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Julie couldn’t take it anymore. His draw was
unmistakable. Something deep in her said he was something. What?
She didn’t know. She wanted to reach out and touch him but
remembered what emotions his touch revealed.

“I’ve got to go,” Julie said.

She flipped around and stumbled out of the
seat, falling over a chip display. As he knelt to help her up, she
looked once more into his sinister eyes.

“Don’t,” he said. His voice changed to almost
a humbling tone.

A hole formed in her chest at the outpouring
of grief and seclusion she felt ripping at him.

“Don’t go. I’ll take you to Nashville,
wherever. Just don’t leave me. Not yet.”

His eyes were blue and clear as a cloudless
sky, but the storm clouds were there, rolling in the background
ready to swoop down and cause untold destruction.

“How did you know my name?”

“You told me.”

“No, I didn’t,” she answered vigorously
shaking her head.

He suddenly became agitated and confused.
“Someone said it then,” he blared out, “Ugh.” He raked both hands
through his hair.

“No, they didn’t,” she muttered barely above
a breath.

Their eyes met. There was something in him
that wasn’t right. If eyes were the windows to one’s soul, he had a
soul she didn’t want to tango with. There was no way she would ever
go anywhere with him. She shook her head, unable to answer him, and
got up to leave.

*******

Trucker watched Julie get into an old
rusted-out pickup truck and drive away. He craved her touch. The
feel of her small body under his. The taste of her. Trucker had
finally found his other half, and for the first time ever she made
him doubt himself. He wondered if she would ever willingly go with
him. What he was doing was wrong? But he knew pain, and no pain was
greater than staying away from her. He turned to hit the side of
the wall, remembered where he was, and left.

*******

Trucker tapped a pen against his journal.
The day had not gone as planned.

Well, I fucked up her birthday. How can one
small insignificant human girl cause me such turmoil?

Trucker slammed his head on the back of the
chair. He finally decided to see why he couldn’t get her off his
mind. Being with her, talking to her, touching her, only brought
more questions. Every other person crumbled at his feet. Not Julie.
Not the one who finally brought color to his world. She sensed what
was truly in him. How? He couldn’t understand. No one had ever seen
through him, except
her
.

I won’t fight it. If she doesn’t want to be
with me, that’s her loss. I’ll just leave her the hell...

Screw it...

The pen snapped in Trucker’s hand. Black ink
tickled down his knuckles. He couldn’t walk away. Not from
her
. Ever since the moment he first saw her, she had
consumed his every thought. He had to get one last glimpse of her.
Maybe then he could leave her alone.

*******

Julie woke up with his name on her lips,
“Trucker,”
as she had every morning for the last two weeks.
She rubbed her eyes and looked around the room.
Trucker
Castleman
walked into her life for a mere second but was slowly
becoming the vein of her every thought.

Ever since he had shown up out of nowhere,
she saw him everywhere. She ran into him at the oddest places. He
seemed to be wherever she was. Her closest friends, Tori Phillips
and Tiffany Mansfield, were thrilled to consistently have him
around. She was torn in two. He was the first guy to ever appeal to
her. Of course, his incredible good looks were a definite plus. But
something deeper called to her. He was troubled. He appeared to be
wandering through life. He had everything the world said would make
him happy. His car alone was worth more than her house. He had it
all, except hope.

She shivered thinking about the draw he had
over her. His pull was marked and powerful. She was determined not
to get sucked in. After all, unhappiness was not the most potent
emotion she felt coming from him. For once in her life she wished
she didn’t have her unusual sixth sense. She wished she could block
off her feelings and take him up on his offer for a small piece of
her time.

“Julie Danielle Emison,” her mom, Ellen,
yelled from downstairs. “You promised you would help outside
today.”

“Coming, Mom,” Julie said, her voice dripping
with sarcasm. She stretched before falling back on the bed.
Ugh,
just what I wanted to do, hang out in the heat, digging in the dirt
with my mom.

