Page 11 of Fated

Without breaking eye contact, he reached toward my wrist.

Before I could even process what he was doing, his hand suddenly jerked back as if burned, his expression twisting into a glare.

“I’m sorry—my friends are waiting for me,” I stammered, my voice high with panic.

Without waiting for a response, I darted around him, scurrying back to the table where my friends were. “Whowasthat?” Tyson and Lucy demanded in unison as soon as I sat down.

I must’ve looked as shaken as I felt; Tyson’s expression soon shifted from one of curiosity to concern. “What happened, Areya?

“I don’t really know … That guy just came up to me and told me to take off my bracelets and give them to him.” My voice trembled.

Lucy’s lip curled in disgust. “Your mother’s bracelets?”

My head nodded.

“What a freak,” Tyson muttered.

“That’s not all,” I continued, my pulse still racing. “When I didn’t hand them over, he reached for my hand, like he was just going to take them. But then he hesitated, and I ran.”

Lucy’s eyes scanned the bar behind me. “Do you think he was on something?”

“Like drugs?” My stomach tightened.

Lucy nodded.

“I don’t know. It was just … weird.”

“Well, at least he’s gone now,” she said.

Cautiously, I glanced over my shoulder, and sure enough, he was nowhere to be seen.

I rubbed my wrist, trying to shake off the strangeness of the encounter.

By the time my milkshake was finished, and I’d beaten a couple of my old high scores in the arcade, the unsettling interaction had been pushed to the back of my mind.

Hours had passed, and when I finally checked my phone, the screen read midnight.

Shit—I didn’t mean to stay out so late. I promised Mom I’d be back early enough to watch that show with her!

Lucy and Tyson were at the air hockey machine, and I approached, saying almost breathlessly, “Guys, I’ve gotta go. My mom’s going to be worried.”

“Ok, we’re ready too—we’ll walk out with you.” Lucy laughed as she made the winning shot.

But when she looked up, her laughter faded, her eyes locking on something behind me.

A cold wave of dread washed over me.

My body froze, and my throat tightened; I was fairly sure who I’d find upon turning around. Slowly, I faced the figure behind, only to see our server from dinner, not the man from before.

“Hey …” I said uncertainly.

He didn’t respond; he just stood there, unmoving, his eyes fixed on something.

Following his gaze, I froze as I realized it had landed on mywrist. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and a cold knot formed in my stomach. Before I could process what was happening, he reached for my bracelets.

Instinct took over, my hand tugging away.

“Dude, get the hell back,” Tyson barked, stepping between us with a protective edge to his voice.

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