The flowing bass greeted Julie invitingly as she and her fellow students from university entered the dark rock bar at around 9 p.m.
They were all a little bit drunk already, but hey, they were on their first big party tour together after orientation week. And that in the middle of Florida, where heat and humidity permeated everything and everyone.

Being in a really good mood, Julie adjusted her tight green tank top which complimented her emerald colored eyes perfectly. Tossing her blond mane over her shoulder, she looked around.
A few people were playing table football or pool on one side, while others stood in the middle of the room laughing loudly as they swayed their hips to the throbbing beat of the song blasting from the speakers.

Julie let the scenery wash over her.

Sometimes she still couldn't believe she'd actually made it out of her hated hometown Ormond. After all these years she had finally received her freedom, far away from the iron shackles of her famous family name.

Her parents weren't pleased, of course, to say the least. But despite the fact that she was disowned for her "brazen act of a confused girl" (yeah, sure fuckers), Julie was able to get a scholarship at her stupid high school and, after successfully graduating, start studying psychology in the United States.

With her 1000 watt smile alone, she quickly made friends at the psychology faculty, but she didn't let them get too close.

She had left Ormond behind, but there were old hobbies she didn't want to miss. Passions she didn't want to give up. Secrets she didn't want to share with anyone.

Her scrapbook, full of deadly knowledge and unspoken desires, was the most important piece of her belongings she had taken from her old life in Canada to her new one in America.

In particular, the last entries in it, peppered with articles and photos of a man dressed in the coat of the night, hadn't gotten out of her head for what felt like an eternity.

Some would say she was obsessed.

The group of students spread out laughing. Julie bobbed her head to the rhythm of the song as she joined a few other boys and girls at the bar.

"What's your poison, friends?", the bartender asked, covered in tattoos from head to toes. The word "BEWARE" was emblazoned in large block letters on his forearm.
"The best beer you got", Julie replied with a grin, smoothly hopping on one of the red bar stools.

The guy couldn't help checking her out, causing Julie's grin to grow wider. Caught in the act, he cleared his throat and, after nodding, went to work, while Julie snickered behind his back.

"Juuuuules," Lana, her roommate from campus, grumbled next to her, forming her thick purple colored lips into a pout. "Beer?! You're not giving up on us, are you?"

Julie snorted and laughed. "Keep on dreaming! I just don't wanna be in a drinking coma by 11 p.m.. The night's still young."

The others joined in their laughter, proceeding to take to the dance floor with their freshly served drinks.

The guys from their group roared loudly and crookedly along with the current lyrics, which made the girls giggle. Joyful and full of energy, Julie moved to the music in her new hot pants, closing her eyes and sensually running her fingers through her wavy blonde hair.

Soon, she felt the lustful stares all around her. Reopening her eyes, she witnessed how some guys in her group weren't even trying to hide the fact that they would love to eat her up right here and now on the crowded dance floor.
"Spoiled for choice, bombshell blonde. Who's the lucky winner today?", Lana whispered in her ear, chuckling, but Julie waved it off. "Definitely not one of those. You're welcome to have them all. I want fresh blood tonight!"
Lana laughed and Julie took a deep sip of her delicious beer. Maybe she should "thank" the bartender again and find out if he really was tattooed all over his ripped body.

All of a sudden the hairs on the back of Julie's neck stood up.
The room suddenly seemed chilled, almost ice cold.

'Someone... is watching me...' her subconscious realized.

She paused in her movements and turned around, looking past the many people dancing around her.

There.

In the darkest corner of the room, at the far end of the bar sat a man in washed-out green jeans and a black T-shirt, staring blatantly at her.
His dark blond shoulder-length hair reminded Julie of hers.

One look in his soul mirrors and Julie's breath caught. She had never seen such shimmering gray eyes before. No, not gray. More like silver.
Like the wild wolf crying to the moon. Like the raging sea before the first ray of light touches its waves.
It was as if time stood still as their gazes locked.

