My Precious Pet

The sun shining in through the campus library windows was slowly going down, and it hit my eyes in just the right way as to make me squint and turn my head. Sighing, I closed my Chemistry textbook and looked around. Fellow students of Idaho Falls University milled around, using computers, checking out books, and completing homework, just as I had been doing. But now that I had been here for roughly two hours, it was time to go home and start my weekend.

Darkness eclipsed my table, causing me to look up and see a guy closing the shade directly in my line of view. Mentally I thanked him, as the bright sunlight infiltrating my eyes was starting to give me a headache. Once the fabric was pulled down all the way and the black silhouette of guy came into focus, it took a lot of willpower not to keep staring at him. He was almost as tall as the window himself, and it was a good seven feet off the ground. His hair was jet black with what looked like turquoise streaks cutting through it, and was spiked severely in the back with long razor bangs covering almost half of his face. He was pale, but not overly so, and most shockingly, was staring right at me. I focused my attention on stuffing my books into my backpack when I heard a throat being cleared loudly in front of my table. Once again, my neck bent backwards to travel way up to see the face of the guy with the cool hair.

"Hi there! I didn't know if the sun was bothering you as much as it was me, so I closed the shade. Hope that was okay."

I momentarily startled at how deep this guy's voice was. He didn't sound his age, which I guessed to be around 23 or younger. It sounded much more mature and had a rumbling quality to it, like it was coming from his chest directly.

"Oh, no. It's fine. I was just leaving anyway." I returned his warm smile and stood up, slinging my backpack over one shoulder. "Thanks for the thought though!"

"No problem. My name's Avery, by the way. Are you a full time student here?"

I accepted his hand shake with a nod of my head.

"Yep. I'm here every weekday. My name is Sadie. Nice to meet you, Avery. Sorry I have to go so soon." In reality, I was really sorry I had to go, because this guy was what could be considered a super stud. Tall, built like a linebacker, angular but nicely proportioned face, and very intense grey eyes. I could have stayed there staring for another two hours.

"It's cool. Maybe I'll see you on Monday. Have a good weekend!" His wide smile revealed straight, white teeth, and instantly activated a blushing reaction in my cheeks. I turned around fast to hide it, and gave him a lazy wave over my shoulder. I doubt we'd cross paths again, but it was still nice to get positive attention from a man.

After driving home that evening, grabbing something to eat, showering and getting ready for this party, I was finally on my way to my classmate Jenny's house. It was early October and the chill wind tried to blow my skirt up as I walked to my car. I didn't want to dress in anything fancy tonight, so I just donned a flowy black skirt and a low-cut peasant top of the same color. My plans didn't include staying at her house for very long anyway, so I didn't even put on a ton of heavy make-up. Just some eyeliner and neutral colored eyeshadow to bring out the deep brown of my irises. Parties weren't much of my thing, but Jenny was a sweet girl in my Speech class and had pleaded with me to make an appearance, so I agreed.

Thankfully she lived close and it only took me five minutes to make the drive to her large house, which she shared with several other students. Parking was a nightmare, and I was surprised to find an empty spot of curb just around the block. It seemed a lot further once I got out and started walking however, as the wind had picked up the pace and was blowing my shoulder-length chestnut curls all around my face. I hadn't brought a jacket, either, so my clothes felt like they would be lifted right off. Needless to say, I was relieved when I made it to Jenny's wide open front door.

The party was in full swing. Loud music with a very heavy bass line shook the walls, and every room was packed to the max with young people holding one or two drinks in their hands. I recognized some students from the University, but no one I was close to. Pushing through the many warm bodies of alcohol-filled students, I made my way through the living room, dining room, and finally to the kitchen, where I spotted Jenny by the counter, mixing drinks. I felt my creased forehead relax as a tiny bit of relief hit me, then made my way over to the smiling girl.

"Hey Jenny!" I tapped her on the shoulder.

Turning around with two drinks in her hand, she saw me and immediately beamed brighter.

"Sadie!" Squealing, she quickly transferred the full cups to waiting hands, then embraced me tight. I was momentarily taken off guard, seeing as I didn't know her that well. But once I smelled the booze on her breath, it all made sense.

"I am so glad you're here! Hopefully you can meet some new friends tonight. Doesn't it feel good to get out?" Holding my shoulders at arms length, Jenny stared at me expectantly with her big green eyes. Even though I smiled, her words picked at my brain. Was I really that transparent? I had never told her that I was a homebody, but maybe I gave off some sort of signal in class.

"Oh, yeah. I'm super excited. This is a really nice set up you've got here." I motioned to the large house. Jenny nodded and turned to her makeshift bar, pulling forward a red plastic cup and a couple bottles of liquor.

"Thanks, Sadie! Now how about I get you a drink... Let's see, you look like you'd enjoy something fruity and sweet." Her giggle made me shift a bit uncomfortably, but hey, I was at a party. Wasn't drinking what people were supposed to do? And it was Friday. I had no commitments this weekend, so one or two wouldn't hurt.

