Prologue of Amity of the Angelmen:
The War began long before anyone was there to stop it. And when it began, only God knew how much destruction would occur.
The beginning was innocent, just as the birth of a child never seems to preclude the sinful nature that will develop within it. Among the heavens, God placed some of His most marvelous beings, the angels. Tall and elegant, these creatures were awesome to behold. Using the unearthly sound of their voices and their winged flight, they dedicated their service to the Creator.
But the angels were still just creatures, not favored by God. Most of them knew the majesty and might of Whom they were serving and would do nothing but. However, there was a stir among the rest of these fantastic beings. They knew things with which perhaps they should never have been entrusted and realized just how great they were, with thanks to the most magnificent of them.
All of the angels stood silently to watch in utter amazement the day God created man. His form was similar to that of his Maker, though nowhere near as glorious, and he seemed so small to the giants in the audience. A mumbling went through the ranks of the discontent that this new being could hardly be more than a pet for the great God of the universe.
The discontent remained when woman was created, whom the angels agreed was most fair. Still, the God they served seemed to harbor a love for these little beings that far outweighed what He felt for the angels.
The good among them had no complaint. God had created for Himself a family. Obviously, man wasn’t perfect—far from it—but he was interesting. Many angels were being called into the service of caring for and sending messages to these people. The good served, because it was what God asked of them, and one just does not question his Maker. His will is accomplished.
There was one who felt he had served the Maker enough. God had His fill of him, and he had his fill of God. Rumor of a coup was rising.
So it was that Lucifer encouraged the mumblings among the discontent. This group fell away from the covering of their God and claimed their allegiance to Him no more.
Seeing he still didn’t have the majority of the angels, Lucifer needed to plan more carefully. He waited patiently for many years, as his army was propagated below on the earth. He only had to keep the whisperings perpetuated among the discontent. Finally, there were enough of the female humans on the earth for the discontent to start their own new race, and so began the brief day of the angelmen.
But Lucifer wasn’t done with his recruiting. A wait for the numbers to grow began. God may have created all, but Lucifer took pride in what he won away. He prepared to take his new army into battle.
Chapter 1: The Calling in the Countenance
Amity David gasped and nearly screamed. The face she saw directly in front of her own was near enough to blow her away. An image of fire, the heat of it burned on her cheeks, making the impossible vision real. Amity could only see the brightness of the fire, the long, undefined shape of the face, and the ice-blue daggers of eyes. Those eyes dug into her soul so deeply, she nearly choked.
“Get the ball!”
The annoyed call from her classmate brought the seventeen-year-old girl back to her sanity. Because she wasn’t much of an athlete, no one was surprised that she wasn't paying much attention in gym class. She thought she would be safe out in right field while the class played softball. Amity had just been chewing on her fingernails and focusing on the line of trees beginning to morph into fire-dipped torches with their changing leaves. God was good, and it was plain to see with demonstrations such as those early in October.
Those bright colors darted like an arrow to the space within inches of her nose and formed into the face permanently imprinted onto her retina.
Reality pulled her back in, as it usually did in the confines of school. For once, gym class was a welcome distraction from the daydreaming. Eager to shake the strange image that had just invaded her serenity, Amity turned and saw the neon yellow softball roll past her feet. She jogged after it, picked it up and threw it, girl-style, just short of the cut-off girl in the outfield. The other girl let out a frustrated puff of air and hurried to pick it up and throw it in to the pitcher.
“Amity David,” yelled the peppy gym teacher, “come on in. You need to warm up to bat.”
Ugh. I just got back to my place. Her need to please never allowed her to express thoughts such as those out loud or even roll her eyes. Amity jogged in slowly, her long, blond ponytail swaying behind her, and picked up the lightest bat. Holding the twenty-eight ounce aluminum rod accentuated the shaking within her. Amity knew it was because she was still disturbed by the all-too-real image she had seen, but instead convinced herself she was just cold.
There was no need for warm up swings, even in the chilly morning air. Amity knew she wouldn’t exert enough energy to break a sweat.
Her best friend, Mallory Evans, came in from her turn at bat. Though both girls appeared to be in good shape, Mallory was more of an athlete than Amity but not enough to take gym class too seriously.
