The Shadow Stalker Around Her

Chapter 20

Skyla

(Past)

The girl I was seeing in front of me, behind that damn tree, lying on the ground, beaten badly. Like that wasn't enough, there I saw food's stain all over her face and clothes. Anyone could tell some kids of our school bullied her this way. She was looking at me in terror as if I would hit her. 

But then she relaxed and shook her head. I saw she couldn't even sit on the ground. How could anyone be so cruel to a poor girl like her? She looked innocent to me and there was a tear stain on her eyes. 

She was in pain but didn't ask for my help for once to stand up on her feet by supporting that tree. She was strong after what she went through before by those seniors. She was wincing in pain which made me snap out of my thoughts. I couldn't believe instead of helping her, I was watching her in wonder. What the hell is wrong with me? I cleared my throat. 

I asked with concern, "Hello, there? Are you alright? Who did this to you? Tell me right now,"

She looked at me in shock. She stuttered, "Y-yes!" She lied.

I asked, "Who did this to you? I think we should go to the emergency room. You need proper treatment." I went to grab her hand and also her backpack, which was on the ground. 

She stopped me, saying, "N-no. I will manage it. As I go to my home, I will tend my wound immediately."

Giving her a blank look, I said pointedly, "You are having difficulty in the walk. Let's take you to the emergency room."

"B-but -" She again started to deny, I cut her off saying, "Please listen to me for once. You need to clean your wound fast." She nodded. I held her arm and took her toward the emergency room from the side of the school. As we entered the hallway, I felt her body stiffen. Knowing well she saw some of her tormentors, I pulled her closer and began to walk toward the emergency room. I didn't make eye contact with anyone there. I heard her whispering, "I think it's better if I go home directly from here." 

Without looking at her, I whispered back, "Without getting treatment from here, I am not going to let you go to your home. You don't take me as if I am threatening you. Okay? Don't worry. No one is going to touch you now." I didn't know where I got the courage to give her the reassurance with that attitude, that's a mystery. Maybe I was using my stalker card. She nodded. That person would do things for me if anyone tries to attack us anyway. I can't believe I was using my fear as a benefit. 

We entered the room and a helper woman was there. I made her sit on a bench and looked at the helper woman who rushed toward us with medical kits. She began to clean her wound with cotton and antiseptic liquid. 

The helper woman asked that wounded girl, "How did this happen?" That girl startled as if she didn't expect that helper woman to ask that question. Strange.

That wounded girl said, "I fell on the ground." She was a stupid liar. Whom was she saving from punishment anyway? After cleaning her would, she bandaged those places carefully. She told that wounded girl to take care of herself next time. Her eyes widened in shock. It's looked like she was hearing something unbelievable. Then she turned her face toward me and her mouth formed 'O' shaped. She.Was.Weird. I shrugged that off, though. 

Coming out of that room, I helped her to go to the parking lot. She told me that she could go home by herself, and she would go home by walking. I couldn't leave her in her delicate condition. I said, "I am going to take you to your home. Where do you live?" I asked and unlocked the chain around my bicycle. 

She denied politely, saying, "You don't need to trouble yourself for me. I am absolutely fine to go on my own." I shook my head and featured her walk by my side. Holding the handle of my bicycle, we began to walk toward her home. Her home was another side of my home, at a little distance. 

While walking, I said, "If you are thinking I have a bad intention for being nice to you, then you are wrong. I am doing this for the sake of humanity. Don't worry I will never disturb you by coming to your home."

She said immediately, "No! I didn't mean to say that. I didn't want to trouble you anymore. That's why I told you that I could manage my home." I nodded.

I asked after a few moments, "Who did this to you? I know you lied there."

Sighing, she said, "Some seniors are bullying me every day."

I frowned and asked, "Why don't you stop them? You can complain about them to our teachers."

She smiled helplessly and said, "They are coming from wealthy families. Even if I say these to our teacher, they won't believe me. So it is better to stay away from them, or bear with their torture." I tilted my head and looked at her from the corner of my eyes. I saw a sad expression on her face. I didn't know how to comfort her, so I shifted my eyes and looked at the end of the road. That's the reason I didn't want to make any friends in that school. It's better this way to stay away from them.

I heard her saying, "Oh, by the way, I am Suzie."

Nodding, I told her my name, "Skyla,"

She said, "I heard a lot about you. I knew your name."

I asked absentmindedly, "What did you hear about me?"

She said cautiously, "Uh- everyone is considering you as Carl's girl."

I gave her a puzzled look and asked, "What?" When the thing registered in my head, I said with sarcasm, "That's funny." The perks of the wild imaginations of people. Only I know how I am dealing with that guy. He is dangerous and mostly unpredictable who have an instant mood swing. Every day I enter his music room holding my life in my hand. That time bomb can burst anytime, and I would be dead on my spot.

She said with wide eyes, "No, not at all. Everyone fears to approach him, except you. You go every day to that music room. He never allows anyone in his classroom." Because he loves his privacy.

Remembering a girl told me the exact thing a few days ago in our classroom, I said, "Someone told me the same thing weeks ago. Trust me, he is giving me the Violin lesson there. He wants me to take a part in the next upcoming Violin competition event."

