wWell….. good to hear that this is a liked story.

Please enjoy.

If the tapping stopped, it must have been during my rest.

When I awoke, the sound still lingered in the back of my mind, making believe for a split second that there was still a being outside my window. The sound of chirping and pecking from woodpecker's beaks on wood brung me great comfort. I knew that I was safe for the morning.

There were no hellos or good mornings from my parents. They were giving me the silent treatment once again. I was completely fine with it though. There was nothing much to say in the mornings.

I grabbed for my bag where it always was, but to find nothing there. My parents liked to make my schools day difficult for me as punishment for missing dinner. Difficult days included the classic silent treatment, misplacing my things, not serving breakfast, not driving me to school, and if I did something even worse, I was tripped down the stairs.

I listened to the noise of the band that softly playing in my ears as I was able to find my bag with all of its contents spilled out. I paused on my way out of the door, pulling my headphones out, listening for anything my mother or father would like to say to me before I walked a mile to school with no sight and nearly ten crosswalks. I only heard shuffling. I walked out and closed the door.

On my dangerous way to school, I was pushed over twice, nearly run over three times, and bumped into thirteen people. No- wait. Make that fourteen people.

The man I bumped into didn't give me a hurried insult, which wasn't unusual. "Sorry," I apologized, "Didn't see you there." I could tell the man was looking me over. "It's fine," he spoke. His voice was scratchy and rough. "Need some help going to school?" he asked.

Although I knew about stranger danger, I was pretty sure I was lost. I nodded slowly but surely. I heard the man take a few steps and I followed. "I bet it sucks being blind, huh?" he asked. I shrugged. "It has its benefits," I answered with honesty.

We said no more on the way. I could tell that we were indeed going towards the school, for we were passing loud-mouthed kids who failed to notice us. I heard him slow, making me stop as well.

"We're here. See ya, kid," he said, and I gave my farewells as well. "Good bye sir," I said to him. I heard the man chuckle. "The name's Jeff, just so you know. I hope you sleep well tonight."

I stopped in my tracks. What did he mean? I pondered on the thought as he walked away.

School was uneventful as always. I stored all the information into the back of my head, replaying the lessons over and over again in my head while skimming through the halls. I greeted the janitor as he said his daily hellos to the kids.

I had much free time during my theater arts class, having done all my exercises correctly with my acting partner, Brianna. We sat at our usual table, chatting away.

"Are you coming to my house after school?" the blonde asked me. I shook my head. "That's what got me in trouble yesterday. The last thing I want to do is come back from your house, not late, and get a scolding." Brianna gave a small laugh. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Hey, I saw you talking to that guy earlier!"

I gave a small smile, knowing I couldn't avoid the subject no matter how hard I wanted to. "He was a stranger I bumped into. He just walked me to school, that's it. Okay?" I could feel Brianna's skeptical look grazing over me.

"Don't get any ideas, Bree; he's too old for me, anyways," I insisted. "Nuh uh!" Brianna shouted, "He's, like, twenty or something!" I laughed, giving me a blush.

"Let me guess; he was cute?" I asked, a bit suspicious why it wasn't the first thing that popped out of her mouth. "I dunno," she said. I could hear her shrug. "He had this dirty white hoodie on. I couldn't see his face. He always kept his face down. But I could tell he had black hair." I nodded, not really interested in if the man, Jeff, was cute or not.

Of course, being unable to see, I never judged a guy based on cuteness. I also didn't base him on how he touched me. People who touched me more than often were usually labeled pedophiles. It was always the personality that got me. That's how I became friends with Brianna. She was kind and sweet to me, and then I heard her speed talking rate.

I have dated guys before, but that was usually to take what was mine since the day of my birth. That's why I don't date much, and wait until I've known him for at least a month.

"Sucks that you can't come over," Bree said, trying to give me a depressed voice, "I was going to play Slender."

"Slender?" I asked, giving my head a tilt. "Yeah, it's a scary game that's supposed to-" I put my hand up. I've already heard enough. I didn't like anything creepy or scary. If she continued, I would walk away. Fortunately, she just gave a dramatic sigh, making me giggle.

I had to be back home fast, but not this fast. I didn't want to walk home alone again, but with many people out. Kids bumping into me, insulting me with every bump and shove.

I had somehow made my way to the forest. I wasn't used to speed walking, so I must have over walked the distance of the corner, and found myself in the woods.

