I Love You, I'll Kill You

When I ran down the stairs, almost tripping over myself, a look of pure horror was on my face. Jeff was downstairs watching T.V., quickly turning to face me when I ran down the stairs and into the television room. He stood up from his chair when he saw the panic on my face, quickly walking over to me when I stopped and had to catch my breath. I was sure I was hyperventilating.

"Grace, what's wrong?!" he shouted, a sudden look of worry falling over his features. He was probably wondering why I was acting like I had just seen a ghost. Maybe I had. I didn't know anymore.

"Slow down, Grace. Take deep breaths," Jeff chanted while I was hunched over, trying to remember how to breathe. It didn't seem to help me at all. Jeff led me over to one of the large sofas and ordered me to sit down and relax. I could do the sitting down part, but the relaxing part was going to be a bit of a challenge. I lay down on the big sofa, closing my eyes, hoping that would help me remember how to breathe regularly.

"Now, tell me what the matter is," he demanded, taking a seat next to me and putting a comforting hand on my shoulder. I sighed loudly, finally slowing down a bit. I sat up as soon as I could breathe normally, the look of horror still on my face.

"There was something—something in my room! Go! I don't know what it was, but it was there! I swear!" I was yelling loudly, suddenly forgetting how to control the volume of my voice.

Jeff nodded his head and stood to his feet, grabbing a bat that he had in one of his sports bags and climbed up the stairs quietly. I waited on the sofa, biting my nails; my nerves were on edge. The thought that I had just sent my uncle to his death popped into my head, and I suddenly wished I had gone with him. I contemplated for a moment or two if I should get up and run to be his aide. My head shot to the stairs when Jeff loudly walked back down the stairs.

"There's nothing up there, Gracie. I think you just need some sleep. You've had a long journey and were probably seeing things." He was waving it off as nothing.

I stood to my feet, my shocked look never leaving my face. "No! It was there! I know it was! We need to call the police and tell them that something is out there! Someone who is breaking into houses," I shouted, trying with all my might to convince my uncle that there was something that grabbed me; someone. I knew I wasn't imagining things.

Jeff rolled his eyes and dropped the bat onto his sports bag. "Grace, I am not calling the cops so that they can come over here for no reason. There is nothing up there now—I made sure. I'm sure that as soon as you get some sleep, things won't seem so weird." I couldn't believe it. He didn't believe me!

"B-b-but..."

"Good night, Grace." There was definitely something in his voice that made me know he wasn't happy. I gave him a desperate look, but he ignored it and walked into the kitchen before grabbing a glass of water, chugging it down, and walking past me and up the stairs. I was in awe. Why didn't he believe me?

"Get some sleep, Grace." I heard him call from the top of the stairs. I let out a loud sigh, slowly crawling up the stairs, afraid of what was going to be in my room when I reached it. I made sure to make my steps very quiet, afraid that the 'thing' in my room could hear me walk into my room. I peeked around the door, opening it slowly while I looked around the dark room. I couldn't see anything. My room was probably the darkest room in the house.

"Hello?" I whispered, expecting someone to reply to me while I looked around the room in fright. I took in a deep breath, quietly cursing to myself, forcing to make myself walk into the room.

Grace, get a hold of yourself, there is nothing in here. I thought that maybe if I continued to convince myself in my head, I would get a grip. I relaxed a little, realizing that there was nothing in my room—anymore, that is. I crawled into my bed, sighing loudly, my eyes starting to become very heavy, probably from the fact that I had been awake for the past 32 hours.

As soon as my head hit my pillow, I was out like a light, not realizing that red eyes were watching me from the window.

******

The next day I tried to pretend like I wasn't going crazy. I woke up really early, still getting use to the different time zone. Jeff had left early to go dirt biking with some of his friends for the day and told me to do “whatever”. Yeah, like there was really a lot to do in this area.

I took my time getting dressed, eating some food, and finally deciding to do something with my day. Heck, I didn't come all the way from England just to sit on my behind. By twelve, I was heading out the front door, not wanting to spend any more time inside. I walked over to Jeff's car, hoping that he wouldn't mind if I borrowed his beaten down Toyota truck.

As I hopped into the seat, I looked out the rolled down window, realizing another car in the garage. I jumped out of the truck and skipped over to the garage to look at what the car looked like.

My mouth dropped at the sight of the car.

It was a 1968 Chevy Chevelle...pretty much my dream car.

