Chapter One:
Predators
The predator stalks its prey in the deep of night.
Oh, who am I kidding? I'm just a gothic gangster wanna be and the woman I'm supposedly stalking is my over protective mother. We were walking into the robotic/geek building where my brother was taking a class called, "Building the Future!!"
"Um, excuse me ma'am?" A voice suddenly interrupted my chain of thought.
"Alice run inside so I can talk to the this young man. Please." My mother said without turning around to look at the man. I glance behind me and almost gasp out of shock.
The teenager, probably, was absolutely gorgeous. He had thick, curly, midnight black hair and his eyes were the color of the sea. He must be at least six feet tall because he was towering over my mom who was 5'8, most every body was taller than my 4'10.
"Alice NOW!" I turned back to my mom and saw she was stiff with fear and anger. How odd.
"Okay." I grumble and start walking slowly, but when I passed my mom I withdrew my three inch pocket knife and shoved it in her hand.
Before I reached the doors I heard the boy's silky voice that made me shiver, say, "Your not planning on using that are you Maddy?"
I stiffened. How did this boy now my mom?
"No Marx I'm to smart to do that." I couldn't see anything that was going on so I walked as quietly as I could to the shrubs on the side of the sidewalk and crouched down behind them. I moved slowly closer to them and took out my other pocket knife.
"Don't call me that!" My mom seethed through clenched teeth.
"Why not Maddy?" The boy walked, or more like danced around my mom, he was so graceful.
He was taunting my mom and that made me see red. I hated it when someone teased the ones I loved. It happened often enough without some dancer boy and my mom.
"I swear to god that if you lay a finger or even think about her I will hunt you down and kill you."
Wow. I never heard my mom speak violent words like that before. Wait who were they talking about?
"Come on Maddy. We made a deal. Its secure I get her on her sixteenth birthday." Marx said mockingly.
"You can't take her away." My mom whispered. She sounded desperate.
Who were they talking about?
"Alice, why don't you come and join this conversation. You must be dieing to join in." Marx said in an oddly sensational way that made his silky, musical voice send shivers, of warning this time, down my spine.
My mother spun around and stared at the place I was crouched in the bushes.
I slowly straightened and walked very slowly towards them. This usually made my competitors weary My height sure didn't.
"Come on Alice, we only have seven minutes until your brother will come out of those doors." Marx warned in a tone that told me that I shouldn't mess with him, but what the hell. I stayed in my slouch and moved even more slowly.
"Alice, listen to him." My mother almost pleaded to me. This made my ears perk up and I moved a lot faster.
I still had my pocket knife in my hand and I gripped the handle tighter.
Chapter Two:
Coincidence
" So Alice, tell me how high school is." Marx said as he stared deeply into my eyes. Was he seeing my soul? It sure felt like it.
I glance wearily at my mom wondering what to do, but she just looked at me with curiosity in her deep brown eyes.
" Why should I tell you?" Ha. HA. HA! I wanted to see how he would react on such a rude comment.
"Because I want to know." He stated.
"Well you don't always get what you want now do you?" Wow. This feels really good. The only bad thing about it was that he was still staring at me. Odd.
My mother stiffened beside me. Then there was a burst of laughter behind us and I looked over my shoulder to see my brother running toward us.
"Hey guys. What are you doing? Why do you have pocket knifes out?" That was my brother for you. Clue less and asking a lot of questions.
" We're going to rip the guy behind me into pieces." I said casually as if I did that every day.
"What guy?"
"Huh?" I spun around and found out that the dude had run off. Hopefully with his tail in between his legs.
"Come on Alice, Chris. Lets go home." My mom said as she herded us toward the car. This time I didn't mind the over protectiveness.
On the way home I stared out the back window of our mid-night blue mini-van and listened to my music. I was trying to make shapes out of the blurring trees when I noticed that something was different. There was a shape running in the forest as fast as the car. What the..... Then my mom sped up the car over the speed limit which was 50 miles per hour. Now this was unusual. My mom never goes over the speed limit. Shes scared that she'll get into an accident and kill one of us.
The figure in the woods still kept pace with us though.
"Mom can I spend the night over at Cody's?" My brother asked and I took off my head phones and looked at my mom expecting her to say no.
"Okay. Call Cody." She threw her pink razer back at Chris.
"Yes! Thanks mom!" Chris said in a sing song voice.
"Hey, if Chris gets to go to Cody's then I get to go to Harley's."
