It was cold, the rooftop I was perched on offered no protection from the elements. I was still at it, still stalking Jonathan. But I liked to think of it as snake watching, yes that sounded much better. For weeks now nothing truly noteworthy occurred, I even felt like the binoculars I purchased might be a waste of my funds. But finally it seemed all my weeks of effort, my somewhat obsessive passion were about to bear fruit.
There was hastened movement around the massive grounds. The security guards all moving into a state of high alert. Soon after the cause for the sudden shift in dynamic came, my interest growing as it drew near. An entourage of SUV's came in, about 10 of them in total. They made their way into the compound before coming to a stop in front of the manor. Doors swung open, men in dark suits swarmed out coming to a halt in an organized, practiced formation. The men opened the door for the car in the middle, the VIP coming down seconds later.
He sported an expensive looking suit, his mustache looked impeccable. He was a short, lean Asian man, I believed of Japanese descent. He was mature in years probably around his 50s. Though he certainly held himself with the cospetto begetting of his position, whatever it may be.
He scanned his surroundings, taking in the details before his gaze finally settled on the huge mansion Jonathan called home. His eyes were firm, his posture straight but somehow even with his back to me I noticed a bit of fear cross his demeanor as he stared at the building. Releasing a heavy breathe he walked towards the house, his men moving with perfect synchronisation followed after him. Ten of them stood in stood with him, five on each side, the others bowing towards him as he passed. The doors opened as if on queue and he strode in. A quick nod of his head at the men outside was all the communication needed and they straightened up, ready for action.
'It taking quite some time. I wonder whats being discussed.' It was certainly important and shady if it needed to be held at the late of night. The bodyguards stood straight and poised, unflinchingly in the cold night. And finally after hours of waiting there was movement again. One of the men came outside his steps unhurried though his face was sour. He whispered something into one of his companions ear, the suit clad fellow nodded his face also souring with the news. Moments later the door burst open, the bodyguards rushed out. Their superior had yet to make his way out and seconds later I came to a very grim realization.
The final bodyguard stepped out the manor, a body bag in his arms. One that seemed to mirror the size of their boss almost too well. The man holding the black sac looked sorrowful, on the verge of tears. The others schooled their expressions into neutrality but the same gloomy air hung around all of them. They parted as the sac-bearing man passed, bowing their heads in respect to their now dead superior. One final show of respect for the man they all loyally served.
The men got into their cars and left soon after. 'What happened in there. Maybe I'm at the wrong house.' But this was definitely the place, the place were a murder just took place. And I stuck around to witness it, not in detail but I definitely watched a man leave the house dead.
There was movement at the still open doors. I peered down the sights of my binoculars. Jonathan stood at the door way, wearing just pajamas and a bathrobe. He stared into the distance, his eyes blank, emotionless. For a moment I doubted he had any involvement in what happened. He seemed so carefree, guiltless those cold eyes never wavered. He let out a contented sigh before reaching for the door handles. As he shut the doors he looked up and stared right at me, his eyes pierced through my binoculars and resonated within my psyche. Then he smiled at me, that cold emotionless smile of his. The feeling of utter wrongness followed, I struggled to remain steady. I pushed against the nausea and broke eye contact. The doors closed and Jonathan was gone.
'He knew, he's always known.' Of course he did, he probably knew from the very beginning. I always theorized that I'd been found out but the frustration that followed consumed me. How could it be that easy, I always kept my abilities dormant just in case and I perched on a different rooftop each night. I even dressed in very dark clothes to help blend in with the shadows but it was all for nought.
I rushed home in a daze. Always keeping an eye on my back as I approached the orphanage. To tell the truth I was scared. 'What have I gotten myself into.' I always thought DeLark was strange, creepy even. But this escalated very quickly. My curiosity cooled, I felt less compelled to look for secrets. I entered the room and looked at Tobias, I scanned the rooms assuring that everyone was in bed, was safe. Tobias was smiling in his sleep, I remember him telling me that Rebecca was visiting today. The briefing he gave everyone in anticipation of her arrival.
I sat on my bed and stared out the window till dawn broke. I couldn't think straight and I felt very inclined to just sleep the day away, maybe wake up and think it was just a bad dream. I descended the stairs, going around the corridors. I pushed the door of one of the children's playrooms open and sat in the tiny seat. I looked over their exercise books, the messy penmanship, the drawings. No I wasn't going to back down. I wasn't going to fear, there was no room for cowardice, for complacence. I had things to guard, Jonathan was just one obstacle in the long life I planned to live. There would be more like him, like us!
Shying away now was stupid, suicidal. Being at the mercy of that cold sick bastard was the last thing I wanted. I spent the rest of the day testing my abilities. I stretched the veil harder than I ever did before. I wanted to know know how much self harm I could do before becoming completely comatose. The day progressed like any other. I met Jonathan at the bus stop but I avoided him as usual, rather a bit more than usual.
During recess I challenged him again, he obliged the 'staring' match. This time I didn't try to test his limits, there was no need to gradually increase the force of attack. I'd evaluated enough to know that he was strong, very strong. So I barreled through with everything I had, it pushed with my new limits. Honestly I hoped for a reaction, maybe shock at this new level of psychic might. No, Jonathan was far from shocked, his eyes were as still and empty as always. It's amusing just the other day I marvelled at the rewards of my labour but now it proved pointless. Jonathan matched me it strength, he could overpower me right now. But he didn't, he was playing with me, using me to saite his sick jokes, that twisted humour of his, 'Very amusing indeed.'
So I asked myself: What is weakness, what is powerlessness? Jonathan made me feel all those things and more. In a way I was lucky he found me amusing, found me worthy of his entertainment. Another person might have found it too stressful or risky to keep me around. 'Yes I'm very fortunate.' I was already at his mercy and his inaction was proof. I looked away first, I lost today. I gobbled up my food and pondered the answer to my questions. Well I had things to do, progress to make. One loss wasn't going to stop me, besides there were other ways to best the snake in a duel.
The rest of the day went well, Rebecca came over. The kids loved her, well it was the expected outcome. I cooked a meal, Tobias mentioned something about her liking rice in one his lovestricken rants. At this point he should just pray to her, she wasn't that bad herself though. At least she kept his busy, he was less concerned about my nightly outings than he should have been before her influence. All in all a good day.
I was in the junkyard again, it was time to push my mind to the brink of collapse once more. Just a few days back I promised to give my abilities a bit more rest, now I just wanted to see how far I could take them.
Even with everything that happened, one particular thought crossed my mind. 'I was right.' Yes, yes I was. I was right about Jonathan. The DeLarks had corpses in their closet, I wasn't being paranoid, I wasn't being obsessive nor was I being strange. I was RIGHT!!