"Okay, why isn't he driving this car instead of that piece of crap, and why am I not in it?" I pondered to myself out loud as the thought of driving the car at eighty; the engine roaring as I pressed on the pedal was like music to my ears. Oh, if only I was that dumb to take my uncle's car without his knowing. But I knew better. Once again, I really didn't feel like pissing my uncle off when I had just arrived.

I sighed, turning away from the beauty and walked back over to the poor excuse of a car. I climbed back into the truck, not even caring to put on my seatbelt as I put the key in the ignition and roared it to life. I decided that if I was going to stay here for a while, I might as well get to know the town and stores.

I swerved through the turns of the road for moments, finding it fun to go twenty over the speed limit as I drove closer to town. It only took me ten minutes to find my way out of the woody area and into a clear view of the town. I decided to my make my life easier and just park near the bus station where I had been picked up earlier, lowering my chances of getting lost and remembering where I parked.

I jumped out of the large truck, grabbing my purse and locking the doors to the truck before heading down the sidewalk. I was surprised; there were a few people walking down the sidewalks and driving cars on the roads. Yesterday was nothing like this. There were barely any people...only one I saw. I shivered, the thought of the pretty boy popping in my head, the look in his eyes almost intimidating.

As I walked down the sidewalk, my eyes lit up at the sight of a second-hand shop. I loved shopping at places like Value village.

An older woman sat behind the cash register when I walked through the door. She smiled, her wrinkled face scrunching. "Good day," she said. I gave a small smile, trying not to be shy.

"Hello," I replied with a pleased voice. The woman gave me a twisted grin when I walked past her and to the clothes.

"You're not from around here, are you?" I turned my head to the woman when she asked the question.

I shook my head with the same small smile. "No, I just got here yesterday. I'm staying with my uncle." I continued to search through the clothes on the rack.

"Oh, you must be Jeff Steven's niece." I turned to her, my eyes widening a bit. News must travel fast around here. I nodded my head with surprised eyes. They change when the same thing as the night before happens. The lady’s image twitched, just like a television. My breath got caught in my throat. I did not understand why my mind was playing tricks on me. Hadn’t I had enough sleep? I shook my head a little as I tried to forget it even happened, trying to act like I wasn’t losing my mind.

"Yes, I am Grace Evans." I didn't want to sound rude by not giving my whole name. A sly smirk fell across my face when I found a funny shirt on the rack. It had red lettering on the black shirt that said 'I leave bite marks'. For three dollars, you can't say no. I walked over to the woman and sat the shirt on the counter.

"I'm Deloris, by the way," she said while she typed in the price in the register and I handed her the money.

"Nice to meet you," I kindly said, grabbing the bag she handed me and walked out the door. I gasped loudly, the door hitting someone from the other side, making me lose my balance and fall forward and almost onto my face. I was usually pretty coordinated, but my fingers just happened to miss catching me before I fell. I heard a small gasp when I groaned in pain a bit.

"Ow," I murmured quietly, knowing I scrapped my hands on the concrete.

"Damn, are you okay?" My ears perked up from the sound of the attractive voice. I felt the person lean down to me to help me up. I kept my face down, embarrassed that I had hit them. I grabbed the cold hand that was outstretched to me; not refusing the manors of the person who wanted to help me to my feet. I knew my face was red from being so humiliated.

As I stood to my feet, I finally glanced up from the ground and almost gasped. Once again, I had run into a gorgeous young man, only this one was different. His blonde hair made his blue eyes brighter. His leather jacket made him look even better.

I began to stutter, trying to think of words, but they were hard to find. "Oh, I-I am so sorry. I didn't see you there." I looked down and realize that he still hand my hand in his from helping me up. I turned a little red and swiftly pulled my hand from his. He laughed a little from my reaction. I hoped it wasn't the fact that I was really red.

"I'm all good. I'm not the one who fell on my face," he said amusingly. I was sure he was teasing me, trying to make me red. I tried to take in a deep breath, hoping my red face would lighten.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry...again." I whispered the last part, realizing that I probably sounded like an idiot.

"You're new around here," he pointed out. I nodded my head, finally getting the courage to look up at him.

I replied quietly, “Yeah, I just got here yesterday.” I was starting to get more confident. The young man gave me a twisted grin. It almost looked...evil.

"Well, welcome to our humble town. I'm Cain," he said, holding out his hand. I hesitated to shake it, but found the courage to bring my hand to his. I almost jolted from his hand right away, feeling that his hand was freezing cold, almost as he had been in a freezer. He gave me a twisted smile, probably from my reaction. His hand wasn't that cold a second ago.

"I'm Grace," I replied thoughtfully, hoping that he wouldn't be offended by my reaction. He didn't, but seemed more pleased than anything.