She had promised to help her mom work in the
flowerbeds but really would had preferred to hide out under the
covers and forget the last few days. She tossed her pillow across
the room. Knowing her mom would never let her lie around and sulk;
she got up, threw on some clothes, sat at her dresser, and started
to pull back her massive mountain of blond curls. The mirror showed
her what she already knew. She wasn’t ugly, but she wasn’t pretty
either. Her skin had a translucent quality and was clear of any
blemishes, but her humdrum green eyes were too wide set and her
nose reminded her of Miss Piggy’s. Julie pushed up her nose and
gave a small snort.
Yeah, Trucker is dying to be with me.
B
ut something deep down let her know he did want something from
her.

“Now, I don’t have all day,” her mom yelled
back up the stairs.

Julie laughed as she rushed down the stairs,
wondering if her dad had finished the attic off for her to have a
bedroom, or to give her mom a good excuse to get her screaming out.
It really didn’t matter to her either way. Being upstairs, alone,
kept them out of her business. Not to totally sound like a brat,
she really loved her parents and had a close relationship with
them. Well, as close as an eighteen-year-old would have. Deep down,
Julie had always been jealous of her mom. Ellen Emison was
everything Julie wasn’t: beautiful, charming, and charismatic.
Their similarities were almost a slap in Julie’s face. They both
had blond, curly hair, deep green eyes, were about the same height
and, even with the age difference, weight. Yes, Julie looked like
her mom, but lacked all the best qualities. Julie felt duller and
less appealing than Ellen.

Julie inwardly laughed at herself. Even after
the endless prodding to get up, Julie found her mom getting ready.
After all, how could you possibly do yard work not fully made up?
Maybe she and her mom were not as much alike as she thought.

“Where’s Dad?” Julie asked, leaning onto the
frame around the bathroom door.

“Working,” Ellen answered. “As always.”

That was a sore subject with Julie. She was
tired of her poor parents working two or three jobs and still never
knowing where their next meal was coming from.

“I’ll meet you outside.” Julie rolled her
eyes before turning her back on her mom.

Sprawled out in the front yard, Julie
listened to the crickets and the rustling of leaves. It was in that
tranquil state that she saw Trucker’s car being driven by her
house. It was a red sports car with dark tinted windows. She had
seen it numerous times, but now knew whom it belonged to.
I
wonder why he is coming by here. I wonder if he noticed me.
She
couldn’t let her mind go there. She wanted a life free of drama, if
that was possible. Her fingers started fidgeting with a hole in her
old shirt.
Get over it. I’m sure me laying out in the front yard
did nothing for him.

She wandered aimlessly to the shed to gather
the garden tools and headed to the front flowerbed. Ellen was
meticulous when it came to the house. She had drilled it into
Julie’s head; take pride in your home whether it’s a mansion or a
shack. Julie knelt down and started to pull weeds. Her thoughts
drifted to Trucker, and she couldn’t help but wonder what he was
doing driving by her house. Hearing someone walk up behind her, she
leaped up and was relieved to see her mom.

They had spent countless days together in the
past, so Julie was confused as to why they both were on edge.
Usually, Ellen was full of laughs and Julie would make one snarky
remark after another at each of Ellen’s corny jokes. However, on
that day there was a raw energy around them. A feeling of depravity
swirled in the air.

Ellen threw down her shovel. “I’ve had
enough. I’m going in.”

“Why?” Julie asked, wondering if Ellen could
sense the sensation of evil encircling them.

“I keep feeling like someone is watching
us.”

Julie glanced around at the woods on the
backside of the house. It startled her to think she was being
watched.

“Come in, baby,” her mom yelled from the
front door. Julie started to get up when she looked back at the
woods and saw a large figure walking in the trees. Surrounded by a
sudden loneliness, she jumped up and went in, leaving the garden
tools scattered over the yard.

Before getting into bed that night, Julie
checked her Space-book page and discovered a couple of private
messages.

