Chapter Four

Where the hell did he come from?

Why didn't I hear him?

I stared wide-eyed as the figure stepped into the light. I recognized him as the mysterious boy from the store. He stared back at me for a moment, eyes widened slightly in surprise. Then frustration replaced the surprised look and he narrowed his dark eyes.

" What are you doing here? Get out! Now!" he growled. I blinked and stared for another moment.

What did I do now?

" Get out of here!!" he shouted, making me reel back and trip over a gravestone and land on another. A sharp pain to my hip caused a short high-pitched shriek to erupt from my mouth.

Curse my mother for my clumsiness.

The boy snapped his head to the right, growling ferally. In a flash, he yanked me up by my arm and started to run to the gate. It took all I had just to keep from stumbling over myself. Once we reached the gate, he shoved me in front of him, making me fall again.

" Go! Don't stop until you reach home!" he hissed, then turned and dashed back into the cemetery. Taking his advice, I picked myself up off the ground and darted home as fast as I could run. I would experience my midnight flight with sore legs tomorrow.

I faltered in my running and slowed to a stop at the edge of my road to glance back at the cemetery. I couldn't see anything, courtesy of the clouds covering the moon, half-full tonight and the fact that I had lost my lantern during the run.

" What was that all about?" I muttered as I walked back up the road to my house. The adrenaline rush I had felt was draining away, leaving me exhausted. I reached my house and snuck back in through my window, then collapsed on my bed after changing my clothes and closing the window. I was out the moment my head met the pillow.

-#-

Morning came sooner than expected and the sunlight that streamed in through my window proved my point.

Muttering curses underneath my breath, I sat up gingerly, my rendevous at the cemetery coming back to haunt me. Pun intended, haha.

I moaned in pain as I stood up and limped to the bathroom, grabbing a towel from the hall closet along the way, hoping a hot shower would help ease the pain.

As I started the water to the shower, I sighed. I knew I should've listened to that little voice of reason in the back of my head. Too late now. Shaking my head, I pulled my shirt over my head and pulled down my shorts. A glance in the mirror show me the damage from last night.

Already an ugly shade of black and purple, the size of the bruise on my hip was shocking. It covered the entire side and it made its presence known when I brushed my hand against it. I noticed another bruise on my arm where the boy had grabbed me to yank me up.

" Humph." Was my response to that and I got in the shower.