“Hey Am, what do you think of the guy standing over there in the parking lot?” Mallory asked as she put down the bat. She appeared concerned and didn’t hide her stare beyond the field. Mallory wasn’t the only one from their class who took note of the stranger.
Amity looked past the ball field to the parking lot. She had to squint because it wasn't very close, and then she dropped her bat. The man’s face raced again to hover in Amity’s vision.
It was the same face she had seen in the fire just minutes before, but it was attached to the man in the parking lot. How his image was coming to her so closely and why it was appearing to her specifically were mysteries Amity wasn’t interested in solving.
She shook her head to try and see what her classmates were seeing. The image dispersed, and she could see again beyond its glowing remains. Sure enough, there was a very tall, rather nondescript-looking man standing motionless, with his hands resting firmly in the pockets of his khaki pants. He was old enough to be the father of someone there, but no one recognized him. As soon as he caught her eye, a shock, a burning sensation, ran through Amity's tall body from head to toe, and she knew he was staring right back at her. Just at her. His mouth was moving, and in Amity's brain, she heard words that matched the movement of his lips.
“You are not one of them.”
She shuddered and squeezed her eyes as tight as she could to make it go away.
Mallory's words brought her back.
“He's creepy. Do you think we should report him? I don't think he’s here for school business, if you know what I mean. No, sir, not staring at the girls in gym class.” Mallory shook her head and pushed up the sleeves of her grey sweatshirt.
“Well, he isn't doing anything,” Amity was always quick to give the benefit of the doubt to anyone, even though she was incredibly disturbed. She wasn’t one to run into danger with any kind of purpose and would happily let the man leave on his own.
“Exactly. What’s he doing there, if he’s doing nothing?”
Amity looked again. She didn't want to be conceited, but she really felt like he was looking at her and no one else. As usual, she just attributed that to being the tallest one in class. Her long blond ponytail often drew attention before anyone looked more closely to see her deep green eyes and soft facial features made her worth a longer stare. Amity was definitely easy on the eyes, but she only saw it as a hindrance to the shy nature that tried to keep her as hidden from the world as possible.
“Amity, your turn at bat. Let's go,” called Mrs. Jones with a little irritation, but the teacher wasn't watching her charges anymore. She had noticed the girls staring into the parking lot and the panic on some of their faces. The man caught her attention as well, and she headed out to find out what was going on.
“Huh. Well, I guess that was easy enough. He got out of here pretty quick.” Mallory stared after the teacher to the parking lot.
Sure enough, the man was gone. The teacher stopped in her tracks, just around first base, when she realized the same thing. She shrugged and turned back to her class. Amity still wasn’t at ease about the man's sudden appearance and disappearance. Had anyone even see him go? Did anyone know where he retreated? What if he was still on the property?
There was no way to answer those questions and nothing more she could do, other than place it far from her mind. She brought her bat to the plate and took her awkward stance, ready to miss a few balls, as was customary for her.
Forgetting wasn’t easy. After class, Mallory still talked about the man. The event stuck with the easily excitable Mallory more than it did Amity. Mallory was one who would go to the brink of danger to see some excitement, although she would never cross the line. Since Amity was just the opposite—getting as far away from that line as possible—the friends made an interesting but balanced pair.
“There's no way that guy should have been allowed anywhere near this school building. I mean, where's our security?” Mallory went on.
That was laughable. Dewdrop High School, where the girls were juniors, wasn’t exactly the type of school that needed metal detectors and security guards. Located somewhat southeast of Hagerstown, Maryland, it was still far enough away from Washington D.C. to just barely be considered a suburb. Sure, small events took place in Dewdrop, but nothing that often made the news. Most local families were pretty happy about the arrangement. Anyone eager for action had to be willing to travel.
Once everyone was dressed and ready to move on to their next class, Mrs. Jones walked in to address them. “Girls, I don't want to alarm anyone, but your safety is my first concern. There was something strange about the man in the parking lot this morning. I'm going to go talk to the principal about policing the parking lot a little before school is out. Did anyone get a good look at the guy?”
The girls all quietly looked at one another. The parking lot was about a hundred yards or so from the ball field, so it was very difficult for anyone to give specifics.
