Chapter 2 – Save Me

“Soon, you will meet the man who will change the course of your life forever. Be careful, young lady. I could not see his face. All I could see in him was pure darkness. But you will know it’s him. Your heart will tell you that it’s him. And if you do meet him, stay far away from him. Because once he catches you, his darkness will devour you.”

Those words from an old man whom Mikaela had met in front of her studio suddenly popped in her head while running away from Landon, her suitor. The stranger from last week just vanished when she went to get him a snack and a glass of water since he seemed hungry.

He looked like a homeless old man; he wore a filthy gray shirt and tattered pants. He even walked barefoot. She could not see his face clearly because of his faded wide hat, mustache, and long white beard which almost reached his neck. She would have helped him find a shelter had he stayed longer in her studio, but he disappeared and left no trace.

And since Mikaela had become busy with her clients, she had eventually forgotten about him and his warning. She only remembered him now that she was in danger. Was the old man referring to Landon? If that was the case, then he was right. Because since the moment she saw Landon for the first time, every fiber of her being had immediately detected threat.

Ever since Mikaela was young, she could see people’s aura although no one, not even her family or her closest friends, knew about it. She was scared that her ability might turn them off. She was also unsure whether they would believe her or not. Worse, they might even question her sanity. Even Mikaela was still surprised at times by the colors that she got to see from different people.

She could easily distinguish a person’s personality and emotions based on the color of their aura. The darker the aura, the more dangerous the person would turn out to be. She had proven that so many times before which was why she stayed away from those people as much as possible. That was also the reason why she turned Landon down even if he was the only son of her father’s business partner. But he became more obsessed with her after the rejection and even stalked her later on.

Landon had only stopped harassing her when he was caught using drugs in a high-end club. His parents had sent him to a rehabilitation center afterwards. It had been a year since that. She had no idea that he had been released.

And to think that she escaped from her bodyguards tonight. What perfect timing.

Mikaela bit her lower lip as she ran towards the alley. Her chest was pounding. She had been reciting all the prayers she knew in her mind ever since she saw Landon standing beside her car at the parking lot. She shivered when she remembered how he waved at her. He gave her goosebumps when he licked his lower lip as he ran his gaze up and down her body with that horrible glint in his eyes.

“Hello, babe. I missed you badly. Did you miss me, too?” He even had the audacity to tell her those words earlier.

Mikaela did not bother responding. She ran right away when she saw his black aura. It was gray before. But it was a lot worse now. She would have gone back to the bar to ask help from her friends, but she saw his peers there who were also involved in a drug scandal. Their auras were as dark as Landon’s. They were at the entrance of the bar, chatting with the guards while looking around as if they were searching for someone.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I should have listened to you,” Mikaela uttered helplessly while cursing herself for forgetting to charge her phone before leaving home. She had it in her purse, but it was useless now. Its battery had died before she could make a call.

Mikaela felt suffocated. That’s why she escaped from her bodyguards tonight and went to the bar on her own. She was surrounded by them all her life. She originally had two bodyguards. Having them already felt stifling enough. But after her twenty-third birthday, instead of removing her bodyguards like her parents had promised, they added two more. They seemed agitated these days as they reasoned out that it was because of her father’s enemies in politics since her father was a governor and was planning to run for Congress next election.

Yet, Mikaela still felt cheated. A big part of her wanted to break free from the kind of life she had. And now, it was affecting even her work since most of her clients would back out and feel intimidated after seeing the towering height and huge build of her bodyguards who lurked around her studio like some debt collectors.

She was not even allowed to hang out with her college friends lately. It didn’t help that her mother kept asking her to stay at home, saying that she didn’t need to work at all because they would provide everything for her, which was definitely not what she wanted. Her parents were only after her safety, and she totally got that.

But Mikaela wanted to build a name of her own without her parents’ influence. She had goals of her own that she wanted to accomplish by herself and not just because she was a daughter of a very wealthy couple like what the rumors about her often said. She knew she ought to feel blessed because she had everything most women her age could only dream of, but sometimes, she could not help but feel like her parents, especially her mother, were depriving her of her freedom and youth. There were countless things she was not allowed to do which also became a hindrance to most of her relationships.

Tonight was Mikaela’s first time rebelling, and this was where it got her. It was an epic failure. She could almost hear her mother’s voice saying, “I told you so.”

If they found out about her situation right now, they might even use it as an excuse to keep her at home for the next few weeks. The fear of being caged inside their mansion already made her feel sick inside. If Landon was scary, so were her parents. They both caused her fear in different ways.

Mikaela felt shivers course through her when she could not find a single person on the road after running so much. She could hear Landon’s footsteps getting closer. It did not help that the lights from the electric posts kept flickering. It was like she was inside a horror movie.

Where is everyone? This road was always bustling with people. It was Friday night, and it was only nine in the evening, but Mikaela could not see even a shadow of a person outside. All the roads she had ran to felt so lonely, so desolate. It was crazy.

Without Landon chasing her, she would have thought that she was in another dimension. Even the lights from the establishments were flickering, too. And all their doors were closed. The surroundings were so quiet that all she could hear was the sound of her heart thumping and Landon’s footsteps.

It was summer, but it was surprisingly chilly tonight. Even the weather seemed ominous. It was not like this when Mikaela left her house. It felt like every single thing around her was mocking her and telling her how wrong she was for leaving home. Her knees were beginning to get weak for running when the surroundings suddenly became foggy.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she whispered. She was so exhausted that she wanted to cry. And because she could not see the road clearly, she tripped over something and fell on the ground. She tried to stand only to fall again when her ankle throbbed. Never in her entire life had she felt this helpless that she found herself in tears.

Mikaela shuddered when she heard Landon laugh. Why did it feel like he was just so close to her now?

“I guess this marks the end of our game, babe. You should have just given up a while ago, and none of this would have happened. Why were you running from me anyway? It’s not like I’ll hurt you. You know me. I could never hurt you. I love you too much to hurt you,” Landon said as if he had no trouble seeing her through the fog. Was she the only one affected by it? But how was that possible?

“Why are you doing this to me, Landon? Please stop this already. I don’t like you, and I’m never going to like you. If you continue doing this, I will only end up hating you.”

“It’s okay. They say that the more you love, the more you hate. And tonight, I will show you just how much I love you. So, come here, babe. I will take you to paradise and make you bear my children.”

Oh, God!

Mikaela would rather die than end up in his hands. The second she felt a hand on her shoulder, she screamed. “Somebody, please help me!” She desperately moved her hands to reach out and was relieved when she felt something solid in front of her.

Slowly, the fog disappeared like magic which enabled her to see the man standing before her. Her tears fell as she grabbed his pants as if her life depended on it. Her voice cracked when she whispered, “Please save me.”