• "Just be careful, don't do anything stupid Sam," Jess said as her friend started to walk away. She ignored the shadow that seemed to hover around Sam like a rain cloud.

    "Don't worry. You'll see the scar if it's there tomorrow," she said listlessly, dark circles under her eyes. The girl had gone from sleeping days away to being lucky if she had slept more than two hours. Sam had been suffering from depression for awhile now and the loneliness, insomnia, and Jess seemed to be the only constants in her life.

    "Not funny," Jess called after her. As she watched Sam leave a shadow had broken off from her, growing and manifesting in a human form. Sam's head came up a little, looking less like she was being crushed by the world around her, but not much else changed. The poison was still there but the cause for now was gone.

    Turning her gaze, Jess looked at what had come off of her friend. He stood half a foot taller than her 5'7'' with charcoal-colored, curly hair that looked as if it was getting too long. He was muscular but not overly buff, skinny but not a stick. He looked pretty normal. There were only a few things wrong with him.

    His eyes were bright yellow, like a cat's though his pupils were normal. His hands and feet were different as well. They steamed slightly as if he had just come out of a hot shower. They were also faded, kinda hazy and transparent, their edges almost nonexistent. The last thing that made him stand out were his clothes. He wore only a pair of black pants without any shoes. His bare chest was very defined and, even though it was the middle of winter, his skin had a nice dark tan.

    Her eyes flicked toward him before glancing away. He knew she could see him but old habits died hard. She turned away and headed in the opposite direction, hoping to deter him, but of course he followed. Jess turned into a bathroom, and after checking that no one was inside, she turned to face him. She stiffened automatically when the door swung in and he sauntered unashamedly into the girls' bathroom.

    He glanced around the bathroom before his eyes zeroed in on her. "Interesting place for a confrontation. Didn't know you wanted it just us," he said in a mocking voice as he made a show of ogling her up.

    "Yeah sure, if you want to think about it like that," she snorted loudly though the hair on the back of her neck rose underneath his gaze. "What do you want Tanner?"

    Tanner grinned. He had picked the name for himself, thinking that his old name wasn't modern enough. In her opinion though, he had picked a stupid name. "Why, to enjoy your wonderful conversational skills. We haven't talked since poor Sam downed all those sleeping pills." He tutted like a disappointed mother, his finger waggling in her face.

    Jess glared and shoved his hand away. He was the reason that Sam had done that, poisoning her mind with unwanted thoughts. She had always been able to see these beings, she shrunk away from calling them demons; she was one of the very few who could. Normally she could dispel them quickly but Tanner had been fighting her for weeks and was still holding strong. Even more infuriating was these meetings he insisted on having, reminding her he was still there after all this time.

    Tanner started toward her at a leisurely pace. "you know, you're pretty sweet, looking after your friend, keeping her alive," his eyes flashed and his voice turned hard, "It's pretty dang annoying actually. Now since you showed up, I've been asking around and I've heard that the people who come here don't come out. And," he started to circle around her. His voice soft, seductive, dangerous, "I've noticed you're quite the looker. You're also popular, successful, and athletic. I find myself wondering what it would be like to break you, to see you fall. So when I finish up with Sam...," he trailed off. She could feel his hot breath on her neck as he leaned closer. He let the silence draw out, watched her tense up. Finally he whispered, "I'm coming after you." She felt his lips lightly touch her neck and then he was gone, back to torment Sam, to convince her she didn't deserve to live. And when he succeeded, she was next. She shuddered.