppose he had a point- I was neglecting my life time friends for this still near stranger. And yet still, she had a gravitas I could not ignore. This girl had a secret, and I wanted to uncover it. I slowly got up and got dressed, choosing my outfit and then walking out the door and making my way to the living room. It was probably ten in the morning, so I had plenty of time to relax before she came. Although...


    I was curious to see what it''d be like to go down the route without her. So I got on my shoes and stepped outside, instantly cringing at the sweltering heat. So it seemed today was going to be one of those days. I walked into the middle of the road, looking up and down for any oncoming cars. They were really rare, now that I thought of it. Still, I remembered the girl''s instructions and began stretching. Once I had gotten the blood flowing in my body and my heart racing from the exertion, I took a deep breath and began jogging down the road.


    As I ran down the road, I noticed Samantha was outside, probably checking the mail. I slowed my jogging to a walk and came up behind her. "Yo, Sam!" I said cheerfully. "Eep!" She squeaked in surprise and whirled around.


    "Smith! What the heck?" she asked me.


    "What are you doing?" I asked her.


    "Checking my mail. Are you running?" she asked me, checking my outfit, which was indeed suited for running. I was also wearing shorts, which was something I did not do often. "Yeah, I picked up the habit from that girl I told you about," I told her. Samantha smiled awkwardly. "I see."


    "Do you want come with me? I kinda wanna see what the neighborhood down the road is like," I asked her. Samantha looked a bit nervous at that, but then nodded. "Alright, but do we have to run?"


    "I suppose not," I admitted. Samantha went inside to drop off the mail and then came back out, walking beside me as we began heading for the corner.


    "So do you know anything about her?" Samantha asked. I laughed. "No, she''s really dodgy when it comes to that," I admitted. "I don''t even know her name yet."Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "Isn''t that creepy though? I mean, you barely know anything about her, and yet you''re acting as if you''re best friends with her already!" Samantha exclaimed. I shrugged. "I dunno, there''s just something about her that draws me in. Besides, I won''t deny she''s helped change my views quite a bit," I told her. Samantha shrugged.


    "I dunno about that. Alex seems to think she''s just tricking you, and I''m kinda inclined to believe him..." We rounded the corner, and were now walking down the houses I had grown familiar with by now.


    "Maybe she is, but I don''t care." As we walked, I began to feel that tingling sensation along my body, an uncomfortable feeling; as if my body were telling me to go back. Samantha too, looked uncomfortable, eventually stopping. "I...don''t want to go forward. Let''s go back," she told me. I had kept walking of course, by now used to the feeling. However, I stopped, looking back at her. "What?"


    "I dunno, but it feels like we shouldn''t be going down this road, like it''s forbidden. I don''t know how you don''t feel it..." she admitted. I smiled.


    "I do, but I''ve gotten used to it. You feel it too, huh? It''s not normal..." I looked towards the end of the road, which seemed impossibly far away. The sun, too, lurked above the trees; it''s gentle rays touching upon the seemingly perfect black asphalt that ran forward. However, there was one thing I did notice. Down the road, there was total silence. No people were outside, which I found strange, considering some children were playing in a fountain in front of the house beside us. I supposed then, that at the end of this road, this street, which seemed impossibly long, was the end of our neighborhood, and the beginning of the unknown.


    "Don''t you want to know what this feeling is? Why it feels like this? It''s just a normal road, isn''t it?" Samantha shook her head, taking a few steps back.


    "That woman is evil, if she keeps wanting to go down here." she said simply. I sighed, turning around and walking back towards the corner. As we walked, Samantha looked at me with pleading eyes.


    "Smith, please don''t go down that road again," she told me. "I don''t want anything to happen to you!" I waved her off.


    "What''s to worry? Just because we got some weird feeling doesn''t mean anything, the road itself is harmless and no one''s going to mug us!" I told her. Samantha looked unconvinced.


    As we rounded the corner, I happened to glance back at the sun, which seemed to have gone higher. Was it that high? Wasn''t it lower just a while ago? Oh, well it was still morning, so the of course the sun would have been higher. We arrived at her house, and she stopped and turned to face me. "I guess I''ll see you around, huh?" she asked. I nodded. "Yeah, see you around." We parted ways there, with Samantha resolving to never go down that road again, while I resolved to reach it''s end, no matter what.


    I was tired of fooling around. I decided then that I would give it my all tomorrow, and reach the end of the route with the girl. And, I began to think that perhaps I should introduce the girl to my friends, so that they could finally know each other. Maybe that would clear up my friend''s unfair animosity towards someone they didn''t even know.


