• Absolute •

][ VIII ][

My vision went dark for a good ten seconds before it came back to me. I sat on my bed, stumbling and then flipping onto it, face first.

"Ugh. . ." I groaned loudly into my bed. My head began to hurt, my stomach began to convulse and ache inside of me like it was filled with carnivorous butterflies that were trying to eat their way out. My temperature went up so much I began to sweat. Perspiration formed along my forehead, on my neck, and my hands became clammy with it. What was happening to me?

My eyesight disappeared again and my head swung loosely, as if it was dangling on nothing but a thin thread. I was going to faint. And I did faint. A glimpse of my purple duvet was the last thing I saw before my heavy head fell forward, face first again, into my blankets. I groaned aloud again as my consciousness left me.

. : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : .

". . .Rachel!?" My mothers frustrated voice called downstairs.

"Huh? Wha -" I mumbled, waking up, my thoughts finally coming back to me. How long had I been out? The dimness outside my window told me: most of the day.

"Rachel -" My mother stormed into my room, cutting herself off mid-sentence as she looked down at my slumped, confused figure. "Baby. . .what happened?" She asked slowly. My eyes were probably crossed and I most likely had a dumb look on my face.

"I. . .I think - I'm sure - I fainted." I mumbled out again, sitting up on my bed while rubbing my warm face with my hand.

"What? Why?" My mom asked me as she moved over to my bed and sat down beside me, looking concerned.

"I. . .I dunno." I lied and quickly clamped my other hand over the black tattoo-like marking that had painted itself just above the crook of my elbow. If my mother saw, she would freak and I would get in trouble because she wouldn't believe what I said to her about it.

"Probably low blood pressure. . ." She muttered while placing a cool hand on my forehead. "Or just a terrible fever. I wouldn't know for sure though because it's not like you eat anyway. . ."

"Mom - I'm fine now. I guess it was just low blood pressure." I said and turned away from her hand. I got up off my bed and walked sluggishly toward my window. I heard the bed creak as my mom got up too. She walked to my bedroom door and stood there, watching me with one hand on the doorknob.

"Alright. . ." She finally said. "If you're feeling fine now, I'll leave you alone. And I'll bug you about your brothers whereabouts later." She smirked and scampered off before I could even say a word to her.

"Crap."

. : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : .

The talk about my brothers 'disappearance' with my mom had gone much better than I'd thought. The one thing that had kept my on my toes, on the edge of my seat and looking over my shoulder every few minutes was that eerie feeling of being watched.

I was sitting on my bed now, staring straight ahead of myself. There was an open book on my crossed legs which I had tried to read, then simply abandoned, after feeling like two invisible eyes were boring a hole into my forehead. Now, I stared ahead into blank space, to where I could 'feel' or 'sense' this 'I'm-being-watched' feeling. There was no one there of course. But the feeling. . .it felt too strong, too real. If I didn't look, it felt like there was actually someone alive and breathing standing there at the foot of my bed, watching me. Hell, when I was downstairs talking to mom just a few minutes ago, I swear I could feel someone's hot breath on the back of my neck. I could even feel their body's heat!

"No one here!" I muttered to myself, sarcastically. "Angels, now what? Invisible people?" With a huff, I grabbed the book from my lap and deliberately held it up in front of my face. That way, if someone really was there and maybe - hopefully - decided to 'show themselves', I could see.

I didn't even read a word. I literally just held the book to my face with a sore arm for twenty minutes straight hoping that this 'someone' or 'something' would make its face known. It didn't fall for my expert bait. And I wasn't getting anywhere closer to finding out what or who was following and staring intensely at me, or how I would be able to rid myself of this paranoia.

"Rachel, go to sleep! You have school tomorrow!" My mothers voice sounded, muffled but loud enough, through my closed bedroom door. Great, this is what it was waiting for. For me to fall asleep so it could sneak up on me and kill me.

"Okay!" I yelled back. I was gonna die tonight.

With my eyes on the spot where I could 'sense' this feeling of being watched coming from, I got up off my bed, slowly as if not to startle a fire-breathing dragon awake. Keeping my eyes on the one indecipherable spot, I walked toward my bathroom door. There was no way I was gonna get naked in here with that thing - whatever it was - watching me!

With my body glued to the wall, I slid all the way across my room to the white door of my bathroom and slipped inside quickly, slamming the door shut and locking it behind me incase that 'whatever' wanted to get pervy.

"Come on, Ray. . ." I prepped myself once I had gotten changed into my pyjamas. A pair of loose fitting pj shorts (that I had to hold up when I walked) and a equally loose t-shirt was what I wore. Grabbing onto the waistband of my shorts with one hand, and turning the doorknob with the other, I flung it open and ran to my bed, throwing myself onto it and huddling underneath my blankets. Of course they wouldn't protect me from it, but I could pretend they would.

I was nicely tucked underneath them, and comfy, when I felt it. It felt like. . .like a live, breathing, heat-producing body next to my own. In my bed. With me. Laying beside me. Really closely.

"Oh hell no. . ." I whispered, unbelieving. It just wanted. . .to cuddle?! I never shared a bed with anyone, so sharing a bed with a mysterious invisible stalker wasn't even remotely considerable of me. But instead of doing something about it, or even moving and thrashing around, I lay still, completely frozen with my own cold sweat, till I fell asleep.

The next morning I woke up with a boy sleeping beside me in my bed.

Totally uncalled for.

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Late update (sorry heheh) I was busy finishing my other story, Nightmares.

Anyway I hope you liked this sarcastic, and a tiny bit amusing chapter! :) Thanks for reading!!