"There you go!" In a flash, a colorful mixed drink was in my grasp, while Jenny had a hold of my upper arm and was starting to steer me through the house. She gave me the grand tour, stumbling every once in a while as we navigated through the happy crowd. The people were so numerous that eventually they kind of blurred together as one big mass. The strong drink I was chugging probably didn't help. Occasionally I stopped short, having thought I saw a tall head of spiky black hair standing in a corner, but whenever I looked back, he was gone. The thought of Avery being here sent a thrill through me, even though I had barely exchanged four sentences with him.

Jenny and I made it back to the kitchen after a while, and after giving me another drink, she slipped off into the moving group of party-goers. I was left alone to my own devices, so I settled for standing in a corner of the kitchen, watching everyone making out, dancing, talking, laughing and just in general having fun. The desire to have more friendly and intimate connections crossed my mind, but just like the past 21 years of my life, I was too shy to do anything about it. Talking to strangers was never one of my strong points, especially when they were in such a big gathering as this. As loneliness started to infiltrate my mind, a flash of darkness to my left made me turn my head. In the doorway, I saw a tall guy with blue and black spiky hair moving into the living room. Something in my mood shifted, and a new reserve took hold as I downed the last of my sickly sweet concoction. Nearly throwing the cup onto the counter behind me, I strode towards the living room in search of Avery. I didn't want to stand alone at this party, and he had seemed friendly enough in the library. Maybe he would be interested in making friends.

It was hard wiggling through all the drunken people, but once I was in the center of the living room, I looked up and turned around. Avery was nowhere to be seen. How impossible, though. I had surely seen him enough times tonight to know he was actually here... The maddening feeling of needing to know I was right took over, causing me to move as quickly through the house as possible. I searched upstairs and down, scanning every room for a guy standing a head above the rest, but to no avail. Now I was really starting to feel foolish. Maybe I had drank those cocktails a little too fast. My vision was starting to wobble a bit, so I decided then and there to call it a night. In no time I had found Jenny and told her goodbye, apologizing at her protests that I had only stayed an hour. Eventually she understood that I was tired and hugged me. As I walked to my car, the brief thought nagged at me that maybe I shouldn't drive, but I wasn't terribly smashed. Plus, I only lived five minutes away.

The ride home was thankfully uneventful, and it felt so good to slip out of my clothes that reeked of alcohol. I put on a simple black sleeveless nightgown, brushed my teeth, and was in bed before midnight. The quiet solitude of my apartment was a stark contrast to the loud, busy environment of the party. It left me with a small bit of longing for more interaction, and I turned on my side while curling up so the ache in my belly would lessen. How hard could it be to make more of an effort to gain friends? On one hand, I had just moved to Idaho Falls not three months ago, but on the other, I knew I'd always had trouble making connections. Closing my eyes, I reassured my overactive mind that in time, things would be better. I did just attend a party, even if for only an hour. But it was a start, right? Positive mantras of that type continued to occupy my thoughts until sleep was inevitable.

My name. Someone was calling my name. As my eyes snapped open, I laid stock-still, straining to hear the noise I had just heard. I was in that place between consciousness and sleep where I had almost drifted off, but could awaken at a moment's notice at the tiniest thing. Which is exactly what happened. After a few moments, I heard nothing, and finally dared to breathe. Was I dreaming it? My name had floated through my mind drawn out and soft, like a Siren calling out to me. But it had sounded so distant.

"Ssaaaaaaddiiiieeee..."

I froze once again, every part of my body on high alert. There was no mistaking it that time. The voice was close; Too close. And nothing short of menacing. Quickly flipping onto my back, I raised my head and strained to see anything in the pitch darkness of my room. Nothing seemed out of place, but all at once I knew I wasn't alone. Even though I was unable to see, I detected movement at the foot of my bed. Some black shape was getting closer and closer, and the pulse in my head threatened to deafen me. I trembled like the ground in an earthquake as pressure on my mattress quickly pressed down all around me, and whoever or whatever was in my room covered my body with it's own. Whimpers like that of a scared puppy escaped my throat, while my eyes riveted to the outline of a pale face lowering itself directly to mine. A deep chuckle vibrated over my chest, and in that moment I thought I might faint.

"Hello, Sadie. You seem to have had quite the busy day. Maybe it would be a good idea for you to go back to

sleep

..."

That voice was so familiar. So deep and rich, unlike any man I had ever heard. Before I could put the obvious thought together, two eyes right above mine began to glow a bright red, much like those lit signs in shop fronts. I couldn't look away, nor did I want to. Something drew me into them, and even though in the back of my mind I was screaming bloody murder, my body relaxed completely as the man's red eyes burned intensely. The only thought I had was to keep staring, to melt into his gaze. His eyes were the only thing I lived for as they carried me into oblivion.