    Time passed, and eventually, I went outside to meet up with the girl, where I asked her if she was interested in meeting my friends. She looked uncomfortable at that. "I''m not sure they would like me," she told me. Of course, during our runs, I had talked with her about them, and she seemed unsurprised that they did not like her.


    "They''re nice people, and honestly I''m tired of them trash talking you without even knowing you!" I told her. She smiled at my honest response. "I''m glad your willing to put your faith in me. If you really want, I suppose we can give it a try..." I paused for a moment.


    "Wait, will they even see you?" I asked her critically. "You know, since no one seems to even acknowledge you, or even me when I''m with you.." She nodded quite seriously, despite how silly my question seemed.


    "Yes. They want to see me, and you convinced them to see, so they will see." I stared at her. "Can you not speak so cryptically?" I asked her. She giggled. "It''s fun to see you writhe in confusion, I can''t help it," she said. Despite her teasing words, I could tell that she meant everything she said, weird or not. "Then tomorrow, yeah?" I asked her. She shifted her eyes, still a bit nervous.


    "Yeah...sure..."

 Chapter 10 (Intermission)

    So here I am once more on my computer.


    I felt like I was about to ignite a powder keg. I didn''t exactly know why I has thought it''d be a good idea to try to get the girl to meet up with my friends, but I hated seeing this conflict. I felt it was because they misunderstood each other, and I had hoped that this would fix it. I''ve come to learn over many days that the girl, perhaps, may not be so normal. Neither is this place. Perhaps it''s just because I''ve been influenced by her, but I can never forget that awful feeling when I''m going down the road, and I''ve also been having dreams. I dream of being in a white room, surrounded by people in lab coats. It''s quite nerve wracking, huh?The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    But of course, there''d be more events that would lead to conflict, and some of them, perpetuated by my foolishness. That feeling I always get when I run down the road is not normal, and with no choice, I must think back on the old man''s words of the man who rides down roads on a black horse, heralding death. The library has all sorts of books on ghosts, but nothing like that. Nothing like this.


    Am I going crazy? Is the girl, this feeling, even real? Is what I''m dealing with entirely physical? I don''t know. As a rational man, I am reluctant to acknowledge problems with no potential solution, but what the girl is, or why I feel so reluctant to run any significant distance down the road, is entirely beyond me. I''ll log off for now, but honestly...I''m freaking out.

 Chapter 11

    I woke up again at ten in the morning. Today was the day I would introduce the girl, whose name I still did not know, to my friends. I reached for the phone on my inn table and dialed Alex''s number, pressing it to my ear. "Smith? That you man? How''s it going?" his voice sounded unusually cheerful, even despite being distorted by the signal that allowed us to communicate despite being so far away. "Look, you know that girl I''ve been hanging with?"


    "Smith...." The cheerfulness was gone, but I continued. "I want you to meet her. Look, Alex. I don''t want you to hate this girl when you don''t even know her. Give her a chance, yea?"


    "...are you sure about this?" The answer came back almost immediately. Despite the phrase, there was still some doubt there.  "Alex, don''t be like this. We can get Samantha in on it too! I want you both to meet her. Alex, just trust me on this!"


    "Fine, I''ll be there. She usually comes by 5, right? I''ll see you then." He was not happy, especially given the abrupt click of him hanging up before I could even say good bye.


    I expected similar results from Samantha, even as I punched in the numbers. Pressing the phone to my ear, I waited to hear her voice. "Hm? Smith? It''s unusual for you to call me this early, what''s wrong?" She asked. I told her the same thing I had told Alex, that I wanted them to meet. "....I see. Do you really want that, Smith?" Samantha asked me. I frowned. "Of course I do! Why wouldn''t I?"


    "Haven''t you noticed? Things were normal until she showed up. Did you think that maybe she''s the cause for everything being so weird?" I hesitated. "Well..."


    "Smith, I don''t want to ever experience the sensation of going down that road again, and neither should you." I sighed. "Samantha, won''t you give it a chance?" I heard her give a soft laugh. "You really want this, don''t you? I never can say no when you''re like this, so I''ll be there. Five, right? It''ll give us a chance to talk for real....although I doubt you''ll be happy with the results."


    "Yeah. Thanks....wait a second, what do you mean by that?" I couldn''t hide the relief in my voice, but the relief was instantly replaced by a questioning tone. Did I hear her right? Unfortunately, halfway through my sentence, she had hung up. Putting the phone down, I sighed.


