Chapter 1

I look at the clock for the hundredth time tonight, it is almost time to close up. I slide over to take care of my last patron, who is also my favorite regular.

"Another beer, Bob?" I ask him silently, hoping he says no.

"It's probably time I let you close up. Velvet, you’re a gem," he says as he takes out his wallet and lays down a generous tip for me.

"Only because I get to take care of you." I wink at him, scooping the tip into my pocket.

Finally, it's time to close up. I sigh as he leaves out the door, waving over his shoulder. My feet are aching by the time my shift ends, and I’m ready to get away from the smell of stale cigarettes and the aroma of beer.

I quickly close the bar down and grab my purse and jacket from under the bar. I basically run to the exit.

"Velvet, what are you doing now that your shift is done?" Ian asks me.

Ian has been trying for months to get me to agree to a date with him, and I’ve repeatedly turned him down.

At this point in my life, I have no room for anyone and no desire to make room, I prefer to be alone the way I’ve been my whole life. "Oh you know, I’m going home to my cat and my bed." I laughed out.

"I’m having a small party if you would like to come?" He gives me his best puppy dog eyes, silently pleading with me to say yes.

"I would, but I have to be somewhere early."

I’m too tired to come up with a better excuse and Ian knows it too. He looks crestfallen but doesn’t push the issue, luckily. I wave goodnight and step outside.

Even though Ian is persistent, I’ve never felt anything off about his aura. It’s a gift, or maybe a curse, that I've always dealt with, being able to instinctively feel whether someone was good or had bad intentions. Even though I felt like a freak, having the ability to feel kept me safe through my foster years.

Sometimes, feeling the evil coming off of someone could make me feel physically sick. Their depravity batters my senses, causing my stomach to turn.

The night air feels chilly, and I pull my jacket closer to my body. Typical San Francisco weather. It is chilly at night, but beautiful during the day.

I decided to take the easiest route home and cut through a side alley. I picked this job mainly because I could walk there.

As I walk, I notice the whole alley is eerily silent. Usually I can hear the scurrying of a rat or the meow of a stray. The only sounds are the click clack of my heels on the bricks and my breathing.

I could feel it. Eyes on me. I could feel the hair on the back of my neck rise and swung around quickly, expecting something or someone to be there, but the alley was empty and quiet.

I couldn’t feel a aura and that left me feeling unsettled.

I sped up my walking, because if there was someone watching me, I wasn’t sticking around to find out who. I was cursing myself for taking this route, but the weariness of my bar shift forced me to take this route.

By the time I made it home, the feeling of being watched subsided, but my unease did not.

As I opened the door, I could hear my cat Jinx running to the door meowing loudly, the cute little bell on her collar jingling. I bent down to lift the large black cat up. "Yes Jinx, I know you’re hungry". Rolling my eyes at the cat who has never missed a meal.

I stroked Jinx softly and starred into forest green eyes that seemed far too knowing while petting her unusual silver tail.

I chose Jinx because, like me, she had a steak of silver in her black hair and was also a stray.

No real home or family.

I fed Jinx and made my way to my room. Walking in, I immediately stripped down to my favorite pajamas, feeling the comfort of the worn, faded cotton. In the quiet of my room, my thoughts turned back to the alley and how I could feel eyes burning a hole into me.

"you must be going insane Velvet." I whispered to my empty room. Forcing the thoughts away, I turned on my TV and grabbed Jinx next to me when she jumped on the bed.

I woke with a start. I was breathing heavily and sweating. I dreamed of a man standing in my room, his glowing gray eyes burning holes into me, staring at me as if they owned me.

A feeling of hate so strong it made me hold my breath and my skin crawl. I grabbed my phone. I checked the time and saw that it was 8:30 am.

I groaned and threw my arm over my eyes, because I knew after that dream I wasn’t going to be able to go back to sleep.

I still feel groggy as I roll out of bed. Jinx immediately gets up and follows me to the bathroom, laying down on the mat and curling up.

Maybe a shower will help me clear my head. I turn the water to the hottest possible level and step in. I lean my body against the shower tile.

My mind wanders back to the dream I had. I feel goosebumps on my skin despite the blasting heat from the water.

The intensity of those eyes is going to disturb me for the rest of the day. As if sensing my distress, Jinx peaks her head and meows at me.

She startles me out of my thoughts, and I quickly turn off the shower and step out. I wrapped myself in a large towel and stared at myself in the half-fogged mirror.

Looking back at myself, all I see is a woman with too large eyes and unnaturally pale skin.

I have to work again tonight, so I hurriedly get dressed and leave the house to run my errands before my next shift starts.

San Francisco's public transit is actually fairly good, so I am able to get around without a vehicle easily.

I entered the underground train, I took a seat, and settled in for the ride. Sitting silently for a few minutes, I again got a strange feeling again that someone was watching me.