The Changeling's Fate

Two: The Obsession

Hello, back again. This one's a bit longer at 2,600 words, and you don't even get to meet our hero yet! :) We are building up to action, trust me, but in this stage you get to see deeper into the mystery that is Alexandra and meet her equally mysterious bestie, Liza.

Please comment on mistaken tense changes as they're what I struggle with most. Comments on any errors, as well as generally constructive feedback (pacing, characters, etc.) are always appreciated!

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"What's got your panties in a bunch?" Liza side-eyed me as she slid into the booth across from me, hands firmly clasped around one of Café Fig's distinctive ceramic mugs, this one filled to the brim with Liza's signature drink: a cappuccino.

"Absolutely nothing." I downplayed my continued unease and lifted my own cracked mug to my lips avoid further questioning, spluttering as the first drops of coffee burned my tongue.

Liza sighed and shoved a handful of napkins at me, an act which was not unappreciated as I began to sop up the mess of coffee I'd spit on the Formica tabletop. "Alex." She murmured, firm, but caring. Liza is the one who shortened my name to the moniker I now prefer. Alexandra, she had declared upon our introduction in English 101, had gone out of style right along with the Romanovs. Alex suits you much better, she had asserted with utmost confidence, and I couldn't help but agree. We shortly became fast friends, helped along by an almost full load of shared courses, the phenomenon of our friendship an occurrence that still surprised me six years later. Never had I meshed so well or so quickly with another human being.

"Ugh, you're going to think I'm an idiot. . . ." I paused until she waved her fingers in a go-on gesture. "Well, uh, all day long I've had that feeling, you know – that sixth sense that someone is staring at you. And every damn time nobody was around I feel like I'm a kid jumping at shadows. Next thing you know I'll have to call you to exorcise the monster underneath my bed." Despite my forced levity I suppressed a shudder, fingers tightening reflexively around my coffee, grateful for its warmth even in the café's heated interior.

"You're not an idiot," the corner of Liza's mouth turned up in a cheeky half-grin, and as her eyes sparkled I braced myself for whatever was coming out of her mouth next. "I'll hazard a guess at what's got you so worked up though. 'Cause girl, you are so deep in a dry spell that even the Sahara would be envious."

I cringed, folding my hands over my nose and inhaling deeply. The feeling of being watched had persisted up until I entered the café where Liza and I were set to meet, when it abruptly cut off, as if "whomever" had been following me had departed. Just to be safe though, if someone is watching, I pleaded any and all omnipotent beings, please don't let them overhear this embarrassing conversation.

"I'm serious," she continued, levity dropping, only partially, from her tone. "When was the last time? Junior year with that guy from the Pi Kappa Alpha party? You have to know the guy I'm talking about . . ." she snaps her fingers in thought, but I groaned, not inclined to assist her with her recollection. "Ted, no, wait . . . Todd, that's his name! Todd Warner, the Mech-E with the cute dimple and green eyes! There's no way you forgot him, he practically stalked you for the next three weeks!" She laughed, even as I hid my growing unease.

Todd is a particularly dark spot on my generally unpleasant love life. When I got to college, met Liza, and got into my groove I went out and partied like any other college kid with a sheltered past. I flirted some and received attention in return. It was gratifying, especially considering the sense of displacement and isolation that had surrounded me before – in high school, boys had been disinterested in me, a fact which never bothered me because my feelings mirrored their own. So when I got to college and finally felt that spark, I'm not gonna lie, I pursued it. Doggedly. The first weeks of my Freshman year were spent in and out of a different man's bed every week. It was safe sex yeah, but there was still quite a bit of it.