As per-usual, Grace was sitting on the patio of her favorite coffee house, sipping a latte and trying to pretend her life wasn't real. That this was all just some twisted dream she'd eventually wake up from. She blew lightly on the surface of her drink just to watch the cloud of steam push further into the cold air. Focusing on the cloud, she almost didn't notice the eyes of the man across the patio flash black. Almost.

This was nothing new for Grace, though, looking back on it, it hadn't been happening for long. Maybe a month. It seemed like everywhere she went there was someone in the distance, staring at her with those black as night eyes. She didn't know what they were or what they wanted from her, but she felt a surprising lack of fear. She was more curious than anything. Of course, she wasn't sure she hadn't finally gone insane.

Life for Grace had been less than ideal. She grew up in the suburbs and went to public school just like normal people. She was attractive and on an average scale of intelligence. Her father was some kind of accountant and her mother made cash on the side by making her own jewelry. Regardless of this perfectly average setup, the devil was in the details.

Though no one bothered to notice, both of her parents were abusive in their own ways. Her father, psychologically, and her mother, physically and verbally. She never felt wanted or appreciated or loved. Affection wasn't something she experienced in anyone but strangers and a few good teachers. All the friends she'd ever made as an adolescent were more acquaintances than anything, as she wasn't permitted to communicate with them outside of school.

It wasn't until college that she was able to transform herself into someone who at least resembled a normal person. She made friends, had boyfriends, went to parties. Regardless of the loveless life she'd live up to that point she discovered that she was a friendly and empathetic person. To some degree, she was happy for the first time.

After her academic career was over, however, she was left alone. All her friends went their separate ways and her focus in life was just to stay on her feet. That happiness quickly dulled to a numb throb somewhere between hoping for the best and wishing she were dead. Which brings us to the present.

Grace took a sip of the hot liquid, enjoying the feeling of warmth traveling through her cold body. She watched the man who's eyes had been momentarily black as he folded his newspaper, stood, and walked back into the cafe. There was nothing strange about him. He was young and dressed nicely. She figured he worked at some big company doing something boring and soul sucking.

She looked back to the people walking on the street and thought about her own job. She worked at a library, so it wasn't bad. It was quiet and full of curious people. She enjoyed being surrounded by all that knowledge. Her coworkers were pleasant and gave her the space she required, though sometimes she wished they wouldn't.

A tic along her spine woke her from her thoughts and caused her head to tilt to the left. She shook it and rolled her shoulders before taking another sip of her latte. Her eyes rose to meet those of a well dressed man across the street. From what she could see, he wore black from head to toe. Something about his sly expression was charming.

A smirk formed on the man's face and Grace smiled back politely. Her body was tense at the thought of him coming to sit with her, but it only took a second for that to be the furthest thing from her mind. Suddenly, his eyes flushed to a deep crimson and his smile grew. All the breath seemed to be sucked out of Grace's lungs. Then she blinked and he was gone.

Grace stared for a moment at the spot where the man had been. Her cup clattered as she set it rather clumsily on it's dish. She rubbed her eyes and sat for a moment with her face in her gloved hands, suddenly certain she was losing it. People don't disappear and their eyes don't turn black or red. Something was wrong with her.