Then the stranger turned back to the bar, as if nothing had happened, and sipped his drink, his eyes closed with pleasure.
At first glance, he might have seemed inconspicuous, almost ordinary, as if he were blurring into the crowd, but on closer inspection, Julie had to conclude that the complete opposite was the case. Even with his height of just maybe 1.80 m, he seemed somehow imposing and self-confident. Attractive.

Now it was Julie's turn to stare blatantly at him, with the difference that he did not return her gaze. Damn…

It was an unusual situation for her. Usually people, whether women or men, hung on her lips like bees to honey, showering her with all their attention, but not this time.

'Who is that?' Julie was confused, irritated and curious. Curious as hell.

"What's wrong, Jules?" Lana had stopped dancing, putting a hand on her roommate's slender shoulders. She followed Julie's gaze and raised her eyebrows suggestively. "Oh. The fresh blood, I take it?"
"Maybe…"
Julie couldn't quite put her feelings into words. Several sensations were fighting for dominance in her at the same time.

'A mysterious attractive guy sitting all alone at the bar? He's practically begging to be approached right now, isn't he? Go get him, girl! Rawrrr.'

'What? No! This one gives off the weirdest vibes ever. What kind of guy is out alone at this time of night with no buddies and stares at a total stranger like that? Attractive or not, just stay away from him, Julie.'

She frowned. 'Oh nonsense. It's just a guy in the end. And he definitely wanted my attention, so now he has it…'

Being a competitive person, she's never been able to resist a good challenge.

Her irrepressible curiosity and the alcohol in her blood did the rest as she made her decision and set her legs in motion, throwing all caution overboard.

With her heart hammering uncommonly hard, Julie leaned against the bar next to the stranger. She took a last sip of her beer and bluntly looked at him from the side.
He had a handsome profile. His nose was delicate and straight and he had shapely lips, the angles of which were now slowly and gracefully pulling upward.

He casually turned towards her and Julie's breath caught again as their eyes met for the second time that evening. Up close, his silver-gray eyes seemed like a dark maelstrom that, if Julie wasn't careful, could pull her into the deepest recesses of the earth. It was so intense that Julie was momentarily speechless.

"Hi."

It was only one word, but Julie still felt a long thrilling shiver travel down her spine. He had a full male voice, not too low, not too high. Just melodious, as if he was used to speak in front of all kinds of different people.

Channeling her inner goddess, Julie smiled confidently and tilted her head. "Are you always staring at random girls from across the bar and then ignoring them so they come to you?"

Her direct manner seemed to throw the man off his guard for a moment, but then he laughed.

His laugh was as hypnotic as his voice, and Julie was sure that some women would spread their legs for that alone. "Would you leave if I said yes?"

"Maybe."

His eyes gleamed mischievously. "Hmmm, since you're here already, we should make the most of it."

Without taking his gaze off her, he beckoned the tattooed bartender over. "Another round, please. Scotch on the rocks for me and a beer for..." His silver-gray eyes bored into her green ones, promising all kinds of alluring dark things.

"Julie. But make that a double scotch", she completed his sentence after a brief pause, and he showed her his two rows of glowing white teeth.
When the bartender set to work after a few jealous glances, the mysterious stranger pointed to the chair next to him and she took a seat.

Julie was surprised that he didn't introduce himself to her, but she decided to break the ice with some small talk. "So, what brought you out here tonight?"

"Oh, the usual. Drinking. Chilling. People-watching." His eyes flashed on the last word. "What brings you here, Ju? I hope you don't mind me calling you Ju, do you?"

She definitely didn't mind her new nickname coming out of that beautiful mouth.

Julie smiled wryly. "My friends and I just want to have a little fun before the seriousness of college life kicks in."

"Why? Because you have to study well and diligently in order to please your rich parents back home?", he teased.
"Oh yeah. I certainly want to please my parents, who disinherited me after I did my own thing for once in my life," Julie replied sarcastically just before the bartender put their ordered drinks on the counter.

