Chapter 2
The Goddess Festival
The next morning I woke up, elated that it was finally the day of the goddess festival. But then I remembered the note I had found the night before. I shivered and considered my options.
I could tell my Dad about the note. I could tell Gray about the note. I could not tell anybody about the note and not go to the festival. I could go to the festival and dance with Jack. Or, I could go to the festival and dance with Cliff.
One thing was for certain. Nobody could know about this note. Ever. My eyes grew wide as another thought struck me. What if he was watching me right now? I glanced out my window and could have sworn I saw a flash of brown hair. But it might have just been paranoia. And besides brown hair didn't mean anything, they both had it.
I had decided to go to the festival, so I began to get my dress on. I looked at my reflection in my mirror and stuck my tongue out. I wasn't the goddess, so why did I have to wear a stupid dress anyway?
On the way to the festival I began to think more about who my stalker might be. It might be Jack because he would be jealous of Cliff coming and trying to 'steal' me from him. Or it could be Cliff because I don't know much about him. He seems mysterious enough to be a stalker, and if Jack was my stalker wouldn't he have started stalking me before Cliff came?
I walked into the festival and got into my position just as Popuri, Karen, Elli, and I were supposed to begin sprinkling flower petals over Maria-the goddess. After the procession was done it was time to choose our dancing partners. Cliff and Jack both rushed over to me but Cliff got there first.
"Will you dance?" he asked me, extending his hand.
I nodded in reply and took his outstretched hand, shaking a bit from nervousness. What if Cliff wasn't the stalker and Jack did something because I danced with Cliff instead of him? About halfway through the song I pulled away from Cliff.
"Sorry, I-I promised Jack I would dance with him as well." I stuttered. He nodded, but he looked hurt.
Jack immediately saw us come apart and made his way over to me. He didn't even have to say anything. We danced for the rest of the song but then Jack left as soon as the song was done. The rest of the villagers stayed for about a half hour more. Well almost all of them anyway. Gray never comes to this festival, and Cliff had disappeared after the dance.
I suddenly got very nervous. What if the stalker was angry that I danced not only with him but with the other as well? What if he was doing something right now that would be a 'serious consequence' for me?
I began to run down the steps to get away from the square but I stumbled in my dress and fell down the last three, badly bruising my left knee and giving me a large gash in my right shin from a rock I had landed on. I winced in pain as I tried to stand up.
In a few minutes I was able to stand up, and was glad that nobody had seen me fall. I looked around just in case somebody *had* been watching. I thought I heard a rustle in the bushes but it was probably just a chipmunk or something, right? Other than that there was nobody in sight. I slowly began to hobble towards the ranch, and was grateful when I finally reached the gatepost.
Suddenly I heard somebody call my name, and turned to see Cliff come running up from behind me. How convenient . . . a little too convenient.
"Cliff, what are you doing here?" I questioned suspiciously.
He looked a little embarrassed as he pulled out a small bouquet of flowers from behind his back. He handed them to me, blushing.
"I was going to give these to you after our dance but. . ." he trailed off. "So I decided to see if you had come home yet. Guess I had perfect timing, huh?"
I smiled even though I was still in pain from my stumble on the steps. I gratefully accepted the flowers but began to ponder if it was just a coincidence that he was here at the right time, or if he had been following me.
"Thanks Cliff, I guess I'll see you around sometime." he nodded and walked off.
As soon as Cliff was gone, I was greeted by Jack. He must have been at the beach for something because he came from my right. But why would Jack have been at the beach?
"Hi, Jack, what's up?" I asked, trying to keep from looking too suspicious of him.
He just shrugged before saying, "Not much but the sky, Ann."
His face then broke into a huge grin as he let out a little laugh at his own joke. I tried to laugh but couldn't even fake one. It came out sounding more like a mix between a cough and a sneeze. His face fell a little seeing as he hadn't made me laugh.
"Well, I'll be seeing you around I guess, babe, right?" he questioned, raising his eyebrows.
I shrugged and then I saw his glove, it looked a little red. Had he cut his hand on something? It was weird, both of hem showing up right after one another. I shrugged it off. It must have been a coincidence for one of them.
After Jack walked away I walked into my room to get changed. I opened the door and was greeted by a gruesome sight. On my wall, written in blood were the words, "ONLY I LOVE YOU" and net to it a small red heart. It was still dripping wet. I began to shake uncontrollably and as I looked at my floor, I let out a piercing shriek.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: You don't get anything if you can guess what she sees . . . as if I haven't made it obvious enough with one line already. Oh, and NO GUESSING WHO THE STALKER IS from this point on. You'll ruin the fun if everyone starts believing it from one person's review. So, keep it to yourself. Please and Thank You!
