Sorry it's taking me a while to update, I think about this thing a lot, but never seem to be able to find the time to write. . But anyhow, here's the next part! Still a lot of mystery involved, but things will really start to pick up with the next chapter, I promise! ;)
Looking out her window, she could still see the car that was parked out front. She tore herself from her observation point, settling on her bed, trying to calm herself down. She took a drink from her glass, and closed her eyes. She weighed the points that ran through her mind over whether or not she should go into work that night. She could always call in sick, she was pretty reliable with her boss, so he would believe her. But then that would convince that man of her fear. She didn't want that. So she decided that her only option would be to leave, and go in to work like always. If the man hadn't bothered her on her way home, maybe he wouldn't bother her on her way to work either. Maybe he was just some nutcase who wanted to feel important by stalking her. Whatever the case was, she tried to convince herself that whoever he was, even if he did try anything with her, she would have no problem defeating him. She had never backed away from any competitor before, so why start now?
She waited until her clock read 1130, and then crept silently out of her room. She passed by the closed door of Syaoran's room, hearing soft music floating through the door. She continued on her way down the hall, skipping quietly down the stairs. She grabbed her jacket from the hook, and pulled it over her head, pausing in front of the door. Maybe it would be safer to leave through the back, and run along the forest wall. She turned around, heading towards the back of the house. She ran through the kitchen, unlatching the screen door to the patio. She ensured her keys to the house were still in her jacket pocket before closing the door, then, when satisfied, she left the house, running out for the safety of the woods just behind her house.
Sakura sat on the ledge of the window in Syaoran's room, gazing out into the sky. She noticed a flicker of red down below, and looked out onto the back lawn, a confused look on her face. She was certain that had been Meiling, running out into the woods. But the figure was gone before Sakura had a chance to ask her boyfriend, and she contemplated on whether she should say anything to him. Maybe she had seen something else. She decided she would wait, and speak to Meiling in the morning. She fought the urge to go to the girl's room now, to see if she was even in the house. Meiling had retired to her room early tonight, after she had showered. She hadn't wanted any company, and had appeared to be in a rather strange mood. Sakura was worried about her friend, but figured she would give the girl some space. Besides, if Meiling wasn't back by 1am, Sakura would mention it to Syaoran.
Meiling ran along the tree line, continually checking the road for any sign of the car. She never saw it, and was confident she had slipped away unnoticed. She slowed her pace a little, as signs of the city appeared. She kept up the pace of a light jog, dodging past various people filling the streets. She rounded the corner, and looked quickly around before darting into the club. Once inside she couldn't help but steal a glance around, looking for that man. Not having seen him, she continued in, walking to the end of the counter and taking her usual seat at the bar, for her usual drink before heading to the back and preparing. Ken slid a glass down her way, smiling as she caught it. The place seemed rather busy tonight, so Ken had no chance to sit a moment and talk to her. Meiling noticed the place seemed full of many younger men tonight, and figured it must be some college party or the like. A few of the young men at the bar she noticed were smiling her way, talking amongst each other and gesturing towards her. She shot her drink back, and got up from the bar, heading for the back.
"Hey, bartender! What's that one called?" One of the rowdy young guys yelled for the bartender, his eyes sliding back to watch the retreating figure of Meiling. Ken leaned over on the bar, his own eyes on the girl.
"Out of your league buddy. That there is our most expensive piece, I don't know if you can afford time with her." It saddened Ken to speak that way about her, but he couldn't afford to treat her any differently, lest it anger some of the other workers. But he had spoken the truth, in an effort to keep Meiling out of reach of the common street drunks and cheap trashy folk, they had all agreed that Meiling would carry a heightened price. No one really wanted to see her fall into the wrong hands.
"Oh you think? Maybe so, but damn, would she ever be worth the price." Ken kept a firm grip on the edge of the counter, wanting nothing more than to grab across the counter and slug the man. He simply nodded and walked down the counter, seeing another customer.
Meiling shut her locker, her regular clothing stashed, her performance gear on. She sat down on the bench, not talking to anyone as she waited for her turn. Her mind reeled continually with thoughts of her stalker, and she hoped she wouldn't see him here tonight. She was aware that if she continued to be worried, it would affect her performance on stage. So she tried to relax, humming along with the song that was currently playing. She decided to do a few stretches while waiting to go on, to hopefully calm herself down. She gracefully slid down into a splits position, and leaned her body forward over her right leg. She continued stretching for ten minutes, finally getting up and dusting herself off. It was performance time, and she made her way to the stage. As she stood at the back, awaiting her music, her eyes quickly scanned the floor. From one corner to the next, she didn't see her stalker anywhere. She began her routine, settling into her stage presence. It seemed to go by quickly, and the loud cheers from the college frat boys certainly proved a distraction. Not to mention a few tips. She counted her tip money as she exited the stage, feeling a little better since she hadn't seen him out there anywhere. He must have given up on her.
