Ally and Elliott

Chapter 8

My eyes jerked to the balcony doors whilst my heart started doing what felt like a complicated frantic break dance routine in utter panic.

Something had hit the glass.

Something small, but still the noise had managed to break me away from my novel. A feat that was usually alarmingly difficult. My hands were frozen mid-page-turn.

I started to reassure myself that It must have been some bird of the night with an excellent aim. Either that or those creepy garden gnomes Danny the gardener had arranged (weirdly) around the pond, had come alive under the moon and were attempting to make me aware of their unfortunate existence.

The dance routine started up once more, interrupting my reasoning with fear as something hit the door again.

And again.

And again.

Again.

Again again again again.

Was someone throwing something!?

I leaped out of bed and stormed over ready to yank open the curtains and chuck my book on whichever plonker stood underneath.

Wait! What if it's him Allison?

I wasn't hearing voices, that was my own question to myself.

What if he's back. What if he's here to hurt her again.

What if.

Fear began to creep in like the setting of the sun. Slowly the light faded and the dark began to take its place, until I was blinded and binded by it.

What do I do? Oh god shit crap funky pigeon.

Okay calm down, unscramble my thoughts.

I had to call the police! I had to warn Hanna. I'd have to warn my parents too. Oh god there would be so much explaining to do!

Then I heard whistling.

Could I also hear laughter?

"Allison Stoooone."

Or that's what it sounded like.

Although it could have been 'Garden gnooomes'.

That was unlikely.

No. No. No, no, no, no. No!

He couldn't possibly know who I was!?

Out of nowhere it sprung on me that if he'd managed to find out where we lived, he must know our names.

With this, I fell out onto the balcony.

My hand had been locked into place pushing down on the door handle and I must have accidentally leant forward.

The summer air was cool and refreshing, I gulped it in, all fours on the hard stone, illuminated by the pale glowing circle above.

My hands trembled.

I stayed down, not exactly out of choice, more out of lack of ability to move.

"Allyy babyyy I knew you'd come out eventually."

What?

I inhaled for what felt like eternity and then exhaled for even longer, in the strongest relief I'd never felt before.

A bubbling unfamiliar excitement rose in my stomach.

It wasn't him it was Elliot. Bandana boy. The guy that had recently taken over the majority of my thinking space. The one I'd burst out in tears in front of after he'd said those words.

He who had hugged me in the loos of Tescos and then wordlessly handed me antibacterial spray. Which I then used to help him clean for the next three hours. Which had felt more like minutes, due to the immense enjoyment I felt being in his company. Also the smoothness at which the conversation flowed.

Erm anyway..

"Elliott hi! Hi. Can you wait minutes and I'll be down?" I half-whispered, half-yelled down to the swaying figure in the grass.

I didn't even stop to wonder why the figure was swaying.

I did however stop in front of my bedroom wall. The wall opposite my bed just happens to be covered from head to toe (not that walls have heads, or toes) in a mirror.

I assure you that had not been my idea.

My hair was disheveled to say the least. It looked not unlike a tidal wave. I grabbed a tissue and did my best at wiping away the panda eyes. Bit of Vaseline on possibly the driest lips in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Throwing on a hoodie to hide the no bra situation and praying it was too dark to notice my unmistakablely unshaven legs protruding from my well-worn pajama shorts I made my way outside.