Even knowing this, Amity raised her hand about halfway. “I did, Mrs. Jones.”
“Alright, Amity, why don't you come with me to the principal's office to give a description. I'll make sure you get a pass to your next class.”
Mallory looked at her friend in surprise. “You didn't have your glasses on. Are you sure you saw him well enough?”
Amity was just as baffled. She didn't like how nerdy her glasses made her look, so she often left them off when she didn't need them. She knew her ridiculously unsporty exercises didn’t require any more help in pointing out who the biggest clown on the field really was, but it was true. She really couldn't see well without them. She had forgotten she didn’t have her glasses on, which made it even stranger that she was so affected by the man's appearance. This sent a line of worry directly to her already timid mind, and she was glad she could do something about it by going to the principal with a description.
“It’s really weird,” Amity replied to Mallory, “but I felt like I could see him as closely as if he were standing right in front of my face. His eyes were so strangely blue, maybe that just caught my attention.” She got chills as she pictured in her mind again the tall, mysterious figure, whose every burning detail she could again reconstruct, almost as if he visited her again in her mind.
She felt very uncomfortable, and shivers tickled her spine. “Let's find a group of people to walk home with, okay, Mal? That guy just really makes me nervous. I feel like he was there to see me.”
“Let's go, Miss David.” Mrs. Jones held the door for her, and Amity meekly walked through.
“No problem, Am,” said Mallory, cheerily calling out after her. “Catch you after school at the front doors.”
#
Following Mrs. Jones to the school office like a guilty defendant to the courtroom, Amity couldn’t believe she had actually volunteered information. She had never been a tattletale, even in her family of eight. Speaking out against anyone surely caused others to think ill of her. Even though she didn’t know the person she was convicting, she still didn’t like the idea of getting someone in trouble.
She barely even knew where the office was.
As the two entered the office, the principal, Mr. O’Connor, was already out of his inner office, chatting with the secretary. He was a balding man on the tall, heavy side, whose presence was nearly always jovial, but every student knew his demeanor could change on a dime and was usually preceded by the reddening of the top of his shiny head.
“Amity David, it is a surprise to have you here. Cheating on a test, I presume,” joked the principal.
“As far as I can throw a softball, sir, no one will ever accuse me of cheating in gym class,” she responded.
The principal laughed. A visit from a student who didn’t normally cause problems was one part relief from duty, one part confused break from reality, and the rest a waste of lunch hour.
“To what do I owe this visit then?” He led both Amity and Mrs. Jones to his plush office. The mahogany desk and burgundy tones of the chairs and carpet in the room gave the area an intimidating affront, no doubt to collect respect from all who entered. The intimidation wasn’t lost on Amity, and she took the seat closer to the wall, allowing Mrs. Jones to sit directly in front of the principal.
Mrs. Jones didn’t sit. Once the principal had taken his seat, she closed the door and began immediately. “Mr. O’Connor, you know I’m not easily bothered, and I wouldn’t bring something like this to you unless I really thought there was a concern.”
The smile fled the man’s face, and he glanced at Amity, wondering if she should remain in the room.
“I just believe we need to do our best to in keeping security for the students here at Dewdrop.”
“I agree,” he commented, puzzled. “Did something happen to make you doubt we are doing our best, Mrs. Jones?”
The teacher remembered a student was in the room and didn’t to cause more panic than necessary. “There was a man in the east parking lot this morning during my fourth period class. He was just standing there, staring at my girls.”
The principal absorbed the information, still reclined in his chair, and thoughtfully lowered his face to his hands, which were pressed together at the fingertips. He raised his head slightly as he asked, “I take it this man wasn’t someone any of the girls recognized?”
Mrs. Jones remained serious as she shook her head. “And the strangest thing was—” she glanced again at Amity as if her mere presence there confirmed her credibility “—as soon as I began to walk in his direction to confront him, he was gone.”
“Gone? He got in a car? He ran away?”
“I couldn’t tell you. But he wasn’t there.”
The man turned his attention from the worried teacher. “Now, Amity, why are you here? Are you just going to confirm the story?”
She tried to speak, but her voice had dried up.