"Okay girls, time for some activity elsewhere." Their ears perked as they listened for their names to be called, and went off to do their extra shows. Meiling had again been requested in the red room. She skipped up the staircase, quickly walking down the hallway, stopping to push open the door. The room was dark, and at first she couldn't see anything, or anyone. Maybe her company hadn't arrived yet.
She walked into the room, looking cautiously around. She heard a noise behind her, and turned in time to catch a glimpse of who her interested audience was for the night. She let a sigh of relief as she noticed three figures; the frat boys from the bar earlier tonight. Seems they must have all pooled their resources. She somewhat reluctantly allowed herself to be subject to their devices for two hours, blocking out the actions and instead thinking about how much extra she would be paid for tonight.
Closing time came, and Meiling sat at the bar, recounting her money and tucking it, along with her check, into her wallet. She had made over $500 that night, much closer to her goal. She figured she only had another week or two before she made enough to quit. The prospect of being that much closer to her goal excited her. She pulled her jacket on and headed out, following her path back home. In her excitement over her money, she hadn't given much thought to her stalker, and had decided to run home along the road. She was nearing the bend and her house was in view, and she put on a little extra speed. As she came across the road and touched her feet to the lawn, she stopped suddenly, looking across the street.
There sat a black car, the same black car that had been there earlier. The air caught in Meiling's throat, and she backed up against the side of the house. There was no movement from the car, but she could see the figure of a man sitting in the front seat. Meiling bolted for the front door, fumbling with her keys until she was able to unlock it. She chanced a look back across the street as she shut the door, noticing that the man hadn't moved still. Maybe he was asleep. Either way, Meiling was not up to facing him now, and she quickly fled for her room. She locked her door shut and climbed into her bed, pulling her covers over her head. She fought back the urge to cry, and instead tried to refocus her thoughts on her plans for the future. She would get through this, she had to get through this. No man in a black car would stop her.
Looking out her window, she could still see the car that was parked out front. She tore herself from her observation point, settling on her bed, trying to calm herself down. She took a drink from her glass, and closed her eyes. She weighed the points that ran through her mind over whether or not she should go into work that night. She could always call in sick, she was pretty reliable with her boss, so he would believe her. But then that would convince that man of her fear. She didn't want that. So she decided that her only option would be to leave, and go in to work like always. If the man hadn't bothered her on her way home, maybe he wouldn't bother her on her way to work either. Maybe he was just some nutcase who wanted to feel important by stalking her. Whatever the case was, she tried to convince herself that whoever he was, even if he did try anything with her, she would have no problem defeating him. She had never backed away from any competitor before, so why start now?
She waited until her clock read 1130, and then crept silently out of her room. She passed by the closed door of Syaoran's room, hearing soft music floating through the door. She continued on her way down the hall, skipping quietly down the stairs. She grabbed her jacket from the hook, and pulled it over her head, pausing in front of the door. Maybe it would be safer to leave through the back, and run along the forest wall. She turned around, heading towards the back of the house. She ran through the kitchen, unlatching the screen door to the patio. She ensured her keys to the house were still in her jacket pocket before closing the door, then, when satisfied, she left the house, running out for the safety of the woods just behind her house.
Sakura sat on the ledge of the window in Syaoran's room, gazing out into the sky. She noticed a flicker of red down below, and looked out onto the back lawn, a confused look on her face. She was certain that had been Meiling, running out into the woods. But the figure was gone before Sakura had a chance to ask her boyfriend, and she contemplated on whether she should say anything to him. Maybe she had seen something else. She decided she would wait, and speak to Meiling in the morning. She fought the urge to go to the girl's room now, to see if she was even in the house. Meiling had retired to her room early tonight, after she had showered. She hadn't wanted any company, and had appeared to be in a rather strange mood. Sakura was worried about her friend, but figured she would give the girl some space. Besides, if Meiling wasn't back by 1am, Sakura would mention it to Syaoran.
