Maybe Fate: A Novel (New Adult Paranormal Romance) (3 page)

“
True,”
he agreed. “I'm just not sure what screaming would
accomplish.”

That
was too much for me. In a panic, I threw the bread at him, not
watching to see if it would even do anything. All I wanted was to
run, and my body was happy to oblige.

Scrambling
down the walkway, stones clomping under my rapid foot-beats, I
strained to tell if I was being followed.

I
can't look back, dammit, I can't! Just run, Gale, just keep running.

Breathing
heavy, fighting the sharp, acrid burning in my chest, I pushed
myself beyond what my muscles thought they could do.

Screaming
for air, for a break, I denied it all and just kept sprinting until
I broke out into the street. Behind me, the park was like an angry
black spider, the leaves and branches reaching for the sky with
hairy legs.

Bending
over by the only lamp post along that length of road, I panted.

I
need to go further... I should get closer to other people, or go to
the police, or just something. I wish I at least had a cellphone!

Wiping
my forehead, I turned back to stare anxiously into the shadows. The
park, a place that had always felt so peaceful to me, now made my
belly stir uneasily.

Who
was that guy? Why the hell has he been following me?

Shaking
my head, I smoothed my hair back behind my ears. My belly still felt
squishy, like the bread I'd eaten could come up any minute.

Glancing
to the west, I saw the vague glow of the downtown area, where I knew
the police station would be. Unfortunately, before the safe glow of
the hustle and bustle, was a long stretch of silent houses.

Walking
past the hunched buildings that seemed so insidious in the blue
evening didn't sound appealing.

The
other way up the road went back to my campus, my dorm. The entire
swath of pavement was bright with tall lamps, and that... that
struck me as much safer.

Tomorrow.
I'll go talk to the cops tomorrow.

Adjusting
my backpack, I hurried off down the quiet street. It wasn't until I
crossed into the grassy commons of the campus that I started to
breathe easier.

My
relief didn't last long.

Stepping
into the first halo of tall lamp light spreading across the ground,
tingles crept up my neck seconds before that smooth voice called to
me.

“
Did
you not realize this bread was old?”

Freezing,
I looked down at the long shadow on the grass beside me. It poured
over, extending into the light from the lamp above.

Warily,
I turned around until I saw that grinning face. He was standing
outside the reach of the glow, decked in darkness. Still, he wore
those sun glasses.

In
one hand, he had a slice of white bread held high. The bag I'd
chucked at him was cradled against his chest. “Well?” he
asked, expectant.

“
I—I,
what? Well what?” I was having trouble thinking, especially
when I was trying to decide if he was close enough to stop me from
rushing straight for the dorms at the top of the hill.

“
Well,”
he said pointedly, waggling the bread, “did you realize it was
old?
”

“
That...
yeah. Of course.”
If
I yell loud enough, right now, maybe someone will come help before
this goes too far.

Sighing,
the stranger tucked the slice back in with the rest. “So every
time you've been eating these, it's been awful, stale quality?”

Stunned,
I slumped my shoulders so quickly my backpack fell to the grass.
“Every time?”

“
That's
what I said.”

“
You...
you've been watching me in the park before?”

Canting
his head, he smiled sideways. “I thought I already said as
much before you ran off in such a hurry?”

Oh
my goodness what the hell.
Gawking,
my foot stepped backwards on the mild slope. “So you meant it.
You've really been stalking me. Why? Tell me why.”

“
As
to that,” he shrugged, face almost entirely dark, “I
couldn't say exactly.”

“
You
don't know?” Enraged disbelief wallowed up in me. “Impossible.
How the hell could you not know why you're doing this? Who
are
you?”

In
the late hour, his visage cast in shadow, only his smirk was easily
seen. “So many questions. Let me answer the second, since it's
really all I should be speaking about.”

With
a heavy silence coating us both, he made it all the thicker with a
dramatic pause. Bowing his head, a deep gesture I'd have felt was
out of place on anyone else, the stranger inclined his chin at me.

At
that angle, I could see just over the crack of his sunglasses. I
thought I might spot something that explained the coverage, but I
only glimpsed his eyelashes.
Maybe
he's blind? Why else wear glasses like that at night?

He
moved in a smooth gesture that put him far too close. Unable to
react, I inhaled sharply at his nearness.

He
offered me back my bag of bread. Both his smile and his glasses
glinted in the lamp light. “I'm known as Nethiun. Nice to
officially meet you.”

'Nice
to officially meet you.'
My brain was in a fog, fighting to do something about all the
warning sparks. “You know who I am, I take it.” I
whispered flatly.