The next morning I woke up, elated that it was finally the day of the goddess festival. But then I remembered the note I had found the night before. I shivered and considered my options.
I could tell my Dad about the note. I could tell Gray about the note. I could not tell anybody about the note and not go to the festival. I could go to the festival and dance with Jack. Or, I could go to the festival and dance with Cliff.
One thing was for certain. Nobody could know about this note. Ever. My eyes grew wide as another thought struck me. What if he was watching me right now? I glanced out my window and could have sworn I saw a flash of brown hair. But it might have just been paranoia. And besides brown hair didn't mean anything, they both had it.
I had decided to go to the festival, so I began to get my dress on. I looked at my reflection in my mirror and stuck my tongue out. I wasn't the goddess, so why did I have to wear a stupid dress anyway?
On the way to the festival I began to think more about who my stalker might be. It might be Jack because he would be jealous of Cliff coming and trying to 'steal' me from him. Or it could be Cliff because I don't know much about him. He seems mysterious enough to be a stalker, and if Jack was my stalker wouldn't he have started stalking me before Cliff came?
I walked into the festival and got into my position just as Popuri, Karen, Elli, and I were supposed to begin sprinkling flower petals over Maria-the goddess. After the procession was done it was time to choose our dancing partners. Cliff and Jack both rushed over to me but Cliff got there first.
"Will you dance?" he asked me, extending his hand.
I nodded in reply and took his outstretched hand, shaking a bit from nervousness. What if Cliff wasn't the stalker and Jack did something because I danced with Cliff instead of him? About halfway through the song I pulled away from Cliff.
"Sorry, I-I promised Jack I would dance with him as well." I stuttered. He nodded, but he looked hurt.
Jack immediately saw us come apart and made his way over to me. He didn't even have to say anything. We danced for the rest of the song but then Jack left as soon as the song was done. The rest of the villagers stayed for about a half hour more. Well almost all of them anyway. Gray never comes to this festival, and Cliff had disappeared after the dance.
I suddenly got very nervous. What if the stalker was angry that I danced not only with him but with the other as well? What if he was doing something right now that would be a 'serious consequence' for me?
I began to run down the steps to get away from the square but I stumbled in my dress and fell down the last three, badly bruising my left knee and giving me a large gash in my right shin from a rock I had landed on. I winced in pain as I tried to stand up.
In a few minutes I was able to stand up, and was glad that nobody had seen me fall. I looked around just in case somebody *had* been watching. I thought I heard a rustle in the bushes but it was probably just a chipmunk or something, right? Other than that there was nobody in sight. I slowly began to hobble towards the ranch, and was grateful when I finally reached the gatepost.
Suddenly I heard somebody call my name, and turned to see Cliff come running up from behind me. How convenient . . . a little too convenient.
"Cliff, what are you doing here?" I questioned suspiciously.
He looked a little embarrassed as he pulled out a small bouquet of flowers from behind his back. He handed them to me, blushing.
"I was going to give these to you after our dance but. . ." he trailed off. "So I decided to see if you had come home yet. Guess I had perfect timing, huh?"
I smiled even though I was still in pain from my stumble on the steps. I gratefully accepted the flowers but began to ponder if it was just a coincidence that he was here at the right time, or if he had been following me.
"Thanks Cliff, I guess I'll see you around sometime." he nodded and walked off.
As soon as Cliff was gone, I was greeted by Jack. He must have been at the beach for something because he came from my right. But why would Jack have been at the beach?
"Hi, Jack, what's up?" I asked, trying to keep from looking too suspicious of him.
He just shrugged before saying, "Not much but the sky, Ann."
His face then broke into a huge grin as he let out a little laugh at his own joke. I tried to laugh but couldn't even fake one. It came out sounding more like a mix between a cough and a sneeze. His face fell a little seeing as he hadn't made me laugh.
"Well, I'll be seeing you around I guess, babe, right?" he questioned, raising his eyebrows.
I shrugged and then I saw his glove, it looked a little red. Had he cut his hand on something? It was weird, both of hem showing up right after one another. I shrugged it off. It must have been a coincidence for one of them.
After Jack walked away I walked into my room to get changed. I opened the door and was greeted by a gruesome sight. On my wall, written in blood were the words, "ONLY I LOVE YOU" and net to it a small red heart. It was still dripping wet. I began to shake uncontrollably and as I looked at my floor, I let out a piercing shriek.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: You don't get anything if you can guess what she sees . . . as if I haven't made it obvious enough with one line already. Oh, and NO GUESSING WHO THE STALKER IS from this point on. You'll ruin the fun if everyone starts believing it from one person's review. So, keep it to yourself. Please and Thank You!