Meiling ran along the tree line, continually checking the road for any sign of the car. She never saw it, and was confident she had slipped away unnoticed. She slowed her pace a little, as signs of the city appeared. She kept up the pace of a light jog, dodging past various people filling the streets. She rounded the corner, and looked quickly around before darting into the club. Once inside she couldn't help but steal a glance around, looking for that man. Not having seen him, she continued in, walking to the end of the counter and taking her usual seat at the bar, for her usual drink before heading to the back and preparing. Ken slid a glass down her way, smiling as she caught it. The place seemed rather busy tonight, so Ken had no chance to sit a moment and talk to her. Meiling noticed the place seemed full of many younger men tonight, and figured it must be some college party or the like. A few of the young men at the bar she noticed were smiling her way, talking amongst each other and gesturing towards her. She shot her drink back, and got up from the bar, heading for the back.
"Hey, bartender! What's that one called?" One of the rowdy young guys yelled for the bartender, his eyes sliding back to watch the retreating figure of Meiling. Ken leaned over on the bar, his own eyes on the girl.
"Out of your league buddy. That there is our most expensive piece, I don't know if you can afford time with her." It saddened Ken to speak that way about her, but he couldn't afford to treat her any differently, lest it anger some of the other workers. But he had spoken the truth, in an effort to keep Meiling out of reach of the common street drunks and cheap trashy folk, they had all agreed that Meiling would carry a heightened price. No one really wanted to see her fall into the wrong hands.
"Oh you think? Maybe so, but damn, would she ever be worth the price." Ken kept a firm grip on the edge of the counter, wanting nothing more than to grab across the counter and slug the man. He simply nodded and walked down the counter, seeing another customer.
Meiling shut her locker, her regular clothing stashed, her performance gear on. She sat down on the bench, not talking to anyone as she waited for her turn. Her mind reeled continually with thoughts of her stalker, and she hoped she wouldn't see him here tonight. She was aware that if she continued to be worried, it would affect her performance on stage. So she tried to relax, humming along with the song that was currently playing. She decided to do a few stretches while waiting to go on, to hopefully calm herself down. She gracefully slid down into a splits position, and leaned her body forward over her right leg. She continued stretching for ten minutes, finally getting up and dusting herself off. It was performance time, and she made her way to the stage. As she stood at the back, awaiting her music, her eyes quickly scanned the floor. From one corner to the next, she didn't see her stalker anywhere. She began her routine, settling into her stage presence. It seemed to go by quickly, and the loud cheers from the college frat boys certainly proved a distraction. Not to mention a few tips. She counted her tip money as she exited the stage, feeling a little better since she hadn't seen him out there anywhere. He must have given up on her.
"Okay girls, time for some activity elsewhere." Their ears perked as they listened for their names to be called, and went off to do their extra shows. Meiling had again been requested in the red room. She skipped up the staircase, quickly walking down the hallway, stopping to push open the door. The room was dark, and at first she couldn't see anything, or anyone. Maybe her company hadn't arrived yet.
She walked into the room, looking cautiously around. She heard a noise behind her, and turned in time to catch a glimpse of who her interested audience was for the night. She let a sigh of relief as she noticed three figures; the frat boys from the bar earlier tonight. Seems they must have all pooled their resources. She somewhat reluctantly allowed herself to be subject to their devices for two hours, blocking out the actions and instead thinking about how much extra she would be paid for tonight.
Closing time came, and Meiling sat at the bar, recounting her money and tucking it, along with her check, into her wallet. She had made over $500 that night, much closer to her goal. She figured she only had another week or two before she made enough to quit. The prospect of being that much closer to her goal excited her. She pulled her jacket on and headed out, following her path back home. In her excitement over her money, she hadn't given much thought to her stalker, and had decided to run home along the road. She was nearing the bend and her house was in view, and she put on a little extra speed. As she came across the road and touched her feet to the lawn, she stopped suddenly, looking across the street.
There sat a black car, the same black car that had been there earlier. The air caught in Meiling's throat, and she backed up against the side of the house. There was no movement from the car, but she could see the figure of a man sitting in the front seat. Meiling bolted for the front door, fumbling with her keys until she was able to unlock it. She chanced a look back across the street as she shut the door, noticing that the man hadn't moved still. Maybe he was asleep. Either way, Meiling was not up to facing him now, and she quickly fled for her room. She locked her door shut and climbed into her bed, pulling her covers over her head. She fought back the urge to cry, and instead tried to refocus her thoughts on her plans for the future. She would get through this, she had to get through this. No man in a black car would stop her.