Chapter 1 - And The Award for Having the Creepiest Stalkers Goes To...
~Eunice Raqueco's POV~
I lazily scribbled on my notebook, barely listening to the teacher's lecture. I glanced at the window overlooking the soccer field. The sky was a lazy color of grey. The sun barely shone beneath the thick layer of clouds. A gust of wind passed by and carried with it the brittle autumn leaves. I pulled my jacket closer to my body, sighing at the cold season. As I was about to look back at the blackboard, I caught a glimpse of a hazy figure standing on the field. I looked back but the figure vanished, just like it always did since it started appearing at my line of vision a week ago. I stared at the empty soccer field, waiting. It never came back. It never did every time I looked at it directly. I almost jumped off my seat when the teacher slammed his book on the table. He pointed and berated us for zoning and sleeping during class. He warned us that he will mark us fail if he caught anyone sleeping one more time before returning to his lecture. I slumped down and pretended to listen.
The school bell rang. I quickly went out of the classroom, determined to get out of the damned place. As I passed by the lockers, hands grabbed me by the hood of my jacket and pulled me toward a section by the wall. I staggered backward. My back hit the wall. I looked at my captors.
"Well, well. What do we have here?" A girl my age with shoulder length jet black hair and brownish black eyes sneered. "If it isn't the Princess. My, aren't we lucky." Her minions of four smirked.
"What do you want, Airah?" I asked, eager to get out of here.
She held out her hand. "The usual." She smiled like a serial killer. Her eyes gleamed darkly. "But since it's you, make it triple."
"I don't have any on me today." I said. "Maybe tomorrow."
She raised one eyebrow. "Who do you think you're fooling?" She grabbed my jacket and pushed me against the wall. "Come on. Spit the money out."
"I told you." I choked. "I don't have any."
"Hey, Airah." One of her friends said. "It seemed she's asking trouble. Why don't we give it to her?"
Airah let go of me and punched me in the gut. I doubled over, coughing.
"Don't bother." She said. "She had learned her lesson. I'm sure she will give up next time."
She leaned and lifted my chin. Her long fingernails digging painfully on my skin. "Cross us and you will get more than that."
She stood up. "Let's go. I don't want to get tangled up with a trouble like her." She and her gang left.
I coughed, leaning hard against the wall. I felt like vomiting. I touched the skin where Airah's fingernails dug itself and saw tiny droplets of blood. As I dabbed the blood with my handkerchief, I felt a chill. I looked around and saw them at the opposite section. I hurried out as they approached toward my direction.
As I emerged into a busy street, I pulled the hood over my head. Keeping my head down, I joined the rushing crowd. I didn't dare to look behind me. I knew better than that. I slipped through a series of alleys before going to my destination, a tall rectangular modern building with thirty-five floors and polished glass reflecting off sunlight. I passed under the doorway where a huge RQC Trading Corp. made of stainless steel was placed.
I emerged in a wide lobby and passed the reception counter, ignoring the employees' greetings. I rode the elevator up to the fifteenth floor and walked at the dead end where a huge double doors was placed. I pulled out an ID and tapped it on the identifier screen beside the doors. The screen produced a loud beep and the doors opened. Pulling off my hood, I entered quietly.
A wide room with polished tiled floor and whitewashed walls greeted me. Series of bookshelves were on my right while pictures and awards hung at the opposite wall. At the center of the room was two long semicircular red sofas facing a single coffee table at the center. A huge rectangular carpet was under the end. Further back was a table with a computer and a pile of papers on top. Sitting before it was a woman.
The woman looked up from her work and stood up. She approached with a smile. "Welcome back, dear." She hugged me. When she let go, she frowned as she noticed the red lines on my chin. She touched it gently. I winced in pain. "What happened?"
"It's nothing, Mom. Just a little accident." I lied.
Her face turned serious. "You're lying. What really happened?"
"I told you. It's just a little accident. I tripped. That's all." I insisted.
"Eun." No one calls me Eun except my mom. It's her simple way to show her concern and affection for me. I suddenly felt guilty lying to her. Sometimes, I think that she's not my real mom. She's way too kind and sociable unlike me. I don't give a damn on anything. Plus, she's too beautiful to have a daughter like me. Her long blonde hair and soft brown eyes contrasted my dark neck length hair and dull brown eyes. I don't have the same regal face and kind smile like hers. Just looking at my face, people already knows that I'm no good. I don't deny that. I always get into trouble. Not that I care.
"I'm fine, Mom." I said, barely looking at her. "I'm just here to visit. I will be going home after."
She sighed in defeat but I knew she wouldn't let the topic drop so easily. "Alright. Just be careful on the way, alright?"
I nodded. I kissed her cheek and went out. As leave, I felt her worried eyes boring down on me. I glanced at her as the doors closed behind me. My home was just a half an hour bus trip away from my family' main corporation building. It was three-story beige and dark brown modern house with one-way windows and a wide yard. As I inserted the key to the gate door, I heard a distant loud clang. I looked around and saw the figure standing at the far corner of the street. It was the first time I looked at it directly without it disappearing. I felt a sudden chill. I hurried went inside and into the house, slamming the door loudly. I peeked through the one-way windows but saw no figure. I leaned against the wall as I waited for my heart to settle. I glanced back at the empty street before settling down.
Mom returned later than usual. I don't mind. It's not like she has other choice. Ever since my Dad left when I was still in my mother's womb, she had been working hard for both of us. All of that hard work had paid off and now, my mom's trading company is one of the largest in the country. Not that I care. But everyone was making a big deal out of it, acting out all nice but in reality, just wanted to benefit from it. I hate it. I hate them. I hate everyone. Most of the time, I wished that I wasn't born at all.
After washing and getting in my pajamas, I settled on the wide ledge of the window in my room. The room was dark except for the lamp on the bedside table. As I stared to the bright lights of the city, I caught again a glimpse of the figure standing just outside the gate. And for the record, it was the second time I was able to see it directly. I leaned in closer, blinking at the figure. For a moment, it shifted, turning his head upward to my direction. I jumped in surprise. No...that's impossible. It shouldn't see me through the one-way windows. But it stared at me like it can. But the most surprising was, it gestured with its hands. A simple message.
You're in danger.