Enemy Basis | ✓

9| the calm

The broken dancer's words haunted my mind for the rest of the day, leaving me so distracted and lost, so much so that instead of getting in my car, I walked home instead unintentionally, having forgotten completely about my troubles.

What had she meant?

I knew that the conflict between the three parts of the town was bad but I didn't know it was so horrific to leave a girl broken on the floor.

Even though I was raised in Finchley, I stayed out of town politics and never liked to get involved so any news, I stayed away from it all.

I had seen some violent acts between members of different divides but the pain in the girl's eyes and Dorran's unforgiving ones hinted to me that it was because of something more.

What had they lost from this rivalry?

As I walked, I tried to push the whole thing from my mind. All it was doing at this point was stressing me out and until I found out more and could understand the situation, there was no point worrying over it.

My mind cleared up as I continued walking under the greying sky that promised rain. I was starting to feel a little freer and a little better.

It was only when I was halfway home that I realised how stupid I had been.

I had a stalker who tried to do God knows what to me and I promised myself that I'd be more careful.

Instead, I was walking on my own without any sort of protection, without witnesses and without anything through the emptying streets.

I knew I was strong and could fight after years of secret lessons but I had seen the stalker in action.

He was powerful, he was fast and he was smart.

If he and I got into an altercation, I don't think I'd walk out alive.

Being more than halfway home, I realised that it was more dangerous to go back to school and get my car than to continue walking home so I didn't turn around.

My strides did get faster as the apprehension of getting caught by the stalker grew in my limbs like poison.

My legs were tense and my heart pitter-pattered in my chest in a controlled manner, ready to work overtime if something were to happen.

The sky above me roared and in the next second, the rain poured down from the clouds above, soaking me in seconds.

I sped up as the air around me darkened as the day got closer to its end.

I loved the rain and before, I might've taken a detour just so I could feel the cool trickle of moisture on my skin but today with the underlying threat of the mysterious man?

I wouldn't dare.

Despite the negative sentiment inside me, I turned onto a familiar street and relief like no other spread through my chest as I realised that I was minutes from home and there was still no sight of him.

Maybe I'd be lucky.

The hope vanished from my chest just as quick as it had appeared as I walked through my driveway. A bad feeling spread through me like wildfire and my steps quickened again.

When I got to my front door, for some reason I felt inclined to turn my head and when I did, I paused.

There he was, the stalker standing on my driveway proudly as if he had no care in the world.