    Why was it so exhausting dealing with this?


    I chose to wait outside on the porch, sitting at my usual perch. The fabled time came around, although shortly before 5 both Alex and Samantha showed up. I directed them to wait in my house while I talked things over with the girl. Neither looked particularly happy, but I was glad they went along with my whim. I came back out just in time to catch the girl waiting for me, hands on her hips. "Hm..? You look like you''ve got something to say," she remarked, mildly surprised. I took a deep breath. "My friends are waiting in my house. I want you to meet them." The look she gave me made me want to wilt on the inside. It was not a look of anger or sadness, or even despair, just disappointment. Seeing such an emotion on her face made me instantly regret ever trying to set things up like this.


    "Smith....the less I interact with people, the better it is for everyone. Your friends...are not the type of people I get along with well..." she told me softly. There was a reluctant look in her eyes, but for once, I couldn''t stand by. "Come on! At least give it a shot!" I pleaded with her. The girl looked away, biting her lip. "...you''re annoying, you know that?"


    "You won''t tell me your name, for Christ''s sake! This is the least of things you can do!"


    "....fine, but I''ll only stay for a minute or two." She told me softly. I smiled, relieved at her agreement. "Greet, then let''s go inside!" I turned around and began walking back towards the house, inviting her in. She stepped in, and I stepped into my house after her, closing the door behind us. As I turned around, the smile faded as I felt the air thicken. Alex and Sam were both on the couch in the living room, regarding the girl who had just walked in with rather hostile gazes.


    In turn, the girl looked at them with an indifferent gaze, although I could sense roiling emotions behind her cool facade. Maybe this was a bad idea... I took a deep breath. "Samantha, Alex, meet my friend. I...don''t know her name." I reluctantly said. The girl gave a half-hearted wave. Alex crossed his legs, regarding her. "...not nearly as impressive as I thought she''d be," he replied simply. Samantha smiled, although for me, it was as if it were forced. "...pleasure to meet you," she sad. "I''ve known her for quite a while, but I know you''re both apprehensive, so I thought maybe meeting her in person might change your dispositions," I told them both.


    Alex yawned tiredly. "Is that so? She''s exactly who I thought she''d be. You don''t even know who she is, do you?" I hesitated. "...what do you mean by that?" Samantha looked nervous now. "...Smith, we''re worried about you. She''s not the person you should get together with..." I was confused now, but the girl beside clucked her tongue softly. "I knew I shouldn''t have come here. You both have no idea what you''re talking about." The way she spoke...I had to wonder. Does she know them?! I looked towards her, although it was clear she was agitated. Alex stood up. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "Fucking bitch. Where did you take Mike? Or Francis? Where the hell did they go!?" The girl looked taken aback at the harsh, sudden language. "What do you mean?"


    "You took them, didn''t you! I know because I saw you interacting with them, the same way you''re interacting with Smith right now!" I hesitated. Mike and Francis were two kids who had recently gone missing. Their recent pictures had flashed across the news, although their association with the girl had never been mentioned or even implied. The girl shook her head. "I didn''t take them anywhere! They went with me willingly!" She told him.


    Alex laughed harshly. "Get a load of this chick, Smith. You know the recent kidnappings? She''s behind them. She''s the one doing it." My heart plummeted at that. "But...what makes you say that? Where''s your evidence?" I asked him. "I had my suspicions when you described her looks to me. I''ve been trying my best to look out for you man, and I''m glad I decided to look into things for a while now."


    "Smith, I honestly don''t know what he''s talking about," the girl told me. I walked forward while Alex reached into a bag beside the couch, one I had not noticed before. He pulled out a small photo album and handed it to me. "Look inside this." I took it and opened the photo. To my surprise, there was the girl, although the photos depicted her talking to various people, old, young, teenagers, even people I myself knew. "What....what is this....?" I asked softly.


    Some of the pictures depicted her running, some of them showing her jogging in a city, and places I had never seen. "Smith, every person who has gone missing in our city and this neighborhood...she has been seen near them. In fact, I did the math, and she''s almost always the last person they saw. I cross examined with families, friends, all mentioned a girl that they never seemed to notice." I turned towards the running girl, looking at her.


    "....can you explain this?" I asked her softly. The horrified look on her face showed her real emotions. "That''s...I would never! I didn''t kidnap them!" she told me heatedly, her cheeks flushed. "Then where the hell are they?!"


