She sipped at her coffee while staring back at the man dressed all in black. As black as a midnight sky could get. His black hat covered his eyes, making it impossible for her to identify the person. He had been following her since that morning, which led her to the safety of the cafe.

Perhaps it could be a woman disguised as a man, or a woman in general, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that the person still didn't move from that spot.

She could call the police, but her phone turned out to be functionless because destiny never went easy on people.

So she stood up and went over to the cashier, asking the middle aged woman if she could call the police. The woman frowned and asked for the reason, so Aelin had no choice but to point at the figure standing outside across the road. "He's been stalking me."

The woman's gaze followed the direction Aelin's finger was pointing at, and frowned even more. "Whom?"

"That guy," Aelin said with gritted teeth. "He's been following me. So police is needed."

The woman shook her head as confusion and worry settled on her expression. "I'm sorry, I think they ran away?  Because I see no one there. But if you really need to call..."

"Wait," Aelin said, "you see no one?" She glanced back outside to see the figure still standing at the same place. "But he's still there! I can see him! Why can't you?"

That managed to attract a few whispers and glances from the front tables. Aelin ignored them and faced the woman again. "Please let me call the police."

The woman hesitated and didn't move. She had a pitiful look in her eyes. Aelin could guess what that look meant. It probably meant that she thought that Aelin was mentally unstable.

But she wasn't. She looked around, watching the people in the cafe giving her the same look. Some didn't even bothered knowing what was happening. Some didn't even look at her.

"But...he's there."

~