Fragile Promises

The cold harsh wind whipped around Noel's face, her hair catching onto her long, thick eyelashes, sticking to her full moist lips. Noel loved the cold weather, she loved all weather, but not as much as she adored the cold. However, down in Texas, it was rarely ever cold. So whenever the temperature was cooler than normal, and the wind cruel and crisp, Noel made it her priority to take a walk and embrace the mean winds that pushed against her. However, tonight was different, it was strange and eerie, quiet and desolate, colder than ever before. Something was oddly wrong, but Noel dismissed it, continuing her walk in the brisk cold air. She had encountered too many times before where she felt this way, that something was wrong and it turned out to be nothing. The uneasy feeling that settle around her, that was nestled in her bones, was brushed aside as she walked up the silent streets of her neighborhood in Plano, the cold slashing winds making her eyes water. Noel glanced down at her watch through blurry eyes and noticed just how much time had elapsed since she left the house at seven thirty.

"Wow! Already ten o'clock?" Noel whispered to herself as she hurried to the corner of the street, taking post by the street light. Noel knew these streets like the back of her hand, but it never stopped her from looking up at the street signs, or checking her surroundings. It was always the same thing, the many houses closing their blinds and drawing their drapes, the same cars that cruised down the streets, music playing low, that same boy who had been peering out of his window since a few weeks ago when he moved into the neighborhood looking down at her. Noel kept her gaze straight and head slightly turned to eliminate any suspicion that the guy would produce. It was strange, she thought, that every time she took a walk, he'd be there, peeking out of his window, waiting for her to stop at the corner, waiting for her. And it didn't matter whether she arrived at nine o'clock or eleven o'clock, itdidn't matter if it was night or day, he would be there, watching for her.

Who are you? Noel thought as she searched the windows to find the boy's gaze. Noel never saw anything but the boys eyes, and even then that wasn't enough, because she couldn't see the color of his eyes, she just saw his eyes, black pits surrounded by pools of porcelain. It did not take long for Noel to find that familiar pair of eyes, and when she did, she found it almost impossible to look away. The longer Noel stared into those dark and capturing eyes of the stranger, the more and more distant she began to feel. She no longer was aware of the street light or the houses around her, she was slowly slipping out of reality.

Not again! Noel screamed in her mind as she felt her knees grow weak, no longer stable enough to keep her up right, she threw her arms around the light pole and hoisted herself up. Noel snapped her head up to the window where the boy was stationed, only to find him gone. The dark drapes swung back and forth against the frosted glass window, revealing nothing but a dark, faint purple light, which outlined the boys body, but only for a brief second. Noel could tell by the dark silhouette that flashed in the window, that the boy was well built, lean and muscular, tall and broad shouldered. She could also tell that at the particular moment, he was not wearing a shirt and that he had a beanie pulled over is head, the few strands of hair that were not in the hat, hung low over his ears.

"Hmm...so you aren't a black boy." Noel mumbled to herself as the drape fell into place, no longer swinging back and forth. Noel was consumed with the thought of this stranger. She wanted to know who he was and why he watched her every night. She wanted to know where he came from and why. Noel wanted to see who this joker was, she wanted to know what he wanted from her, if there was anything to want in the first place. Noel was so caught up in her train of thought that she missed a call from her older sister, but she was pulled back to reality by the violent buzzing of her phone in her front pocket.

"Ahh...!" Noel shrieked, a few rooms flooding with bright light, blinds and curtains being drawn back, faces peering out onto the streets. Noel fumbled to get her phone out of her pocket, for her hands were shaking so much. She glanced at the screen to see she had one missed call from Cecily, and one text message, also from Cecily. Noel opened the message and read it out loud,

"Hurry up and get home..." Noel locked her phone and stuck it in her pocket. She had done it this time. Noel began jogging down the street, passing the boy's house, only to feel his icy gaze burning in the back of her head. Noel shook off the feeling of fright and picked up the pace, now in a full a sprint. The wind prickled her skin, and caused tears to fall from her eyes. She rounded the corner and pressed forward with even more force. Something was wrong. There was no longer the feeling of just one person's lingering gaze, but multiple persons. Noel could feel her feet fall from under her, but as she looked down she saw that she was still running, still standing up right. Her vision began to blur and her feeling began to numb, she could no longer hear the swishing wind. No, all she could hear were soft, sinister chuckles, and a raspy voice whispering her name.

Noel...No-eeeelll...I've finally found you... You can run and run and run...but I will catch you.

"No! What's happening? Who are you? Leave me...alone!" Noel's voice caught in her throat, as tears poured from her eyes, splashing to the ground.

Noel...

"Get...get out of my head! Leave me alone!" Noel had never encountered anything like this and had no idea what to do. She shouted, she screamed, and she pumped her legs faster and faster, but she wound up no where. She had no idea what she was fighting against her body, what it was that kept her from moving forward. Her throat was getting raw from all of the screaming and her limbs were burning from all of the struggle. Suddenly, the insides of her hands began to burn with pain. It felt as if some one had taken a knife and sliced through her flesh. Noel grabbed her hand to find a large and wide gash in the middle of her palm. Dark red blood, oozed out and ran down her arm. She screamed again, clutching her hand against her body, wrapping it in her shirt. She searched around for the suspect who cut her.

See... I told you I'd find you, Noel.

