1 Silent Suspicion

Chapter 1

Today was like any other day in the city. Bright lights, bustling streets, packed with cars and pedestrians. Sunlight glinting off hundreds of windows, fumes fill your nostrils with the scent of gasoline. The people of this city are quite rude, save the few who aren't. The hair on my neck starts to stand as I feel something isn't right. I want to believe it was just the feel of the city, but something was off. Different. It was as if the air had dropped twenty degrees, causing an unnatural stillness; it was like a force of pressure on my body, making me feel uneasy and unable to move. I've never really had this feeling before, nor have I sensed it in this wide of an area. I have to leave. Now. This sensation is becoming stronger and I'm afraid my heart's going to burst out of my ribs if I don't hurry.

Just by looking around, it seems to me I'm the only one who senses the stillness. Am I going crazy? If not, then why is this happening? I start to feel sick to my stomach; it feels like it's turning itself into knots. I just stood there, frozen on the spot in the middle of the crosswalk. I'm shaking so bad I can feel my knees start to buckle, I think I might have forgotten to breathe. I start to sway, my knees buckling beneath me. I fall, not even noticing the commotion around me, nor the blurry figure standing at least five feet away. Snapping out of my trance, I feel my stomach leave me entirely as I fall to the ground. But right before I hit the ground, the unnatural stillness vanishes into thin air leaving me confused and my head throbbing. I vaguely see the figure dash forwards quickly with arms held out. I hit hard onto what I can assume is the figure I saw briefly before. I ease my eyes open and to my surprise, my savior is a beautiful woman with long straight black hair the shade of midnight, and baby blue eyes that give you a sense of warmth.

"Oh my, you're so pale! You need help, quickly, tell me what is your name?" She asked frantically. Quickly moving me to the other side of the crosswalk, she grabbed my arms to keep me steady. She held me gently, surprisingly so, I felt comforted. This woman was shaking just as bad as I was. How come? She doesn't even know me...

"Wait, wait; no I'm ok. I don't need help, I'm fine I promise. If you must know, my name is Lily Sinclair," I say, my voice quivering slightly. "May I ask who you may be?"

" Um, my name is Emily Frachier. Thank you for telling me your name, and what do you mean you don't want help? Are you kidding me? You look terrible!" She said angrily, her eyes filled with concern.

"I mean I'm fine, I just remembered something that's all. Oh and nice name," I smirk nervously, resting my hand on the back of my neck. I'm surprised my new stranger cares this much. It frankly boggles my mind. We just met and looking into her eyes, my eyes widened as I saw that they have changed. They went from fierce blue to warm grey. This puzzled me more than what just happened not but thirty seconds ago. Pushing that thought to the back of my head, pain etches across my face.

"Thank you, your name isn't half bad either. Anyway, are you sure you're okay? You look like you're in pain. Do you have a headache?" she asks thoughtfully.

I shrug to Emily's response and say, "Yeah I'm fine, I just have a huge headache."

"Would you like some ibuprofen? It's here in my purse if you want it." Emily says clutching her purse. Wow, she's so patient with people. She's surprisingly kind for someone in this city. Well, at least I know I can trust her enough to take ibuprofen from her. But that's unnecessary; I'll be fine without it. Declining her offer, I attempt to stand up without toppling over, wobbling before regaining my balance.

"Thank you but I'll be fine. I really do need to get going now, I appreciate you helping me." I say thankfully. How could the unnatural stillness just vanish? And coincidentally when Emily arrived. I really do hope someone wasn't watching me and left as soon as she showed up. Just the thought of it causes goosebumps to trail up my spine.

"If you say so… Anyways, you're welcome and here's my number in case you need me. Also, you should rest a bit when you get to wherever you're going." Emily says grinning from ear to ear, her eyes seemed to twinkle with her grin. Emily handed me a slip of paper with her number on it. Trying hard not to smile too much, I gently grab the slip of paper from her slim fingers and stuff it into my own purse.

"Thank you again for helping me, I'll be taking my leave now," I say and walk away, waving goodbye. I didn't expect a stranger to save me. It surprised me if I'm being honest. Oh well, at least I have a potential new friend.

"Bye for now. Maybe we'll meet again." She says while winking and takes off as well. Her hips naturally swayed as she walked.

++++

What bothers me is that I was the only one to notice that stillness. Am I special or something? I really don't like the thought of that but I can't just push the matter away, I need to face it. I guess I could later but I don't know if I'll remember. Oh well, there's a matter that's more serious than me being "special." That unnatural stillness, it wasn't the usual danger feeling I'm used t0, but...worse. It felt like it was swallowing me whole. The area even seemed to be colder too, like a ghost was present. I doubt there really was a ghost but it's an idea. When I look back at that moment, I can remember the feeling; I could feel eyes burning through my head, like light through a magnifying glass. Shaking my head slightly, deciding I definitely know someone was watching me, but whom? Of course, they must have been the one to give off the dreadful aura. Maybe this will happen again, I do hope it doesn't but if it does, I really have no idea what I'm going to do.

