Stalker 101 (Book 1)

// 14 //

Si tu vois ma mere - Sidney Bechet 
I Was An Island - Allison Weiss 
Crybaby - The Neighborhood

The eyes of a dead girl stare back at me as I brush out the knot in the back of my head. I didn't recognize the person staring back, I only knew that she was cold and lifeless. My skin color was more purple now that I was here. My nails looked brittle. My hair lost the natural shiny layer that made it usually gleam. I was dead.

I lay the brush down on the sink counter and separate a small section to start braiding. I was never one to really braid my hair, but it was an excuse to not go back out there yet. I huff as one strand falls out of my grasp and I have to start over. Mom taught me how to braid my hair once and only once in my life. Tutorials were all garbage at teaching and Mare had always had short hair, even before he was Mare. I start to get the pattern before my hand twists and the whole thing loosens and falls back into place.

"Struggle much?" I nearly jump to the ceiling when Jase speaks. How long had he been there? How long was he watching me brush my hair? My heart beats fast as I watch him fully open the knobless door and stand next to me, his hands casually behind his back. Same demeanor as he always seemed to have.

"You need to grab the last piece with your thumb, that's where you're messing up. Try again," I look at him through the mirror and separate the strands, starting yet again. I grab the piece with my thumb and my hand twists again, releasing the first piece and undoing the braid. Jase sighs and takes his hands from behind his back, grabbing my hair. I suck in a sharp breathe as separates the strands and motions for me to grab the hair.

"Now, grab that piece, no not that one," The hair once again falls from my fingers and my shoulders sink down.

"Here, let me," His hand grazes my neck and I realized how tense I had become. There was never a moment more than I wanted to absolutely punch someone in the face then right now. I let him grab my hair and he calmly starts to braid the pieces. It felt like my mother braiding my hair when I was a little kid and sitting on the counter again. I could even smell the world's best blueberry smoothie being made by my dad just a few inches away. Our dog would be barking like crazy until he got a taste. But then one day, Crash wasn't there anymore. And then my dad stopped the Saturday morning tradition. Mom pulled me aside while I whined for her to braid my hair and told me to tuck until I made a braid. I stopped wearing my hair in braids.

"Let me do the other side, turn your head," I look up in the mirror and see one half of my dark hair braided. Where did he learn to tuck it in so there wasn't a need for a ribbon? I admire the handiwork and begin to notice the blonde peeking through the dark colors. Jase seemed to notice as well.

"I didn't know you were a natural blonde," He comments and braids down the other side of my hair. I shrug my shoulders and lay my hands flat on the sink.

"Dirty blonde. I never liked my natural hair color. I dyed it when I finished high school, actually," Jase purses his lips and nods, tucking in the final piece so it stayed like the other.

"Where did you learn how to braid?"

"I learned from watching," The way he proudly announces this makes me remember exactly who he was. How could I have almost forgotten how utterly horrifying this man was? Jase would sneak in anywhere if he wanted to, he must have seen braiding hundreds of times.