Mrs. Jones was quick to jump in. “Amity got a good look at the man. I thought if she were able to describe him for you, you could have security look around for him.”
“We don’t have security staff here, Mrs. Jones.” His answer raised the concern of both females in the room, so he quickly added, “But perhaps that falls in the job description of the vice principal. I’ll have Mr. Harris come in to listen to Amity’s description and search the grounds for us. Would that be suitable?”
Both Mrs. Jones and Amity let out a deep breath, the teacher’s a little more relieved than the student’s. Amity somehow knew the man wouldn’t be found.
#
Amity was waiting…and waiting. And getting nervous. She was good at doing those things, as often as she did them. She was almost always punctual to a fault. As soon as the final bell rang, she picked up what she needed from her locker and hurried to meet Mallory and any of her other friends at the front doors.
Mallory wasn’t punctual, to her fault, which drove Amity crazy, but she reminded herself it wasn't the worst quality a best friend could have. Mallory had to put up with plenty in Amity, she was sure. Amity’s nerves only increased as she watched the number of students in the hall decrease, making her more visible to any stranger who might be seeking her. And Mallory was nowhere to be seen.
She didn't like the idea of walking home alone; she rarely did. Another great thing about Mallory was she lived only a block away from Amity, so the two almost always walked together. Amity guessed she shouldn't have asked her to round up some others to join them. Who knew where that took her so-easily-distracted friend?
Amity had some homework and liked to start it as soon as she got home. She had to make a plan that didn’t include her friend's company and decided to take the trip home in pieces. First she would stop by the library, then to the church, and finally reach her house.
Amity realized it was ridiculous to be so nervous, thinking she must be paranoid. She peeked her head out the door and saw the parking lot was almost empty, with no sign of Creepy Guy. She would be fine, even with the pit in her stomach weighing her down. She sighed, disappointed in herself. What a little mouse she was. Practically every other student in her school went home by themselves. There was no reason she couldn’t.
Out the door she went, into the brisk fall air. She continued walking, following the sidewalk with her head down until the school was no longer in sight. She looked back, proud of the progress she had made but still not at ease. He could have been anywhere, and if he was truly there for her, as she suspected, he would find her.
Amity didn’t notice the chilly and breezy day because her nerves had cranked up her internal thermostat. She had to hurry, aware the sun set quicker during autumn. There was no way she would be caught outside in the dark.
The library, her first stop, sat alone on a hill, but the road leading there was right along the way to her house. Throughout her life, the closeness had been convenient. Next to the church, it was like another second home, or maybe a third home. At any rate, it was a great place for those who had work to do and wanted to be left alone to do it. Usually, that was a good description of Amity, too. She was such a loner in her studies, but at that moment, Amity wished friends surrounded her.
After making her way up the hill, Amity entered the library, relieved to be through the first leg of her trip. She was there often enough to earn a welcoming “hello, Amity” from Maria, the girl behind the counter. Amity nodded in return. Maria was friendly enough, but not one hundred percent on board with the quiet policy expected at most libraries. That was one of things Amity liked best about the library; no conversation was expected.
She figured starting on her homework would help take her mind off the events of the day and set her mind at ease. Amity pulled out her math book and a notebook where she could record her answers. Math was a good subject to keep her mind busy but wouldn't require much concentration. She wasn’t a master at trigonometry, but it only required recall of formulas and not composition of actual thoughts.
In the end, focusing on her math problems didn’t help take her mind off anything. The library closed early on weekdays, so she packed up her books after the announcement from Maria and worked her way out of the building. She had stayed in hopes of coming across someone she knew who might accompany her home. She should have known better, for much of her daylight time had been wasted.
She wrangled her courage all over again with self-talk like she had used when leaving the school building. Amity hadn’t seen the stranger since morning, and the police, of course, had been keeping their eyes peeled for him since she’d given the description to the school officials. Her father's church was only a few blocks down the road, and she could easily make it there in just a few minutes. Then her father could escort her home, and she would be safe. She stood for a second at the doors, took a deep breath, and walked back out into the world. The doors locked behind her. Maria must have been eager to get home, too.
Amity froze.
There he was, about a hundred feet away, along the path to the church. There was no chance he didn’t see her. His burning blue eyes rested on her soul again.