    The girl hesitated. "I...can''t tell you..." she said softly. "Are you serious?" I asked her. "Why the hell are you talking to these people? Running with them? I can get that maybe you just want a training buddy or running partner, but why do they always go missing?!" I was pressing forward with my words, trying to break through the barrier of silence she had erected. But the wall would not budge.


    "You wouldn''t understand!"


    The girl shouted at me. "I helped them!" I shook my head, feeling betrayed. I couldn''t believe it. I had trusted this girl, allowed myself to actually run beside her, and all it had been was a clever ploy to get me to lower my guard and probably take me away. "If you weren''t guilty, then why won''t you say anything?" I asked her harshly. The girl looked about ready to cry. "You wouldn''t believe me if I told you. Hell, you don''t even believe me now!" I felt a bit bad over how upset she looked, but I couldn''t let this go.


    It all made sense now. The girl''s hesitance to tell me her name was to keep her identity hidden so I couldn''t give any information to the police if I found out. She was hesitant to come here because she knew Alex had dirt on her. No wonder she was so reclusive, so reluctant to talk with anyone. In the end, it was me who was the fool.


    This girl could not be trusted. "What about that road then?" I asked her. "What is it''s purpose? Why does it fill people with such dread?" She shook her head. "You''re not ready to hear that!" I took a heavy, shuddering breath. "Then if you can''t tell me anything to defend yourself, I''ll take that at evidence of your guilt." The girl''s posture slumped, defeated. "...is that so?" she asked me softly. Samantha stood up, a hard look in her face.


    "I think you should leave," she told the girl. I nodded in agreement. "I can''t believe I wasted my time on you, Smith," the girl told me angrily. I couldn''t believe what I was hearing. "What, upset that all that time you were trying to get me to lower my guard so you could drug me or kill me?" I asked her. "No! No...no. I tried to help you! And yet....and yet...." The neighbors had been right. I had been a fool thinking there was no this girl and the kidnappings could not be involved, or even that she was a danger.


    "Go away." I told her softly. "Fine!" The girl shouted one last time, whirling around and storming out of the house. The door slammed shut behind her. I felt my eyes beginning to tear up, and I struggled to hold back the tears. Why did it hurt so much to cut her off like this, to feel like this? She was just some random girl who walked...no, ran into my life on a whim. Though I knew her well, I didn''t know her name. So then why did I feel so wretched? So hurt over her betrayal?


    "...hey bro, you alright?" Alex asked, walking up to me. I nodded glumly, wiping my eyes. "Y-yeah...thanks for telling me about her," I said softly. Alex smiled sweetly; there was something off about his smile, but among the turbulent thoughts whirling in my mind, I could not place my finger on it. "Of course, that''s what friends are for!"


    "I didn''t think you were actually investigating her though," I pointed out. Alex smiled ruefully. "What, you think I''m a hopeless womanizer? Well, you''re not wrong, but I think with my head up here! Once you told me you met her I started to look into it. I''ve been looking forward to this moment."


    "Then...why were you so hesitant to meet her?" I asked him. Alex sighed as he hugged me. "Because I was afraid it could''ve backfired. Maybe she had you wrapped around her finger that you''d ignore even the blatant evidence, or maybe she brainwashed you. I''m glad that didn''t happen though..." Samantha got up and hugged us as well. "I''m glad you decided to listen to us, Smith." She told me. I nodded, taken in by their warmth. "Yeah, thanks guys...." I replied, bolstered by their support. However, there was a worm of doubt in my mind. Why did this feel so wrong? At that moment, the warmth and comfort engulfing me seemed almost artificial, but I chose to ignore it.


    These were my true friends, after all.

 Chapter 12

    Later that night, I went to bed with a heavy heart, dreading the next day. Over the past weeks, I had come to enjoy waiting for five, and now, there would be nothing. However, it was a small price to remain safe. Never again would I be so stupid. I fell asleep, and gladly slept in the next day, not waking up until around one in the afternoon. I decided to get up and after fixing myself breakfast, decided to go watch TV, while pondering how I was gonna spend the latter half of my day now. Would I continue to run...? I couldn''t deny it didn''t feel good, and it was a good way to remain in shape. As I flicked through the channels, I thought back on the events of yesterday. Sam and Alex were my best friends, and had helped me determine for myself that the girl I had thought I had known definitely had a few skeletons in her closet. Yet the hurt look in her eyes...


