Chapter 6

"Angelea! What are you doing?! Who's this? You're only twelve!" Nani gasped, out of breath. I looked up at Devin, who was looking at Nani, who was looking at me. Devin had a shocked look on his face, and he seemed indecisive for a moment.
And then he dropped me.
My breath, what was left, since I was still woozy from his kiss, left me in a rush.
"Oof! Um, thanks!" I growled, looking up at him. But he wasn't there. "Devin?" I looked all around, but he was gone. I let myself fall back onto the floor, my arms straight out to my sides. I let out an angry sigh.
"That was Devin? How did he get in? Did you plan to meet him? Why was he here? When did you--"
"NANI!" I shouted. Nani closed her mouth with difficulty and shrank back as I shot to my feet. "I don't know the answers to any of those questions." Nani opened her mouth to say something else, but I cut her off. "Or any others that you might have! And I don't know why he... why he kissed me, either. He was hypnotoxicating me again, and then he... well, you know." I almost made 'kissed' sound like a dirty word, the way I said it.
But that wasn't the way I felt, if I was being honest.
My cheeks burned, and I was so embarrassed.
"Um, can I go for a run?" I asked as I advanced to the door.
"Sure... Brian's going to be a little late, so I guess you can. I want you back by the time I get home."
"Sound like a deal." I said, walking out the door. I closed it a little too roughly behind me and nearly ripping the handle off. I would have to work on that later.
I walked, just walked, not going anywhere in particular.
I was searching.
"Devin," I sighed. "I know you're out here somewhere." I let the drops fall on my skin, feeling the cold water run down my face like tears.

"Let me take all your fears
Let me dry all your tears
Let us run away
To come back another day
When the weather is nice
Us two will suffice."

"Whoa!" I whirled, looking for the person who had said that. I found no one, but I was so sure it had been Devin speaking...
But I was alone. I turned back around and ketp searching.

"All your dreams are torn away
Thrown away and shattered
Your life goes by in days
Seconds are as hours
Years are like a lifetime
And through the rain you wander
Searching for only me."

I knew I was going crazy. I was hearing his voic, wandering through the rain looking for him. I was totally obsessed.
"Angelea," I didn't turn. I knew I was imagining his voice. "Angeleeeeeeeeeea." he crooned. I didn't answer, knowing that no one would be behind me, especially not him. "I'm over here, Angelea."
His voice came from my right now. I turned toward his voice, searching, hoping...
I saw an alley, a very dark alley, and immediately turned away before I could make up my mind to go in. I felt an unnatural breeze flutter past me, and then an evil-sounding laugh from behind me, dissapearing into the rain.

"The unseen is a bad enemy
The dead is the worst."
Was that from a movie I had seen? A book I had read?
"Meow?"

I just about jumped out of my skin when I heard the cat's mew. I looked down to see a soggy cardboard box on the side of the alley. "Meow?" I heard the pitiful mew again and again, finally deciding to lift the flap of the box. I found a very wet, very alone kitten. She was gray, white, and black and looked like someone had swirled her colors is a blender for half-a-second and the put it on her. She was marbled. I reached down, hoping that the kitten would let me hold her.
"Here kitty kitty kitty," I crooned. The kitten accepted me, and I cradled her like a baby, as I had seen some cat owners do. She mewed pitifully again, looking up at me with icy blue eyes. She started purring with pleasure the second I started petting her. Her eyes narrowed to icy slits in pleasure.

"Here is a riddle to guess if you can
What makes a monster
And what makes a man."

"Shut up!" I yelled. The kitten squirmed in fright. "Just leave me alone, whoever you are!" The kitten let out a frightened mew, and I gave her a few reassuring pets to calm her down. She became content again.

"The more you take the more you leave behind."
I wandered more.
And then I knew I was hallucinating.
Devin was rounding a corner not ten feet away from me. He looked up and saw me, shock crossing his face. He smiled bashfully, seeming almost embarrassed.
"Devin!" I called, waving. He waved back, his clothes soaked. I realized mine were too. "It's nice to see your hallucination."
"What?" He asked, walking closer.
"You're a hallucination. I know it."
"Angeleeeeea," I heard the voice again, but Devin's lips hadn't moved, further proof to my hallucination theory.
"What are you talking about?" He was close to me now, about a foot away. My eyes were about level with his chest, so I had to look up. The rain didn't help at all, falling on my face like ice. It made me shiver involuntarily.
He stepped closer, until we were less than an inch away from eachother.
"Are you cold?" He asked, looking me in the eye.
"N-n-no." I couldn't bite back my stuttering. Devin chuckled.
"I... think you are." I wondered why he was hesitating, but then I saw how his hand was placed. It was partially extended to me, but he as soon as he noticed that I noticed, he dropped it back to his side.
It was almost like before, like the first time he had hypnotoxicated me.
"S-so get on w-with it!" I growled. He looked away and sighed.
"I don;t want to do this," He murmured. "But I have to."
Once he turned the force f his violet eyes on me, I slumped. Before I could drop the kitten or hit the ground, he caught me, pulling me close. He held the kitten as well. And then...
He had pulled me even closer, bowing me to him. The kitten didn't seem to mind, but only purred in pleasure.
And then he was gone.
"Devin?" I asked after I had recovered. "Devin?"
I walked, adn it was completely dark. The kitten fell asleep in my arms. Nani was probably home right now, wondering where I was.
I wandered home eventually.
"Angelea! Where have you been?" Nani asked nervously.
"Sorry, Nani. I got lost." I sighed groggily.
"It's nearly ten-thirty!"
"How was your date?"
"Good. He got us both ice cream and we saw a movie."
"Cool. Hey Nani, I'm going to bed, okay?"
"Is that a kitten?"
"Yeah."
"Okay..."

I fell asleep before my head hit the pillow, the wet kitten beside me.


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The next day, Sunday, it was rainy. Rainier. Nani had agreed to let us keep the kitten temporarily, which we had named Skye. Nani had let me hang out outside- in the rain- until lunchtime. I wandered like I did last night, eventually coming to the edge of town. I found a rocky overhang there.
I hadn't seen Devin all day.
I was definitely obsessed.
Maybe if I did something stupid, he would show up. Certainly, if he was to 'take care of me' he would know what I was doing at all times, right?
I stood on the edge of the overhang, my arms out to my sides. I closed my eyes.
My feet were on the edge of the rock as I prepared to jump.