" No, Alice. You have homework remember." My mom sighed.
"Yeah I do and Harley's my partner so I can't do any of it with out the sexy mama." I said with just a hint of victory in my voice.
"No. Alice. Thats it. Any way you have to help me set up for your birthday party."
"Mom! I don't want to celebrate my birthday! I already told you that! Plus letting me go to Harley's can be my only birthday present." I pleaded as my mom turned into Cody's driveway.
"Alice, I said no now quit whining." My mother finalized as she and my brother speed walked up to the front door.
God she was so unfair. She lets Chris spend the night over at his friend's house,but not me? Come on its even my birthday tomorrow. Its probably that weird guy's fault. God!
"Alice?" My mom asked tentatively as she climbed in the van. As an answer I put my head phones back on.
My mother started the van and slowly backed out of the driveway. The rest of the ride home was made in silence and I watched the figure in the woods. It was oddly comforting.
Then my mom stopped suddenly my MP3 flew out of my hand and fell to the floor.
"What the..." I began but the words died in my mouth as I looked up at my mom and saw that she looked dazed. Okay?
I unbuckled myself and made my way up to the drivers seat. From this angle my mom looked like she was in pain instead of dazed.
"Mom! Mom are you okay? Mom talk to me!" I beggedas I tried to shake her out of it. I looked around and noticed that we were at a stop sign at the corner of Tumbler Lane and Hazelbrunt Road. The other three roads were empty. Where was every one? Usually people in my neighborhood were out in full force at night.
Suddenly there was a knock on the window and the last person in the world I expected was gazing at me through the window with an expression that begged to be let in.
Chapter Three:
Crash!
"Let me in and I can help her." Marx stated as he stared into my soul. I didn't know what to do. So I did what every other almost sixteen year old wanted to do. I pushed my mom over to the passenger seat and sat in the drivers and drove to my house.
As I looked into my rearview mirror I saw that Marx had an astonished expression on his face. Then he disappeared. Huh? How could he ju-.
HONK!!
I turned my eyes back to the road just in time to see a red truck coming at us at full speed.
Then the world went black.
I could hear before I could see.
"Are you sure she's alright? Does she look okay? Is she supposed to look that pale?"
"Calm down Maddy. She's going to be fine." That voice. Where do I know it from?
Then it all came rushing back to me. Marx, the figure in the woods, my mom, and the red truck.
I slowly opened my eyes and was immediately blinded by a bright light.
"Ugh." Was all I could say.
"Honey? Alice? How do you feel? Do you hurt? Alice!" My mothers voice drifted from a corner of the room.
I looked away from the blinding light and saw that I was in a small room that kinda resembled a hospital room. My mom was coming towards me from the right corner. I looked at the other side of the bed and found Marx staring at me yet again.
I started struggling to get out of the bed.
"No don't try to get-." Marx started but it was to late.
Rip!
My breath came whooshing out of my mouth as if I had been punched in the stomach. It felt like it. There was excruciating pain coming from the side of my stomach. I was just about to roll my shirt up but Marx was faster.
He gently pushed me down on the pillows behind me.
"You ripped your stitches. Darn." He glided over to a table at the foot of my bed.
"Ugh." I said but this time out of pain.
"Can't you give her morphine or something?" My mom said as she flirted around an imaginary bubble around my bed. Why wasn't she coming closer?
"Mom?" I choked out between my pained gasps.
"Yes? My mom said without coming any closer. She looked over at Marx and asked, "Can I get closer yet?"
"No. She's still weak."
"Mom please?"
"Marx I'm begging." My mom pleaded.
Marx looked at my mom then back at me, "Fine." was all he said and went back to whatever he was doing before.
My mom took a step closer and paused. "Your going to be okay Alice."
"Mom whats wrong? Oh god, were you hurt? Oh My God! I got you hurt! I'm so sorry!" I began to hurt other places than just my stomach.
"Honey I'm not hurt I promise you."
Wow she smelled really good. Did she put on some perfume when I was asleep? I sat up again and noticed that every thing seemed clearer. My side didn't hurt at all. That was an improvement.
Marx walked back over to my left side and looked at my side. " Well shit!"
I looked at him shocked.
He looked at me and asked, " Does your side hurt at all?"
I thought about it for half of a second and said, "No actually it doesn't hurt at all ." I looked at my side and saw were there used to be a bloody scratch there was nothing but smooth skin.
"What the heck." I had to admit I was scared. I looked over at my mom but the only thing I could really see