The stranger raised his right eyebrow, eying her closely. "I sense a slight whiff of family drama."
"The understatement of the century..." Julie laughed a humorless laugh.
"Well then, here's to fucked up families and your own self-fulfillment!" He raised his glass of scotch filled with ice cubes, and Julie toasted with hers, looking deep into his eyes. "Cheers."

After they both took an enjoyable sip, Julie spoke up again. "The way you talk, you must already be out of college. What did you study and what are you working as now? What's your name, by the way? Definitely the first guy to buy me a drink and not tell me his name."

He grinned as he traced the rim of his whiskey glass with one finger. "So curious. Like a playful little kitten..."

His melodic voice made the nickname even hotter than it already was. He tilted his head and they stared at each other. Julie's heartbeat picked up by the second, but she maintained their intense eye contact.

There was something between them. Julie could feel it clearly. Something deeper than the obvious attraction between two random strangers in a bar spurned on by alcohol and carnal desire.

A real connection, but still shrouded in the fog of all the unspoken things between them. And Julie knew with a funny certainty that these weren't unimportant things.

Finally, the stranger broke the silent tension. "Tell you what. Impress me and I'll tell you my name, Ju."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. She had expected some answers, but not this. But somehow it suited him. This guy was a lot, but definitely not predictable.

She smiled and tucked a strand of wavy blonde hair behind her pierced ear. "All right, Mr. X. I've faced tougher challenges than this one."
He returned her smile with his own, only fifty shades darker. "We'll see, kitty cat…"

Julie averted her eyes as he looked at her expectantly. She had to collect herself.

Did he feel the connection too? Because what she was about to tell him, would make him run for the hills if it weren't for that.

Looking up, she leaned forward towards him.
Close, but not close enough, as if she was magically drawn to his presence.
She could smell him now, his overwhelming musky scent surrounding her like a second skin.

'No risk, no fun...' With that thought, Julie swallowed the last of her doubts and began.

"I'm studying psychology, you know. But I don't do this to someday, as a good doctor, save other people's souls. No, there are other reasons. Selfish reasons. I want to understand myself better. What's going on in my head, my mind…"

Julie's green eyes bored into silver ones as she told someone else her dark secret for the first time in her life. A complete stranger, to whom she unwillingly felt closer than anyone else before. It was an exciting and terrifying fact at the same time.

"I am not normal. I have this sick passion that I won't tell anyone about. What pop or movie stars are to others, serial killers are to me. They fascinate me. The morbid contradiction between a bourgeois life and animalistic evil. And for a long time, it's mainly one special eccentric serial killer that I can't get out of my head. He's even still active, almost a celebrity: The Ghost Face."

There. She said it. Even if the last three words were more of a whisper.

She felt how her counterpart froze almost imperceptibly, growing as still as an ice sculpture.

Julie's heart was pounding like never before. She was unsure, nervous, afraid. Afraid of rejection. Of rejection from a stranger. 'Shit…'

She searched his face for a negative reaction, any reaction, but found nothing. He hid his true feelings behind a facade of neutrality, an impenetrable mask, nevertheless Julie could feel the cogs in his head turning.

After what felt like an eternity, a switch flipped on him. His silver-gray eyes focused on her like a laser and the corners of his mouth twitched up. It almost seemed as if he wanted to suppress a broad smile, or even a hysterical laugh. "Wow, kitty cat. You actually managed to impress me. Ha!"

Before Julie had fully registered and interpreted his words, he leaned forward to her, right into her personal space.

Now it was her turn to freeze in a mix of shock and anticipation. His cheek brushed hers as he graciously missed her slightly parted lips, instead whispering into her ear with his velvety voice. "A promise is a promise, Ju. If you want to know who I am, take a closer look. The answer is only a stone's throw away…"

Julie's emerald green eyes widened as he slowly leaned back, caressing his cheek against hers again. She saw the challenge in his soul mirror, but also the warning. This was her last chance. The last chance to decide: Find out who he really was or go, never look back and forget him.

