Chapter 2 The beginning

"Good morning, Mrs Benson."

"Good morning dear," Mrs Benson replied and smiled warmly at the girl who always made sure to greet her good morning anytime she passed by her store. She was such a kind girl, but this only made Mrs Benson more curious about her. No one knew who she was or where she came from. She barely spoke a few words to people and found an excuse to leave whenever people tried to pry. "She is an odd one," Mrs Benson muttered under her breath as she watched her walk away.

Meredith had a slight smile on her face as she walked down to the bus stop; she had to get to class and then her work shift after. She had planned out how they pan out just like every other day for her. Wake up, get to the bus stop, get to class, then work after, and the last and most important thing, try not to get killed or taken. That had been the routine she had been following since she moved to this city and started college a year before and now things seemed to be getting a little better apart from the things she saw and couldn't unsee. The things she tried her very best to ignore every single day even though it was hard to. She placed her hand in the pocket of her hoodie and walked quickly so she would get to the bus stop early and could have a few minutes to catch her breath, But just as she was about to take a turn by the Bakery close to an alley, she stopped in her tracks when she saw a man standing by the alley. He was dressed in all black, and his eyes light blue eyes were what caught Meredith's attention; it caught her attention because he was staring right at her like he was staring into her very soul. She felt a cold shiver run down her spine when her eyes met with his. Meredith fisted her hand that was in her pocket and looked away, but when she looked back, he was gone. Her breath hitched a bit at this point, but she didn't wait there any longer. She turned and continued with her day. It was best to ignore whatever that was like she always did. But she had no idea what would happen next...

Meredith let out a shaky breath when she saw the same man the second time; he was standing right across the street from where she was and had his eyes on her. She fisted her hand and immediately looked away when their eyes met for a split second. Maybe it was all just a coincidence. She thought, trying to convince herself, but she, of all people, knew coincidence was something to be wary of for someone like her. Her breath hitched when the man started to cross the road and walked towards the bus stand.

Meredith took a step back immediately. The bus stopped in front of her. The door to the bus opened, and Meredith swallowed; now was the perfect time for her to slip away without his knowledge. She turned away from the bus as people rushed right past her to get into the bus. Meredith walked quickly towards an alley that led back to her house, but she couldn't get far because the same right walked out from the end of the alley. Her intuition had been right it wasn't just a coincidence. She fisted her hand and started to walk back to where she had come from, but froze in shock when the man who was just there became faster than ever and appeared right in front of her, blocking her way. "Such a wonderful scent." The man said in a low voice when their eyes met. She quickly looked away and pretended like she couldn't see him. Like he didn't exist, but it was hard to when he was standing right in front of her.

Meredith took a step back in fear, "You... you can see me." The man said, a devious smile appearing on his face as he stared at Meredith, who had turned pale. Meredith didn't waste a single second and turned to leave ignoring his words, she was about to start walking away so he wouldn't suspect her, but the next second she gasped, her eyes growing wide in shock when the man who was just at her back appeared right in front of her. She took a step back away from him out of shock, and the man was finally convinced now that she could see him. "You smell so wonderful. You aren't just any human, are you? Humans are unable to see me unless I let them," He said in a low voice as he started to inch closer to Meredith, who was already planning her escape in her head. If she turned to run now, he would just appear right in front of her like he just did. She had to outsmart him, but Meredith didn't get enough time to carry out her plan when the man took a step forward. Out of fear, she was about to take to her heels, but the man's hand flew to her arm with a far faster speed than she had anticipated. "I'm sorry, but I think you need to come with me,", He said firmly, and his eyes, which had been blue just a second ago, started to change till they turned completely dark. Meredith felt her stomach churn at this point. Was today finally the end for her? This wasn't how she had thought it would end. She didn't want things to end this way; she still had so much left to do. She couldn't miss class; what about work? Her heart dropped to her stomach when the man smiled at her. His smile made her skin crawl.

"This is going to be fun," He said in a chilling voice that made her want to yell out for help, but she knew what that would cause. She would only end up putting someone else in trouble. "What do you want." She finally found her voice and hated the fear she tasted when she spoke. It was strong and metallic. "That shouldn't be what you should be asking, I should be the one asking what you are, but I don't have the time for that. I think you are going to be useful to me," He replied, and the next thing she knew, everything went dark.