The War began long before anyone was there to stop it. And when it began, only God knew how much destruction would occur.
The beginning was innocent, just as the birth of a child never seems to preclude the sinful nature that will develop within it. Among the heavens, God placed some of His most marvelous beings, the angels. Tall and elegant, these creatures were awesome to behold. Using the unearthly sound of their voices and their winged flight, they dedicated their service to the Creator.
But the angels were still just creatures, not favored by God. Most of them knew the majesty and might of Whom they were serving and would do nothing but. However, there was a stir among the rest of these fantastic beings. They knew things with which perhaps they should never have been entrusted and realized just how great they were, with thanks to the most magnificent of them.
All of the angels stood silently to watch in utter amazement the day God created man. His form was similar to that of his Maker, though nowhere near as glorious, and he seemed so small to the giants in the audience. A mumbling went through the ranks of the discontent that this new being could hardly be more than a pet for the great God of the universe.
The discontent remained when woman was created, whom the angels agreed was most fair. Still, the God they served seemed to harbor a love for these little beings that far outweighed what He felt for the angels.
The good among them had no complaint. God had created for Himself a family. Obviously, man wasn’t perfect—far from it—but he was interesting. Many angels were being called into the service of caring for and sending messages to these people. The good served, because it was what God asked of them, and one just does not question his Maker. His will is accomplished.
There was one who felt he had served the Maker enough. God had His fill of him, and he had his fill of God. Rumor of a coup was rising.
So it was that Lucifer encouraged the mumblings among the discontent. This group fell away from the covering of their God and claimed their allegiance to Him no more.
Seeing he still didn’t have the majority of the angels, Lucifer needed to plan more carefully. He waited patiently for many years, as his army was propagated below on the earth. He only had to keep the whisperings perpetuated among the discontent. Finally, there were enough of the female humans on the earth for the discontent to start their own new race, and so began the brief day of the angelmen.
But Lucifer wasn’t done with his recruiting. A wait for the numbers to grow began. God may have created all, but Lucifer took pride in what he won away. He prepared to take his new army into battle.
Chapter 1: The Calling in the Countenance
Amity David gasped and nearly screamed. The face she saw directly in front of her own was near enough to blow her away. An image of fire, the heat of it burned on her cheeks, making the impossible vision real. Amity could only see the brightness of the fire, the long, undefined shape of the face, and the ice-blue daggers of eyes. Those eyes dug into her soul so deeply, she nearly choked.
“Get the ball!”
The annoyed call from her classmate brought the seventeen-year-old girl back to her sanity. Because she wasn’t much of an athlete, no one was surprised that she wasn't paying much attention in gym class. She thought she would be safe out in right field while the class played softball. Amity had just been chewing on her fingernails and focusing on the line of trees beginning to morph into fire-dipped torches with their changing leaves. God was good, and it was plain to see with demonstrations such as those early in October.
Those bright colors darted like an arrow to the space within inches of her nose and formed into the face permanently imprinted onto her retina.
Reality pulled her back in, as it usually did in the confines of school. For once, gym class was a welcome distraction from the daydreaming. Eager to shake the strange image that had just invaded her serenity, Amity turned and saw the neon yellow softball roll past her feet. She jogged after it, picked it up and threw it, girl-style, just short of the cut-off girl in the outfield. The other girl let out a frustrated puff of air and hurried to pick it up and throw it in to the pitcher.
“Amity David,” yelled the peppy gym teacher, “come on in. You need to warm up to bat.”
Ugh. I just got back to my place. Her need to please never allowed her to express thoughts such as those out loud or even roll her eyes. Amity jogged in slowly, her long, blond ponytail swaying behind her, and picked up the lightest bat. Holding the twenty-eight ounce aluminum rod accentuated the shaking within her. Amity knew it was because she was still disturbed by the all-too-real image she had seen, but instead convinced herself she was just cold.
There was no need for warm up swings, even in the chilly morning air. Amity knew she wouldn’t exert enough energy to break a sweat.
Her best friend, Mallory Evans, came in from her turn at bat. Though both girls appeared to be in good shape, Mallory was more of an athlete than Amity but not enough to take gym class too seriously.