    I closed my own eyes, remembering her face. She had really meant what she was saying...or maybe that was just my bias towards her. I shouldn''t think too much on her; she''s no longer a part of my life now. However, I instinctively turn off the TV, and seemingly get up, walking towards the door. What am I doing...? I thought to myself. I checked the clock. "oh..." I mumbled aloud. It was almost five. By force of habit, I usually waited on my porch for her. Out of curiosity, I went with my whim, opening the door and standing outside, observing the road.


    I checked my wrist watch. Five P.M. However, I did not see the girl. I frowned, looking left and right. Did she decide to no longer go down this way? I had no idea if she had multiple routes or not. Given those pictures, I assumed she went down several different paths. Maybe because I, her target, had discovered her intent, ruined the value of going down this way. Maybe she had found someone else. I did not know, nor did I care. However, looking down the road, I remembered the dreadful feeling of that road.


    It was unearthly, unnatural. With the threat of that girl gone, maybe I could safely tackle the road. Determined, I slowly did my stretches, my eyes set on the path ahead. This road....I won''t let you conquer me. I had always gone down this road before on grocery trips every so often, and it had never given me troubles. So why now? I began jogging forward, easing into my usual run. It felt strangely hollow running without her beside me. I realized then, that I felt even more unease than I had when I was with her.


    It was as if her presence provided a comfort that allowed me to push farther. I looked to the side as I ran past Samantha''s house, and then forward once more, eyeing the curve ahead. I ran forward, determined to see just for myself what this road had to offer. I moved around the corner, and found myself staring down the long stretch of road that led out of my neighborhood. As I began to move down the road, I felt the terrible feeling before.


    But it was so much stronger. A deathly feeling overcame me, and my entire body seemed to vibrate internally. This was wrong. I should not be here. As I ran forward, I pushed forward, singlehandedly driving myself against the impenetrable wall. The unease grew into a mighty terror. I gasped, falling on my knees and struggling to catch my breath, an overwhelming fatigue consuming me. I realized then, that I had broken into a cold sweat. As I looked forward, the road seemed far darker, the world ahead dull in color and inviting an unfathomable horror. Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump.  I could hear nothing but the beating of my own heart, which was unnaturally fast.


    What the hell? This wasn''t even half the distance I had ran with the girl. Why was it impossible for me to advance now? My thoughts were interrupted by the crackling of loose rocks, a car pulling up beside me. "Yo, you ok Smith?" The voice was familiar. I looked up and into the eyes of the kind gentleman. "What? Oh...uh, yeah. Fine." I replied, trying to play things off. "I just tired myself out...." I stood up, smiling awkwardly. The gentleman studied me with suspicious eyes. "Hm, alright..."


    "Hey, why are you leaving? I thought you didn''t work this late...." The man laughed softly. "Perceptive as ever, I see. Something came up. I gotta cover someone''s shift. If I don''t, the office will get swamped and then my paperwork increases tenfold...." I nodded, looking down towards the road. "Say...do you feel unnerved going down here...?" I asked. The gentleman frowned, tilting his head. "...No. Are you alright?" I smiled awkwardly. "No, it''s nothing." The man slowly nodded. "You shouldn''t go much farther. I don''t know the details, but apparently the neighborhood next to ours isn''t so nice. Lot of bad kids there. I don''t want to see a kid like you be influenced by gangs or something..." I couldn''t help but smile at his concern. "Yeah, I was thinking of heading back. See you around..." The man smiled back, then focused on the road ahead and began driving forward, seemingly with no issue.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    I looked forward, and the road itself seemed serene, no longer as dark and forbidding as it once had. I also realized then that one, it was significantly darker than it had been when I had first come down this road, and two, I no longer had a desire to go down the road. ...is it a reaction thing? IN every instance, the terrible feeling overcame me when I tried to go down this road. But the moment I stopped thinking about it or even turned back, it withdraw almost instantly. I turned around, realizing then that there was no way in hell this was normal. There was no scientific explanation for this.


    The only answer then, for me, to draw upon was that this was a supernatural occurrence. Either that, or something else. Something outside the realm of science. With this revelation, I also realized that perhaps the girl herself, too, was not of this world. The end of this road had a secret, a secret I had to know. And the girl had offered herself to me, a key, to unlock that secret. I put two and two together.


    Without her, I would never make it to the end of this path. I would never find out the dark truth that chilled my heart whenever I thought about it. After a hard run back to my house, I came to the conclusion that I had to apologize to the girl. Maybe I had been wrong. Maybe something else made these people disappear. Maybe the secret she was hiding had nothing to do with the people. Feeling thirsty, I made my way to the kitchen and opened the fridge, pulling out the pitcher that had ice tea in it. As I set it down, my eye was drawn to the telephone embedded in the wall, as well as a slip of paper on the counter beside it. I picked it up, staring at the number which I did not recognize.


