Shaping Destiny (2 page)

I huffed in response, but
told him anyway. “It’s really nothing; I feel dumb just thinking
about it. Yesterday when we pulled up to the dorms, I noticed this
creepy guy. Then today I spotted him again. Nothing happened,
though, and I don’t want you to get all worried about me.” A creepy
guy was kind of an understatement. He was more of a mystery man
that sent frightening vibes through my body, but I thought I would
leave that out.

“That’s not nothing, Leah!
What does he look like?” I could hear the frown in his
voice.

“Tall, dark hair, spooky;
but really, Jared, he was far away so I couldn’t see him very well.
I don’t think there is anything to worry about. I’m fine. Really.”
There was a small pause as I finished trying to convince him that
there was nothing he could do.

“Fine! But if you see him
again, even if he stays far away, you will tell me, right?” He
sounded more frustrated than before.

“Yeah, of course I
will.”

“Are you home
yet?”

“I just walked
in.”

“Good, I’m coming over
after class. I found out more information about the ballroom
tryouts. We can practice some routines tonight. The tryouts are in
couple weeks.”

“Really?” The excitement
prevented me from keeping still. I moved the phone in front of me
and jumped up and down. “Hurry with your class and get over here;
we have work to do."

Jared’s tension vanished
with a laugh. “You got it! See you soon, cutie.”

***

The apartment buzzed with
girly laughter and music. The food cooking in the oven made the
apartment smell like Thanksgiving dinner.

“Wow girl, what is all
this for?” Gretchen gestured over all the mouthwatering
food.

“I had time on my hands
this afternoon.” I continued to fuss over the food that I’d
recently bought from the store.

“Apparently!”

Melissa was also not far
behind. “You know you’re sharing, right? And doing the
dishes?”

An elbow conveniently
found Melissa’s ribs with a glare from Gretchen. “Blunt
much?”

“I’m just saying,” she
retorted. “Do you want to do the dishes?”

I couldn’t help but shake
my head at two of my newest friends. “Do you really think I can eat
all this by myself? Plus, Jared is coming over too.”

“Jared?” Melissa raised
her eyebrow.

“He was with me yesterday.
I should have introduced you two. He should be here . . .” I turned
to see the wall clock behind me and then heard a knock at the door.
“Now.”

I grabbed a towel to wipe
my hands and then headed to the door.

“Come in. I’m just
finishing up.” I returned to pull out the chicken, shut the timer
off, and introduce everyone while I set the table.

“Well, let’s not wait,”
Jared said after we’d all sat down. “Pass the potatoes.”

“I like how this man
thinks,” Melissa chimed in. “Send the rolls my way.”

The evening turned out
perfect. We talked about where we were from, our likes, our
dislikes, our families, and our classes. After the good food and
company, Melissa and Gretchen were more than happy to do the
cleanup.

“Come on, handsome, we
have dancing to do.” I stood and held out my hand to
Jared.

“Yes ma’am.” Jared stood
and turned toward the girls. “Thanks, it was great to meet all of
you.” His hand found mine, and I guided him to my room.

“Don’t do anything I
wouldn’t do!” Melissa yelled as we made our way down the hall.
Somehow I knew there wasn’t much Melissa wouldn’t do anyways. I
bowed my head and giggled off her comment while stepping in my
room.

Jared walked over and
pulled me into him, so our faces were inches apart. With one hand
on my back, and the other resting at the nape of my neck, he
lowered his head slowly until his lips touched mine. Automatically
my arms wrapped around him while I tried to hold back a smile. He
released my lips, and I could feel his grip around me tighten. I
smiled and let out a giggle.

“I don’t think this is why
I brought you to my room.”

He looked at me with
desire-filled eyes. “You’re right. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get
carried away.” A smile flashed across his face. He centered his
hand on my back and took my right hand in his, holding it in dance
position.

“What’s it going to be?
Cha-cha, Swing, Tango, Salsa?”

“I was thinking
Salsa.”

“I agree.”

We spent an hour trying
different moves and mixing in some routines that we’d already done
together in the past. It didn’t take us long to put something
together. To add spice, we choreographed a lift at the end. We had
a little less than two weeks before we performed in front of
judges, so doing steps we already knew would help us look
graceful.

“I guess now we just
practice, practice, and practice some more,” I said as I walked
over to my CD player to shut it off.

“That’s right. We’ll run
through it a couple times every night. We’ve got this.”

“Sounds like a plan. You
want to come over again tomorrow?”

“Yup, I wouldn’t miss it.”
He picked up his jacket off my bed and then held his arms out for
me to slide into.

“I’ll walk you to the
door.”

I opened the front door
for him and reached to touch his arm as he passed. He turned and
gave me a kiss that left me breathless.

“Okay you two, that’s
enough,” Melissa said from the living room. I blushed at the same
time and looked down at the ground.

“All right, I’ll see you
girls later,” he shouted past me. He looked down at me. “Sweet
dreams, cutie,” he whispered and turned to shut the door behind
him.

The first week was over.
Classes came and went, and school books were pilling up on my desk
next to my computer.

“Gretchen, I’m going to
head out. Take a walk or something. These books are making me
cross-eyed.” I shut my books and grabbed my grey coat. “I won’t be
long.”

“Kay, see you in a bit.”
She barely looked up from typing frantically on the
computer.

I walked out of the dorm
and crossed the street to walk on campus. A light dusting of snow
drifted from the sky, but it didn’t stick to the ground. The roads
were slushy and wet. It wasn’t too cold, and to my skin, overheated
from the warm dorm rooms, it felt good.

