Part 1
Where was she?
I'm back, Jenny. I'm back. But where are you? I've waited so long to see your beautiful face again. Don't keep me waiting.
He could see Summer, laughing and dancing wildly to the music. He could see Zach, lurking in the shadows, watching but never joining in, Zach was always a loner.
He could see Michael twirling Audrey and Audrey's face smiling as the couple enjoyed themselves.
He saw Dee and, his fists clenched in anger, Tommy sitting at a table, talking.
But Jenny wasn't here.
He scanned the room with narrow blue eyes. Had she seen him already? Had she ran away?
He felt angry then. Jenny shouldn't run away from him.
No, he thought. She wouldn't have left her friends. Jenny's one weak point was her friends. She would have wanted to protect them.
So, where was she?
He heard bits of conversations around him, but one caught his attention. They were two girls; one had a long nose and looked like a horse. The other had beady eyes and swirls of frizz for hair.
"Where's Jenny Thorton? I thought they were a big gang. You think she'd turn up for Dee's seventeenth birthday party." Frizz asked.
"Maybe she had to stay home and look out for, what did she call them, shadow men? Did you hear that story? It was something like the bogeyman was after her friends, her especially." Horse laughed.
The two girls giggled.
"I never liked her anyway. She threw good pool parties, though. I could never see what that stud, Tom Locke, saw in her anyway." Frizz said.
"Yeah," Horse agreed. "I mean, she isn't that pretty. Anyway, I've seen Tom looking at me. I mean, compares to Jenny, I'm a super model."
Julian turned to have a proper look at the two ugly girls, not believing his ears. Them. Prettier than Jenny?
The thought was enough to make him laugh. He surveyed the horse one again just for the second laugh.
"See what I mean," Said Horse quietly but he could still hear. "Look at the God for a guy checking me out over there. He'd never check Jenny out." She nudged Frizz and pointed over at him.
Julian smiled at them. The two girls smiled back. God, he thought, they were even uglier when they smiled. Horse's lips went over her teeth and Frizz's lips sunk into her fat cheeks making her look like she had no mouth.
Again he thought of Jenny's smile. He needed to see her.
But for now, he wanted to have some fun, release some of his anger.
He walked over to the girls.
"Hi." Frizz said.
"Hi." He said with a flash of his teeth. "This party's boring. Want to go out and find somewhere nice to eat?"
"What's your name?" Asked Horse.
"Julian."
"Well, Julian," Horse said. "I'm Marie and she's," She pointed at Frizz. "Annabelle. I'll just tell Dee I'm going."
"She won't even notice you're gone. She's talking to Tom Locke." Julian said.
Horse thought about it and nodded. "Let's go."
They walked out onto the street and Julian again looked around for Jenny, she wasn't there. The street was deserted. Music from inside blared out onto the street.
"You know," said Frizz. She's a bit of a tag along, Julian thought. "I think there might be something going on with Dee and Tom. I mean, they're always talking."
"Yeah and with Jenny out of the picture. Why does Tom always go for the ugly girls?"
Again Julian had the mad urge to laugh. Dee was hardly ugly and these girls, well.
"Jenny?" Julian prompted.
"Yeah, Jenny Thorton. Girl in my computer class. Oh yeah," Horse turned to Frizz. "Remember when she freaked out last May? She thought the plug of the computer was a snake or something." She looked at Julian and pulled a face. "She's Tom's ex, I think. I mean, they never broke up but after Jenny went weird, they were never seen together. She is a complete lunatic."
Julian's eyes flashed angrily but he didn't let that emotion come out, not yet. He had to find out more.
"What do you mean, she went weird?" They thought he was just asking out of idle curiosity. Julian was always a good actor.
"Oh, you know, she went mad. She went on about eyes watching her and the shadows jumping out at her. I kind of feel sorry for her, you know, because she really believed it. I thought she was doing it for attention but well, people got a bit horrible to her and she didn't stop. I mean, the things people were doing to her, you'd stop if you were pretending. Well, I don't know. It was obviously all in her head but she used to be so normal, so organised. I would go as far as saying she was dull and then, bang; she's a nutcase." Horse liked to talk.
Julian was clenching and unclenching his fists in rage. People were being mean to Jenny? His Jenny?
If he had been there, he would have killed them all.
"How long ago was all this?" Julian asked.
"Oh, well, its been happening for two months, I suppose." Frizz said.
"Is that why she didn't come to the party?" Julian asked.
"I don't know, anyway, it doesn't matter. Who cares about Jenny Thorton and her screwed up head? I want to hear about you."
"Well," He said and let his anger flow. "It seems that Jenny's told you enough about me, already."
"What?" Horse said and her face bungled up into a horrible knot of features.
He spun around to face her and pulled her towards him. "Eyes watching her, shadows jumping out at her." He said in a deadly cold voice.
Horse's face scrunched up with confusion. "Jenny's crazy. Don't tell me you believe in that crap?"
"Jenny Thorton is not crazy. She was trying to warn you, warn you about me." His eyes burned brightly and anger swam off him in waves.
"You should have listened to her."
Annabelle screamed and ran away while Horse tried to escape. He didn't let her, though.
She would be the first to pay.
