3 The Waiting Game

After the meeting at the river, Emily had gone back home with the stranger lingering on her mind. She had always been a loner, and so her desire to talk to him more baffled her. Something about him made her want to know more, but she couldn't help but feel like that was a mistake.

She began to visit the campgrounds more often on the weekends her parents went, and she saw the man there most of the time. She learned his name from others, Jared. It seemed he was popular among the Brotherhood and had quite a reputation for being a respectable, reliable member. She often saw him on her walks around the camp, helping others with property work or drinking with a group, but he rarely spoke to her aside from a polite "hello" now and then. She didn't know why she cared at all, but it angered her that he had ignored her so much since their last encounter.

She began trying harder to get his attention, buying cute swimsuits and walking past him, acting as if she didn't notice him, but none of it seemed to phase him. Occasionally, he would ask her for a dance at the events, but would simply sing as they danced and then go back on his way when they finished. For about a year, this was how things were. Emily continually trying to catch his eye, and Jared seemingly uncaring to her presence. She became desperate for his attention and it only made her more frustrated.

Sitting at the river one day, she mumbled to herself, "what does it even matter? He's just some guy who loves attention. He probably only dances with me to make himself look better anyway", she rolled her eyes and sighed.

She pulled out her phone, a cheap brick phone her mother had gotten her a few weeks ago for emergencies. She never used it, but had been told to keep it just in case.

She thought back to that first, bizarre meeting at the river. It had been just over a year ago, but she still remembered the number he told her (She had always been a whiz with numbers and always remembered the ones she had been told, often without meaning to). She imagined he thought she would forget, and was merely teasing her by giving it to her to begin with, so she had avoided sending him anything. But she was tired of whatever silly game he was playing and she wanted to confront him.

"Jared? Is this your number?" Her hand trembled slightly before hitting send. She didn't know what to expect, what if it wasn't even his number? The whole thing could have just been him making fun of the awkward girl...Emily was used to that. She laid back on the ground and sighed, closing her eyes. She should have never started coming here, nothing had changed, she still had no friends and now she just felt defeated.

As she began to drift off to sleep, her phone pinged to alert her of a message. She quickly sat up to read it.

"That depends. Who's asking?"

"It's...Emily" she responded quickly, as if she feared he would disappear if she took too long. A few moments went by and her phone pinged again.

"HAHA, seriously? I suppose I'm flattered you cared enough to remember after all this time, but its a little creepy, dont you think? What do you want? I'm busy drinking"

"Busy drinking??" She said it out loud, annoyed at his response. She had gotten so worked up over their few encounters, every dance burned into her memory and making her heart ache with the longing for his attention, and he didn't even care!

She huffed angrily and stood, picking up a rock, preparing to throw it, but stopped as her phone pinged again.

"Why are you so angry? The river didn't do anything to you"

Emily froze. Was he watching her? She turned and looked around, but saw no one. She quickly wrote a reply, "stop messing with me, where are you?"

"Amuse me. Come find me".

His commanding message both infuriated and captivated her. She considered replying, but decided to play along and began walking towards the trees.

She walked quietly and listened closely to the sounds around her. Being a lover of the outdoors, she had followed animals many times and was quite good at tracking and observing her environment. She heard a rustling in a bush and tossed a rock towards it only to see a couple of birds scatter. She continued walking, searching for any sign of someones presence. As she approached a large tree she noticed scrapes in the bark and fresh leaves scattered below it, as if it had been disrupted recently.

She looked up and saw a figure sitting comfortably atop a branch, and he began to clap slowly, peering down at her.

"Good game, dear! Very impressed, I must say". He jumped from the tree, landing effortlessly behind her, and ran his nail up her neck making her shiver. He grinned at her involuntary response and whispered wickedly, "But this game has only just begun, my little toy..."

Her cheeks flushed and she bit her lip timidly. "T...toy? Jared what is that supposed to mean exac..."

He cut her off and spun her around, pinning her against the tree, but there was no kindness or playfulness in his eyes now. They shined silver and he bared his teeth angrily at her, growling out, "Don't you dare insult me by calling me by his name! He is weak..." He released her, realizing the fear he had inflicted and stepped back, giving her space. When he spoke again his voice was calm and placid as he leaned against a nearby tree, "Besides, I am far more intelligent than him anyway". He shrugged.

Emily stared in shock at him, unsure of what to say or do. Was...he insane? He seemed it, and she felt like running was the logical choice here. But she couldn't do it, she was too intrigued and her life had never been this interesting before, so she managed to choke out the words, "Who....are you, then?"

He chuckled and pushed off the tree to stand before her, stroking her cheek affectionately, he whispered, "I, my little lamb, am called Azazel. And you..." He leaned over, his breathe hot on her neck, "you...are my new toy".