A tasty aroma filled my nose making me open my eyes and jump down from the bed. Running towards the kitchen in joy, I see someone wearing a red dress flipping pancakes.
“I see you are awake already.” she stopped her activity and turned to look at me. “Did you smell mommy’s famous pancakes?”
My heart skipped a beat when I saw something scribbled across her eyes but for some reason, I wasn’t scared. Rather, I was drooling because of the pancakes seated on the table.
“Have you brushed your teeth dear?” she asks and I feel my head bob up and down. “Great! Hurry up. Your pancakes are getting cold.”
I go over to the chair and scramble to climb it but someone helped me up.
“Hey, it looks like we got an early riser.”
I look up and see it was the same man wearing a business suit. The woman went up to him and I covered my eyes.
“Aww she is shy.” the woman cooed.
The man smiled. “Who is my little shy girl?”
The next thing I knew, I was spinning around in the air with a smile on my face while the smell of pancakes filled the room. I was spinning and spinning and spinning…
I open my eyes to see Jake smiling at me.
“Aww, were you having a good dream Beloved?” he hugged me. “You were drooling in your sleep again but that’s alright. It’s a pity I had to let your lovely essence go to waste but you don't like me licking you it so that’s fine…”
This continued until the sun came up. While I did my duties in the bathroom, he was making breakfast but I take my time because the happy feeling the dream gave me fizzled away.
“Beloved! Wash up quickly. Your breakfast is getting cold!”
I finish my business and head to the kitchen.
“Tada! I made pancakes. Your favorite!” he said presenting the plates to me. “I am sorry I could not get the cherries. They were out of stock at the stores in the area.”
My eyes widen. “How did you…”
“At 9 PM on Thursday 27th July, you were eyeing them while buying microwave dinners at Mr. Ying’s store and that was after you staring at the pancake mix on the third aisle next to the baked goods. You sighed and wiped the drool from your face with the sleeve of your sweater.” then he touched me on the nose. “You don’t have to drool over them, My Love. The ingredients they put in there are fake. What I made for you is the real thing.”
I suddenly felt emotionally drained as I recall the picture of the pancake that was printed on the box topped with whipped cream and cherries.
‘I shouldn’t have asked that considering what he did.’ I sat down on the chair feeling like an idiot.
"I hope you like it," he said placing his beside me and sitting on the chair. With nothing to say, I grab a fork and take a bite of my food.
‘Oh my gosh.’ I bite on the fork to prevent the tears from falling. ‘It tastes like Mom’s! There was only one flaw and that is it is not fluffy!’
Not believing it, I take another bite and another until the plate was empty. Jake had finished his and was staring at me with his eyes full of admiration which was both embarrassing and creepy.
“You have something on you sweetheart.”
He got closer to me but I stop him by using the back of my hand to wipe it off. Bad table manners I know but anything to stop him from licking me and the disappointment on his face said it all.
Then my Aunt walked in. "Why Jake you are still here. I thought you went home.”
He grinned. “I decided to stay longer. Is that alright by you?”
“Of course, it is alright with me.” she put her bag on the table. “Heck I don’t mind if you moved in.”
“Really?” he asked excitedly.
“No!” I scream making the room silent. Coughing I add, “No. I am fine with him visiting me.”
She looked at me with disgust and huffed. “I am off to the saloon. The girls called me saying there are a lot of customers today meaning I can make a lot of money and find a new guy while I am at it since the idiot refused to pick up his phone." then she opened the front door and winked. "Make sure you kids don't do anything stupid but if you want to do something stupid, there are some birth control pills and condoms in my bathroom cabinet."
I got the message the minute she shut the door and felt my face turn red but his evil cackle made it disappear.
“Too bad the idiot won’t be coming back anytime soon.”
I see the evil grin on his face and slowly took my plate to the sink.
“Your aunt is really understanding.” He said as I turned on the tap. “She even allowed us to do the practical aspect of reproduction. How sweet.”
I finish washing the plate and put it on the rack to dry. “Wait until marriage.”
He smiled and lifted up my chin. “I am a gentleman Beloved. I won’t force you to do it if you don’t want to.”
“I know.” I walk out of the kitchen and sit on the couch in the living room.
It had been a week since our ‘little’ encounter in wherever he took us and he has been acting sweet. Too sweet. Waking me up, making sure I was fed, and waiting for me to come home, it was clear he was doing this to make me forget what he did to us. I found his behavior creepy while my Aunt found it ‘adorable’, always complimenting him on his cooking and ability to clean the house. She said once if he was not a teenager, she would have married him on the spot. He laughed and told her he was in love with me thus making her ship the both of us.