"Well, Grace, would you like to come with me to get a bite to eat," he asked, motioning with his hands towards the restaurants down the street. At this point, my mind was racing a million miles. What should I say?

I gasped when I felt an arm surround me from behind, bringing me close to the owner. Their hands were freezing, almost as cold as Cain's. Cain's pleasant face turned into a glower, staring past me and to the owner who had the arm around my torso. I turned my head slightly and gasped louder. My face felt hot when I found that it was Desmond who was holding me close to him, his eyes on Cain, glaring. I switched my eyes between the two figures, wondering what was going on.

"Desmond," Cain acknowledged him with a glare. Desmond's glower didn't change, keeping his eyes on the blonde.

"Cain," he replied almost emotionlessly, a sound of distaste and warning in his voice. I couldn't breathe. I was stuck between two gorgeous boys, one of which had his arm around me. Cain snarled a bit before turning around, stalking off, but not before turning to glance over his shoulder.

"I'll talk to you later, Grace Evans." At that, he walked off down the sidewalk, disappearing after he walked around a corner. I let out a sigh, feeling less tense now that he was gone, for some reason. I looked down and realized that Desmond was still holding me. My eyes widened a bit at the thought of him holding me so close to him.

"Um, okay—that was weird," I muttered under my breath while I broke away from his grasp, turning around to stare at him. My eyes immediately turned to the ground; the look on his face was not a pleasant one. He was almost glaring at me, as though disappointed in me.

"You need to watch yourself."

I sighed at the almost angelic voice. It was smooth and dark, sending shivers up my spine. I looked up from the ground and gave him a lost look, my eyebrow raised.

"Excuse me?" I asked, a little offended by his tone of voice. It was like he was scolding me. The annoyed look on his face didn't change one bit.

"Stay away from Cain. He is not who you think he is," he warned me with a dangerous voice. My face turned into a slight glare. Who the hell did this guy think he was? He was good looking, but that didn't give him the right to speak to me like I was a child.

"Where do you get off telling me what to do? You don't own me," I snapped back with the same venom that he had in his voice. I took a step back when he smirked at my defiant attitude. My eyes widen when he began to walk towards me with the smirk still on his face. I took another step back, making sure to keep a gap between us.

The dance didn't last very long. I felt a wall press against my back, letting Desmond close that small gap I had kept between us. I stared with shocked eyes as he put a hand on each side of my head, trapping me between him, his face close to mine. I could feel his breath on my face. It was cool, but sweet, like roses.

"Take my advice, Grace. Stay away from Cain. He's more dangerous than you may think." His smirk faltered, changing his face to a serious one when he spoke about Cain. It was hard not to blush, his face so close to mine.

I tried my best not stutter while I spoke. "Okay, jeeze. Can you let me go now? I could sue you for harassment," I said with my eyes on his. His eyes widen a bit while mine narrowed at his, never breaking the stare. He seemed surprised about something, but what? I blinked, my grey green eyes trying their best not to show any emotion as I looked into Desmond's. He finally stepped away from me, giving me some space. He smirked as he watches my plain face stare at his, trying not to show that I was surprised by his attractive grin.

"You already seem to be a crowd-puller for dangerous situations," he said, obviously amused.

I lifted my eyebrow at him again. "What do you mean by that?" I asked, clearly not understanding his statement. My heart stopped when he leaned towards me, resting an arm on the wall so he kept his balance, closing the gap between us once more. I tensed, feeling his cold breath on my neck, taking a deep breath, almost as though he was inhaling my scent. My eyes grew wide, feeling his other hand move to my neck, the coldness catching me by surprise. I forgot how to breathe, his breath tickling my skin as it flowed across my neck and to my ear.

"Take care of yourself, Gracie," he whispered, making my heart skip a beat. He pulled away, turning to walk down the street with his hands in his pockets, not glancing back to me while he left me in a daze against the wall. I watched as his figure disappeared as he walked around a corner, leaving me to my shocked self. I put a hand over my chest, checking to feel if my heart was still beating. I sighed loudly; it was beating irregularly.

"What a weird day," I mumbled to myself, walking away from the wall and back over to Jeff's beat-up truck. I climbed into the driver's seat, shaking, having trouble finding the ignition. My hands were shaking uncontrollably. I finally felt the key slide into the slot and turned the car to life. I sat in the rumbling truck for a moment, trying to register what had just happened. I shook my head, trying to snap myself out of it. I put the truck into 'drive' and took off out of town and back to Jeff's house.