I Have an Invisible Stalker (Guardians #1)

Chapter 51

Samuel's POV

"Let's go." Nick nudges Charlie's side and motions for him to follow. The two of them, Hugo, and I are all still clustered around Hugo's bench at the edge of the small park.

"Right, the café." Charlie nods. "We're leaving so you can fail to flirt with Olivia."

"What'd you mean fail?" Nick splutters. "You wait and see. One day you'll meet a girl, and then I'm going to laugh my head off as you'll fail to impress her."

"She'll be the one chasing me and not the other way around," Charlie smirks and waves goodbye to Hugo. "See you around."

Hugo nods in return and then lies back onto the bench, closing his eyes. While Nick and Charlie make their way back to the sidewalk and up the street in the direction of the café, I remain beside the third human. I'm not sure why, but for some reason, I can't move.

As I'm looking at the lying boy, the surrounding park disappears, and I find myself standing at the seaside. The bay in front of me is roaring with giant waves, while the sky above hurries to match the color of the rocks beneath. I'm not alone, though. Beside me stand a younger Lucien and an older Hugo, and while the former is standing with his back straight, the latter is wringing his hands and glancing at the shore behind us.

"You are too much of a meater to do it," Lucien smirks.

"Blazes I am," I hiss.

Despite the tremble in my hands, I pull the shirt and the boots off my body. The water is freezing cold, but I don't allow it to stop me. I march deeper into the sea, and when I can't touch the ground anymore, I begin to wave my arms in wide circles, swimming further into the raging sea.

It takes me no longer than ten minutes to reach a big rock peaking above the sea level. I slap my open palm against it and let out a loud whoop. The second I open my mouth a wave crashes into me, flooding my mouth and sinking me into the dark depth beneath me.

It's only for a moment, yet when I reach the surface again I feel like my lungs are about to explode. I try to take in a deep breath, but the water pushing down my throat prevents me from doing so. I cough and cough until the water is finally out, and I can breathe again.

As I swim back, the waves make each stroke feel like I'm being pushed away from the shore instead of toward it. The moment I'm out of the water I sink onto my knees and laugh my heart out. I did it.

"Your turn." I grin up at Lucien and Hugo as they shuffle to my side. "Scared?"

Both guys turn to the dark sky and the unruly sea, but while Lucien remains expressionless, Hugo returns to wringing his hands. It's obvious he doesn't want to risk going into the sea, but no matter how close of a call I had, I refuse to allow either of them to back down.

"Do it." I stand and glare at Hugo. "Do it or tell her that I am better than you." Without mentioning her name we both know who I'm talking about.

Hugo narrows his eyes, and then a second later throws off his boots and shirt. "Move out of my way."

With a mocking bow, I turn to the side and watch him as he marches down the empty shore. Without stopping, he walks into the rocky sea and doesn't stop, not even when the water rises up to his shoulders. He ignores the waves that lift the water higher and higher and keeps going forward until all that is left is his floating head.

"Let us go," Lucien says, but I continue to keep my eyes focused on the older Hugo. "Come on. Let us leave him here."

I turn to him and am about to ask why he isn't going into the sea when a bright bolt of lightning illuminates the dark sky. It is followed by an earth-shattering boom a few seconds later, telling me that the storm is almost upon us.