Guess who I ran into today. TRUCKER!!!!!! He
was off and short tempered but still heavenly. :-) He said to tell
you hi!! Tori

OMG!! Tori and I ran into Trucker today. He
seemed into you. He couldn’t stop asking about you!! Tori is in
love, as if any of us stands a chance with a guy like him.
Tiffany

Julie slammed her computer shut and crawled
into bed. The thought of her two best friends talking to him left
her unsettled. On one hand, she often daydreamed about Trucker and
her together. Them riding down a back road taking in the scenery.
Then his eyes would pop into her head, and she worried about where
a trip with him would take her. It didn’t matter anyway, Tiffany
was correct - none of them stood a chance with him. Though out of
the three, Julie was the least likely to attract a guy like him.
Tori was the beauty of the group. She was petite, perky, and very
athletic. She had long blond hair and was very tan; a perfect
Barbie for an unbelievable Ken. Tiffany was the sweetest of the
three. She had dark brown perfectly wavy hair, unlike Julie’s that
was one big mound of curls. Tiffany also had the cutest, round
face, that a smile was always plastered onto.

Dear Diary,

Hey!! Yes, I am still thinking about him.
Going through every possibility in my weak, feeble mind. He asked
about me today, but do I really want him asking at all? At least
tomorrow is the beginning of my college days. Tiffany, whose mom
works in the local community college’s attendance office, checked,
and no new student by the name of Trucker had registered. Which I
completely understood. Who would want to start backwoods’ junior
college? I’m sure a state party school is more his speed.

“Julie, you might want to turn in early. I
can’t believe you start college tomorrow,” Dan, her dad, said,
interrupting her thoughts. “I wished we could afford to send you to
state.” He walked up behind her and kissed the top of her head.

“Love you, Daddy. Let me finish up with
this.” Julie held up and shook her diary.

Dan’s slouch was getting more pronounced.
Julie’s heart ached as he walked away. Where she went to college
was the least of her concerns. Her dad was going to die a young man
if he didn’t stop working so hard and start taking care of himself.
The thought was too much for her. If something were to happen to
either of her parents, it would kill her.

Here’s to a great year. Something tells me
this year will be different than I even imagined.

Julie Danielle Emison

Chapter 2

I feel like a sick, rabid wolf stalking a
sweet, unsuspecting kitten. No matter how hard I try, I can’t stop
myself. A simple touch, an unprovoked smile, the sweet smell of her
blood, all keeps me coming back for more. I’m so tired of hurting.
I’m especially tired of hurting the ones I love. I know what I
need. I need her, the sweet and angelic Julie. Until I can have
her, I will try to hold onto the last piece of humanity I have.
Truck

Trucker’s already oversensitive nerves had
been in hyper drive the last few weeks. He had been unable to leave
Julie alone. Each time he was near her, his yearning for her grew.
Watching her fears heighten every moment they were together, he
started following her from a distance. He had to make sure she was
safe. He was always out of her earshot and eyesight, but she was
always well in his. He wasn’t stalking her, exactly. Being near her
was the only thing keeping him together.

Julie was always with the same three people.
She kept her shield up to the world but let it slip in their
presence. He loved watching her hang with them. Every time she let
out one of her heavenly laughs; he couldn’t help but wonder if she
thought of him. He dreamed of making her happy, seeing her smile,
and knowing that smile was meant for him. Damn, he loved that
laugh. Trucker shook his head, knowing he didn’t make her happy and
doubted he even could. That fact kept him up at night.

I’ve watched her every day. My black soul
basks in her virtuous light. I sometimes can’t believe how many
changes one smile can make, but Julie’s smile has changed me
completely. My sweet angel loves to sit out in the yard and read. I
feel guilty for spying on her, but I need to be around her. She is
the only hold I have on my sanity. I have the capability to simply
take her. But it would be immoral to coerce her into my life. I
have to believe she will willingly come to me one day. Even if
she’ll never touch me again when she learns who I really am. A few
days with her is worth everything to me. Truck

*******

As he had every year since kindergarten, Dan
carried out the tradition of cooking a big breakfast. Julie plugged
her
IPhone
into a set of speakers. The music blared as Dan
slid a plate across the table. Turning the volume down on the
speakers, he motioned for Julie to have a seat.