But it was not as bad as Brianna’s. He invited my friends over once and she immediately compared us to the video game characters she was shipping; Bayonetta and Dante. Andrew told us we looked perfect when it came to height while Ralph admitted he did not know what to say. Aubrey found us too cheesy for her liking while Brutes was unhappy. I caught him staring at Jake with hidden jealousy and trying to match wits with him by dropping intelligent quotes in a conversation. However, Jake was on to him and dropped intelligent quotes so complicated that he had to explain them. Brutes’ actions made it clear that he did not like him but Jake didn’t care making it clear (to me) that he was walking on thin ice.
But all this was happening so fast. ‘Is this my life now?’
Needing some space and a way to distract myself, I sneak off to the bathroom in my room to read the book.
‘I hope you can give me something to get my gears turning because I need it.’ I thought.
'They are so many creepy places with many incomplete buildings in this city so I suspected the hypnotist must have taken their victims there to hypnotize them and send them to kill people in the school. It was a sharp contrast to what Caroline told me but it was worth a shot.'
‘A sharp contrast? Was Caroline working with him?’
'There was a boy in his senior year called Malcolm who claimed to be kidnapped by the ‘demon’ but no one believed him, not even the police but I did and asked him if he knew could recognize who kidnapped him.
"I could not see him because it was dark but could hear him breathing," he said. "I was in the trunk of the car when he came out and tried to pull me out of the trunk. I kicked him hard and ran away from there but was able to recognize where he was taking me which was the old Mason mansion that was burned in a mysterious fire.”
I asked him if he saw anything that might give me a clue and he told me the person was wearing gloves with a ring on them and swore he saw it. His story did not add up and I knew he was lying despite the fact he showed me the scratch on his face. It looked weird. Too weird.
But this got me wondering, was the ‘demon’ a teacher after all? If so, why was he killing students? I wanted to go to the Mansion but it was too scary considering what happened to Madisons'. Some say the ghost of their child was still roaming around the place and sounds of cackling fire could still be heard at the top floor along with the screams of its victims. It is haunted and I hate haunted places.
Maybe I am just a coward.
I close the book. 'Malcolm is lying. How on earth is someone able to wear a ring after wearing gloves? None of this makes any sense! Does this mean he is the demon?’
I open to another page and see a page that was empty with a line drawn from point A to point B.
“What is this?” I asked myself. ‘Is this a clue?’
“Beloved?”
I quickly hid the book and open the door.
“Are you alright? I hope you are not sick are you?” he asked.
I shake my head. “No. I am fine.”
A sinister smile appeared on his face. “I know what you are doing.”
I say nothing.
“You are reading that strange book right?”
My eyes widen and I take a step backward. “You…you read the book?”
He grinned. “Even better. I took pictures of it and you know what I am going to do with it.”
I shiver. “How…when…”
“I read it the night before. Believe me Beloved, I love watching you sleep but it gets boring after a few hours so I had to find something to entertain myself. The book didn’t make sense to me but I understand why you are going to school all the time.” Then he rubbed my head. “But relax. I am not going to ask you about it until you are ready to tell me.”
I felt my muscles relax and he smiled.
He smiled. “Do you want to go to the carnival with me? I heard they are still open.”
I give a stiff nod and he hugs me tight making my boobs collide with his chest. “It is official. We are a couple!”
Within a few minutes, we were walking around the carnival holding hands and munching on cotton candy. He insisted on trying all the games and before I knew it, I was holding a lot of stuffed animals in my arms.
“Don’t you think this is too much?” I ask adjusting myself for the sixth time.
“Just one more game!” he said dragging me to the stand which organized a shooting game. He paid, took the play gun, and shot down all the cans with ease.
“Wow. You are good at this.” the man in charge said as he handed him the biggest stuffed animal.
He smirked. “Years of practice.”
A little girl tugged my trouser and stared at the stuffed animals I was holding. Taking pity on her, I give her a stuffed bunny and she ran off squealing with joy.
“Aww,” I hear Jake say looking at the camera. “My girlfriend is such a kind sweetheart.”
I sigh as the uncomfortable feeling came upon me.
“Emma!” Suddenly a hand was underneath my shirt and bra grabbing at my boobs. The sudden attack made me drop the stuffed animals and stand still in a state of shock.
“I am so glad to see you.” the person said in a seducing whisper. “It has been a long time. You even kept ‘these’ warm for me. That's so nice.”
“J…J…Julia!” but she covered my mouth. Was this girl molesting me in public?
Suddenly she screamed and her hand slipped out of my shirt. Normally it will be a scream of triumph because she would unhook my bra and mock me for my huge breast but this time it was a scream of pain. Jake was towering over her with an angry look on his face while she was on the floor holding her cheek.
“Get out of here!” he growled but Julia not to be outdone stood up, stuck her tongue at him, and ran off.
It was like time had stood still as he picked up the stuffed animals, grabbed my hand, and ran off. Soon we were at the supermarket checking out our groceries and walking down the street.
“Beloved,”
“Yes?”
