UNEXPECTED

Chapter I

It was a cold, dark evening in October. As she was looking over the fields that surrounded her cosy house, she saw the figure cringing just meters away from her, at the oak tree. She was reluctant to go outside and help this person, since the air contained a shiver of viciousness and she didn't feel at ease. She saw the persons' shadow flounder to keep standing straight… It didn't help. Aaliyah knew she had to go aid this poor man. Still she felt a strange vibe… Something wasn't right about all this. She opened her back door and stepped into the darkness. As she got closer to the figure, she saw he was wearing a black cloak, which she thought to be odd. Why wasn't he just wearing a coat? "Is everything all right sir?" Aaliyah asked superfluous. "Leave me alone!" said the silky voice, sounding more confident and strong than Aaliyah had expected, seeing the circumstances. "Let me help you" said Aaliyah, sounding friendly. "I don't need your help" the man hissed, as he looked up to meet Aaliyah's eyes. Aaliyah scared up seeing the red tint flaring in the man's eyes, making his words linger even more. Still Aaliyah decided not to back off, she had to help him, whether he liked it or not. "Please, let me help you" she said, "My house is right over there" she pointed at her little, warmly lit house. "I can take you there. It's warm and safe." "No!" the voice sounded again, firmly stating his wish to be left alone. Aaliyah decided she had enough, if he didn't want her help, she wouldn't force it on him anymore. "Fine" she said, and paced her way to her house.

While sitting in her living room, reading her thriller book, Aaliyah scared up by a knock on her back door. She went to the back of the house, being very still and silent, not letting her guard down. She looked around the corner into the darkness and she saw the man she met a few hours earlier, backed against her back door. She put on the lights and opened the door to let the man in. He hobbled in, covering his face with his cloak while his harsh voice sounded "Give me a room to stay" Aaliyah was taken aback by his rudeness, but answered softly "Off.. off course. Follow me" She led him through the corridor, upstairs to the guestroom. The man faltered inside while Aaliyah asked if he'd like a cup of tea. The man slammed the door in her face. Aaliyah still felt sorry for him. He must be so vile because of the pain he must be in, she thought. She decided to make him a cup of tea and a nice meal, that surely would make him feel better. She put a tray in front of his door. "I'm putting some tea and food in front of your room" Aaliyah's voice sounded in the silent hall "Just in case you're hungry or something…" No answer. She left to read some more and after a few hours she went to sleep, seeing the tray with tea and food still standing there, untouched. She didn't sleep a lot that night, she didn't feel at ease knowing a stranger sat in the next room. Maybe he was waiting there until she fell asleep so he could kill her.

The next morning Aaliyah got up early, since she couldn't sleep anyway. She walked past the guestroom and noticed the tray to be gone. Maybe him accepting her kind offer might mean that he would be more thankful from now on. Aaliyah took a shower and got dressed to leave for work. Before she did, she made breakfast accompanied by tea and went over to the guestroom. "I made you breakfast. It's in front of the door" No answer. She decided to just leave en trust he would eat it eventually. He needed to take care of himself to build up some strength. He looked really ill yesterday. Aaliyah wondered if she should call a doctor, but since the man wanted to be left alone, she figured she had fulfilled her task well enough.

Tom Riddle had the worst night. He had just gotten his body back by a self-consuming spell. He was broken, he felt like thousands of knifes were sliding through his body. The littlest movement made him cringe, although he had a very high pain threshold. He had been wandering, half dead, a ghost, less even, for so many years. He could face this pain to gain his body. When he looked into the mirror he saw his perfectly sculpted features, he was as handsome as he had ever been. Like time had had no influence on his appearance. He was now forced to take residence in a Muggle house, but he had no choice. He was still too weak. He wasn't yet able to perform Magic, since he needed to adapt to his body. He could only guess how long this would take. The Muggle took good care of him, and after his recovery he would kill her. No one would ever know he had been here. He had locked eyes with her for a moment, so he knew she had seen his red eyes. He hoped she was smart enough to keep her mouth shut en don't ask any questions. If not, she would have to be killed sooner. He needed to keep her here, order her not to go outside or have any contact with other Muggles, but it was not yet time for that. He wasn't capable of keeping her in line right now. He had to focus on his evolution. Why she kept being so kind as to take care of him, providing him with food en shelter, he didn't understand. He had been rude and harsh, but she remained calm and friendly. He decided to profit from her behavior. Use them and kill them, that was the plan. But a strange spark of a feeling crawled inside him, making him uncomfortable in his own mind. She had a certain effect on him he wasn't able to place. Surely, this was just a side effect from the agony his body was in. She took care of him and, although he didn't want to admit it, he couldn't take care of himself right now, so he needed her help.

