The person next to me touched my arm and asked, "were you floating?"
Yes, I arrived at my seat just fine. Nothing happened in between, I didn't fall or anything. I give the person a questioning look and when he gets that I didn't understand what he meant he elaborate.
"Oh, I didn't even hear you, yet you were walking."
"Oh," I say and look at the speaker. Oh, that is the best answer because I can't think of another answer. What am I supposed to answer him?
"Oh, I hate the attention so I decided to tiptoe." Of course not!
I don't think anyone watched me when I was walking into the room, everyone was on the speaker. That was better. I look at the book and wonder what they wanted us to write on. Once I think like that I see my father giving me a hard look.
And I am sure he will tell me, "Brenda Keys, I didn't train to think like that. I can not tolerate this kind of behavior from my daughter."
I look at the person next to me and he was busy writing, and then he looked up and stared at me. We stared at each other for a few seconds and when I saw he wasn't going to stop I looked away. From the corner of my eyes, he was still staring at me.
"What is happening?" I asked myself.
"Oh no, is he seeing my resemblance with my sisters?" that is the second question that came into my mind, call me paranoid but what else would the man look at me like that.
I turn at him and before I get to ask why he was staring at me like that he said, "you are beautiful."
What am I supposed to do with that?
I don't blush, normally that is what women do, yeah?
I can't tell him he is handsome, trust me he is. I can't tell him because I am sure he will think I am hitting on me, and the idea of me telling him, "no, I am not into you, meh! Meh! it is boring.
I do the one thing I normally do if I am with 'important' people, I smile.
He smiles and looks at his book and I guess that is my turn to catch up on what the speaker was saying.
"... the media always works as it wants. After all, there is thing book called, a constitution and it supports the freedom of speech," the man said and then I hear laughter. I look around and see everyone laughing, I don't get it. In that sentence there is no joke, maybe it was before I catch what he was saying.
I shake my head disapprovingly, and when I look at the interpreter I realize she has a neutral face. She didn't get the joke too.
I unlock my phone, looking at the people next to me I find they are immersed in what the speaker was saying. It is safe for me to start my research on Tesla's 'baby' I hate to call him that but I have to, I don't know his name yet.
I open my fake Facebook account and search for Tesla Perry. It loads fast and I see three profiles with the same name but my Tesla is on top. I click on it and I am shocked at the number of followers she has.
I go first into her pictures and opening it I find most of them they are together, five of them and one is her, sisters and their parent and I can see she is holding something like a book. I zoomed the picture and when I can't see what it was I screenshot it.
I will check later.
I don't see any recent photos and I am shocked at that, perhaps it is because she is busy with work and life.
I think of the fastest way of getting the guy's name and by looking at the number of friends she has, I won't be getting the man's name fast.
I think option two will work, I open one of the pictures is alone and she looks ravishing. I won't miss the guy's name by checking the comment section. I read through and find nothing. I open the next one, and when I find a comment, "baby, you look good." I smile.
Nailed it!
I clicked on the name of the person who sent the comment and it is him. But here he looks kinda different. Do you want to know how people look whenever they have no make-up or their real face and how they used to dress?
Welcome to Facebook.
On Facebook, I see people's pictures from the time they were in high school and they look nothing compared to what they look now.
I look at the interpreter and she is signing administration, I look at the direction of the speaker and then back at the interpreter and back at my phone. There is no need for me to focus only on the meeting, I am busy and I multitask well. I hear well what the speaker is saying, I think the speakers in the building are ten.
I look back at my phone and smile. He is here, name. Ace.
Ace? Is this even a real name? Damn it! I hope it is his real name. I read at the school he attended his work, his family and such like. But I find it unbelievable, people write anything they want on social media.
Do you want to know how much obsessed I get?
When I started to protect my sisters I had to know everyone they were with, who they ate with, who they work with. It was becoming a little bit tedious so I had created software to help me with that.
I only type in the name of the person I want to know, and voila! I get everything from there.
I go back to his profile and found the person he called brother and his second name is Young. I open the app and type 'ACE YOUNG.'
"This is good," I think as I click on it and smile. The meeting is going on well, the speaker changed when I read the name. Told you I am good at multitasking. And even if I miss it, there will be a recording. So yeah I am good.
I get back at my phone faster and read about him. If anyone realized about this software I will be screwed, back at Ace Young. I will tell you later about the software. I read and see he has a police record, reading record I feel like flying out of the chair and searching Tesla and asking her to run and hide. Abusive, obsessive, drunkard.
I see a paper on top of the table, I read the note, "are you okay?" I look at the guy and nod, I am sure it is from him. I go back to my phone and scrolled.
"Let's break and we will be back in ten minutes." the speaker said and everyone left. I remained on my seat obsessively reading through Ace Young's profiles on every social media platform I can find him.
The people came back and after that, the meeting continued, during lunchtime, I didn't get to eat lunch, I was formulating a plan of how I was going to make Ace's life miserable.
Lunchtime ended and I walked back and took a different seat. The afternoon meeting continued till seven and when it ended I was surprised to see that the room was still full. The people took the meeting seriously, no wonder my dad registered it for me.
The host dismissed us and everyone walked out smiling, but not me. I want to find the Ace guy and show him what I am made of. Reaching out of the door I look at the lift and decided against it I took the stairs.
When I reach I am sure on the second-floor stairs, the light went off. And then on. I look back and that is when I saw someone watching me, and it went off again before I could put on my phone's touch I felt a hand on my arm.
To say I feared for my life now is an understatement, I wish to tell you the person wanted to guide me down the stairs, but from the grip on my arm, that wasn't the plan.
"Who are you?" I ask into the darkness and I feel stupid.
When the person doesn't answer me, I ask again, "who are…" but before I finish my question, I feel a damp cloth on my nose, fear rushing all over my body and then darkness engulfed me.