Chapter 3

"ALEXIS...ALISON...ALEXIS!"

The voice was gradually growing louder. It felt like it was within touching distance and although she could not see anything she was almost certain that if her sight did return to her, that she would be staring straight into those deranged eyes. She tried to put as much distance between them as possible but she was still paralyzed. She could feel him move closer. The scream that was stuck in her throat finally managed to break through the suppressing silence like a whip. It was so sharp and high pitched she was almost sure only dogs could hear her but she wouldn't stop screaming. Her whole body started thrashing around like a seal being captured as she tried to break free of her invisible bindings.

"ALEXIS!" she heard someone cry. They were close to her. On her right side, "Wake up! Please."

She felt her eyes flutter after a few seconds, and then light blinded her. She sat up on her elbows and turned to her right.

"Hello? Who's there?" she asked as she looked up through her lashes waiting for the haze to disappear.

"It's okay, it's only me," Sam's familiar voice replied. It filled her with warmth as her sight finally returned.

The first thing she saw was the worry in Sam's eyes. He had heard her screaming and had rushed to her side as the nurse ran out the door to get god knows what. Sam suspected it had something to do with the kid following her.

"You saw them again didn't you," he said. It wasn't even a question it was just a fact, but she nodded anyway.

"It was at the baseball field, at first I didn't notice it, but I could feel its presence, watching me, like a Vulcan watches its prey before it pounces, ready to kill-"

"You're not going to die, he's not going to get you," Sam interrupted, he hated how defeated she sounded, it was so not like her. "Remember we're going to Martha's place Saturday, so please just hold on for two more days, ok?"

"I'll try, but I think we have to tell Emma," she said, "I don't like keeping things from her and anyway, I have to have someone around me twenty-four seven, and seeing as you can't do it."

"Erm, yeah, about that..." Sam said as he put his hand behind his neck, He looked a bit awkward, he felt a rush of guilt. "I already told her, but I don't think she took it the right way."

"What do you mean?" she asked as suspicion took over, "What did you say, Sam?"

"I just told her that you keep seeing this red eyed kid, who we think is trying to get you, and that we need her help, because we have been told to never leave you out of our sights," Sam answered as he tried to explain, "And she went off in a rage because she doesn't believe in the supernatural and said that you were probably making it all up, because before you- eh fainted, she saw you staring at Max and... we'll yeah, she took off in a huff."

Alex closed her eyes and said some select words after her breath

"Anyway, what does she mean, you were staring at Max?" Sam asked as he turned to face her, he didn't know why but he felt the need of an explanation.

"I wasn't staring," she replied as she rolled my eyes, "I just thought for a moment that he could see the demon because you know he was walking straight to it."

"Wait what?" Sam asked in disbelief, "Max can see that damn demon and didn't freeze up, run or faint, but walk towards it?"

"Yeah, I know, I guess it was just a figment of my imagination because I don't think it's possible to look at them without any sense of fear," her whole body shuddered, "Especially when it speaks to you, in that hoarse-"

She was cut off as the nurse came back in; she gave Sam a disapproving look because he was sprawled on the floor in a very lazy manner. The way you are when you're at home alone watching TV on the big couch and you decide to go to sleep. Alex had to muffle her giggles as Sam hurried to straighten himself.

"Anyway, Alex dear, would you mind explaining to me what happened? Because it seems to me that although the ball missed you, you still fell." The nurse said as she took out her notebook and looked at her patiently. Alex, unlike Sam was not one that was able to make up a lie on the spot, in Fact she hated telling lies, and her friends called her the book truths.

"We'll I don't think the ball completely missed me, I thing it grazed my jaw as I moved my head to the side, because my legs went all weird and couldn't hold me for much longer." she lied. It was probably the best lie she'd ever come across and she was proud of it, although there were several holes in it.

"But what I don't get is how you went unconscious, I've seen you fall in much harder, difficult situation when you're playing with the ruffians out front," The nurse persisted. It was obvious the nurse didn't fully believe her story but she had to stick to it, and make a better lie to strengthen it because she knew the nurse was trying to work out if she was fit enough to play in the tournament. She didn't like the idea that there was a delicate girl playing with the boys, or Ruffians as she put it.

