Page 61 of Obsession

I called out to him too, but he didn’t hear me, no one heard me. I tried to run towards one of them, but I stopped when a snake appeared at my feet. It hissed at me as it approached. I backed away, screaming in fear, and looking around for my parents, but the park was now empty.

I started to cry and froze as I looked into the eyes of the reptile slithering closer to me, until a sound from above caught my attention and I instinctively looked up to see the bird flying overhead. It was a brown vulture, and my fear increased as I saw it approaching me. I screamed again, curled up on the ground and covered my head with my hands, not knowing which one would attack me first. I could see the vulture’s black, sharp, and deadly claws grab the snake and send it flying high into the sky. They dug into the snake’s skin and immediately blood spurted out of it and spread all over my dress.

I remained terrified on the ground, burying my face in my palms as I sobbed.

I was so cold.

When I opened my eyes to the floor, I saw two big feet walking towards me and the black boots made me gulp in fear, even though I didn’t know who they belonged to. When I lifted my eyes, I saw the face of an angel looking down at me. He was so big compared to my small stature, his black clothes made him look dangerous, but I wasn’t afraid of him. He croucheddown next to me and propped his elbows on his knees. I was amazed when I met his black eyes, which were so beautiful and sparkling that they reminded me of two dark diamonds.

“Are you alone, little one?” He spoke in a soft voice that made my eyes widen.

Was he real? Did angels really look like that?

“Yes! My mommy and daddy are gone,” I whispered between hiccups and felt another tear run down my cheek, not knowing if I should tell him about the vulture too.

I was afraid it would come back, even though I knew it had somehow saved me from the snake.

A soft smile played around his lips as he held out his hand to wipe away my tears. His palm was so big against my cheek. My mother had told me not to talk to strangers, but he seemed so kind, so nice and so beautiful.

“Then I’ll take care of you from now on,” he said lightly, reaching both hands forward and picking me up.

I let out a startled breath. One of my hands flew around his neck to hold me up while I wiped away my tears with the other. My small body was lightly supported by his large arms, which wrapped around me like a vice and made me feel safe. They were full of black markings, but I liked them.

He held one of his hands to my face and opened his palm to reveal my butterfly hiding inside. I hadn’t realized that I had lost it. A happy smile spread across my lips as I took it up and held it in both my palms as it began to morph. Its immaculate wings turned into an intense black, the color spreading over them like an ink stain on a white canvas. I blinked in shock and looked at the dark butterfly resting on my skin. It had changed from a soft, sparkling butterfly to a dark one.

The stranger holding me up looked at the butterfly with the same fascination, then he turned his attention to me, his face leaning closer to my cheek, his lips pressing a feathery kissto it, then his eyes fixed on mine. His were the same color as the butterfly. I felt his warm breath brush against my skin, and I swallowed as he spoke:

“You’re mine, Katherine!”

***

My body jolted awake. I was panting, sweat covering every inch of my skin. Still in shock, I looked around, not knowing where I was. I hugged the blanket closer to my chest and tried to return to reality. My room was plunged into darkness, and I searched for the phone, finding it somewhere in the bed. I blinked as the screen lit up and I saw that it was just after 4am.

A deep sigh escaped me as I let myself fall back and tried to calm my breathing.

This was the strangest dream I’d ever had. I clenched my fists because I was dreaming of her again, of the time when I was a child, had a happy family and saw my mother as a role model. It wasn’t my usual nightmare, but I wasn’t sure it was any better.

I’d dreamed about him.

A shiver ran through me as those words echoed ominously in my head….

“You’re mine.”

CHAPTER 7

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DANGEROUS DARES

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“Kath! Katherine, wake up!”

I mumbled in my sleep, waving my hand in the air to stop the annoying voice.

“You’re going to be late for school, wake up already.”

The voice became annoyed, and I winced as the blanket was ripped from my body. A wave of cold rolled over me that felt like an ice bucket. I sat up and looked around anxiously.

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