See How She Runs (The Chronicles of Izzy #1)(6)

“What the hell Kennan? Sure I took my sweet time walking home tonight, but that’s because the weather is amazing. Why are you so freaked out all of a sudden? Did someone call the bar with an anonymous tip about my invisible stalker? You are seriously starting to freak me out here, guy!” I looked at him expecting a logical explanation for his bizarre behavior.

“It’s a joke, Iz. I called you from my cell when I was a block behind you. Marky offered to close tonight and do inventory since we were so dead." He smirked at me.

There was something off, though. I could have sworn the number on the caller I.D. was from the bar. Then there was the fact that Kennan did not look the same way he did when playing pranks on me. Like earlier tonight with Marky, he had that glint in his eye that said I totally got you. Now, he just looks frazzled. Too tired to deal with it, I decided to just give up and go to bed.

“Whatever you say K.O. I am safe and sound at home, and I am going to bed. I will see you in the morning for the Field. Unless you decide to be a total whakadoo tomorrow as well!”

“Alright, see you then. Remember, you wake me before eleven and you do it at your own peril."





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I made it up to my room and stripped down to just my tunic and undies. I opened the door and checked the hall before dashing to the bathroom to wash my face. One thing I always checked before heading to the bathroom was that Kennan was not around. The last thing I needed was for him to see me in my undies. I washed my face slowly getting the bar grime off and headed back to my room.

After falling into my bed I started thinking about all the weird stuff that had transpired today. The weirdo guy Xavier, Kennan’s reaction to my telling him, his freak out over my not answering the phone at home tonight. I felt like I was staring at one of those magic eye posters that were so popular in the 90's. For the life of me I could not see the hidden picture. It was like trying to think of a word and it hanging just out of reach. Frustrated and confused, I eventually fell asleep.





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I am dreaming I know I am, but somehow it does not feel that way. “Iz, run as fast as you can!” I hear my mother yell in a panicked voice. “Iz, you have no idea what you are, please just run, hide before it is too late! You have to get away from him. I am so sorry, baby. Please just run. You can’t let him take you."





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FOUR





I woke up drenched in a cold sweat. I kept having dreams where she yelled at me. They started around the time Grams died, with her appearing and telling me to be careful. This one was the first one where she seemed panicked. I brushed it off like every time before. I stretched slowly and looked over at the clock to see what time it was. It was only 7:30. Why in the world was I up this early on my day off? Even stranger, why did I smell bacon and cinnamon rolls? I got up and wrapped my fluffy robe around me before trudging down to the kitchen. Once there, I was met with something even more bizarre than all the events of the previous day combined.

Kennan was up, freshly showered, and dressed already. Not only that, he was cooking breakfast on his day off. I was now convinced the universe had somehow gotten thrown off kilter. I walked in and stared at him, not even knowing what to say. I was utterly speechless for the first time in years. To say Kennan was not a morning person would be like saying the Pope just liked Jesus a little bit. It usually took three very loud alarm clocks to wake him.

He turned from the stove and raked his eyes down me, taking in my disheveled appearance. He smiled and said, “You want some breakfast?" That’s it. No hint as to why he was up at what he considered the butt crack of stupid.

“What’s up with you Iz? Are you sleepwalking? I asked if you wanted breakfast." He looked at me expectantly.

“Um, yeah, breakfast would be nice. What in the world are you doing up this early? I am like one hundred and fifty percent positive you told me not to wake you up before eleven today."

I made my way to the table and plopped down in front of my plate. There was already a glorious cup of coffee waiting on me. It was starting to feel as if I stepped into the Twilight Zone yesterday.

“I woke up early. It isn’t like the world is coming to an end. I was starving and I thought I would make enough for you, too. You know, so you wouldn’t eat everything I had cooked for myself."

He still had the playful glint in his eyes, but there was also something else lurking there. The same thing buried behind the fa?ade that I had caught glimpses of yesterday. There was a tension building but to what end I was not sure.

I was entirely too tired to think about his weirdness. Instead, I started scarfing down my food. Did I mention that I might starve if it weren’t for Kennan? No, really. If he worked doubles or was gone for whatever reason, I forgot to eat. It happened all of the time. My mind tended to get so caught up with a million different things that I forgot to eat. I devoured everything on my plate and realized that in my haste to outperform any vacuum on the market, Kennan was staring at me.

I blushed. Honest to God felt the blood rise in my face blush. I did not know what the deal was. I was never embarrassed in front of Kennan. He had seen me look pretty rough in the past two years. Maybe it was just a side effect of all the other weirdness that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. Or perhaps it was those strange looks he had been giving me lately.