A Dark Secret

Chapter 10 | The meeting.

Hello everyone! How is everyone doing? I hope that you guys are keeping safe and make sure to stay inside guys... I can't stress it enough... Please... Be careful and safe!

After Marina and Valerie finally ate, they went to a shop where they could possibly buy something for college. After having the talk with Valerie, Marina felt more at peace. She felt more relieved. Grayson was truly terrifying her and she had no idea how he kept on finding her. How he exactly knew where Marina was or when to disappear when Valerie was too close to see him... 

It was all scary... Most of all it sounds like Marina was making it up and she feared that she might be going crazy... What if she was? Marina sighed and looked at Valerie who was looking at a cute baby pink dress. Marina would never wear something like a dress. It just won't fit her body. It wouldn't look that good on her than it would on Valerie.

"You got to try it on, Mari." Valerie said as she held the dress up. Marina shook her head immediately. 

"That calls out so not Marina." She said as she held her hands up and waved it slightly before letting her hands hang next to her body. Valerie  tilted her head and started walking towards Marina. She held the dress up in front of Marina and gave her look of 'You better go put it on before I kill you' look. Marina has seen many of these looks anyway. 

"That's the purpose of this whole shopping haul, Marina. Try something that would base the new you." Valerie said and Marina sighed as she looked at her. Valerie kept on staring at her, trying to convince her to try it on.

"Okay fine but only this one." Marina gave in and Valerie smiled instantly when she finally gave in. She clapped in her hands and gave Marina the dress.

"The dressing room is there. I will try find something else." Valerie said before she disappeared. Marina couldn't even go against it but when could she? It was always hard to say no to her. Marina walked towards the dressing room and walked inside one of them.

She sighed before she looked at herself in the mirror. She got to do this or face the wrath that Valerie would unleash on her if Marina didn't. Marina took of the clothes that she was wearing and put on the baby pink dress that was just a little bit above her knee. When she looked at the mirror, she could see the dress defining her hips. Anyone could see them better now... 

"Marina, are you done?" She heard Valerie ask. Marina slowly came out of the dressing room and looked at her best friend who truly looked mesmerised by how she was looking. Marina didn't see anything that made her look beautiful or stand out. It was just a simple baby pink dress.

"You look amazing." Valerie said as she looked at Marina. Valerie truly looked like a proud mother who finally got her child a prom dress or something. Marina chuckled softly as she looked at her crazy and insane best friend. 

"It is not all that." Marina said and Valerie looked at her as if she just has seen a ghost. 

"Are you kidding me? Your grey eyes and brown hair makes it look even more magical." Valerie said and Marina smiled as she shook her head. She could never handle compliments. 

"Magical?" Marina asked and Valerie nodded. She came closer as she touched her shoulder. 

"You don't appreciate how beautiful you look." Valerie said and Marina weakly smiled at her. Marina always had bad reactions to compliments. She was thankful of it but she just didn't knew how she should react back. It was awkward. A lot.

"Neither do you. Have you seen yourself?" Marina asked, switching the attention from her and Valerie rolled her beautiful blue eyes.

"Whatever Marina. Put your clothes on, I have another shop we could go too." She said and Marina nodded. She walked back to the dressing room and put on her clothes but when she came out, she didn't see Valerie anywhere. Not again...

"Valerie?" Marina asked confused. She swore that Valerie was just a second ago here... Where was she gone now? Marina took the dress and put it around her arm as she walked out of the dressing rooms into the shop itself but there was no sign of Valerie anywhere. As if she was totally blown of earth.

"Valerie?" Marina asked again as she looked around her but again there was no sign of Valerie. Marina took out her phone and dialed Valerie’s number. It was ringing but she never picked up. 

"What the hell..." Marina cursed softly. 

"You do know that cursing increases the chances of you visiting hell after your life has ended." Marina heard a familiar voice say. When she looked up, she looked into Grayson's eyes. Marina gasped and quickly took a few steps backwards.

Why was this happening again? Why was he here again?

"Grayson..." Marina said softly as she looked at him. He was smiling at Marina as if nothing was wrong. All of this was wrong. He was dead ass terrifying her and she started to think that he liked doing it. It was amusing him and he would keep on doing this until whatever happened to her... 

"What's wrong?" He asked as he looked at Marina. For a second, she felt like he was truly confused by her reaction to him but realisation kicked in and he understood why she was afraid. 

"What do you mean? How do you even know me and how do you keep on finding me?" Marina asked as she looked at him. Marina wished that Valerie was here so she could see that Marina wasn't going insane. Maybe she was but this felt too real to be made up. 

Grayson looked too real for that... 

"I always find my way back to you." He said simply as he looked at Marina. Marina looked at him confused, frustrated. She sighed and shook her head.

"Forget all of this." Marina said frustrated as she started to walk away from him. She didn’t wanted to do anything with him. If he was fake, he would disappear again. 

"Marina." He said as he grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Marina looked at him in disbelief, a bit terrified by his touch. 

"I know that it is weird and all but I need to be here so I can protect you." He said and Marina scoffed.

"Protect me from what?" She asked and Grayson looked away. She knew that he was probably playing around with her feelings. There was nothing that was putting her in danger and not to mention, she didn’t even know this guy. How could he possibly protect her?

"You don't know what exists in this beautiful but still ugly world. You were in a town full of that. Are you really telling me that you have no idea about any of it?" He asked and Marina could see the confusion on his face when he was asking her his question. 

It didn't make sense what he was trying to convey. She didn't even understand what or who he meant. He wasn't making any sense. Marina sighed and shook her head as she looked at him.

"You are not making any sense, Grayson." Marina said as she looked at him. 

"I will soon..." He said softly as he looked at her. The look on his face was indescribable. She didn’t know how to even describe it but that look made the chills crawl back on her spine and it made her shiver. It made her so scared that Marina felt like she was going to die but she didn't even know why she was feeling this way.

Somehow the feelings that came with Grayson were familiar but at the same time unfamiliar. It truly did not make any sense. Marina probably sounded like she was going insane. Maybe she was… 

"Marina?" She heard Valerie ask. Marina looked up and she saw her looking besides her. Valerie felt guilty for even thinking that Marina might have been losing her mind. She could truly see Grayson herself now. 

When Marina looked next to her, she saw Grayson still standing which startled her. She was as surprised as Valerie was. Mostly, he just disappears. 

"You must be Grayson." Valerie said as she looked at him. Grayson looked at her and nodded his head with a smile. He decided to stay this time, knowing how Marina was looking like… She was doubting everything. 

"My pleasure to meet you, Valerie." He said with a smile. Valerie gave him a quick smile which didn't mean anything good. He was going to be grilled by her.

"Look who I bumped into." Valerie said and from behind her Marina saw a male figure appearing. He had dark blonde hair which almost made it look like it was lightly brunette and he had the same icy blue eyes as Grayson. 

"This is Noah." Valerie said with a smile and Marina widened her eyes out of shock. She had no idea that Noah was from here. She knew that he was going to visit them but she never knew that he might be living here in LA. 

"Hey." Marina said with a smile, so she wouldn’t look like an confused i***t. Noah smirked as he shook Marina’s hand. Noah his eyes travelled to Grayson and for some reason, they shared this glance as if they were going to kill each other.