Jude panted as she ran towards home. The early night breeze blowing her long black hair backwards. She was late from the school library. It was her routine, to pass by the library after classes. This day she was carried away by the novel she was reading. She even forgot to check the time. The library was filled with supernatural novels, she once begged the librarian to let her borrow them but she refused. The library rules stated that no one was allowed to borrow or buy the books. People were only allowed to read and leave them there.

"Who the hell made that stupid rule?" She asked herself as she stood to catch her breath. The school was located far away from her home. Her fellow students once asked her why she choose that school. 'You won't understand.' That is how she told them but deep down she knew the reason why she choose it. She liked long walks, they somehow soothed her burning nerves.

A shadow passed behind her and she clicked loudly. Since she was young she had a feeling that something dark used to watch her from far. As she grew the 'dark thing' started getting close to her. When she was six she told her guardian about it but she was shushed away and asked to stop reading supernatural novels.

At the age of eight, the grandma who took care of her passed away and since she was an orphan the American government took her to the orphanage. She have no idea of whom her parents are or where they lived. What she knew was, the guardian who took care of her found her beside the road, abandoned.

Life at the orphanage was easy until when the 'dark thing' became visible to her. At first it took a shadow of a human. Her young mind lied to her it was her guardians spirit so, she ran to founder of the orphanage and told him her guardian visited her in form of a shadow. Just like what her grandma did, she was shushed away and asked to stop reading supernatural novels.

At twelve years she moved out of the orphanage and started living on her own since everyone thought she was a creep. Not even once, people caught her yelling at the shadow asking it to stop stalking her.

She looked behind her and saw the shadow had stopped several meters away from her. She started walking forward, and the shadow did. She pretended like she wants to sit down and the shadow did too. She sighed heavily and started walking away. For the eighteen years she had lived she wished to know to whom the shadow belonged to. And if it was a man's or a woman's shadow.

"Hey, what do you want?" She asked the shadow loudly behind her. A girl passing behind her tapped her, and asked if everything was okay. "Hey, girl. Am good. I was just trying to remember my drama lines." She lied and the girl nodded and walked away.

"You see all this is your fault." She looked behind ready to scold the shadow, but to her surprise it had disappeared. She sighed with relief and started running again. When she reached home, she had a warm shower and sat down to do her homework. Two hours later she walked upstairs to make dinner. She always have early dinners because she worked part-time.

After her noodles were ready, she dished them in her plate and dug onto them, half and hour later, she was done. She washed the used utencils, dried them and arranged them on the utensils rack.

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"Jude take these plates to table six please." Her fellow worker said handed her two plates of rice.

"Right away." She said taking the order.

At table six, she stood dead in her tracks, the plates of rice she was holding slipped on the ground. She wanted to open her mouth but words stuck in her throat. She pointed her finger as a warning and walked close to the man sitting there.

''What do you want?' She asked, half yelling. "I guess I made it clear I don't want to see your stupid face?" She raised her voice.

"Stop causing drama Jude and do your work. As you can see am not here for you I'm here to eat, the food you just poured on the poor floor." The man smirked pointing the spilled rice on the floor with his legs.

Jude sighed, and walked back to the kitchen. The man she just saw was her ex boyfriend. They had dated for two weeks before they broke up. Since then the man had been pestering her. Buying her presents, following her everywhere she went, just to ask for an apology.

"Thinking about me?'' The annoying voice asked again.

"Stay away from me Peter. We are done for fucks sake. Why would you bother me?" She asked him.

"Let's say I'm addicted to you." Peter replied winking at her. When they first met, just the wink made her submit herself to him. But as weeks passed she realized she had been losing interest in him. She have dated more than twenty men but in the end she ended up dumping them.

In every relationship she has been she felt like there was something she was missing. Like when having sex, at ecstasy she always feel like biting whoever she was sleeping with at that time.

She had been craving for blood for so long and each time she saw Peter, the feeling could not be suppressed anymore.

"You bite your lips Jude, what is wrong?' Peter asked concern written all over his handsome face. "You are bleeding." He said handing her over his handkerchief. "Just go. It's not a big deal." Jude pushed him away snatching the handkerchief from him.

"It's not fair." Peter pouted as he walked away. "But Jude, I will have you back one day. I promise." He called.

When her shift was done, Jude walked home lazily. Her heart had been beating really fast since morning. An unfamiliar feeling which she despised has been washing through her heart too. She hated that feeling since she knew it. It meant, something bad was about to happen.

She first had that feeling when she was eight, that was when her guardian died. "No one is close to me apart from my deceased grandma, who is gonna die this time?" She asked herself.

When home she took her night shower and sat on bed reading some random novels. She was lost in it until she heard a knock at the door. "Who is there?" She shouted. She walked to the door and peeped through the key hole. "Peter cut your stupid games of hiding and tell me what the hell you want?" She asked when she saw no one through the peep key hole.

"You don't want to talk. Alright, I'm going back to sleep." She again said when she heard no reply. While walking upstairs she felt like someone was watching her. She was used to the feeling, but these days when the feeling contracts her heart with fear.

"What do you want with me?" She asked inwardly.

The knock came again and she went to open the door, her face burning with fury. "For goodness sake Peter, can you stop being childish." She yelled raining several slaps on his body.

"Ouch! You are hurting me." Peter yelled in pains. "You liked this game at first." He complained massaging his already swelling face.

"Take me back." He said when Jude was pressing his swollen face gently with some ice packs.

"No!" She refused.

"Why? I love you Jude." He begged, holding her soft hands. "Is there something I did you don't like? I can change Jude, I promise just have me back."

"Can we have this talk another day Peter. I'm not in the mood." She said removing her hands from his. "There is something I always feel when with you... I mean I feel it with everyone else but, with you I can't suppress the feeling. Am afraid I may kill you." She whispered.

"And what's that?" Peter asked coming closer to her.

"I will tell you another day. I just want to be alone for now." Jude said and rushed back upstairs. Peter looked her back as she disappeared and when she closed her bedroom door, he walked away with a heavy heart which was breaking into pieces.

Upstairs, Jude watched him through the window as he walked away. ''Am sorry Peter." She whispered.

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At midnight Jude woke up after having a bad dream. She walked downstairs to grab a bottle of water. When she was there, she was shocked. The shadow was sitting on her kitchen counter. She felt like it was staring at her. "What do you want?" She asked.

The shadow stood up and walked towards her. Her heart was beating fast as if it threatened to break the ribcage. She saw the shadow clearly as it came closer to her. It was a man!

"What do you want?" She asked again The unfamiliar feeling increasing. The shadow-man raised his finger, his claw like nails pushing through her heart. She wanted to ask him why he did that, but her eyes close as darkness overpowered her.

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