His Obsession (Shadow Watcher #1)
Chapter One
Blair
The wind howls outside the window beside me, as purple clouds swirl in a symphony of art. Nestled in my reading chair, wrapped in blankets, I reflect on my time in the foster system. I shiver as the memories flood my thoughts. Before I drift into the daydreams of my nightmares, I glance over and see Elena jamming to her iPod. A smile spreads across my face, as I watch my best friend dance to her favorite song. Her long brown hair is pulled into a messy bun atop her head, and her big brown eyes are fixed on the Seventeen magazine in front of her. Her manicured nails tap rhythmically on the cover.
Every week, her nails flaunt a different color. This week, she chose fall hues, opting for a soft orange adorned with tiny, multicolored leaves to match the season. Her body is toned like she has cheered her entire life, she has not even held a pompom. She is the clumsiest girl I know, she once tripped over her own feet walking up the stairs.
For me, however, I cannot give a damn about my nails, making sure my hair is perfect, or doing a full face of makeup every day. The only time you will see me dolled up is if we are going out to the club. I like to keep it simple, throwing my long brown hair into a messy bun and putting mascara on. I would do eyeliner, but it always dries out my eyes, so that’s the best I can do.
I envy her innocence in this cruel world. She has no idea what happened to me before I met her, and I plan to keep it that way. The feeling of being at the hands of a monster gives me goosebumps. If I did not act out as I had, who knows what would have happened to me back then? Would he have finally taken something that was not his to have? I turn back to the book I am supposed to be reading, but I am doing anything but that.
“Get in here now, Blair!” the man fostering me screamed. His name is John, and he always smelled of booze and cigarettes. I was only 11 years old when he tried to take my innocence. He would come into my room every night and assault me, but it never went that far until today. Luckily, the carpool to school was here, and banging at the door. I got away and ran straight for the door.
I told my friend's mom everything in private and she called the agency. I was placed back into the group home when my adopted mom, Kamara, sought me out. She was not even sure she wanted to adopt, but when she met me, she said she had fallen in love. She took me home the next day and I have been happy ever since. I am twenty years old. I was in her home for eight years and she made me feel like I had been there my whole life. I love her. She is the mom I had always dreamed of. I smile thinking of the bright woman who would tell me stories about the tooth fairy. She said that she takes the teeth from all the children and places them in the sky. All the stars are all the teeth of all the boys and girls who had been visited by her. I used to make her tell me that story every time I lost a tooth. Surprisingly I was still losing baby teeth at twelve. I shake my head smiling, she is the best thing that ever happened to me .
She is beautiful too. And she kind of resembles me. She says that's how fate happens, and I was born to find her. Her long salt and pepper hair is braided down her back, she has the softest brown eyes I have ever seen, and she is built just like me. About 5’5, thin but curvy, with a personality that just draws you in and makes you trust her. She has a tattoo of my name on one wrist and the other has the name of her son she lost years ago. I told her she did not have to do that, but she told me to shush. I giggle thinking about it. I felt so awkward with her doing that only a year into me being with her. She told me she knew it was forever, and this made it permanent. Again, I love her.
“Hello, earth to Blair!” Elena is waving her hand in front of my face. I jerk back and she laughs.
“Wow, you were out there, huh?” She looks at me.
“You ok?” She asks, and I nod.
“Haha, sorry. I was just thinking about my mom.” She grins.
Elena loves my mom just as much as I do. My mom would always include her in everything we ever did. If we wanted to go to the movies, Elena was there. If we wanted to go swimming, she made sure Elena could come. Her parents are like my own, they are amazing people, and I am so thankful to have this many people in my life that I love wholeheartedly.
The storm is rolling in fast; the winds pick up, brushing tree limbs against my window. The lights flicker and her eyes lock with mine. She is afraid of the things that go bump in the night. Afraid of the dark shadows that hide, watching you. However, there is nothing here, just me, her, and my cat Felix. Right on queue Felix jumps on my lap, meowing.
“Uh, I should probably get going,” she says, looking out my window at the dark symphony .
“Are you sure you don't want to stay?" I ask, watching as she bites her nails.
She hates driving through the country when storms roll around.
"Uhm, maybe I will," she says, her voice trembling as a massive lightning strike echoes outside.
I don't live far from town, but I do live in a heavily secluded wooded area. When storms roll in it's like the woods come to life. The tree limbs move around in the strong winds, the sound of the leaves brushing up against one another. The animals, I'm sure, have all hunkered down to brace for the storm to come.
"Can you close the curtains?” Her voice trembles with anxiety.
"Of course, El. And then we can go find all the candles I own, and we can hunker down in here." She smiles at me, and I know, I have at least eased some of her worries.
Just as I'm about to close the curtain, movement catches my eye. Somewhere on the edge of the woods, something moves again. I still my hands and squint my eyes to try and see what caught my attention. My heartbeat races a bit with the feeling of something, someone watching me.
"What is it?" Elena's voice draws me back into my bedroom. I quickly close the curtain and brush off what I see as a tree limb or an animal.
“I thought I saw something move, but there is nothing there. Let's go gather the candles," turning back towards her.
"W…what do you mean you think you saw something? Like a person? Is someone out there?" She looks around frantically.
"No, I'm sure it was just a tree," trying to convince both of us. She nods slowly, accepting my explanation. We head to the living room, where I keep the candles. Just when we step inside my decently sized living room, a huge gust of wind blows open my front door.
"Shit! Elena, help me close and lock it."
She rushes over and we both slam our bodies into the door, closing it. I've never seen my door do that before, but I shrug it off.
"Can we make sure your windows and stuff are locked?" looking around, I nod.
She starts biting her nails, and I yank her hand from her mouth, "Let's go check.”
It’s like someone was at my door waiting for the right moment to bust it open. No stop it. You're overthinking Blair . I shake my head and we move to the next room.
As we finish checking the last window, the lights flicker before abruptly plunging us into darkness with a resounding boom. Elena jumps and bumps into my side. She reaches out and quickly grabs ahold of my arm.
"Don't worry, let's head to my room," I reassure her. "We secured the windows, and I have the portable DVD player your mom bought me. I have The Notebook." Her eyes light up, and we head to my bedroom.
I let her lead the way. Before I enter my bedroom, I turn around and stare at my front door. That’s really never happened before.