“Hey Am, what do you think of the guy standing over there in the parking lot?” Mallory asked as she put down the bat. She appeared concerned and didn’t hide her stare beyond the field. Mallory wasn’t the only one from their class who took note of the stranger.
Amity looked past the ball field to the parking lot. She had to squint because it wasn't very close, and then she dropped her bat. The man’s face raced again to hover in Amity’s vision.
It was the same face she had seen in the fire just minutes before, but it was attached to the man in the parking lot. How his image was coming to her so closely and why it was appearing to her specifically were mysteries Amity wasn’t interested in solving.
She shook her head to try and see what her classmates were seeing. The image dispersed, and she could see again beyond its glowing remains. Sure enough, there was a very tall, rather nondescript-looking man standing motionless, with his hands resting firmly in the pockets of his khaki pants. He was old enough to be the father of someone there, but no one recognized him. As soon as he caught her eye, a shock, a burning sensation, ran through Amity's tall body from head to toe, and she knew he was staring right back at her. Just at her. His mouth was moving, and in Amity's brain, she heard words that matched the movement of his lips.
“You are not one of them.”
She shuddered and squeezed her eyes as tight as she could to make it go away.
Mallory's words brought her back.
“He's creepy. Do you think we should report him? I don't think he’s here for school business, if you know what I mean. No, sir, not staring at the girls in gym class.” Mallory shook her head and pushed up the sleeves of her grey sweatshirt.
“Well, he isn't doing anything,” Amity was always quick to give the benefit of the doubt to anyone, even though she was incredibly disturbed. She wasn’t one to run into danger with any kind of purpose and would happily let the man leave on his own.
“Exactly. What’s he doing there, if he’s doing nothing?”
Amity looked again. She didn't want to be conceited, but she really felt like he was looking at her and no one else. As usual, she just attributed that to being the tallest one in class. Her long blond ponytail often drew attention before anyone looked more closely to see her deep green eyes and soft facial features made her worth a longer stare. Amity was definitely easy on the eyes, but she only saw it as a hindrance to the shy nature that tried to keep her as hidden from the world as possible.
“Amity, your turn at bat. Let's go,” called Mrs. Jones with a little irritation, but the teacher wasn't watching her charges anymore. She had noticed the girls staring into the parking lot and the panic on some of their faces. The man caught her attention as well, and she headed out to find out what was going on.
“Huh. Well, I guess that was easy enough. He got out of here pretty quick.” Mallory stared after the teacher to the parking lot.
Sure enough, the man was gone. The teacher stopped in her tracks, just around first base, when she realized the same thing. She shrugged and turned back to her class. Amity still wasn’t at ease about the man's sudden appearance and disappearance. Had anyone even see him go? Did anyone know where he retreated? What if he was still on the property?
There was no way to answer those questions and nothing more she could do, other than place it far from her mind. She brought her bat to the plate and took her awkward stance, ready to miss a few balls, as was customary for her.
Forgetting wasn’t easy. After class, Mallory still talked about the man. The event stuck with the easily excitable Mallory more than it did Amity. Mallory was one who would go to the brink of danger to see some excitement, although she would never cross the line. Since Amity was just the opposite—getting as far away from that line as possible—the friends made an interesting but balanced pair.
“There's no way that guy should have been allowed anywhere near this school building. I mean, where's our security?” Mallory went on.
That was laughable. Dewdrop High School, where the girls were juniors, wasn’t exactly the type of school that needed metal detectors and security guards. Located somewhat southeast of Hagerstown, Maryland, it was still far enough away from Washington D.C. to just barely be considered a suburb. Sure, small events took place in Dewdrop, but nothing that often made the news. Most local families were pretty happy about the arrangement. Anyone eager for action had to be willing to travel.
Once everyone was dressed and ready to move on to their next class, Mrs. Jones walked in to address them. “Girls, I don't want to alarm anyone, but your safety is my first concern. There was something strange about the man in the parking lot this morning. I'm going to go talk to the principal about policing the parking lot a little before school is out. Did anyone get a good look at the guy?”
The girls all quietly looked at one another. The parking lot was about a hundred yards or so from the ball field, so it was very difficult for anyone to give specifics.