Where was she?
I'm back, Jenny. I'm back. But where are you? I've waited so long to see your beautiful face again. Don't keep me waiting.
He could see Summer, laughing and dancing wildly to the music. He could see Zach, lurking in the shadows, watching but never joining in, Zach was always a loner.
He could see Michael twirling Audrey and Audrey's face smiling as the couple enjoyed themselves.
He saw Dee and, his fists clenched in anger, Tommy sitting at a table, talking.
But Jenny wasn't here.
He scanned the room with narrow blue eyes. Had she seen him already? Had she ran away?
He felt angry then. Jenny shouldn't run away from him.
No, he thought. She wouldn't have left her friends. Jenny's one weak point was her friends. She would have wanted to protect them.
So, where was she?
He heard bits of conversations around him, but one caught his attention. They were two girls; one had a long nose and looked like a horse. The other had beady eyes and swirls of frizz for hair.
"Where's Jenny Thorton? I thought they were a big gang. You think she'd turn up for Dee's seventeenth birthday party." Frizz asked.
"Maybe she had to stay home and look out for, what did she call them, shadow men? Did you hear that story? It was something like the bogeyman was after her friends, her especially." Horse laughed.
The two girls giggled.
"I never liked her anyway. She threw good pool parties, though. I could never see what that stud, Tom Locke, saw in her anyway." Frizz said.
"Yeah," Horse agreed. "I mean, she isn't that pretty. Anyway, I've seen Tom looking at me. I mean, compares to Jenny, I'm a super model."
Julian turned to have a proper look at the two ugly girls, not believing his ears. Them. Prettier than Jenny?
The thought was enough to make him laugh. He surveyed the horse one again just for the second laugh.
"See what I mean," Said Horse quietly but he could still hear. "Look at the God for a guy checking me out over there. He'd never check Jenny out." She nudged Frizz and pointed over at him.
Julian smiled at them. The two girls smiled back. God, he thought, they were even uglier when they smiled. Horse's lips went over her teeth and Frizz's lips sunk into her fat cheeks making her look like she had no mouth.
Again he thought of Jenny's smile. He needed to see her.
But for now, he wanted to have some fun, release some of his anger.
He walked over to the girls.
"Hi." Frizz said.
"Hi." He said with a flash of his teeth. "This party's boring. Want to go out and find somewhere nice to eat?"
"What's your name?" Asked Horse.
"Julian."
"Well, Julian," Horse said. "I'm Marie and she's," She pointed at Frizz. "Annabelle. I'll just tell Dee I'm going."
"She won't even notice you're gone. She's talking to Tom Locke." Julian said.
Horse thought about it and nodded. "Let's go."
They walked out onto the street and Julian again looked around for Jenny, she wasn't there. The street was deserted. Music from inside blared out onto the street.
"You know," said Frizz. She's a bit of a tag along, Julian thought. "I think there might be something going on with Dee and Tom. I mean, they're always talking."
"Yeah and with Jenny out of the picture. Why does Tom always go for the ugly girls?"
Again Julian had the mad urge to laugh. Dee was hardly ugly and these girls, well.
"Jenny?" Julian prompted.
"Yeah, Jenny Thorton. Girl in my computer class. Oh yeah," Horse turned to Frizz. "Remember when she freaked out last May? She thought the plug of the computer was a snake or something." She looked at Julian and pulled a face. "She's Tom's ex, I think. I mean, they never broke up but after Jenny went weird, they were never seen together. She is a complete lunatic."
Julian's eyes flashed angrily but he didn't let that emotion come out, not yet. He had to find out more.
"What do you mean, she went weird?" They thought he was just asking out of idle curiosity. Julian was always a good actor.
"Oh, you know, she went mad. She went on about eyes watching her and the shadows jumping out at her. I kind of feel sorry for her, you know, because she really believed it. I thought she was doing it for attention but well, people got a bit horrible to her and she didn't stop. I mean, the things people were doing to her, you'd stop if you were pretending. Well, I don't know. It was obviously all in her head but she used to be so normal, so organised. I would go as far as saying she was dull and then, bang; she's a nutcase." Horse liked to talk.
Julian was clenching and unclenching his fists in rage. People were being mean to Jenny? His Jenny?
If he had been there, he would have killed them all.
"How long ago was all this?" Julian asked.
"Oh, well, its been happening for two months, I suppose." Frizz said.
"Is that why she didn't come to the party?" Julian asked.
"I don't know, anyway, it doesn't matter. Who cares about Jenny Thorton and her screwed up head? I want to hear about you."
"Well," He said and let his anger flow. "It seems that Jenny's told you enough about me, already."
"What?" Horse said and her face bungled up into a horrible knot of features.
He spun around to face her and pulled her towards him. "Eyes watching her, shadows jumping out at her." He said in a deadly cold voice.
Horse's face scrunched up with confusion. "Jenny's crazy. Don't tell me you believe in that crap?"
"Jenny Thorton is not crazy. She was trying to warn you, warn you about me." His eyes burned brightly and anger swam off him in waves.
"You should have listened to her."
Annabelle screamed and ran away while Horse tried to escape. He didn't let her, though.
She would be the first to pay.