She said with excitement, "Really? You are also taking part in that event!"

I asked with amusement, "Are you taking part, Suzie?"

She said, "Yes, I am. But not in the Violin playing event. I play the Piano. I am so happy that I got someone to talk about the competition."

Shrugging my shoulders, I said, "Ya, we can."

She came in front of me and said, "Can we be friends?" I stopped on my track. Do I need a friend? I asked myself. I wanted to say no but decided against my wish as my eyes fell on her pleading and hopeful ones. 

I took a deep breath and said truthfully, "I never wanted to make any friends here." "But you look genuine. I want you to be my only friend in this school."

She jumped like a rabbit ignoring her pain and squealed. She said with excitement, "Yay! Let's start our new relationship from today onward."

I said meekly, "Fine by me."

She moved away and came beside me. We again began to walk together. She said, "Tell me about yourself, Skyla."

I said, "I am Skyla Davis. I live with my granny here. I love to play the violin and want to be a working woman in the future to help my granny."

She grinned and said, "Wow! We are both like the same you know. I am Suzie Wagner. I also live here with my grandma. My parents are always out of town for their working purpose. My mother has transferred to the Berlin University of arts as a professor and my father is a wildlife photographer and roam around the whole world. They left me to my grandma as they couldn't leave me alone in Frankfort, where our home is, you know. I joined this school a few months ago. Do you want to meet my grandma?" She asked. I was hesitating to say yes or no. I have an issue to meet new people. 

Looking at her, I asked, "Would she be offended if I come to meet her like this?"

Dismissively waving her hand, she said, "My grandma is strict, but she is a good woman. You are going to love her."

We two began to walk toward her home. She lived in a two-floored bungalow. The total area of her land is the same as the total length of my granny's home plus her bakery. I couldn't tell whether they were wealthy or not, but not poor. 

She opened the gate and told me to park my bike in their garden. I was parking my bike, when I heard she gave out a scream, saying, "Grandma!!!" I was startled by the way she screamed. Someday she would be successful to give a heart attack to someone. 

The door opened and came out an elderly woman, younger than my granny. She glared at Suzie and said sternly, "Oh, honey. Keep your voice down, would you?"

She ran toward her. She pulled her in a bear hug and said, "Oh, my grandma. Don't tell me that you don't like me to call you this loud. You are missing me right?"

Ignoring her, the elderly woman looked at her wound and glared at her saying "Did those stupid kids again beat you, Suzie? Why don't you fight back or complain against them?"

She sighed and said, "You know how reckless they are, grandma. They are brats, coming from wealthy families. They think they can do anything they want. Leave this."

She looked at me and gestured me to come forward. As I walked toward her, she said, "Oh, I forget. Grandma, meet my new friend, Skyla. She dragged me to the emergency room for treatment today seeing me in this condition."

Giving a soft smile, I said, "Hello, ma'am. Nice to meet you."

She came forward and hugged me which made me froze. I came back to my senses, and I hugged her back. "Oh, honey. You can call me grandma. Thank you so much for taking care of my stupid granddaughter, honey." She insulted her granddaughter. 

Suzie whined, "Grandma!"

She snapped at her, saying, "Stop whining like this, Suzie Wagner. You are not a little girl anymore. Go and freshen up." Suzie pouted. 

Suzie's grandma said with a warm smile, "Skyla, dear. Please come and have some cookies and cupcakes I backed today before you two arrived."

I have to go home. I said politely, "You can give me one cookie, grandma. I will come to meet you on some other days, as my granny must be waiting for me at her bakery. I don't want her to get worried for me."

"Okay, dear. Please wait." Saying, she went inside the room. Suzie came and told me about her whole family and her grandma, her previous school, forgetting her grandma told her to freshen up.  

Her grandma came and said, "Take this container with you." She gave me a box of sweets. 

My eyes widened. My granny is a sweet chef, and she feeds me her sweets in the name of tasting her new invention of different types of sweets which she wants to launch in her bakery. Eventually, I began to hate sweets now after eating sweets every single day. I tried to deny it, saying, "Grandma! It's too much. I don't think- "

She cut me off, saying sternly, "I am not taking no from you. Please give some to your granny, Skyla. The next day when you come to meet me, we will talk a lot that day, okay?"

Nodding, I said, "Yes, grandma. I will defiantly come here soon. I am leaving now." I turned toward my bike and unlocked that. Coming out from their gate, I heard Suzie said, "We will meet tomorrow at our school's parking area."

"Sure. Bye, grandma and Suzie." Saying, I sped off my bike. 

They seem kind in nature. Suzie will be a good friend of mine. I thought.

The distance between her home to my granny's home was a little too far. I was about to cross an alley, suddenly my eyes fell on someone I never thought I would see that way. I saw him entered an abandoned building in a black hoodie. I could feel blood drained from my face. I wanted to run away from that place, but my foot felt heavy. That person looked dangerous from a far away from where I stopped in my track on my bicycle. He couldn't see me, but I saw him in a grey shirt was bloodied and he was holding a knife.