“
Indeed,”
he mused, gesturing the bread-bag at me again. “Gale Everette,
student here at Endicott college, undeclared in your major. And now
we know each other. How proper.”

Gingerly,
I took the package from him, listening to the paper crinkle.
“Proper. You call stalking me around in secret, learning weird
facts about me, and scaring me half to death 'proper?'”

Shrugging,
he straightened up and hid his hands back in his pockets. “If
it all ends up in the same place eventually, then yes. Why not?”

“
I—because
you don't do things like that!” I blurted, so lost by the
situation that my fear began to melt in a vague simmer. “Following
people, not telling them why? That's awful stuff!”

“
Awful,”
he repeated thoughtfully. “Hmn. Perhaps I shouldn't have let
myself be caught out after all.”

Reaching
down, I scooped up my backpack, juggling it over my shoulder.
“You're saying you
let
me spot you on purpose?”

Nethiun
smiled down at me, but he said nothing.

He
was still making me uneasy, but considering that nothing had
happened to me yet, I felt bold enough to press him. “Are you
a private detective or something? Is that why you won't tell me
anything, or why you're hiding your face behind those glasses?”

Leaning
away, he touched a pair of fingers to the bridge of his nose. “A
detective? No, nothing like that at all.”

“
Then
take those off, show me what you look like,” I pressed, taking
a step forward without thinking about it. “Besides, it's got
to be impossible to see out of those when it's this dark out.”

Nethiun's
mouth spread, twisting up at the corners. “I can see just
fine. But,” he went on, hunching down to let his face hover a
mere foot from mine, “why are you so interested in seeing my
face?”

Jerking
backwards, I almost tumbled onto the grass. “What are you
implying?” I demanded, clutching the bread-bag so hard it
crunched. My cheeks felt like I'd been sitting in the sun for hours.

Chuckling,
he kicked one shoe against his opposite ankle. “Nothing. You
make it sound like I asked something inappropriate, when you're the
one requesting a better look at me.”

Gasping,
I shook my head so fast my hair flew like a storm of crimson waves.
“No! No, you've got that all wrong, I...”

“
What
a nice pink color your cheeks can make,” he whispered, voice
like melted caramel.

Blushing,
my boots carried me up the hill a few steps. “Whatever. Stop
looking at me already. I shouldn't even be wasting my time talking
to you, not if you're going to be playing these word games and not
telling me why you're stalking me.”

“
I
was only trying to have a little fun,” he said with
exaggerated chagrin. “Upsetting you, well, that was just a
side effect. Besides,” he said with a light laugh, “isn't
this better than feeding the birds alone on a bench?”

“
Is
what better?” I scowled.

“
Talking
to me,” he said bluntly, cocking his head to one side.

Staring
at his sharp cheeks, his even sharper smile, I struggled to find
some words. Anything, if just to avoid dwelling in awkward silence.

Whoever
this man was, he was throwing me off entirely. Was it because of how
strange he was, or was it perhaps something in the way he spoke to
me without a hint of uncertainty?

When
was the last time a boy even tried to have a conversation with
me—no, no, stop it Gale! This guy is trouble, and possibly
crazy . At best, he's involved in some fishy stuff.

Also,
his name is suspiciously weird.

Nethiun
was quiet, his lips a neutral line. I realized he wasn't watching me
any longer, but something past my shoulder.

Shivering,
I shot a look behind me, staring at the campus and the lights of the
buildings. It was too easy to feel like I was in some sort of horror
film. “What is it now?” I said, hushed.

Suddenly
self-conscious about acting so paranoid, I cleared my throat and
spun back to squint at him. “If you don't—”
Cutting myself off, I looked upon the shadow covered grass.

No
longer was he standing before me. Somehow, in that few seconds,
Nethiun had vanished.

Trembling,
I shot a wild look around. There was no sign of the stranger, not
even a hint he had existed.

Standing
out on the commons, stale bread hugged tightly in my arms, I was
entirely alone.

Gale
Everette

My
dorm was quiet when I arrived. Slipping inside, I set the bread-bag
on my desk. Hanging my backpack on the chair, I flopped down onto my
bed and groaned.

This
has been a weird night.
Staring
up at the ceiling, I counted the wrinkles in the paint, trying to
distract myself from my thoughts.

It
seemed impossible. That wicked smile kept returning firmly to mind.
Rolling onto my stomach, I dropped my face into my pillow.

Now
what do I do? Go to the police station tomorrow? Tell them I'm being
stalked by someone with a name like 'Nethiun'?

Pursing
my lips, I crushed myself further into the fluffy bed.
I'm
still going to do it. I don't want to end up like one of those girls
who convinces herself reporting stuff is a waste of time, and then
ends up in a casket.