Chapter 9

The woman hadn’t said a word, not one.

It was like her eyes were trying to force me to give up my seat.

My own gaze firmly screamed, “No way!”

She stood there for a while until someone in the crowd finally waved her over.

“Please, sit here. You can have my seat.”

At this, a faint, chilling smile flickered on the woman’s otherwise impassive face. Holding her baby, and wearing those narrow, pointed blue embroidered shoes, she glided, rather than walked, taking tiny, almost imperceptible steps, swaying slightly as she went.

The woman sat down.

The young man who’d offered his seat, Alex, stood next to her and smiled reassuringly.

Suddenly, the woman turned to him and said, “Thank you. Could you hold my baby for a moment? I need to find something.”

Alex, being helpful, took the baby from her arms.

I watched him for a long time. Everything seemed perfectly normal.

Nothing happened.

I suddenly felt so foolish.

It was just a seat, what could happen? What was I even so scared of?

It must be all the stress from school getting to me, making me hallucinate.

I let out a long breath, leaned back in my seat, and decided to rest my eyes.

Just two more stops, and I’d be there.