Chapter 3

 Addie quickly grabbed her bag and jumped up from her seat. She hurriedly dumped her lunch in the trashcan and rushed inside, feeling his eyes on her back the entire time. Her thoughts were in a whirlwind on the way to third period. Why was he in her daydream? Sure he was dreamy but he's the only one that's ever been in one. And the way his face had contorted still left her feeling unsettled. What was that daydream about? She flopped into her seat, too buried in her thoughts to bother with sitting down gently. The seats were set in two groups, facing the middle of the room. Her seat was at the front of her row so she didn't have to squeeze by people to get to it. Blinking a few times to clear the haze, she gathered her textbook and sighed contently. British Literature was her favorite class. She could lose herself in the poems and drama, making the time pass by quickly. The teacher began his lesson while Addie gazed out the window. A knock on the door made everyone look up curiously. Much to her horror, Calvin strolled in. After a few brief words, Mr. Harkins sat him on the other side, in the front, facing her. She closed her eyes in an attempt to cope with the situation. Of all the places for an empty seat to be, it had to be in front of her. He took his seat, looking straight at her. Ever so slowly, one side of his mouth curled into the smallest of smirks. Addie blinked in shock. Almost too fast for her to see, he dropped a wink and turned to Mr. Harkins as he lectured on. She sucked in air quickly as it became apparent she was holding her breath. She felt her cheeks start to burn. Dragging her eyes to the whiteboard, Addie attempted to listen to what the teacher was saying. Suddenly, he faded away along with the rest of the room. It was dark, barely light enough to see. Leaves crunched under her as she turned in a circle trying to figure out where she was. All the air was sucked from her lungs when she recognized a dark lump on the ground. The body was undoubtedly dead. His eyes were staring up blankly and his mouth was slightly open. Blood was puddled under him, staining his hands and clothes. She felt like she couldn't breathe. A twig snapped behind her. Whirling around, she came face to face with Calvin.
     She broke from the daydream with a loud inhale. She was shaking and gasping for air. Her eyes flew to Calvin's. He was looking at her curiously, something that looked almost like concern filling them for the briefest of moments. She dragged her eyes from his to look at the clock. This time it was her who out of her seat and out the door before the bell finished ringing leaving him to stare at her retreating figure.
     Addie pressed her back to the wall in the girl's bathroom. Glancing at the mirror above the sink, she was shocked at what she saw there. Her reflection stared back at herself, flushed and still panting for air. Her eyes were bright with unshed tears and terror. Running a shaky hand through her hair, she closed her eyes and took a few deep, calming breaths. When she was more or less done shaking like an epileptic, she exited the bathroom.
     Fourth period was thankfully Calvin free and she took that time to try and collect herself. She was acting like a freaking lunatic because of a few runaway daydreams. She needed to think rationally. It was all in her head. Her mind just saw a really hot guy that was like every other hot guy and didn't want to be nice to an unpopular girl like herself and made him into a few of her daydreams. That's all it was. Just a few desperate attempts to have a sliver of a love life. For God's sake, she was eighteen and had never kissed a boy, needless to say not gone any further than that.
     By the end of class, Addie felt a lot more composed than she had been since meeting Calvin. She headed out to her car and threw her backpack in the back seat. She may have not had the nicest car, but a silver 2011 Ford Escape was nothing to be ashamed about. At least that's what she thought before she noticed the car parked next to hers. It was beautiful. All sleek lines and its red paint shone in the sunlight. She instantly recognized it as a 2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray. Who could possibly afford a car like that? She kept gawking at it out her window as Calvin strode up to it.
     No way, she thought. There's no way that's his car... Sure enough, he pulled out a key and hit a button on it. He opened the door and sat himself behind the wheel. Addie was sure that her mouth was hanging open by now. People were already forming in groups, talking excitedly to one another as they watched the car. The car started beautifully. It backed out of the lines and took off like a rocket, engines roaring and tires skidding. She realized her mouth was open and snapped it closed. There was no end to his surprises.
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     Addie laid in her bed with a sigh. She was exhausted. Coming home she had done the laundry and did her homework while she waited before ending at eleven thirty. Rubbing her legs along the cool sheets a few times, she found the impression in the mattress that had resulted from her sleeping in the same spot for years. She snuggled herself into that hole and closed her eyes.
     "Run!" Calvin stood in front of her, fighting with some huge creature. It looked human but its face was twisted and warped, leaving it with a set of huge razor-sharp teeth that were too large to fit into its mouth. It had red eyes and pointed ears. Its body was covered in an abundance of dark hair. It wore no shirt and just a pair of jeans that were ripped above the knee, like they tore because they couldn't contain the muscles that this creature had.
     It threw Calvin a few feet into a tree and turned towards Addie. Before it could take a step, Calvin was on it again, blocking its pair of lethal looking claws and striking out when he could. A well-landed punch knocked the creature back a bit, giving Calvin the opportunity to look back.
     "Run Addie! RUN!" He turned around just in time to block the other guy's swipe. Addie turned around and ran into the woods. They were dark, too dark to see where she was running. She constantly tripped over tree roots and branches slapped at her face. She came to a clearing, bending over and resting her hands on her knees so she could lean on them to catch her breath.
     Something grabbed her from behind, placing its hand on her neck and squeezing. Her arms flailed around wildly before a hairy arm snaked around her and pinned them to her body. The other hand squeezed harder. The creature leaned forward and put its ugly face by her ear. Hot, rancid air brushed the side of her face as it talked, making Addie shiver in fear and disgust.
     "Where's lover boy now? He couldn't stop us and neither can you. You are weak, unable to protect yourself so you need others to do it for you. And Calvin's paid the price. I will enjoy tearing out your throat like I did to him. Hearing you scream before I snap your neck. Your blood will be delicious." The creature licked its lips in anticipation, making Addie struggle harder. The hand on her neck was making it harder and harder to breathe. Black spots danced in front of her eyes and the world rang and her head became light. Suddenly, it felt as if something in her mind was being pulled tight, like a rubber band. It shook under the pressure ready to snap. She pressed her trembling lips together.
     "Poor defenseless little girly." His words made the pressure snap. Addie broke out of his hold as she threw her arms backwards with a scream. The pressure at her throat disappeared. The grass around her feet was ripped up and it flew away. Trees snapped and blew backwards as if by a great wind. She could feel the pressure again, this time expanding in her head. It was swallowing her whole, and suddenly, the world grew dark.