    Oh right. It was her number. I realized then that I had a means to my end. Picking up the phone, I punched in the number and waited. Almost immediately, there was a click as the phone was hung up. I tried again. Same result. A third time, and this time I got an answer. "What do you want, Smith?" I winced. One, I had not expected her to pick up so soon. Two, I had no idea how she knew it was my name. There was no way to tell who was calling, not with the phones currently available. My best guess was she assumed that I''d probably call soon to apologize. "Look, I wanted to say sorry. I made a bad call, but there''s something-"


    "Let me guess, you went down the road, didn''t you?" I flinched. "H-how did you know?"


    "Curiosity killed the cat. You''re not the first, Smith. And you certainly won''t be the last."


    "What the hell is with that road?" I asked her. "Do you even deserve to know? You were awfully quick to turn on me. Since my word has such little value to you, why would you even listen to me?" I flinched at the scathing remark. "...yeah, I get it. I was an asshole to you. But I mean..it''s been weeks, and I don''t even-"


    "Esther. My name is Esther."  I fell silent, my mouth hanging open at how readily she supplied her name. "A-are you serious?"


    "Yes, although after that debacle, you certainly don''t deserve it." She was right, of course. "Look, I know I''m not getting past that road without you. I don''t know why its stopping me, but you''re the key to all this. Alex and Sam seem awfully keen on keeping you away from me, and that''s kind of suspicious..."


    "....why the hell are you so perceptive? You''re the first one who''s come to that conclusion so quickly."


    "I assume I"m right?"


    "...yes. You''re friends...aren''t really your friends. The world itself is...I''ll tell you later. I''ll come over tomorrow, and then I''ll tell you everything when I get there. And then...we can leave this behind. All of it."


    I had no idea what she was talking about. Leave this behind? What? I opened my mouth to speak, there was only a long tone. She had hung up. I placed the phone back, and sighed. So her name was Esther...I''ll be. It was an archaic name, as far as I know. It was a name belonging to a different era, one long past. Coincidentally, I figured that maybe this was a good thing. Now that I knew her name, I finally felt closer to her than before, which was a good thing. Thinking back on it, I realize I may have jumped the gun.


    But honestly, what else was I supposed to do? Just believe some girl who wouldn''t even tell me her name over my two, life long friends? It was pretty late...I decided to hit the hay for the night.

 Chapter 13

    As I fell asleep, I opened my eyes, only to be surprised that I was in a white room. A constant beep, beep, beep beside me. "Doctor, is he going to be alright?" I heard a voice ask. "I don''t know, Mrs. Smith," came a gruff reply. "He''s showing signs of brain activity, vivid ones at that. However, the chances of him waking up are very low. The injuries he sustained are quite serious..." What are they talking about? Is that my mom? I tilted my head, but I couldn''t see much. It was all blurry. What was this place? I closed my eyes, trying to think. I''m dreaming, right? So then that means... I had read somewhere that if you knew you were dreaming, you could control it. So that meant that I could get up and walk if I focused.


    Focus.


    I made a vain effort to wake up, only to find out that it was hard. Harder than anything I''ve ever done in my life. Honestly, the feeling was not unlike the kind I felt walking down the road. "Doctor, I think he''s waking!" The voice murmured, a trace of excitement. ''No, he''s only stirring. Probably a dream," the gruff voice replied. "Mrs. Smith, it''s time to start considering alternatives. You know he''s likely suffering, perhaps we should..."Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ''No! Doctor, please, keep him on support for a few more days, I''m certain he''ll wake up!"


    Mom? What are you talking about? I am awake! I thought furiously. I''m alive and well! What was she doing here, anyway? Wasn''t she on a trip with dad? I focused on my body..and was met with crippling pain. The worst pain of my life. Beepbeepbeepbeepbeep... The noise intensified, the beeps growing more frequent. I shouldn''t have done this. I want to sleep. But the pain would not let me. It felt like every bone in my body was broken. "Oh no! Nurse! NURSE!" The voice shouted. "The meds are wearing off. We gotta put him back under again..."


    I struggled to pull my attention away from my body, but it didn''t seem to be working. However, the pain slowly subsided finally, the constant droning in my ears lessening and growing less frequent. "That was a close one..." Why? What is this place...? I struggled to remain awake, but to my chagrin, I felt myself lapsing into unconsciousness, but not before I felt a warmth enclose my hand suddenly, a voice echoing in my mind. "I love you Smith."