Although it was Saturday,
I wasn’t expecting things to be so quiet. I guess the normal person
wouldn’t spend their weekend walking through school, but part of me
was still expecting to see the determined students anxiously
bustling. I kept my arms across my chest to keep the extra breeze
out while walking to clear my head. Finding it hard to feel relaxed
I looked up to find the reason why. A shiver ran through my body,
and my arms drop to my side.

Move, Leah,
move
. The more I told myself to turn and
run, the more my body couldn’t react. The mystery man started to
get closer and closer, running so fast he looked as if he were
floating. He was still far off; I could easily get away, but like a
stupid girl I froze. Just like a slow-motion nightmare, I took a
few steps backward only to back up against someone else. A thick
arm enveloped me, just under my bosom, and a hand covered my mouth.
My hands darted to my face, pulling at the hand that prevented me
from breathing properly. Gasping for air enough to keep up with my
erratic heartbeats started to make me light-headed.

I took one last glace at
my mystery man, who was still making his way toward me. Knowing he
was just a backup in case I put up a fight, I didn’t have much
hope. I bit down hard on my captor’s hand.

“What do you want from
me?” Kicking and screaming was getting me nowhere. He was much too
big of a man.

“Shut up, devil!” He began
dragging me toward a white SUV while I stumbled to find my
feet.

He was a large man, and
his bicep bulged beneath his tight, brown shirt. Boots covered his
feet, which he slushed in the street. Blond hair was buzzed on his
scalp, and thin lips pushed together tightly at his
mouth.

“Let her go!”

I didn’t dare look behind
me to see who it was, but part of me knew already. But why? My
captor slowly turned with fire in his eyes. “Move along,
punk.”

“I said, let her go.” More
intensity sounded in his voice this time.

My head pounded as my
captor threw me into the side of his vehicle. “Is that what you
want, hero?” He took a step forward. “I’ll let her go for
you.”

Thunder filled the sky, or
at least I thought it was thunder. With my head spinning from the
blow it was hard to be certain. Through glossy eyes I noticed what
the mystery man’s expression bespoke. Pure anger and hatred filled
his soul. I closed my eyes, not able to focus any longer. A moment
later all was silent, and at another I was being lifted, cradled in
someone’s embrace.

“Leah? Wake up,” his voice
pleaded. “You can’t fall asleep. You may have a concussion.” He
held me up with only one arm, while he gently smoothed back tangled
hair from across my forehead. “Leah, please open your eyes so I can
see if you’re OK. I promise I won’t hurt you. Don’t be
afraid.”

His voice was kind and
confident, but I held much uncertainty about this mystery man. I
opened my eyes slowly to reveal piercing green eyes staring into
mine. With our stare unbroken he slowly sat me down on the grass
while he knelt in front of me. He had a medium build and messy,
short, dark brown hair. He wore the same black sweatshirt as
before. He was handsome, even with his brow furrowed.

Like a rubber band
stretching to hold things together, I felt a need to draw this man
in. The need to know him was almost unbearable.

“Who are you?” I
whispered. “How do you know my name?”

He looked away. “I’m
sorry, I shouldn’t be here. I have to go.” He stood. “Go home now
and rest. Forget about what happened, and don’t say anything to
anyone. I know it doesn’t seem right to not tell anyone but please
trust me. You’re safe now.” He turned to go.

I nodded, but no words
would come out as he jogged away.

Go home, trust him, and
don’t tell anyone?
What is going
on?
Tears came rolling down my face. Now
being alone, crying was all I could do. So this is what the outside
world has to offer? Never having left my hometown, I guess I didn’t
know what to expect. I watched the news from time to time, but
realization never kicked in that I could be in danger.

My father had sheltered
me, but I thought it was because I was the only girl born in the
whole Hawk family in over a hundred years. Stories were passed down
through generations that Great-great-grandmother had been an
outcast in her own town and was forced to relocate in Pagoda,
Colorado. She felt safe there, and it’s where she met my
great-great-grandfather. Our family line had been there ever since.
Father would never express why Grandma had to leave, no matter how
many times I asked. He would say, “You’re the first girl that has
been born since Great-grandma Hawk, and you’re very special. She
would be very proud of you. Girls are rare in our family. We love
you very much, Leah, so please be careful.”

Grandmother’s story and my
father’s words came to me now. Sitting here in the grass I wondered
if Grandmother’s life was anything like what just happened to me
now. I knew nothing about her because of the lack of information my
father was willing to share, but at least I wasn’t forced out of
this town yet.

Standing took more of an
effort than I expected. Being dragged on the ground and smashed
into metal was not at all comfortable. With a slight limp and a few
scratches on my hands and face I made it to the dorms again.
Remembering my agreement not to tell anyone what happened, I tried
to straighten my posture.
Why was I doing
this? And why did I trust a total
stranger?
Thinking about him only
sent butterflies coursing through my body. Fear and gratitude are
what I felt for him. I feared him because I knew absolutely nothing
about him. For all I knew he could still be a bad guy. On the other
hand he had just saved my life.

“Leah!” Jared said as I
came in the door and shut it behind me. “I tried calling you, but
you never answered. Gretchen said you went to get fresh air, but
that was over two hours ago.” He frowned and came closer to get a
better look at me, moving a strand of hair away from my face. “What
happened to you?”

His caring tone made my
throat tighten. Tears threatened to overflow again, but I had to
keep my composure. How could I not confide in my best friend? I had
to tell someone and who better to tell than Jared?

“I went for a walk . . . ”
A vision of beautiful green eyes came rushing into my thoughts.
Pushing them back I continued to tell Jared what had happened. “I
couldn’t get myself to relax, I just felt so jittery, but then I
saw . . . ”