ONLINE

Chapter 2

Pulling herself together, she shot a smile towards Jessie along with a small wink to show her approval, however that approval went under the question as Adam took a seat on the table, with his eyes, fixated on her. Swallowing the lump in her throat and ignoring the uneasy feeling she had in her gut, she introduced herself to the man sat before her.

The time went by slow and painful, her sense of safety was evaporating in the small confined space of the coffee shop. She wanted to be happy for her friend, to make Adam feel comfortable and continue to approve of their relationship but something didn't feel right and he sure as hell wasn't making her feel comfortable either.

'So, Lana. Do you go online often?' The same words that left his mouth were the same words that got stuck in her throat, choking her, making her gag on the coffee that she was finding difficult to swallow down as the realisation of what he had just asked sunk in. Online. The word itself was making her skin crawl with goosebumps, let alone the actual question or the meaning behind it.

Was she being paranoid or had he just hinted something to her? She sat frozen in her seat, her skin paled out, her mind a foggy mess. She had forgotten for a second that Jessie was also sitting with them until she heard her friends voice.

'Online?' Jessie asked, just as confused as Lana.

'Yeah like Skype, put on a show for online men.' The more he spoke, the more she felt suffocated. Unable to form the words to respond, she sat there stunned, refusing to participate in the current conversation anymore. Bile had rushed to the surface of her throat, making her head spin with nausea.

'I'm kidding, I meant online as in online gaming. I feel like I've heard your voice on an online game before.' Jessie relaxed at his answer, turning to face her still in shock friend. Although he seemed genuine about what he had said, Lana found it hard to believe. She wasn't sure if it was her paranoia or she was actually right to feel so wrong about this guy.

Pretending to feel sick, Lana excused herself and headed to go back home. Although it wasn't all completely a lie, she really did feel emotionally sick. She hadn't said a word after his question,

and she was afraid,

that he really might,

be the one.

CHAPTER 3

I'm watching you, I'm always watching you, kitten.

His words felt like thorns to her drained soul. His threats swallowing her existence and fading her away into the darkness within the world of the internet. She wished she could switch her laptop off and never set eyes on it again, to throw it out the window and watch it crash into pieces. Just like his username 'Blade' his existence was cutting her to pieces. He had said that wasn't his name but she was to call him that as a reminder to know he would kill her with a single blade if she was to ever tell anyone about him. She felt lightheaded at the thought.

He really was watching her, he knew what she wore to where she went to even the food she consumed. He knew it all. She didn't know whether he had hacked into her phone or.... he followed her. If he did follow her then she had to have seen him, at least once. No matter how much she searched into the depths of her brain, she couldn't think of anyone that she'd noticed following her.

Where is your mind at, my submissive? Don't look away. Look into the camera.

Her eyes lifted to the camera, her throat dry. She wasn't in the mood to play his games today, so she sat quietly, watching the screen as he typed away. Typing away the things that she didn't want to read.

Tell me, what are you thinking, kitten?

'What do you want with me?' Her voice was low and steady. He didn't like it when she yelled at him. He didn't like her talking to him in a disrespectful manner. He'd leave the chat and when he would come back, he'd come back with her punishment. He'd make her stay in front of the camera for hours, he'd make her touch herself until she cried and begged him to let her leave. She'd learned by now that displeasing him wasn't going to get her anywhere and displeasing him became the last thing she wanted.

I want you to surrender yourself to me, just the way you did on the night of the party, and I want that all day, everyday, kitten.

Her stomach turned at his reply. She wanted to throw up on the laptop and hope that it would never switch back on. She had surrendered to him, she had willingly let him explore her body, although that night was a fog due to her drug induced state, the videos and pictures were more than enough proof of what she had done. That made her queasy.

'You're sick.' She whispered, her chest tight with the sickness in her gut. That sickness turned into shame as she watched the video he sent her as his reply. She was on her knees, her mouth filled with him, he was thrusting into her throat and she looked like she was enjoying every moment. Not wanting to watch it any longer, she closed her eyes and held back the tears that she so desperately wanted to hide. Her skin burned with the need to scream at herself for being so stupid, for getting herself into this.

You sucked and f****d this sick person and you loved every single bit of it, kitten.

