Watchers
1249 Words
“Don't wander too far,” Laura called cheeringly from the kitchen, the foreboding tone in her voice gone now.
“It’s just a stroll,” Jenine called back. “I won't be out long,” she said walking out the front door.
“Holla if you need me. I'll hear you.”
“Alright, rub it in,” she muttered.
She and Laura hadn't really said a word to each other since she mentioned Elisha's name to her. She needed the stroll to clear her head. The awkwardness that hung in the house like mist needed time to evaporate.
The dry leaves crackled under her feet as her shoes crushed them, walking deeper into the woods. She stayed close to the road.
“Even if something were to happen, Laura will get to me quickly if I scream,” she thought as her eyes darted around, taking in her surroundings.
She had come to trust her maybe way too much.
The deeper she walked, the less conscious of her surroundings she got. It was almost like the woods called her to itself, its pull strong on her. So strong she couldn't resist it.
“Hello beautiful,” a deep sonorous voice came, breaking into the silence.
The crackling of twigs and dried leaves stopped as Jenine froze, a gasp escaping her lips. She swirled around quickly, her chest tightening. Maybe if she had been listening, she could have heard the sound of the car as it approached. She could have heard the sound of the door as it clicked shut.
“Oh, it's you,” her voice came so faint it was almost a whisper. Her racing heart slowed down with each passing moment.
“Elisha. How did you find me?”
The sides of his lips rolled up into a grin.
“You asked me to come find you, didn't you?”
“I… I did,” Jenine stuttered as he inched closer to her, the smile still clinging to his lips. “Do you do this all the time?”
“Do what?” he asked, his gaze steady on her face. He didn't seem to want to take his eyes off of her.
“Go looking for random girls you meet at the mall.”
“And do you go about telling guys to come find you for the fun of it?”
He stood in front of her now, his tall frame slouched as he stared down deep into her eyes. “Or you just love adventures?”
“Not really,” Jenine smiled back.
Now that she thought of it, why had she told him to come find her? Why had she given a stranger that kind of a tempting task? What was she thinking? He could have been a serial killer of some sorts.
All these thoughts ran through her mind as she stared up at this stranger that had gone out of his way to look for her.
The messy black hair that sat on his head, a part of it hanging loosely over his eyes—eyes that smiled at her; eyes that looked mysterious like they had deep secrets laying underneath them. The firm nose that stretched below them, that perfect jawline…
“He looks almost as glorious as the guy I met in the woods that night,” she found herself thinking.
Elisha could hear her heart hammering hard against her chest. The way her eyelids fluttered when she blinked.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
“What?”
“What're you thinking? Your eyes were lost.”
“That’s what happens when you stare at them for too long.”
She saw his lips purse and his eyes narrow as the words left her mouth.
Had she said something wrong?
Even as she stared at this tall, handsome, smiling stranger, she couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive. What if he didn't like her? What if he gets turned off by something she says? What if…
“What the hell am I doing?” she muttered to herself. “This isn't me…” she cut herself short putting her hands over her mouth.
“Dumb ass,” she thought.
She had totally forgotten. He could hear any word she said as long as it left her mouth.
The way his eyes squinted as he looked at her like she was an object of wonder—a discovery—made her self conscious.
The cringy feeling passed through her body in spasms making her feel like sinking into the earth.
Elisha's knitted brows relaxed as his lips parted, the laughter rolling out of his mouth. The hair on his head bobbed over his face as his body shook from the laughter. He moved the part of the hair that fell across his eyes backwards, tucking it into the back of his ear.
“You're a cute little thing, aren't you?” he finally said as the laughter died down, a faint glimmer in his eyes. “What are you doing out here though?” he asked as his eyes did a quick dart around.
“Nothing. Just taking a walk.”
“In the middle of nowhere?”
“Here's isn't nowhere. I live around here.”
“Oh, right. And how many neighbors have you got?” his eyes glistened as they rested on her.
“None?”
“Nowhere. That's where you live. In the middle of nowhere,” he said as his hands folded across his chest.
“Elisha,” Luca's voice came in through the mind link.
“Where the hell have you been? I'd been looking all over for you.”
There was silence on the other side.
“Luca? Are you okay?”
“Take a guess,” his voice sounded distant on the other end.
Elisha could feel the dejection in the way he spoke even though it was through the mind link. He didn't need to hear his voice to know something was wrong.
“I'm coming to you now. Give me a minute.”
He shifted his attention to the girl in front of him, her fingers already twirling her hair.
“I have to go now. It's getting kind of late. I think you should go home too. It's not safe around here.”
“Oh…”
“Let me walk you home.”
“I don't think that's necessary,” Jenine replied, her voice firm as she looked him in the eye.
“Alright then. I won't bug you. Can I at least get your number, Jenine?” he pulled out a phone from his back pocket.
“I don't own a phone,” she said walking away ignoring the surprised look on his face. She turned to see him still standing there, watching her.
“I can at least stand here and make sure you get home safely before I leave, can't I?” he asked, his hands folded across his chest.
“I appreciate it.” Jenine turned walking back quickly the way she had come. She could feel his eyes on the back of her head as she walked away with mixed feelings.
Elisha listened when his eyes couldn't see her anymore. He heard the door thud amidst the chirping of birds. His feet shuffled the floor as he walked back to the car.
And so they had both left, oblivious of the beautiful, pale-faced lady that stood just out of sight, watching them.
- Writer
