01| Hooded guy

Nova Newton sat in her small library, confused and bored.

Bored because she had nothing else to do. All the assignments were finished and the house chores were something she didn't need to worry about; not that she was complaining. She just wasn't in the favor of her parents hiring a maid, a gardener and a person to keep an eye at her - who they said was more of a security person for the house.

Of course she didn't need any of them, but it was as if her parents turned a deaf ear whenever she told them about it.

She couldn't even keep a count of the times she'd told her parents that keeping Tim to have a track on her whereabouts was too much, but they always brushed her off by saying that he was just there to look out for her.

It was confusing and it was frustrating, but at least he wasn't following her around. For that, she was very grateful. She was also grateful for the fact that Tim was the only 'security person' her Dad had hired for the sake of her.

What more was confusing was that she couldn't decide which book to read. She had Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in one hand, and an Encyclopedia in the other.

She was only deciding which one to read when a loud bang startled her, making her jump out of her seat, heartbeat picking up pace.

What was that sound? her brain immediately questioned.

Putting the books down, she stood up hastily. Her brown eyes looked for the clock hanging on the wall right in front of her. Half past eight. Who could be coming home now?

Deciding it best to finally just go there and find the answers herself, she stood up. Taking a deep breath, she started walking, brushing her long, wavy brown locks behind her ears with her long fingers.

Another loud knock on the door had her halting in her tracks.

Should she just go and swing the door open? Just like that? A small disapproving sound seemed to echo inside her head.

Her eyes frantically looked for an object then, any object that could come of use in her situation. Spotting a metal vase that was just beside the door she began moving again.

With one hand on the neck of the vase and the other on the door knob, she hesitated before opening it and peaked through the peephole instead. All she saw was the back of a head, and as if on instinct, her hand simultaneously twisted the door knob. The hand that had been holding the vase freed its grip as she pulled the door open.

She was exposed to the cool air of November, her hands folding in front of her chest as if they had a mind of their own which said to protect her body from the cold – all she had on was a loose night dress.

Taking a step outside she called out to the retreating figure she recognised to be of – "Derek?"

She realised what she'd called him and began to correct her slip-up.

"I— I'm sorry, Mr. Adams, but, what are you doing here?" she asked him when he still hadn't faced her. No sound emitting him.

She stood there, brows furrowed in confusion, her mind working reasons for which he could've come to her house at this hour.

She had been thinking of asking once again but stopped when he mumbled something to himself.

"Pardon?" she asked when she couldn't make anything of what he'd said.

"He's gone!" He suddenly said, voice raised. Nova almost took a step back. "He won't be back, he lied..." his voice became softer at the end as he trailed off.

She was still as confused as she was when she had first seen him standing at her door. Because she needed answers, she walked ahead, closer towards him to turn him around and face her but she stopped in her movements when he stiffened – as if sensing her presence closing in behind him.

"Mr. Adams?" Nova tried once more but this time, it had an effect.

But not quite in her favour because the next thing she knew he had stormed off to his house, as if he were just brought out of a trance.

But what was all of that? Nova couldn't help but wonder.

One Month Ago -

Walking back home after class at college was one thing that Nova had never done before. This was the very first time she had a broken car and had to go home without any transport.

The University of Cambridge wasn't far away from her house, but it wasn't very close either. A ten to fifteen minutes’ walk at most; which could simply be spent by just thinking about life.

She’d always wanted to apply for a part-time job, she thought as she saw a girl walking really fast while talking on the phone with someone – seemingly in a hurry. It was so that she could earn her own salary but the whole experience mattered more to her. However, her parents didn't see the point of their daughter working along while studying because they could provide her everything she could wish for – even more than that sometimes.

And 'more' could easily include a new BMW waiting for her in the garage by the second they knew she walked home at six in the evening. Perhaps that's the reason she never asked them. It was just the feeling she wanted to experience.

How does it feel to always be busy doing something and not just be in your huge house all alone with nothing to do but study – or watch Television? But Nova wasn't very interested in Television. Books were more like it, and that was why she always stayed home. Even when she used to live back in London, with her parents, she did nothing but go to school and come straight back home.

She smiled when she saw a girl walking with her father, eating ice cream and telling him all about her day.

At one point, she remembered, her parents assumed she had a problem in her school and went to check on her. People have always showered her with love and care all her life, you see, and Nova has always been very thankful and appreciative of them for that. Sure she had been brought up in a wealthy family, but her parents made sure that she didn't turn into someone that she would later regret to be.

Her mother, Isabelle Newton, was a social activist and father, Victor Newton, was a solicitor. A very well-known one at the things they did, both of them. And she was proud to be their daughter.

But she had to think about the new car which would be arriving the instant she told her parents about her situation. She could get the one she had fixed, of course, but to her parents, that wasn't even an option.

She didn't really plan to tell them in the first place but she was sure Alesso, her maid, never would agree to keep it from her parents. She was loyal, very loyal. She'd been serving their family for as long as Nova could remember. Which would be since Alesso was just a teenager; eighteen or nineteen perhaps.

Regardless of that, Nova always told her to take leave and enjoy her days with her daughter. But Alesso always insisted on staying and doing all the work that she was supposed to do which was to basically babysit a twenty year old.

