2 Chapter 2: J.S.

I sense a presence around me, it was a presence like no other. This presence feels dark but not demonic. The best I can describe it was a feeling like someone wants something from me but they know they can't come near me, so they remain in the shadows lurking. I'm walking through a field; the grass is cold and the dirt is wet below my feet. Why am I bare foot? Why am I here? This isn't making any sense. I see crows flying in circles above me and the wind blowing the trees harshly. My hair flowing with the direction of the wind. I feel cold, so cold my body is shaking and slowly going numb. I rub my arms for warmth and then a pair of arms hugged me from behind, warm and muscular. I turned around and saw a guy wearing a mask. Our eyes met and he stared into my eyes with his arms still around me. His eyes were captivating, green with a hue of yellow. Who is this man?

I woke up griping my blanket and sat up in the middle of the night. Breathing heavily, "it was just a dream, just another stinkin' dream" I murmured. I curled into a ball and went back to sleep with those beautiful eyes on my mind.

In the morning I got dressed and headed out to the mall. There is not a lot of options with shopping, there was only one mall along with other independently owned shops. This is going to be a problem for a shopaholic like me. There's no lake, no skyscrapers; there's only train tracks and bars. Downtown is full of historical buildings and the tallest building is only 4 stories tall. I guess I will have to get used to the downsize since I will be here for the next two years or so. I parked my car, grabbed my purse and took out the keys. I got out of the car and three teenage boys approached me, their faces look so angry and miserable. I panicked and power walked to the entrance of the closest clothing boutique. "Hey lady!" one of them yelled. "Stop right there!" another yelled. I stepped onto the sidewalk and ran into the store. A hand grabbed me by the arm, my whole body moved to the right and my mouth covered. I thought I screamed but apparently not, it was all in my head. The men that were chasing me didn't come inside, instead they peeked into the windows to look for me and walked away once they didn't see me. The men finally disappeared out of sight, the arms that gripped my body and the hand that cupped my mouth loosened. I turned around and gasped for air. It was a man with dark brown hair, tall, masculine, with green eyes. "Thank you so much, you saved me from…whatever they were trying to do" I said while looking out the window. "Let me treat you to something. I mean if you don't mind of course" I said softly with a small grin. He nodded and we headed towards the center of the mall. I smiled at him but he didn't smile back. Suddenly, I felt this presence around me, like there was another person on the other side of the man. It was uncomfortable, the presence weighed me down and I felt a bit lightheaded. I massaged my temples and closed my eyes for a split second. There it was, a pressure on my left shoulder, a hand gripping harder and harder. I looked to my left, no one. I looked to my right, the man silently walking looking ahead. "Are you okay?" he asked in monotone. "I'm fine. I just suddenly became a bit lightheaded that's all" I responded. But what was that? Why do I keep feeling this presence? Am I being haunted? Did I judge this town too harshly the spirits here hate me? Non-sense! I am definitely crazy, just me being a freak that's all. We walked to the food court and bought coffee for the both of us. He didn't want anything to eat and neither did I. "Here you go iced Americano for you and matcha latte for me" I said excited while sitting across from him. "So, who are you?" I asked after a sip of my hot beverage. Long silent seconds followed my question. "I'm a mechanic" he finally blurted out. I was a bit stunned by his odd response. Usually people start by saying their name. I nodded and took another sip. He took out his phone that was vibrating and looked at the screen. "Sorry I got to take this one; it's going to be a long one. I'm going to go, be careful" he said while he got out of his seat. That was it; he walked away with his phone in his hand to his ear and sipped on his coffee with the other. I watched him walk away until he was out of my sight. I finally got up just to feel the same presence shove me back down onto my seat. No one was around me where I was sitting. I sat still and sipped on my latte like there was nothing wrong. I sat on my butt for thirty minutes waiting for this presence behind me to disappear. I pray I would get a phone call and I would have an excuse to excuse myself from this presence. Boom! And then my phone rang. I picked up and walked away from my seat talking loudly on my phone. "Yep, I'll be home in a bit. Yes mom I can pick up a few things while I'm at it" I said heading to my car.

I parked my car in the driveway and grabbed the grocery bags in the passenger seat. "I'm home mom!" I yelled while setting the bags on the kitchen counter. "Honey, you're home. Your aunt came to visit. Go say hi" She said while giving me a big hug. I walked into the living room and there was my aunt sitting on the couch watching TV with my dad. "Hello Aunt Mae. Good to see you today. How are you?" I said running to hug her. "Hello darling. How are you? I hope you are well. I haven't seen you in so many years" She said hugging me and looking me up and down. I feel so at home when she's around. She was the fun aunt who I always hung out with when I was young. We went in the study and talked for hours. "I want to give you something" She whispered while pulling out a necklace out of her pocket. "Do me a favor will you honey and keep this necklace with you at all times. This necklace is a family heirloom. Treat it with care" she said with the most serious face I have ever seen her. I nodded and put the necklace on. "You must promise me you will never take it off. Even when you shower, got it?" She said looking me in the eyes. "Yes, I promise Aunt Mae" I said with a smile. I held the gem in my hands and examined the 2-inch piece of jewelry. It was a jade prism with gold cradling the cracked crevices. Did Aunt Mae accidentally break it? Regardless, the gem was unique and beautiful. Aunt Mae got up before I could ask any questions about the necklace.

After dinner aunt Mae went home and I headed to my room. I took off the necklace and examined it. I flipped the gem around and noticed the initials J.S. initialized in the center. The necklace looked centuries old so it must have been one of my ancestor's initials. I put the necklace back on and got ready for bed.

I'm in the bathroom brushing my teeth, I look in the mirror. From my necklace to making eye contact with myself in the mirror I noticed that I look a bit different. The ends of my hair was turning a lighter shade of brown than my roots. I rinsed my mouth and touched my hair. In the mirror it looks different but in person it looks the same. I must be hallucinating, there's no way my hair can do that. I turned off the light and walked out the bathroom. I laid on the bed, gripped my necklace, and closed my eyes. Slumber followed after several hours of mindless thinking.