Even knowing this, Amity raised her hand about halfway. “I did, Mrs. Jones.”
“Alright, Amity, why don't you come with me to the principal's office to give a description. I'll make sure you get a pass to your next class.”
Mallory looked at her friend in surprise. “You didn't have your glasses on. Are you sure you saw him well enough?”
Amity was just as baffled. She didn't like how nerdy her glasses made her look, so she often left them off when she didn't need them. She knew her ridiculously unsporty exercises didn’t require any more help in pointing out who the biggest clown on the field really was, but it was true. She really couldn't see well without them. She had forgotten she didn’t have her glasses on, which made it even stranger that she was so affected by the man's appearance. This sent a line of worry directly to her already timid mind, and she was glad she could do something about it by going to the principal with a description.
“It’s really weird,” Amity replied to Mallory, “but I felt like I could see him as closely as if he were standing right in front of my face. His eyes were so strangely blue, maybe that just caught my attention.” She got chills as she pictured in her mind again the tall, mysterious figure, whose every burning detail she could again reconstruct, almost as if he visited her again in her mind.
She felt very uncomfortable, and shivers tickled her spine. “Let's find a group of people to walk home with, okay, Mal? That guy just really makes me nervous. I feel like he was there to see me.”
“Let's go, Miss David.” Mrs. Jones held the door for her, and Amity meekly walked through.
“No problem, Am,” said Mallory, cheerily calling out after her. “Catch you after school at the front doors.”
#
Following Mrs. Jones to the school office like a guilty defendant to the courtroom, Amity couldn’t believe she had actually volunteered information. She had never been a tattletale, even in her family of eight. Speaking out against anyone surely caused others to think ill of her. Even though she didn’t know the person she was convicting, she still didn’t like the idea of getting someone in trouble.
She barely even knew where the office was.
As the two entered the office, the principal, Mr. O’Connor, was already out of his inner office, chatting with the secretary. He was a balding man on the tall, heavy side, whose presence was nearly always jovial, but every student knew his demeanor could change on a dime and was usually preceded by the reddening of the top of his shiny head.
“Amity David, it is a surprise to have you here. Cheating on a test, I presume,” joked the principal.
“As far as I can throw a softball, sir, no one will ever accuse me of cheating in gym class,” she responded.
The principal laughed. A visit from a student who didn’t normally cause problems was one part relief from duty, one part confused break from reality, and the rest a waste of lunch hour.
“To what do I owe this visit then?” He led both Amity and Mrs. Jones to his plush office. The mahogany desk and burgundy tones of the chairs and carpet in the room gave the area an intimidating affront, no doubt to collect respect from all who entered. The intimidation wasn’t lost on Amity, and she took the seat closer to the wall, allowing Mrs. Jones to sit directly in front of the principal.
Mrs. Jones didn’t sit. Once the principal had taken his seat, she closed the door and began immediately. “Mr. O’Connor, you know I’m not easily bothered, and I wouldn’t bring something like this to you unless I really thought there was a concern.”
The smile fled the man’s face, and he glanced at Amity, wondering if she should remain in the room.
“I just believe we need to do our best to in keeping security for the students here at Dewdrop.”
“I agree,” he commented, puzzled. “Did something happen to make you doubt we are doing our best, Mrs. Jones?”
The teacher remembered a student was in the room and didn’t to cause more panic than necessary. “There was a man in the east parking lot this morning during my fourth period class. He was just standing there, staring at my girls.”
The principal absorbed the information, still reclined in his chair, and thoughtfully lowered his face to his hands, which were pressed together at the fingertips. He raised his head slightly as he asked, “I take it this man wasn’t someone any of the girls recognized?”
Mrs. Jones remained serious as she shook her head. “And the strangest thing was—” she glanced again at Amity as if her mere presence there confirmed her credibility “—as soon as I began to walk in his direction to confront him, he was gone.”
“Gone? He got in a car? He ran away?”
“I couldn’t tell you. But he wasn’t there.”
The man turned his attention from the worried teacher. “Now, Amity, why are you here? Are you just going to confirm the story?”
She tried to speak, but her voice had dried up.
