Cursed

“Hey mom, I’m gonna go for a run, ok! Watch out for the goblins in the cabinets. They have an obsession with throwing things at people!”

“Thank you for your concern!” Mom laughs and I hear her laughter until I’m half way down the sidewalk.

I start off jogging until I feel the adrenaline kick in and I go into a full out sprint. My legs are burning the faster I go until I have to force myself to jog once more. It isn’t unusual for me to go for a run but I don’t do it on a regular basis. Sometimes I just have the urge to run and let out all the pent up energy I so obviously have.

I’m not sure how long I’ve been running but when I see a bench I sigh and decide now would be a good time to take a breath. Huffing, I fall back onto the wooden seat and it creaks under my weight. I lean my head back and slowly regain my breathing.

The only problem about running is you get all sweaty afterwards! Gross. Sweat is only ok during sexual intercourse because you’re too busy enjoying yourself to realize you’re sweating. Am I right? Yes, yes I am.

There’s a soft squeaking sound beside me so I turn my head to investigate what it came from. A man is there and he’s staring down at me through a pair of silver eyes. The smile on his face says friendly but it doesn’t feel that way. A cold chill runs down my spine and for some reason I feel…frightened.

No, frightened isn’t the right word. My heart is racing again and I don’t know why. I try to hide the shaking of my hands by wrapping them around one another. Throwing on a smile, I ask, “Um…can I help you?”

“No,” the man replies, shaking his head. “I just don’t remember seeing you around here before. I know practically everyone here. I‘m Markus, by the way.”

“N-Nice to meet you. I um…moved here just this year.” Normally I could easily start or partake in a conversation but right now all I want to do is run. I want to jump up, run and hide. The way this man is looking at me, the way he’s smiling…it seems on the outside to be incredibly friendly. It’s just the vibe. The vibe coming off him is enough to make my skin crawl.

“Oh? I think I heard from some friends about some new folks moving in…the Cohn’s, am I correct?”

I nod.

“So you must be their son, Kieran! That’s such an unusual name, very beautiful though much like yourself.” Markus chuckles softly to himself. The sound rips through me for reasons unknown. I can’t stay here anymore. I need to leave. I need to get away from this guy.

“I’m sorry, I have to go. I told my parents I’d be home soon!” I say quickly and jump onto my feet. Although my legs are tired from running earlier and burning from over use I don’t stop running until I’m safely back in my room. Mom is shouting to me but I ignore her and slam the door, locking it before going to my windows and locking them as well and also pulling the curtains shut.

I don’t understand why he bothered me so much. There was nothing about Markus that screamed pervert or creep. He was normal looking and he acted friendly but his presence made me shiver in fear. His voice ripped through me like a knife and I felt so horrified that I couldn’t keep myself from shaking. The vibe he was giving me…I don’t understand but I feel…so scared.

For the rest of the evening I lock myself away in my room. I cower beneath my covers but they don’t help. It still feels like he’s watching me. My paranoia kicks in and I walk to the window to look outside. There’s nothing out there but the hair on the back of my neck is standing at attention. Something isn’t right and I know it.

~

“Kieran!”

I snap out of the daze I had no idea I was in. Rubbing my tired eyes, I yawn, “Huh?”

“Are you all right?” Finn asks, leaning across the aisle. “You’ve been acting…distant since this morning.”

“Distant? But I’m right here, Finnegan.” I laugh at my own lame joke. Finn doesn’t seem to find it as funny as I did because he just sighs. Whatever, I’m funny! He’s just a buzz kill.

“I’m serious. Are you ok?”

I shrug. How am I supposed to answer that? I am, technically, ok. I’m not physically injured or sick but I just don’t feel right. I’m much better now though than yesterday. The paranoia isn’t nearly as bad. Sighing, I reply, “I didn’t sleep very good last night. I’m super tired.”

Finn nods. “I see that. Why didn’t you sleep well?”

“You’ll make fun of me.”

“No, I won’t. Tell me, Kieran.” Finn smiles reassuringly and reaches over to brush his hand against my shoulder. Before he pulls away I grab his hand and hold it in my own. He tries to pull away but my grip only tightens and I refuse to let go.

“Yesterday I went for a run and this weird guy started talking to me,” I explain, trying to find a way to word this. “Everything about him seemed normal. I mean, he was nice and not creepy in anyway but…the way he looked at me, the vibe that came off him, his very presence made me feel like a trapped animal.”

Finn’s eyebrows furrow, he seems to be very concerned. I’m glad he isn’t teasing me and telling me I just overreacted. In my mind I know I overreacted because there really was nothing about him that came across as bad other than the air around him.

“Did he say anything to you?”

“A bit…it was just a normal conversation though but I kept shaking and my heart felt like it was about to beat out of my chest. Something just didn’t feel right so I ran off as soon as I could and I just can’t stop thinking about it.”

Finn bites his lip. I’m about to inform him that it’s a bad habit, he should stop because his lips are too beautiful for such an action but he speaks before I can, “Are you sure you didn’t know him and just didn’t recognize him?”

I shake my head. “If I knew him I definitely would have remembered him. His eyes…they were silver and he had beautiful dark hair. He said his name was Markus.”

Finns hand grasps mine so tightly I felt as if he were going to break it. I tell him this and he quickly lets go. His eyes are wide and he stutters, “A-Are you s-sure?”

I nod. “Definitely, I wouldn’t forget!”

I’m not sure how long Finn stays silent. It could have been seconds or minutes but I know by the expression on his face that he’s more than concerned, he seems almost scared or maybe even angry. After swallowing whatever lodged itself in his throat, he says, “Don’t worry about it, Kieran. I’d never let anything bad happen to you.”

I can’t keep myself from smiling childishly. I don’t care if we’re in the middle of class. I hop across my desk and fall into Finn’s lap. He’s shocked when I wrap him in my arms. Is it sad to say that I already feel safe just from hearing him say that?