'I've made my choice. I stick with it.' She returned his gaze with rock-solid determination. 'Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.'

After a brief flash of appreciation on his face, he finished his drink, exhaling loudly. "Do you smoke? Well, I'm really in the mood for a cigarette right now."

Without waiting for an answer, he got up and walked over to the machine in the other corner of the bar.

Julie resisted the urge to look after him, scolding herself inside. 'Damn it. Get your head straight, Jules, and think. He is smart. What could he have meant by his cryptic hint? Come on…'

When she was about to take the last sip of her scotch to regain her self-control, the coaster fell to the floor. She sighed. "Just don't get too nervous," she muttered self-deprecatingly and bent to pick it up, but stopped mid-movement.

Under the bar stool of her male enigma was a black backpack that wasn't completely closed. He must have knocked it over when he got up, because Julie could now mostly see the contents of the backpack: a wallet, a chewed pen, a sort of address notebook, a sheet of matches from a place called Walleyes and the unmistakable white mask of Ghost Face himself!

Time seemed to stand still again. The only sound Julie heard was the frantic rhythm of her heartbeat.

His words rushed back to her mind: "If you want to know who I am, take a closer look. The answer is only a stone's throw away…"

Fuck.

'This is not a fake.' Thanks to her obsessive research, Julie knew exactly what the mask looked like up close. Her thoughts were racing. 'The Ghost Face is in Florida. In this bar. Here and now. Holy shit…'

As if in slow motion, her fingers closed the backpack, covering the various objects or rather pieces of evidence in darkness again. There were no other guests around them at the bar, so no one had seen anything. Good.

Without turning around, Julie got up and single-mindedly made her way past the lustful men, arrogant-looking women and her distant fellow students to the restrooms.

Julie leaned on the washbasin in the empty ladies' room and slowly raised her head.

Her reflection in the mirror was a dark, distorted version of her usual self. A wild strand of blonde hair fell straight into her face as her stomach flipped in excitement, her breath labored and her heart was racing a hundred miles an hour. But not for the normal reasons.

Any normal person would freak out, panic and call the police immediately.

But not Julie. She wasn't a normal person. Not a good Samaritan.

'What's the saying? Birds of a feather flock together. They really do... But still. What's the chance? Him being here all the way from his killing spree in Roseville, California? Zero to none. That means it can be, no, it has to be…'

The door opened and Julie didn't need to look in the mirror to know who was entering behind her.
She heard the click of the door lock and slow, confident footsteps moving in her direction. They were alone. All alone…

Julie's hands clung to the edge of the sink as pure adrenaline pumped through her veins.

Perhaps her subconscious had known from the start that it was him. That unique connection between them that she had felt more and more clearly the closer she got to the truth.

Finally Julie couldn't take it any longer and lifted her head, the pupils of her emerald green eyes dilated.

The expression in his handsome face was dark as the night when he moved toward her without a word, giving her chills at what felt like a hundred degrees.

When he was right behind her, close enough to touch, close enough to kill, she slowly turned to face him, inhaling his intoxicating scent, a drug of the particularly dangerous kind.

Her breathing quickened as he pulled out something she knew as well as his white mask twisted into a scream: his tactical knife. His infamous murder weapon.

It glittered like a beautiful diamond when he put it directly to her throat with a practiced hand. "Do you see the light glints on the razor-sharp edge? Anyone should feel honoured to feel it sliding through their ribcage. Don't you think so?"

The edge of the sink pressed against her lower back as he leaned forward, his velvety voice just a cool whisper. "You know, they all want to know who The Ghost Face is. But what they should really ask is, who's next…"

His free hand stroked over her collarbone up to the tender point just below her ear, sending thrilling tremors in all directions of her body. "Tell me Ju, are you scared?"