Back at home I set down my purse and plop down on the couch, exhausted. I find myself drifting off into sleep, my eyes becoming heavier and my head nodding up then down. I bolt upright, remembering I still needed to take ibuprofen. Setting off to the kitchen I take two ibuprofens and sit back down. Instead of drifting off again, my mind drifts to earlier that day. I need to tell Emily about how I could sense something was different and while I'm at it, I'll ask about her eyes. Picking up my purse I set it on my lap, rummaging through it, I find the slip of paper Emily handed me. I pick up my phone and dial the number with trembling hands. I eventually type the number in, the phone rings. After the third ring, Emily picks up, "Emily Frachier, who is this?" She asks sweetly.

"Hello, this is Lily Sinclair, the woman you saved earlier. Can I talk to you for a minute?" I ask rather urgently.

"Ah yes I remember you, the woman with wavy deep brown hair and green eyes fierce and unwavering. And a voice as soft as silk." She says in a "matter of fact" tone. I roll my eyes impatiently and start to pace the room. She really does give quite the description.

"Yes, yes, now can we talk or…?" I say, sounding annoyed. Frankly, I don't think she hears the tone of urgency in my voice but she's starting to annoy me fast. I'm not in the mood to be playing games.

"Ho, you have some sass. I like you already, so what's up? I'm all ears." Emily exclaims. I raise my eyebrows so high I think they might fall off. She thinks I have sass? Hm, sounds good to me. I chuckle at my silly thoughts.

"Actually, can we meet somewhere? The coffee shop down on Seventy-Three? It'll be easier if I talk to you in person. Oh and by the way, thank you." I asked nervously.

"Of course, I'm free anyway so why not. You said the coffee shop down on Seventy-Three, right?" She asks.

"Correct, this is important so please don't stand me up," I say eagerly. Why am I making such a big deal out of this? I just need to chill and be calm. There's nothing to worry about anyways.

"Good, don't worry I won't stand you up. Meet you there in about forty-five?" Emily asks thoughtfully. One worry checked off the list.

"Heh, good. Meet you in forty-five then, see you." I laugh into the phone. Emily's pretty good so far, just have to wait and see how she reacts to what I have to say later.

"Okay then, bye." She says softly. I hang up the phone and look at the time on the screen. Two o'clock exactly. Ok so I'll take a shower and throw some clothes on and I'll be set. Maybe even a little bit of makeup. I really hope our meeting goes as I planned. I don't know what I'll do if this fails and she thinks I'm crazy, or if she'll simply just ditch me because I'm weird. What would be amazing is if Emily totally believes me inside and out. That will be the highlight of my day.

About thirty minutes later, I'm completely ready and freaking out over nothing. My heart is threatening to jump out of my chest and sprint away. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Ok, I feel much better now that I've calmed down a bit, but my heart's still beating a million miles a minute. Checking the time again, I have about ten minutes left till we meet at the coffee shop so I might as well leave now so I'm not late. Grabbing my purse, I set off to my black Jeep.

With five minutes to spare, I plopped myself down in a booth and waited till Emily got here. My hands are trembling so bad I think they might fall off. I whisper to myself, "It's alright, it's alright, you'll be fine. Get over it." After six minutes go by, Emily finally arrives and spots me sitting at the corner booth.

"There you are, you okay?" Emily asks, concern filling her eyes. There they go again, her eyes I mean. They've gone warm grey. Just now they were ocean blue. What in the world is going on?

"I'm a little questionable and nervous, otherwise I'm okay," I say with a sigh. Emily smiles and nods her head.

"That's good; well, ask away, what's the question." She says brightly. I'm surprised by her kindness once again. Instead of asking my question, I just stare at her. I shake my head barely enough for Emily to notice and go back to ask her my question.

"So… What's up with your eyes? I ask innocently. I hope she doesn't take this question to be offensive. It comes out to be rude more than anything but I'm just curious.

"What about them? Emily asks, her eyes turning dark blue. My eyes widen and I'm caught off guard. Damn it, I've already screwed up this conversation. Good job Lily, you've wrecked yourself. Bringing myself back together, I explain to her why I asked that question.

"I'm sorry, that was rude of me. I was only asking why they change color all the time. I've witnessed this a couple of times now. I was confused." I quickly explain, turning my head to divert my gaze. My heart doesn't seem to want to stop beating so fast anytime soon.

"Oh, that? I see, well my eye color changes with my emotions ranging from Indigo to light shades of grey. But no purple yet, just shades of blue and some shades of grey like I said before." She explains, her eyes changing back to warm grey. Oh, thank god… I thought she was going to yell at me.