The day went by slowly, in agony. He felt the pain penetrate the deepest core of his body. He knew coming back from the dead wouldn't be easy, but this was unbearable. But he's survive this, as he had survived everything thrown at him. He had faced all the obstacles in his live and succeeded to overcome them all. He was invincible. He had eaten the breakfast the girl made him, but he didn't enjoy. It was a nicely prepared meal, but the agony he felt overruled all other sensations. He wanted to get out of the room, take a breath of fresh air, but he wasn't capable of it right now. He needed to find a way to accelerate the process because it just took too long. He needed to make sure the girl would shut up about him being here, he need to keep her under control, which he wasn't able to do in this situation. He heard a door slam and high heels clicking on the floor beneath him: she was home. He looked at the clock on de bedside table and saw that it was five p.m. He heard her footsteps fade into the living room and suddenly some up tempo music started playing. It made his head pound and he hoped it would stop soon. He needed back his powers, so he could overrule her and keep her in line.

When Aaliyah got home from work she felt good. He hadn't been thinking about the stranger living in her house anymore, she had had a good day. She put on some music and danced along while preparing dinner. When ready, she went upstairs, finding the tray once again empty. "Good" she thought "At least he eats." "I made you dinner" she yelled to the closed door. As usual, no answer sounded. She went downstairs and the rest of her evening went by in peace. The following days Aaliyah's routine wasn't broken by her guest, she made him breakfast, went to work, came home and made dinner. She went out with friends and when she came home she never heard any noises, which would mean he was always asleep, she assumed. If Aaliyah hadn't found the plates empty every time, she would think he just wasn't alive anymore. He didn't make any sounds, she didn't even hear the door opening when he took the tray with food inside his room. One night she came home from work late and started cutting the vegetables to make her famous spaghetti Bolognese. It was her specialty and friends liked to invite themselves to enjoy her cooking arts. While cutting, she suddenly felt the presence of someone behind her, and she scared up, turning around to face the man who had lived in her guestroom for the past two weeks. The man didn't seem to care that he had scared her. He only stared at her with piercing eyes, which she couldn't fathom. "You are not leaving this house anymore" he said pertinent, not taking his eyes off her face. It was like he tried to hypnotize her. "I… I have a job… I can't just stay away" she said uneasy and soft. She knew someone had to take care of him, but she thought she had done a good job. He also looked quite okay now and didn't seem to need as much help as two weeks ago. "You are not leaving and you are not to talk to anyone" he said, his voice imperatival. "I don't understand" said Aaliyah, feeling confused and scared. "You look better, I don't think I can do more than make you meals" she continued, "I don't see how I can be of anymore use to you." "No one is to know I am here. So no contact with the outside is permitted" said the man, standing now closer to her, backing her against the wall and still piercing his gaze into hers. The fear took over Aaliyah's mind and she didn't dare to move an inch. She could feel his breath on her face, she could almost taste his lips, almost touch his body. This was the first time she had seen his face; he was too beautiful, it wasn't natural. His blue eyes were hypnotizing. He had jet black hair and a perfectly sculpted face with a pale complexion. He was tall, she had to look up to see him. And she didn't dare take her eyes off him. "You are bleeding" he said cold. Aaliyah hadn't noticed, but apparently she had cut her finger. The blood had run down her entire hand, which made her think it was a pretty deep cut. The man took her hand and held it up, his gaze still holding on to her eyes. His other hand went into his pocket and he took out a wooden stick. Aaliyah didn't understand any of this: was he going to hit her with it? It was quite small to be used as an object of torture, which made her feel reassured. He pointed the stick towards her hand and for the first time he let go of their gaze and concentrated on her hand. He let the stick follow the edges of the cut while mumbling something Aaliyah didn't understand. Al of a sudden, the wound was gone and made place for intact, new skin. The pain she had felt was gone and the blood vanished from her hand. She was so astounded by the current events that she couldn't even bring out the words "thank you". She was stunned, mute, she didn't understand any of this and she was scared by that. "How… how did you do that?" she stumbled. He simply turned around and walked away, leaving for the guestroom again…