No problem, I said to myself. Just head back the way you came. And I did just that. Of course, with my luck, I only got myself lost deeper and deeper into the woods. Snow still littered the floor, silencing all footsteps. Music blared into my ears, giving me comfort. It made me feel safe.

I felt the cold bark on the trees as I had done last time, but to no avail, which made me slightly worried. I turned my iPod off and pulled my headphones out. Now it was just dead silence. I pulled myself together and pulled my jacket on tighter. I started walking. I don't know where, but I hoped it was close to home.

Birds stopped chirping and leaves weren't crunching, but for some reason, I felt safe. I felt watched, but I felt safe. That was until I bumped into another man.

Now, I could tell that this man was pretty dang tall, because when I bumped into him, my face hit his stomach. In fact, I don't think anyone can be that tall. I know I'm not that tall, but no one was as tall as who I bumped into.

During my constant pondering, I realized that the man was staring at me for at least a minute. "Uh, sorry about that," I apologized to the stranger. He gave me nothing in response. I could tell he was still staring, which left me uncomfortable. So I decided to start walking again.

I scooted to the side a little bit, and continued my walk. I could still feel his eyes on me, watching my every move. I gulped and quickened my pace. I could tell that he noticed my sudden change of speed. No matter how many trees I passed or times I've turned, I could still feel his eyes on me.

I kept going though, not letting one man's stare stop me. And somehow, I got out of the woods. The eyes stopped watching me, and I felt safe once again. I heard a dog bark from afar, and I quickened my pace to home. I met friendly neighbors of mine, more friends to me than my parents, and they directed me the way home. It turns out that I really wasn't that far from home when I left the woods. In fact, it was much like a short cut.

My parents were actually happy that I was able to get home early. In fact, they cut punishment day short and actually started speaking to me again. I was happy that they began to forget about yesterday evening.

Dinner was quite uneventful. We had spaghetti, which was something we hadn't eaten in months. We were usually for something way fancier, but today was just time to take a break. It was Friday, after all.

"Honey, I told you know working at the table," my mother complained. I stifled a giggle. My old man was a workaholic. He almost always ate while working on his laptop. But if he didn't bring his laptop, he would rush through dinner within five or six minutes just to get back to work. That usually ended up with him vomiting.

My dad and mom had rich jobs, which explained my fancy house. My mom worked as a doctor, but my dad owned his own business named Quality Electric Solar (QES for short) and was always busy on the laptop, answering phone calls and designing solar panels. He's been able to get me into the magic of electricity. He taught me many things about the subject, which aided me in science class.

"Anything new, dad?" I asked, eating with slow bites and wiping my mouth every few minutes. "You know Chuck, my co-worker?" he asked. "The one you're about to fire for acting strange, or the one that likes to drink our milk?" I asked. "The one I was about to fire," he said, serious. "He hung himself last night."

"That's terrible!" my mother exclaimed, and I nodded in agreement. "But before he hung himself, he sent me an e-mail," he continued. "What did it say?" mother questioned. "Spread the word and that's it. There was a photo of a dog with a huge smile on his face. Kind of creepy, don't you think?" I nodded. "I knew that Chuck was a bit out of it, but you wouldn't believe me!" mom grumbled under her breath.

Oh not this again. I heard my dad give and insult back, and my mom shot one right at him seconds after. Fights were usual, and my mom was almost always wrong. There would be times when she's arguing and realizes that dad was right, but she'll keep going in the name of pride.

I finished my meal right as another battle was beginning, and I washed my plate. I walked up the stairs and found my way to my room as the grizzly bears began to fight over the fish. The only good thing about the fight is that it brung noise, which was good.

I sat on my bed and grabbed my pencil and paper. I then began to draw. I know I can't see, but that doesn't mean I can't draw. It's pretty easy, too. I drew a head, a neck, and a long body. The man was meant to look tall, but I think I might have over done it a smidge. I drew arms and legs, but put nothing else.

I lied on my bed in my night gown, yawning and listening to the shouts from below. I gave a sigh and gave into blissful sleep.

Well…. Done. I hoped you enjoyed it, because I spent hours on it. And just so you know, QES is actually a real business, and I don't own it, and I doubt I'll get sued.

Anyshoe, please review your thoughts. Now, if you excuse me, I have to convince my dad that our Husky is actually Smile Dog in disguise.