Mrs. Jones was quick to jump in. “Amity got a good look at the man. I thought if she were able to describe him for you, you could have security look around for him.”
“We don’t have security staff here, Mrs. Jones.” His answer raised the concern of both females in the room, so he quickly added, “But perhaps that falls in the job description of the vice principal. I’ll have Mr. Harris come in to listen to Amity’s description and search the grounds for us. Would that be suitable?”
Both Mrs. Jones and Amity let out a deep breath, the teacher’s a little more relieved than the student’s. Amity somehow knew the man wouldn’t be found.
#
Amity was waiting…and waiting. And getting nervous. She was good at doing those things, as often as she did them. She was almost always punctual to a fault. As soon as the final bell rang, she picked up what she needed from her locker and hurried to meet Mallory and any of her other friends at the front doors.
Mallory wasn’t punctual, to her fault, which drove Amity crazy, but she reminded herself it wasn't the worst quality a best friend could have. Mallory had to put up with plenty in Amity, she was sure. Amity’s nerves only increased as she watched the number of students in the hall decrease, making her more visible to any stranger who might be seeking her. And Mallory was nowhere to be seen.
She didn't like the idea of walking home alone; she rarely did. Another great thing about Mallory was she lived only a block away from Amity, so the two almost always walked together. Amity guessed she shouldn't have asked her to round up some others to join them. Who knew where that took her so-easily-distracted friend?
Amity had some homework and liked to start it as soon as she got home. She had to make a plan that didn’t include her friend's company and decided to take the trip home in pieces. First she would stop by the library, then to the church, and finally reach her house.
Amity realized it was ridiculous to be so nervous, thinking she must be paranoid. She peeked her head out the door and saw the parking lot was almost empty, with no sign of Creepy Guy. She would be fine, even with the pit in her stomach weighing her down. She sighed, disappointed in herself. What a little mouse she was. Practically every other student in her school went home by themselves. There was no reason she couldn’t.
Out the door she went, into the brisk fall air. She continued walking, following the sidewalk with her head down until the school was no longer in sight. She looked back, proud of the progress she had made but still not at ease. He could have been anywhere, and if he was truly there for her, as she suspected, he would find her.
Amity didn’t notice the chilly and breezy day because her nerves had cranked up her internal thermostat. She had to hurry, aware the sun set quicker during autumn. There was no way she would be caught outside in the dark.
The library, her first stop, sat alone on a hill, but the road leading there was right along the way to her house. Throughout her life, the closeness had been convenient. Next to the church, it was like another second home, or maybe a third home. At any rate, it was a great place for those who had work to do and wanted to be left alone to do it. Usually, that was a good description of Amity, too. She was such a loner in her studies, but at that moment, Amity wished friends surrounded her.
After making her way up the hill, Amity entered the library, relieved to be through the first leg of her trip. She was there often enough to earn a welcoming “hello, Amity” from Maria, the girl behind the counter. Amity nodded in return. Maria was friendly enough, but not one hundred percent on board with the quiet policy expected at most libraries. That was one of things Amity liked best about the library; no conversation was expected.
She figured starting on her homework would help take her mind off the events of the day and set her mind at ease. Amity pulled out her math book and a notebook where she could record her answers. Math was a good subject to keep her mind busy but wouldn't require much concentration. She wasn’t a master at trigonometry, but it only required recall of formulas and not composition of actual thoughts.
In the end, focusing on her math problems didn’t help take her mind off anything. The library closed early on weekdays, so she packed up her books after the announcement from Maria and worked her way out of the building. She had stayed in hopes of coming across someone she knew who might accompany her home. She should have known better, for much of her daylight time had been wasted.
She wrangled her courage all over again with self-talk like she had used when leaving the school building. Amity hadn’t seen the stranger since morning, and the police, of course, had been keeping their eyes peeled for him since she’d given the description to the school officials. Her father's church was only a few blocks down the road, and she could easily make it there in just a few minutes. Then her father could escort her home, and she would be safe. She stood for a second at the doors, took a deep breath, and walked back out into the world. The doors locked behind her. Maria must have been eager to get home, too.
Amity froze.
There he was, about a hundred feet away, along the path to the church. There was no chance he didn’t see her. His burning blue eyes rested on her soul again.