He looked like he wanted to say something but changed his mind. “Never mind.”
I hear something and turn around. “What was that?”
He shrugged. “Nothing.”
But something was surely wrong because he increased his pace until we got to the apartment. My Aunt was still not home so we cooked dinner. Once the meal was ready, we sat down at the dinner table and ate in silence. Once in a while, Jake would try to start up a conversation, and knowing staying quiet would make him jump to conclusions I join in. The discussion we had led to my work in the Diner how my coworkers were treating me and ended with how much I was paid.
“I can’t believe they gave you that amount for all your hard work darling.” He grumbled.
I shrug and picked up a rice ball with my chopstick. “I am not an adult Jake so they can’t pay me that much.”
“I know but I am unhappy about it.”
I shrug again.
“By the way what is the name of that person that keeps coming to that diner to order a meal?”
I raise an eyebrow. “Who?”
“Someone keeps coming there to order the same thing over and over again,” he says keeping his eyes on me. “He wears a suit, has black hair, grey eyes, and comes during the lunch rush.”
“His name is Taro Yamada.” I replied picking up a piece of meat with my chopstick. “He comes to the diner to have lunch.”
“Oh,” then there was a moment of silence. “But he has a wife and he closes from work an hour before lunch so why does he come there?”
There was a tint of jealousy in his voice but I choose to ignore it. “I didn’t know.”
“He does that every day and you are always serving him.”
‘Yep, he is jealous.’ I quickly think of the right words to say. Teasing him about it was out of the option. Being hostile was a bad idea. Being casual was going to raise suspicions but so is wasting time replying to him.
‘I have to tread carefully.’ I say to myself. “I didn’t notice it. To me, he is just a paying customer trying to order a meal.”
“But…”
“Relax Jake. There is no way I would court a married man when I have a…” I pause and think of the right word to use instead of the word 'boyfriend'. “You. I am not a cheat.”
‘Actually, I don’t want to put anyone’s life in danger.’
The staring contest continued until he grinned. “I am happy to hear Beloved but I don’t like the fact that he keeps staring at your front.”
I look away and mutter. “Men do that all the time.”
“WHAT?”
My eyes widen. ‘Crap!’
‘You forgot he has ears right?’ my inner voice yelled.
“I…I knew it! This…this is wh…why the old…old hag is ke…keeping you there! She…she is using you to…”
“No! That is not true!” I yell. “Amanda is nice to me! She even called the police when she discovered someone was stalking me remember?”
Initially, I wanted to say ‘when YOU were stalking me’ but I know better.
“I know her! She would never let anyone harass me while I am working there.” I add.
It took him a while before he calmed down letting silence descend upon the room. Then he asked me if I want dessert and the next thing I knew, I was stuffing my mouth with a huge piece of cake to satisfy him.
‘Gosh, I am so full!’ I moan opening my bathroom door.
‘You had to mention that didn’t you?’ my conscience berated.
‘At least I calmed him down.’ I tried to keep myself from throwing up and taking out my phone. ‘I hadn’t called or texted Gwen since the incident but I am scared he might find out. What should I do?’
‘Let it be.’
‘But…’
‘It is you who is in real danger here. If she cared about you, she would have sent a text first so let it be.’
I obey, take off my clothes and turn the shower on. As I scrubbed myself, I wondered how long I had to put up with this. I wanted to open my eyes but something pricked them forcing me to shut them tight. As I grope for the shower nob, someone poured water on me flushing the soap out of my eyes and clearing my vision.
“Thank you.”
“Emma.”
It was a moan. I jumped from my sitting position and see Jake standing behind me naked.
“W…what are you doing here?” I screamed.
He had a confused look on his face. “I came to take a bath with you of course. After all, this is not the first time we did this.”
I blinked trying to look at his face and not his body. “I…I thought you had already taken a shower.”
“You know I didn’t Beloved.”
Well, that made looking at his face a lot harder and I found myself turning as red as a tomato.
He gave a sexy grin. “Aww, does my Beloved find me sexually attractive?”
I look away but feel him wrapping his arms around me. “You know it has been a long time since we took a bath together.” He whispered into my ears. “But there is nothing wrong because we are a couple now so…”
I pick up the shower and sprayed it on his face.
‘Wait until marriage dude.’ I sprayed him again until he backed away but that did not stop him from soaking with me after that.
“This bathtub is narrow Beloved.” He said. “But don’t worry, I will install a bigger one…”
I let him jabber on and sink into the tub.
Outside the apartment…
Unknown number: You said you were going to bring Emma back!
Responder: I didn’t know she had a boyfriend.
Unknown number: Whatever. What are you going to do?
Responder: I will try to infiltrate her friend circle and probably find some information on him. In the meantime, keep your distance.
Unknown number: Ugh fine but hurry up.
ns 15.158.61.51da2