"Ah I see, that's pretty cool if I say so myself. Well, that explains why your eyes change color frequently. Thank you for clearing that up for me, it helps a lot." I say apologetically. Well, that's one problem solved.

"Any time, so did you have anything else you wanted to talk about or was that it? Emily asks patiently. Oh boy, time for the hardest part of this whole conversation.

"Y-yes, I do. Well, it's about earlier, I lied to you, I didn't really remember anything. I was actually terrified at the moment. That's why I was shaking really bad and looked pale." I stammer. Why am I talking so fast? I'm afraid she'll run away… Her eyes widen and turn a shade of blue that looks the color of a bruise.

"Oh, you lied? Well, you can tell me what happened and maybe I will understand better." Emily says hotly. I wince, I should've expected that to happen. At least I know she isn't all cupcakes and rainbows.

"W-well, I was walking down the street for my usual walk and all of a sudden this rush of danger fell all around. The air had an unnatural stillness to it and it was overwhelming. It choked the breath out of me and every second I was standing there, the feeling became stronger until it became unbearable. In turn, it caused me to collapse but you were there to catch me." The words stumble out of my mouth. "After I returned home, I thought back on what happened and I re-experienced the situation and felt a difference, I could feel eyes staring at me."

Emily just sat there, gawking at me, like I was crazy. This was what I was afraid of, Emily thinking I was crazy. This was definitely one of the worst conversations I've ever had. It's kind of like I'm setting myself up for disaster. I look down at my trembling hands and wait for Emily's response.

"Um Lily, were you the only one who sensed this or?.." Emily asked, sounding a little frightened. Is she scared of me?

"Yes, I think so, since I was the only one who seemed phased at all," I said nervously. Emily's eyes changed to electric blue. I'm assuming she's curious now since her aura is different.

"So I guess you're kind of like me, except you sense danger," Emily says bluntly. Well, she's right, she just needs to know one other thing.

"Yep, you're correct. Also, there's one other thing, I can also tell people's emotions by their aura. It's kind of weird but cool at the same time. But I don't tell anybody about that because I think they'll judge me, or think I'm lying." I explain roughly. I'm so nervous, why is it this bad? I don't get it.

"I think it's cool. Not weird at all to me at least. Since you know, I have something like that too." Emily states. Wow, she actually believed me. I never thought in a billion years that she would. I mean, I thought she would've sent me to a mental hospital. Especially with that ridiculous topic that I told her about.

"Well, now that your secret is out, are you feeling any better?" Emily asks as curiosity washes over her face, her eyes turning baby blue. I feel better but my hands are still trembling.

"I'm doing much better, though I know there's still something on my chest, I just don't know what it is," I say with a sigh. I look through the window and think about what happened earlier. I definitely think there was someone else there, quite possibly the one who caused me to make me feel the way I did. But who? I know no one who would give off such a presence. I mean I've had some similar symptoms to this but not so severe, usually, just a quick throbbing in the head and the air gets a bit thicker. But this, no nothing ever this bad. Maybe I should go look for the person. I notice that I zoned out and Emily's just staring at me. She even looks irritated.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I zoned out. Were you saying something?" I ask, a bit embarrassed. Man is she scary when she's mad or irritated. I hope I didn't make her too mad.

"Mmm, it's okay no worries. I understand you have things on your mind. Anyways I was saying that I need to get going soon, I have a meeting for my job." Emily says. I didn't want her to go just yet. Oh well, it is what it is I guess. Part of me wanted her to stay so we could talk a bit more. I'll let her get going then.

"Okay, you can get going then. I appreciate you coming here today. I'm glad you believed me. Have a good rest of your day Ms. Emily." I say gratefully.

"No problem Lily, please do call me Emily. No need for the formalities, we're friends right?" Emily says, smirking. Well, at least she's being polite. It's nice to know I can be friends with her since she's the only friend I have now.

"Yes, of course, I'm sorry," I say with embarrassment. Hmm, she caught me off guard, I can't believe I said "Ms. Emily", I haven't been that formal in a while. I guess it's because she actually cares unlike everyone else.

"Oh pish posh stop saying sorry, it's okay, really. Well, I'm heading off before I'm late for that meeting. See you soon Lily." Emily says getting out from the booth and waving goodbye. She quickly walked out of the busy coffee shop. I guess that ended quickly, I didn't expect anything except for talking a bit more but she has her own life and so do I. Guess I'll be going as well.

On my way home, I'm still caught up in this mess of a day. Why can't I shake the feeling that someone was watching me? No matter what I tell myself, nothing seems to take that thought away. But even so, I'll figure it out no matter what. Even if it hurts me. I'm just that curious I suppose. If I'm right and there was a person watching me, then I wonder why they would have such a powerful presence as they did. I guess it really doesn't matter if it's a male or female, they still had that inhuman presence. I'll just walk through that area tomorrow and see if it happens again, if not then maybe I was wrong.