 Chapter 14

    I woke up...and suddenly sat up, gasping for breath. All I could remember was that piercing pain...although now it was long gone. The weird part was that I could still remember that dream vividly. I don''t know what that place was...but I think I was injured, somehow. Whatever the case, I checked the time. 9:30. A good time to wake up, I thought. Rolling out of bed, I changed my clothes and went through my daily morning rituals. Today was the day, then. I was going to the end of that god forsaken road with Esther....it felt nice finally knowing her name. I exited my room and fixed myself a bowl of cereal, turning on the TV in the adjacent living room with the remote, since I had a clear line of sight to it from the kitchen. Last time on NewsRadio...


    Ah, this show. I was a fan of it. Sitcoms like this one were always nice. I couldn''t help but smile as the episode aired, while I myself munched happily on my cereal. Once I was finished, I drank the milk in the bowl and rinsed it out, then left it in the sink. I''d put it in the dishwasher later. Walking to the couch, I sat down, sighing. May as well waste the remaining hours I had until five watching TV. A few hours later, maybe around 4, I heard the door open. Surprised, I couldn''t help but call out. "Mom? Dad?" I didn''t get a response. There were only a few people in this world with the audacity to walk into my house uninvited...my suspicions were confirmed when Alex popped up in the doorway. "Yo, how''s it going?" He asked me with a cheeky grin.


    "How about knocking next time?" I asked him. Alex laughed. "Your fault for leaving the door unlocked. What if I was a burglar?"


    "I''d pummel you!" I replied, smiling. "So, what''s up?"


    "Nothing man, I was just wanting to hangout. Whatcha got playing?" He checked out the TV as he plopped down beside me on the couch. "Oh, Simpsons now, huh?" I nodded. "How''s Samantha?" I asked.


    "Oh man, she''s great bro! Yesterday we went to a restaurant and had one heck of a meal. Gotta take you with us next time!" I laughed. "Really? It''s not that new one that just opened up, is it?"Stolen novel; please report.


    "It is! Sorry for not inviting you, but I figured you''d probably be busy..." I shrugged it off, not minding it at all. "It''s alright, but you owe me a free meal!" He pouted, then smiled. "Yeah man, sure." Time passed by quicker than I thought, and before I knew it, a look at the clock revealed it was 5:34. "....huh?" I mumbled.


    "You''re waiting for her, aren''t you?" Alex asked. I turned to face him. "How''d you know?"


    "Not that hard to tell. I can''t believe you''d still go to her even after everything. Are you stupid or something?" I shook my head. "No, it''s just-"


    "It doesn''t matter, we got it covered." I frowned at those words.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Got her restrained and everything. We''re going to deal with her once and for all." I jumped up. "Alex, what the hell?!" I was almost shouting at this point. Alex got up, looking perplexed. "What? She''s kidnapping people, Alex. We had to take things into our own hands..."


    "Restrain her? What about calling the police? We''re not savages!"


    "Well see, Alex, the police won''t be of much help. Sides, Sheriff Jones is giving us his full cooperation. I''m doing this for you, bro. I don''t wanna lose you..." I trembled in rage. "The hell you are! Where is she?!" Alex shook his head. "I''m not saying. Look, this is for your own good, aight?" I walked up to him, grabbing the scruff of his shirt.


    "Where. Is. She?" I asked him through clenched teeth. Alex looked hurt. "Are you seriously choosing some random chick who won''t even tell you her name over your lifelong friend?"


    "I''m starting to wonder if you''re really my friend," I pointed out. Alex laughed. "So what? Gonna punch me? I doubt it..." I let go of him. "No. I''m going to find Esther."


    "Is that the bitch''s name? How charming..." I stormed past him, but my movement was halted as I felt a hand clamp down on my shoulder, halting my progress. "...but you know, Smith, I can''t let you do that." I tried to break free from his grip, but it wasn''t working. It was like he had a grip of steel! "Let me go, Alex!" I protested. "We''re not vigilantes! Don''t tell me you''re gonna burn her at the stake too?"


    "Weeeeell...."


    "You son of a-" My words were cut off as something slammed into my face, sending me flying backwards, my body slamming against the wall. "Smith...why can''t you understand? Don''t you want to stay? This place is so nice..." Alex''s words made little sense to me as my vision dimmed...and then I fell unconscious, wondering just what the hell was going on.

