Shift

Chapter 3

Silas, North, Luke, and Nathan

This chapter is a little shorter than I would have liked, but I needed to get through it. Chapter 4 will take place at Mr. Blackbourne's home. 

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I was a few blocks away from home when I realized that I was being followed by a brown sedan. So, I did the only thing I could think to do. I darted into the woods. I crossed my fingers that there wouldn't be any wolves. I didn't think I would live through another encounter.

The rest of the walk home was quiet. I was walking around to the front of the house to get mail when I noticed a familiar brown sedan pull into a driveway a few houses away. Irritation crawled across my skin pricking at my skin. I marched toward the vehicle. Two boys got out.

"Were you following me?" I demanded.

They both inhaled sharply. They stared at me a moment, before sharing a look. One was the redheaded boy that I had seen at the school. His blue eyes were focused on his friend. I hadn't missed the way that the muscles bunched in his arms and shoulders when I approached. Maybe I had caught them off guard.

The other boy wasn't as muscular as the redhead, but I could still see the definition in his arm thanks to the short-sleeved green polo he wore. His eyes were darker green than mine, more emerald. His short brown hair and black-rimmed glasses reminded me of a certain teacher.

"We weren't following you. I live here." His voice was gentle. "I apologize if we scared you. I'm Kota and this is Nathan."

Heat rushed to my cheeks. Not in embarrassment, but in indignation. If I had feared them following me, I never would have approached them. I had just wanted to know why I kept spotting their vehicle. I hadn't realized that boys around my age lived on this street.

"I'm Sang." My voice was quiet.

Nathan grumbled. "I'm going to head home. I'll see you later Kota. Sang, it was interesting."

My brow furrowed, I wasn't sure whether I should take that as an insult or not. My eyes followed his retreating form. My spine stiffened when he entered the house that I had woken up in the day before. Had he found me in the woods? He must have. Why else would I have been in his house?

"I'm sorry about Nathan. He's a tad grumpy today." Kota tried to carry a polite conversation, but my mind was too full. Words just started slipping out.

"Why were you talking about me at school? Is there something wrong with Dr. Green helping me with my schedule?" My eyes narrowed on him as his lips parted. Apparently, he hadn't expected me to hear their conversation.

He adjusted the collar of his polo and offered me a small smile. "No, of course not. We're all close with Dr. Green. We just hadn't been expecting you. He seemed familiar with you; it threw us off."

It did seem like Dr. Green had recognized me. Had the boys been paying that much attention? There was something different about these boys. Something that made them stand out. I couldn't put my finger on what it was though.

"Hm. Okay. Well, I better get home. It was nice meeting you Kota." I turned and walked back to my house.

I felt his eyes on me the whole way. I kept moving until I was safe in my bedroom. Dinner wouldn't be for a few more hours, so I laid in my bed. I was tired after walking for so long in the heat. I stayed in my bed, waiting for my mother to call for me.

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The darkness of my room took me by surprise. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I hadn't expected to fall asleep. My mother should have called for me by now. I jumped up from my bed and went to check on Marie only to find her room empty. It wasn't really like Marie to disappear. She wasn't particularly good at making friends.