"No, I think it was just that I wasn't expecting to fall and it took me by surprise so the impact made more damage, when I play with the guys, I know when I'm about to get tackled so I do my best to avoid it," the lie slipped from her mouth easily. "But I'm perfectly fine now."

She got up and started hoping up around the room to show that she was perfectly fine before tripping over her own feet and hitting the ground with a loud thud.

"Yep you're ready to go," the nurse said sourly as she helped pick her off the floor. She shot the nurse a grateful smile before walking out the door with Sam at her heels.

"That was a close one," he said as he checked the time to see which period they were in, "That was a really good bluff."

"Really?" she asked her face still pale, "I felt like I was going to get caught, there were so many holes in them, my heart was racing so fast, seriously, if that kid, doesn't get me, I'll get myself if I have to tell another lie like that."

Sam laughed at her. He loved how innocent she was, "Yep, you really do suit bluntly truthful." she gave him a playful punch before going into the girls changing room and getting changed. When she came back out, he was on his phone.

"How long where you with me in the office for? She asked as the bell went for what period she had no idea, "What period is it?"

"Eh, its lunch," Sam said as he started walking towards the pitch. Alex was a bag of nerves in case the kid was there but she followed anyway. By the time they got there, most people were already there, getting into teams. They ran up to where the guys were.

"Hey," she said as she shifted her bag on her shoulder, she searched the area for the demon but there was no sign of him. That was not very reassuring, she didn't like the fact that he was able to watch her and figure out a strategy to get her while she stayed clueless. She visibly tensed at the thought and did another quick scan but came up empty.

"Are you okay?" Josh asked, "Got told you fainted at football."

Alex could feel everyone staring at her, worry in some eyes, others scoffing.

"Yeah, I lost concentration and a stray ball grazed my jaws and I lost balanced, don't know why I blanked out though." she said as she put her weight on her back foot, it suddenly gave out and she fell on her butt and back. The worst part was that there was a big crack sound. She pulled out her new phone which was now almost unrecognizable. It had several if not hundreds of cracks down its front. It was not repairable. She gave a little squeal as she tried to make it turn on before banging it on the floor, because that's what she always did when her things wouldn't turn on.

"You really are an idiot, you're destroying it all on your own, it's just a cracked screen, not a broken hardware," Kieran said as he grabbed the phone off her, "Though I'm not sure about that anymore."

She heard the guys laughed at her but she just pouted. Josh put an arm around her neck.

"Sure, but I won't put it past your own clumsiness," Josh said, "But the important question is really. Are you able to play Saturday?"

"Of course, what you take me for," she replied as she rolled her eyes, "I just fell; I didn't go to the hospital you know."

"Okay, just wondering," He said as he put his hands up, "Anyway, we're having a meeting to discuss final tactics at my place today after school at 6."

"I'll be there," she said, but then she spotted Emma at the bench at the other side of the pitches, "I'm not playing today, I need to go make amendments for Sam's stupidity." She ran over to Emma, trying to think of what to say to her.

"Hey," she said, deciding to stay with the simple norm.

"So how is it?" Emma asked, "Being the attention of the boys again."

"What are you on about?" she asked completely bewildered.

"Oh, you know what I'm talking about, that little stunt," Emma hissed with disbelief in her eyes, "and then trying to say it was a supernatural force when I saw you staring at Max."

"Don't be stupid, I wouldn't do that on purpose, the match is Saturday, and now the nurse and a few guys don't know if I'm fit enough to play with them," Alex said defensively "and so that I make it clear to you, I hate Max, I actually despise the boy with a passion. For god's sake, he didn't even know me and the first thing he did was accuse me of playing football just for the sake of attention, OHH!"

She was getting all worked up as she clenched her fist; she had to take a few breaths to relax myself.