Smacking the laptop shut, she refused to read anymore of his messages. Her heart was doing 360's in her chest as she took deep breaths to calm her rattled nerves. Nothing seemed to work. If those videos ever got to her parents, she could never look them in the eye again. They would most likely disown her and leave her for dead. They were strict, they had spent their entire life bringing her and her brother up to be successful people. They'd never agree to her doing drugs, let alone sleeping with a stranger and then having the video and pictures of it exposed to the world. She was in deep s**t and she didn't know how to get out of it.

Gulping in a large amount of breath, she inhaled the fresh air that lingered around her. She'd come to the front garden, needing to be anywhere but in that four walled room of hers that reeked of misery.

'Are you ok?' An unfamiliar voice approached her, making her jump as she turned to face the owner of the voice. Two brown orbs stared back into her grey ones as she took in his appearance. Caramel brown hair, brown eyes, full lips and a jaw sharp enough to give her paper-cuts. He stood tall and proud while he studied her silent form. She'd seen him before, it was the new neighbour that had moved in about two months ago.

'We finally meet.' His words made her shiver. We will meet soon. Blade's words rushed into her brain as she tried to come up with all of the possibilities. Swallowing the desert in her throat, she forced a smile to the man stood before her, her eyes falling onto the laptop behind him which was placed on the table in his garden. What was he doing on that laptop? Who was he talking to? Could it be.. her? Her paranoia had hit an all time low and she knew she was about to lose her mind.

'Your name is Lana. I'm Jake.' He said matter of factly, his statement sucking all of the air that she had breathed in, out of her.

'How do you know my name?' Her words came out shaky and undefined.

'Were neighbours, I've met your mum, she told me about you.' A small smile filtered his expression causing her to shrink away from him. That bad feeling in her gut when she met Adam was back and she didn't plan on entertaining it.

'I've got to go back in.' She rushed her words out before she turned around to head back into the house, only to be stopped by his last assertion that chilled her to the bone, for he responded with;

'We will meet again.'

CHAPTER 4

Her eyes skimmed over her long black hair that fell to the small of her back, she ran her fingers through it, her mind restless. She'd thought about Adam for a long while and then her thoughts drifted off to Jake. Was this all a bad coincidence or did any of the guys have something to do with her online stalker? Or were they.. him.

Her parents had left to go out of town for the weekend and quite frankly she was more than afraid of being home alone. She never used to be, it used to be her favourite thing, to stay home alone, all peaceful and nice but now, she wasn't sure if she was alone at all.

Her eyes fell to window on the side of her wall and her heart stalled in her chest. He was there. Watching her from his house. Jake. He didn't bother trying to play it off and act like he wasn't watching, no, he continued to stare right at her. Her body felt numb at the sight of his dark presence, she wasn't sure what to do but to stare back. For a second, she lost all touch of herself as he kept her gaze captive. Everything in the way he looked at her screamed danger.

Coming to her senses, she shut the curtains and sat on her bed, her heart regenerating as she typed away on her phone. She refused to stay home alone tonight, not being sure if she would make it to the morning, she messaged her friend Ryan, hoping that he wouldn't take too long to come over.

She felt relieved to have her friend over, although the goosebumps on her fevered skin hadn't evaporated, she felt somewhat better that she wasn't alone. Everything felt like it was sucking her into a dark hole and her entire existence had become afraid, even afraid of her own shadow, maybe Ryan's company would make her feel slightly more in touch with her inner self, for she had lost that touch the minute she set eyes on her first suspect, Adam.

'What's wrong? You seem out of it.' Ryan's voice pulled her out of her unconscious thoughts and into the present. She forced a small smile and tried to think of an excuse to her new odd behaviour that everyone seemed to be picking up on.

'Just tired. I haven't saw you ever since the party, Where have you been?' Her attempt at changing the subject seemed to work, yet she knew, he was smart enough to notice it.

'Busy.' His voice was low and his word blunt. She felt almost uncomfortable under his gaze. His brown orbs were staring right into her and for a second, she noticed the resemblance he had to Adam and Jake. Pushing aside her crazy thoughts, she smiled once more.

'I see that.'

'Did you have fun at the party?' His question startled her, awakening the sick feeling in her gut yet again. She was starting to feel sick of feeling sick.

'Did you?' He didn't miss the fact she didn't answer his question but he didn't push it. Quite frankly, he knew the answer to his question. She had, had a lot of fun.

'Yeah, I had fun.' His facial expression hadn't changed and she couldn't help but notice the strange aura that was oozing out of him. She didn't understand why he was acting weird or was it all just in her head? Was she being paranoid yet again?