 Chapter 15

    I looked down at my friend, sighing dejectedly. Why? Why did she have to get him? It''s not like I wanted to punch him, but he was going to ruin everything! I crouched down and hugged Smith''s unconscious body. "Don''t worry bro, I''ll make everything better, yeah?" I mumbled in his ear. Not that he responded. I hope I didn''t break anything. I stood up and picked up his body, carrying it to his room. To my surprise, I noticed his computer, an IBM. "Oh, he was probably going to write in his journal, wasn''t he?"


    I knew Smith had a journal, but it wasn''t really one in a traditional sense. He always typed his thoughts onto the computer, rather than writing them down. I guess he wanted to be modern or something. I stood up and sighed, turning to leave. It was time to deal with the girl once and for all. I walked out of his house and made my way down towards the street. On the curb was the girl, handcuffed and restrained, glaring daggers at me. "Sheriff, did she put up a fight?" I asked the man behind her, garbed in a brown uniform. He tipped his hat to me. "Damn right she did. Didn''t think a young''un like her could have so much fight in her. Nothing I couldn''t handle, though."


    "She looks dangerous, keep her away from my kids!" Dorothy replied, who had come out to check out the scene. Nearby was Roberto, still in his suit. "Well, it''s a good thing I have a vacation day, I wouldn''t miss this for anything!" He remarked with a smirk. I waved to them, and after greeting each of our neighbors, turned to acknowledge the Sheriff.


    "Samantha will be here soon. We''ll deal with her by the end of today," I replied.


    "You''re a real piece of work, you know that?" The girl told me, struggling against her restraints. I stepped back in a display of mock fear. "Oh no, the kidnapper is going to get me! Heeeelp~!"


    "I didn''t kidnap them! I took them away from this god awful place!" The girl spat. I laughed at her anger. "And you see, that''s why I can''t let you. Smith is happy here, yanno? Why would you want to take that from him?"


    "You can''t keep him here! I need to do my job!" I had to resist the urge to punch the stupid wench. "Do I look like I give a damn? Smith is my friend!"Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    "I call bull! You just want another person to keep, don''t you?" Before I knew it, I found my hand reaching out and smacking her. "Shut up!" I barked angrily. "There it is...that''s who you really are..." the girl mumbled as she reeled from the impact. I reigned my anger in, taking a deep breath. "Hey, don''t let her get to you Alex. The Old man is fixing to help us find the best way to deal with her," the Sheriff told me. I nodded, studying the girl. "...good. It makes sense he''d know what to do, he''s been here the longest of us all. It''s amazing what a few centuries can do in terms of increasing your knowledge..."


    "Yo! Wassup?" The familiar voice behind me brought joy to my heart. "Sam, glad you could make it!" I said cheerfully, whirling around. "It''s bad, Sam. She''s got Smith wrapped around her little finger..."


    "No! He''s just finally seeing the truth! He knows what you are!" The girl protested.


    "Alright, that''s enough outta ya!" Jones remarked, pulling her away. Samantha looked at me sadly. "Well, what are we going to do about Smith?" she asked me. I sighed. "I honestly don''t know. I''m sure I can think of something. It''ll definitely help once we get rid of her, though. I''m certain she''s the reason he''s gone all crazy...." I stared at Smith''s house, thinking on what the girl had told me. "...it wouldn''t do for him to leave us so soon, not before we get what we need. He''s the final piece...our ticket outta here. I''m tired of spending my life forever stuck here in this limbo...." Years and years would go by. Though I, nor anyone else, felt it''s effects, we could feel it passing. We were tired of it. When Smith joined us, it became clear that we had a way out.


    He always thought he had lived his life here, when in fact, I honestly knew he had only "moved in" a year or two ago. Funny how the mind adapts to situations it can''t comprehend. Me and Samantha knew more about Smith than Smith knew about himself...so it was easy to pretend to be his lifelong friends. All part of the plan, of course. As for the girl...well, she was the reason why we never could get out. She''d always target people and bring them away from this place. Where, I had no idea, but it was a place we could not go.


    Not that I''d want to even if I could. The girl bringing those people away filled me with an anger I can''t even imagine. Her and others of her ilk. Always ruining my plans. Well, not this time. We had managed to catch her, thanks to Smith. She should have known better than to come here, but oh well. "Come on, let''s go check on Smith..." I told Samantha. She nodded, the two of us walking towards his door. "...we may need to start rehabilitation if it''s too bad..." she mumbled. I couldn''t help but agree. "We''ll see....we''ll see...."