The man's voice was cold and emotionless, menacing and harsh. Noel screamed, and dropped to the ground, but that did not stop the stranger from laying his hands on her. As soon as his invisible hand contacted Noel's flesh she began to screech in pain. It felt as if something somewhere was cutting her entire body, the blade biting into her flesh over and over again. She wretched open her shut eyes and looked at her body, only to find that she was in the same condition she was when she left the house, minus her bloody, sliced hand. Noel expected the windows and houses to be pouring with light, people to be running outside alarmed, but found that the houses were just as silent and vacant as before. But what was worse, was that there was no explanation for why she heard voices, or felt someone touching her, cutting on her, torturing her. Then, out of the corner of her blurred vision, Noel saw a dark figure, standing at the end of the street, he looked vaguely familiar, those broad shoulders, and slender, yet muscular build. Noel screamed. The pain that coursed through her body was ten billion times worse than the first wave of pain, and the more the pain increased, the more pressure was applied to Noel's body, as if someone was laying on top of her, pinning her down. The shadow disappeared, and the figure that was once standing at the end of the street was now standing inches from Noel's hindered body.

"H-help!" Noel thought she shouted, but her voice was but a mere wisp of air. Nonetheless, the boy heard her, his gaze locking with hers. It was the guy from the window. The moonlight shone upon him, his facial features, his skin tone , finally visible to Noel. His skin, well, what she could see of it, was nice, fair, and tan, his eyes the darkest brown, practically black, slender and curved, his hair so dark it looked blue. His facial features were smooth and rounded, his mouth wide, and his lips full and a deep pink color. The male smirked at Noel and disappeared behind her. She watched in pain as the boy grasped hold of the mid air, lifting what ever was attacking her, off.

Noel gasped as the pain waned away, and she was soon out of breath. She did not take her eyes off the young man that stood before her. He mumbled something to the wind and blew out a breath, a faint red spark floating off in mid air, his arm falling to his side. Noel's eyes were wide with amazement. She didn't understand what just happened and wanted badly to write it off as a play on the eyes due to exhaustion, but knew that was demanding too much. A deep burning sensation erupted in her chest and she coughed, her throat felt on fire, and her mouth was dry. Noel rolled over onto her stomach and groaned loudly as her insides ripped apart.

The boy turned his gaze on the girl that lay on the ground. He couldn't see her face, but he didn't need to, he knew that this was the girl he was sent to follow, who he was sent to protect, who he was sent to retrieve and bring back home. Noel moaned in pain, her body feeling as if it were being ripped, prodded, and set a blaze.

"...ma-make it...st-stop~." Her voice was raspy and weak, barely audible.

"Everything will be okay..." The guy bent down to pick Noel up from the ground, but she recoiled.

"Get away from me...leave me alone!" Noel shouted, using all of the strength she has left to scoot further away from the young man.

"Oh, you have me mistaken. I am here to help you, Noel." The guy stepped forward and outstretched his arms, once again, but that was a huge mistake because even the slightest movement made her aching body go rigid.

"Liar..." Noel, despite the pain, scooted away from the boy, afraid that he was only going to hurt her, even if he was the one who saved.

"Look, I could leave you here and you can find a way home by yourself. Please, just let me help you." Noel didn't look at the boy, instead she glanced at her oozing hand. She suddenly felt dizzy and light headed, despite the fact she was not moving any.

"Mmhh...okay...just get me away from here..." The boy nodded his head and bent over once more, scooping Noel off of the sidewalk. Noel was violently shivering, her teeth chattering, her hair falling into her face. Noel felt safe and warm with the stranger, but that did not change the fact that he was, indeed, a stranger.

"T-ta..take a left h-here. It's the... fifth one." Noel's voice was barely a whisper, but the boy still heard her. The truth was, he already knew where Noel lived, but he thought it best to keep that information to himself; she had already experienced so much in such short time period, that it would be cruel to add on the impression that he was stalking her.

Time moved incredibly quick, just seconds ago, Noel and the guy were standing at the end of the block that Noel lived on and now they were standing in front of her house. Noel peered up at the guy as her knocked on the door, his hand was tinted red, as if he had smashed it in a door, or burned it.

"...your hand...?" The boy glanced down at her, capturing her with his bottomless gaze. Noel searched his face for an answer or at least a revealing expression, but found nothing but fine features and a mind-blowing smirk. The door knob jiggled and the sound of bolts churning made Noel glance away.

"Noel, I expected you to be home hours ago. Do you know it's...Noel!?...Jaehyuk? Jaehyuk, what happened!?" Noel was shocked that her sister knew the boy, she was shocked that she knew him on a name basis. Noel parted her lips to speak but wound up wincing and moaning as a wave of blinding pain crashed over her body, hindering her motionless and cold.

"Uggnh~!" Noel gasped as the pain became too much for her to bear. Her eyes rolling to the back of her head but only for a second,

"Noel! Jaehyuk what happened to her!?" Noel bit lip as the pain tugged at her consciousness, trying to pull her under. Noel could feel the warm blood trickling down her chin as she bit into her lip even harder to keep from crying out any more. Jaehyuk glanced down at Noel and gasped,

"Ah!" Noel cried out as the last wave of pain plowed into her,

"Cecily, they are here...they found her..." Was the last thing she heard before she fell into oblivion, her world falling as black as Jaehyuk's hair.

Who found me and what do they want?