Nightmares

Chapter seventeen: Carter

I watched Harper as she continued to study the stars as if she could find out the reason for our existence in there. If it was there, I couldn't find it, and I'd been searching for years. Maybe she would have more luck than me?

Her phone buzzed and she looked at it for a minute, her expression lighting up and I wondered who was messaging her. She messaged back and put her phone down.

"That was Danny." She said turning to me as I watched her with a questioning look. "He just wanted to see if I was okay."

"What did you say?" I asked.

"Of course I am." She smiled.

Who the fuck was Danny anyway?

"Who's Danny?" I asked mildly.

"My best friend." She replied.

"I'm hurt. You have other best friends?" I said, clutching my heart in pain.

She shook her head at me as I looked up at her and smiled.

"So? You have other friends too, don't you?" She asked.

"Not many." I said. "I'm careful."

"Careful with what?" She asked.

"Who I let in." I replied.

She nodded and looked back at the stars. "At least you have me and the stars." She said.

"Yeah." I said softly, checking over my shoulder.

She looked at me with a raised eyebrow, "Looking for someone?" She asked.

"No. Looking for danger." I told her.

She nodded but she didn't really understand. I didn't really want her to understand. Not properly.

I looked back over my shoulder. And she placed a hand on my shoulder to keep me still.

"We'll be okay." She said.

"How do you know?"

"I just know it." She said, resting her head on my shoulder as we looked up at the stars. Taking her hand, I pulled us to our feet.

"What are you doing?"

"Want to go for a walk?"

"A walk under the stars? How romantic." She teased.

I smiled. "Romance is overrated."

I squeezed her hand and we set off around the park. Suddenly, copper hair popped up from nowhere, the knife was in my hand in an instant and I shoved the person against the tree. It seems dramatic, but I've had one too many close-calls to proceed with caution.

The person struggled under my grip.

"What do you want? Why did you scare us like that?" I told them in a dark voice.

"Carter? Carter! Let go, it's only Danny."

My vice grip slackened slightly, and I backed off, whilst Danny, apparently, coughed and looked at me warily.

"Danny? What are you doing here?" Harper asked, turning to her best friend.

"Well I worried, you keep going outside in the dark and I was afraid something would happen to you." He said softly.

How did he know that?

"How do you know that?" Harper asked.

He shuffled his feet on the ground and seemed at a loss of how to answer her. I had a feeling that Harper probably wouldn't appreciate his answer. I leaned against a tree, waiting for his answer and studying him quietly. He was fairly tall, I guess. Not as tall as me, but I was taller than average for my age, plus I imagined he was Harper's age. At least two years younger than me. And he had eyes that softened as he looked at Harper, but when he turned to me, there seemed to be a glint of anger and even hatred in there. I raised my eyebrows, waiting for him to explain.

"I..." He didn't say anything.

"How do you know that?" Harper repeated in a low, no-nonsense way that would make my mother proud.

"I put a chip in your phone, okay? Just in case."

"In case of what?" She asked indignantly.

He turned to me with a scowl that he didn't attempt to hide.

"In case some lunatic leads you to trouble."

The message in that was crystal clear, I folded my arms and waited, showing that his words didn't intimidate me.
So she talked about me? Interesting.

"He's not trouble." She defended.

Well actually...

"You don't know that." He snapped.

Harsh but true.

"Well how am I going to find out if people keep coddling me?" She argued.

"As interesting as I am finding this conversation," I broke in, "We were busy talking. So what do you want, Danny?"

The sound of my voice obviously rankled him, but he turned to me.

"I just wanted to make sure she was alright." He defended.

I just shrugged, turning away, I could play his game. Taking a cigarette out, I lit it up with a sigh. I was good at putting on an act, and if he wanted to believe I was bad news, then that was what he would see. My lips twitched at his expression.

"Want one?" I offered the pack to him, wondering how he would react.

"No thanks." He spoke through gritted teeth.

I just smiled and pulled my hand back before he slapped it, which I could tell he dearly wished to. He was getting frustrated and flustered, and I just stayed there, watching him with a smile that I could see he itched to slap off. He had the same look that Mum got when I pissed her off. He turned back to Harper after an irritated look at me, I just smirked.

"Harper, the night isn't safe." He said, ignoring my scoff. "Go inside, I don't like you being out alone. There are some crazy people out here."

I raised an eyebrow at that, wondering if I was included in the 'crazy' category. His eyes flicked to me, that would be a yes then. I took another drag on my cigarette and frustrating him by smiling whenever he looked in my direction.

"What is your problem?" He snapped eventually, glaring at me.

I just shrugged. "You're not her dad. Why do you care so much about what she does?"

"I care about her, okay." He snapped.

I shrugged again. "Okay. Calm down." I muttered.

He was beginning to annoy me. Why was he looking at me like I'd done something wrong? I glared at him, leaning against the wall and smoking whilst they talked in heated voices. I wasn't very good with new people, I automatically distrust them, particularly men. Particularly when they looked at me like I was trash.

I just smoked as they argued, before sighing. "Just take her home." I stated, softly. "I was going to anyway."

He eyed me sceptically and I just took another drag on my cigarette, indicating Harper.

"You going to go or what?" I asked.

"Hey! Don't I get a say in this? Are you sick of my company or something?" Harper turned to me, offended.

"Of course not." I told her, not taking my eyes off Danny. "But it's obvious he's not going to take kindly if I offer to walk you home, is it?" I took another drag.

We studied each other for a minute, Danny's brown eyes boring holes into my skin, I just studied him calmly, taking a drag and keeping my face expressionless. Harper looked between the two of us, flicking us both a glance of contempt, before sighing.
"Men." She huffed. Taking his hand, she lead Danny away. Muttering about how ridiculous we were being. She turned to look back at me, and I smiled reassuringly at her. She gave me a smile back and turned back to the road. But she didn't see what happened next.

Danny turned and gave me a frost-ridden glare that I fully returned, before shooting him a sweet smile. I was watching him. And he knew it. And I couldn't shake the feeling that I knew him from somewhere. I had a creeping sensation that I had met him before, the question was, when?

And did he recognise me too? Worse, what if he recognised me, and he knew why? What if we'd met before, what if he was one of my monsters in the dark?