"Okay there? Sheesh, seriously, you should get over yourself, he' a really nice guy, if you give him the-" Emma stopped when she saw her face, "Or not then."

"You may like him, but I'm not a big fan." She announced her chin up. The boy gave her the creeps, the way he constantly stared at her. Obsessive bells kept ringing in her head.

••••••••••

Alex ran down the street towards Josh's house, seeing as she'd only been at his place twice, her memory wasn't that great of the way there but she did manage to find it in the end, although she was five minutes late. She knocked on the door and waited patiently. her hair was such a mess, she didn't have time to stick it up in her normal pony, what with the argument she had had with her mum over her phone. She had to bring up the fact that she had fainted to make her stop going on about her two left feet, which totally wasn't true, because if it was then she wouldn't be able to play football the way she did, nope her mum was the one with the two left feet.

"About time you got here, we were going to call you, but then we remembered your broken phone," Josh said as he opened the door. She stuck her tongue out at him before entering. She took the hood down and shook her hair out before groaning at the state of it.

"Anyone got a hairband?" she asked but all she got was weird stares.

"Don't be stupid, why would we? Do any of us seem like cross-dressers?" Max asked.

"We'll," she joked as she climbed over the sofa and sat down in the empty sofa chair. "I could name a few if you wanted."

"Shut up," Kieran said, "anyway we have come up with a few ideas that we think could help us win on Saturday."

"Let's hear it then," she said as she bent forward to see what they were doing, almost falling in the process.

There tactics were a complete mess. She ran her fingers through her burnt rosette hair leaving it lying untamed down to her waist and sighed.

"That's absolute rubbish." she said bluntly, "It'll crash and burn, I mean seriously, who puts two defenders on one side so that they could try and defend if the midfielder loses the ball. I mean seriously, what if it gets caught midway through pass; the whole left field will be open, because, what- you put Josh back- right which dipshit came up with this piece of cow dung."

"That's a bit harsh but I think you might be right." Kieran said as he put a big red cross through the plan. "What do you think we should do?"

They asked, so she told them of the strategy they should take. Alex loved creating strategies almost as much as she loved playing the sport.

"You know, I think we should make you our manager instead of a midfielder," Lewis said. She didn't like the boy at times because he was a dirty minded little idiot at times.

"Ha, no way, me and my organization skills, we'd lose every game," she laughed, "When does the tournament finish by the way?"

"It starts at 8:30 am and finishes at 3:45 pm," Kieran said, "Why? you going somewhere?"

"Yeah, sorry, could you make a sub for me for the final game, I need to leave at three," she said apologetically.

"Yeah me too," Sam said, "We need to go, or we're dead, well more likely Alex is dead."

"We'll thanks for the support," she muttered as her body slumped back on the chair.

"Well I guess it is okay seeing as it's the final game, but you better not slack off," Josh said.

"Course not, I'll give it 110%," she smiled as she got up and pulled her hoodie back on, "Now I have to go get a new phone."

"Okay, see you tomorrow then," Sam said, "Or should I come with you?"

She knew what the question meant but she wasn't going to take up all of Sam's free time.

She turned to the door but couldn't see anything. She opened it and the crawling sensation came back. He was watching her, her body stiffened. The kid seemed to be getting closer,

"No, it is okay," she said in her best fake cheerful voice, she took a deep breath and began to run in the direction of her house. The streets were empty and quiet like the abandoned mall park in a movie she had seen the night before. Just great, she thought grimly to herself. I could get kidnapped and no one would see a thing. The darkness began closing in on her and the air seemed to get heavier. She looked up and stopped dead in her tracks. Fifty yards in front of her, the kid stood with a grin on his face. It was terrifying, displaying all its razor sharp teeth. It would make the wildest of beast run the other way. She inwardly groaned to herself. She should've got Sam to go with her. She took a few nervous steps backwards before turning and bolting down the street. She had never run so fast in her life, and she guessed that before the whole thing was over she could probably run and win in the Olympics. Alex didn't even bother to look where she was going, her only goal was to put as much distance between them, so it wasn't a surprise when she crashed into someone.