Stalker 101 (Book 1)

// 7 //

Can't Take My Eyes Off You - Frankie Valli
Put Your Head On My Shoulder - Paul Anka

The daily routine went a little like this; I would wake up in a druggy state with fresh clothes from my own wardrobe that I knew he stole. He would come in with a plate of food. Sometimes it was my favorite food like pasta or fruit and sometimes it was something I didn't recognize. He would sit next to me, coax me to eat and when I denied his food, he would yell at me. Telling me how lucky I was and how much he loved me. I haven't even learned his name. Then, he would clean me up if he inflicted any violence and drug me again.

"You have to eat, Acacia. I won't let you die, pretty girl. Look how skinny you're getting, all because you won't trust me," He says, cooing at me. I turn my head away from him, looking up at the fairy lights that I wanted to hang myself with.

"Still won't talk to me, eh? What will it take for you to talk to me?"

"If you weren't a pyscho," I sassily say, crossing my arms over my favorite black t-shirt. It bothered me deeply that I woke up in different clothes, especially since that meant he would have been the one to change me. I hear the plate slam down on the table, but I keep my gaze locked on the wall.

"I'm getting fed up with this consistency, Acacia. Anything you want and I'll give it to you. Just please, eat, drink, talk to me," I finally look over at him. His eyes were starting to fill with tears, yet my heart stayed relentlessly cold. The pink bandage was gone, but a small white scar remained. I sigh. If I survived, it wouldn't hurt to have information on him.

"What's your name?" He starts to wipe the tears from his eyes and a dimple-filled smile replaces the stone frown.

"Jason Alecander Mavis. But to you, it's Jase," I bite the inside of my cheek. Jase. Jason. How funny.

"How old are you?"

"20, well, almost 20. My birthday is March 16, exactly 74 days away from yours," He beams, proud of the information. My stomach didn't even flip at the creepiness, finally used to the ways of my stalker.

"Why am I here?" I gently press, hoping that wouldn't send him over the edge as our first encounter. If I asked the right question, maybe I could get out. Maybe I could teach him to trust me enough to let me leave this room, even for a second.

"Because I love you. Don't you love me? Mhm, don't answer, of course, you do. It's just the sick society that has made you forget that you love me. They stole you from me, Acacia, that awful world. But don't worry! I'm working on them one by one,"

"Working on them?" I question, leaning forward. He eagerly drums his fingers on the table and smiles at me.

"You know, taking care of the problem. Making sure they don't come for you. Permanently getting rid of the pests," My heart sinks at this. He was going to kill people, wasn't he? My stomach wasn't ready for this and starts to churn. Or maybe it was the lack of food and the delectable pasta in front of me. Jase looks down at the plate and back up at me. He knew I was going to break.

"I know you want it, it's your favorite. Angel hair pasta, a single scoop of butter, exactly five spoonfuls of parmesan cheese," The accuracy is worse than the fact I was in the room. How often did he watch me? All that time to learn those facts meant all that time I didn't know someone was watching me. Oh god, he must have spent hours upon hours of his day just studying me. Like this moment was a test for him and he studied me up until now. It was hard to say he was passing.