Not telling her, however, was out of the option because she must've noticed the presence of the BMW in the garage. Or Gilliam, the gardener that her parents insisted on keeping, might have told her. They must also have noticed her unusual lateness.

Sighing, she looked down at her dead phone and gazing up at the darkening sky, realised that it was getting really late and that she should up her pace.

Deciding it best to just take a shortcut so as to not cause more trouble for her well-wishers, she took the turn to a very empty street. She hesitated when she noticed the number of any living soul lurking around – or lack thereof – but calmed herself down by thinking that nothing could go wrong. She should probably just take the normal route, but then again, she didn't want to be late and worry everyone.

Taking a deep breath and chanting in her head that she was going to be in her house in not more than ten minutes, she began walking in the direction.

*

As she came closer to an abrupt turn on the street, the noises of laughing, glass smashing and a few people cursing at every word neared her, too.

Now, they were some red flags, she thought to herself.

She couldn't get distracted now, she had nothing to worry about, she knew some self-defense and she could definitely use it on them if they came any close to her.

But then she almost halted. Almost because when her legs impeded her walk, she made sure to still keep them moving, be it at a slow pace.

When she took the turn, holding in a breath, she was greeted by the sight of a group of boys. The boys seemed to be highschoolers – if the leather jackets, long hair and the way that they were huddled around each other was of any indication.

One of them wolf-whistled at her which followed laughter. A few guys hooted as she came in their line of vision. This was what made her hinder in the first place. She had to remind herself that she shouldn't stop and neither should she run – or go to them and give a piece of her mind either, because all were stupid things to do. They weren't much of a threat to her; it was just disturbing that guys this young would still do such things. She believed the world would have moved on by now but as it seemed, that was not quite the case.

Keep going and you'll be fine. That seemed like a better advice that she gave herself.

Reciting these very words she speeded up her walking. Her head straighter than it was before as she tried to cross them as soon as she could. Because while she had nothing to worry about, it was only good to get away from these guys and get home earlier.

They started to comment this time, and all she hoped was that when she crosses them they don't start following her. Because that could get pretty problematic. She passed them. Ignoring their very presence as well as she could. With her head and back both straight and stiff, she walked.

They came and went from her peripheral vision as they were at the side of the road and she was walking along the other side of it.

But she halted in her tracks when she heard footsteps follow her. The footsteps seemed farther than she was, and much heavier but not quite close. The fact that this could prove to be something really bad if she didn't make a move soon, she contemplated the options in her head quickly.

Look back or keep moving? Keep

And so she continued walking again. As if on cue, the comments and all the voices died down. It made her want to stop and look at what made that happen. Or better yet, who

Though not abruptly. She first turned her neck to the side, letting her curious brown gaze land on the boys standing stiff as a statue first. Her eyes only narrowed when she saw them whisper among themselves.

It looked like they were urging each other to make a move. Move to get away or to say something at whoever it was who stood behind her.

That thought was all it took for her to turn around completely and look at the person who was following her. Or maybe not.

There was a hooded figure, not far away from her who had been staring at the guys till now. She could tell because he turned his head away from them as soon as her eyes landed on him. Because of the hood it was hard to be completely sure about his appearance. The hood covered all of his face and the shadows from the dim street lights didn't do much help either.

He had to be someone to have such an effect on those guys.

And the next thing she knew, the boys were gone. He, however, kept walking. It didn't matter to him if Nova was staring at him blatantly, or if those guys were afraid of him – just a glance at them had been enough to have them gone. But he didn't care. He kept walking. And soon he walked past her. She snapped out of the string of thoughts and realised that it was very rude to stare.

She could feel the blush that covered her face, then. She gripped onto her jacket and squeezed it around her more tightly. Averting her gaze away from the guy who was now ahead of her, she walked.

She decided to walk behind him, then. Just in case there were any more bad situations coming towards her.

And the bad situation did come.

There was a bar on the way home through that specific route. Some men – who seemed older than the highschool boys she'd just crossed – holding beer bottles in one hand, cigarettes in the other and bloodshot eyes, came out. But as soon as they laid their eyes on the hooded guy walking ahead of her, they tensed. And this time, Nova could hear them.

"He's back?"

"When did he come back?"

"I thought he was gone!"

"Yeah, I thought that too, man."

What was happening? Nova thought but she couldn't help and take in the little fright in their voices.

What was about this guy? Who was he?

He seemed to be new to her, but taking in the reactions she just gathered of people – and they were some frightening people – she doubted that theory of hers.

She was sure, however, that he hadn't been there for the two years that Nova had. She kept thinking of any other time she may have seen him, but taking in his physique she just could not find any guy that she'd met who resembled the one walking in front of her.

In college? No.

Neighborhood? She couldn't tell precisely, but even though she didn't go out much, she still thought she might have seen him here or there. If not that, Alesso would definitely tell her about a guy such as him. But then where? Deep in her thoughts she didn't notice when she arrived at her house.

She stopped right at the entrance, looked at the closed doors of her house and then looked back at him, still thinking.

She kept looking at him, perhaps she was expecting him to say something and that was when she realised that she should be the one saying something first.

"Thank you," she said.

Nova thought it wasn't loud enough for him to hear when he didn't say anything but then he turned the slightest bit, and it was clear that he heard. He entered his house but she still stood there, watching.

She stood there because he turned to enter the house which was right in front of hers.

The house which had been empty ever since she had come there.