10/22

Salutations my dear friend. I have a confession to make. Do not fear. It does not involve murder. I would hate to become too predictable. Today, I found myself wandering to the park again. It was as if my legs were being controlled by some unknown force. Perhaps it was the beast.

I am quite happy with finding myself in the park as I was able to see her again. Upon further reflection, I can only describe her as plain. She is not a great beauty with her brown hair and eyes, but I am still drawn to her. I have heard that when lovers have been together long enough, they begin to become more and more like one another. Perhaps if she was my mate, I too would display the traits of being average and normal. The beast is crying out for her, my friend. What kind of owner would I be to not listen to his pet?

As I watched her drawing in her books, I discovered some interesting facts about her. She listens to classic rock. She was humming to the tune of an old song called Killer Queen. My friend, I shall not tell I lie, I almost could not hide my excitement and it is a lucky thing that we were in a public place.

Today, I also noticed that today drew a person crouched on the floor with a group of demons surrounding the figure. Somehow this drawing spoke to me. I do not have a demon but a beast. Some may say the beast is a demon but I do not think he is evil. He is merely selfish. He wants what he wants so that's what he gets. Unfortunately for others, he wants their deaths.

She seems peaceful. As if she could teach me how to become peaceful as well. I want that. No, I crave it. I need it. I cannot continue this life and perhaps she will be my saving grace. Ironies are quite lovely are they not? Her name is Grace.

How do I know this, you ask?

I heard a male call towards her. His exact words were, "Grace, class is almost over. Let's go back."

I will assume that he is a classmate. If he is not, the beast may need to take drastic action. There is a small art school nearby. Perhaps she is a student. I have never been one to enjoy art with the exception of a beautiful kill. However, perhaps I shall make an exception.

My saving Grace is waiting for me. Just writing that caused a shiver of pleasure to run down my spine. The beast is content, therefore I am as well.

Yours until death, O

Lucy closed the journal and let the words sink in. He had learned her name. That foreign feeling she felt when she read the first entry about the mysterious woman in the park seemed to grow. Lucy looked at the journal and sighed. Against her better judgment she had pulled out the journal and read another entry. She wanted to read a third but forced herself not to.

"Willpower, Lucy," she reminded herself.

For her, staying sober was a daily battle and she realized that she started to turn other things into small battles as a way to test herself. She would never eat more than two slices of pizza, or let herself watch more than two hours of television, and now she didn't want herself to read more than two entries at a time from the journal. Lucy couldn't help her curiosity. She wanted to learn more about the kind of woman O was interested in.

She carefully put the journal away and walked outside. It was getting dark. She slipped off her shoes and soaked her bare feet into pool, making circles in the water with her feet when her cellphone rang.

"Hey, Lucy." Jake's voice had the ability to make her smile effortlessly.

"Hi, lover," Lucy replied causing him to laugh. He was never really big on endearments besides 'babe.'

"What have you been up to?" Jake asked.

Lucy thought of the journal. "N-nothing. It's pretty boring here without you."

A moment of silence between them had Lucy wondereding if Jake believed her.

"I'm glad you miss me," he said softly. "I miss you too."

Lucy tugged at the hem of her shirt.  She should never have lied to him. She had already resolved to keep the journal a secret after she had missed the opportunity to tell him about it.
Technically, she didn't miss the opportunity. She lied about it. To tell him now would admit that she had been lying to him on top of everything else. She didn't want to disappoint him again.

"Do you have any plans for tomorrow?" Jake asked.

"Nothing special. I was thinking of going to the park. You?"

Jake chuckled. "I was thinking of working."

Lucy blushed. "Sorry. Of course you'll be working."

"I wish I was home with you, Lucy."

She smiled.

Another moment of silence passed but this time it was a comfortable one only broken by his next question. "So what are you going to do at the park?"

She didn't want to lie any more than she already had. "I was thinking of checking out that small art school that's next to it again. Some of the students go there to draw."

"You want to start up art again?"

"Yes. I think it would be a good thing for me. Don't you agree?"

She could hear Jake sighing. "Sure, Lucy. As long as it isn't another one of your hobbies."

"Another one of my hobbies? What's that doused to mean?"

"C'mon, Lucy. You know you start things and never finish them. You can see it all around the house. Once you started collecting teapots, then there was the crocheting, cake decorating, and let's not forget the clown figurines."

"Hey those are worth money!" Lucy defended herself.

"That's not the point, Lucy. What I'm trying to say is that you always get really excited about something but never follow through or stick with it."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Do you think it's a good thing?" Jake asked.

"Well, it gives me extensive knowledge in a lot of different things," Lucy huffed.

"I just wish you'd stick with something long enough to see if you really liked it, that's all."

"Fine. I promise that if I give the art thing a try, I'll stick with it for six weeks."

"Six months," Jake countered.

"Six months? That's a long time."

"I know I'm being a nag but you were really good last time you started painting. Maybe you'll get good enough to draw me naked."

Lucy laughed. "You wish."

"Fine. I'll join so I can draw you naked."

"Maybe I should take up photography instead," Lucy joked.

"Even better," her boyfriend purred into the phone.

Lucy loved Jake when he was joking around. He could be very serious when he was worried about her.

After she disconnected the call, she thought again about Grace. Lucy wondered what she was doing.

"My saving Grace," she repeated, letting the syllables play on her tongue.

The following Day, Lucy walked around the town's park, looking for other art students. She wondered if Grace was somewhere nearby, drawing another cryptic picture that O would like.

She saw a group of students spread out in a general area, each sketching and seemingly in their own world. Lucy walked around them to see if she saw anyone like O had described. She was looking for a plain female with dark hair and eyes.

She didn't see anyone matching O's description. She was about to walk away when she saw the edges of a blue dress peeking behind a tree. She walked closer and saw a woman with dark hair bent over her sketchbook, drawing furiously.

"Grace?" she asked quietly.

Lucy wondered if O was still watching Grace. She wasn't sure if the woman in blue was O's Grace but she looked around anyway. The thought that she had no idea what he looked like crossed her mind for a second but was replaced by the thought, "I'll know him when I see him."

Lucy thought perhaps she would feel it in her gut if she laid eyes on O. She quickly glanced around. There were other people in the park doing normal things like playing Frisbee, having a picnic, or reading a book. Her eyes took in the bushes and trees and something else. A man's eyes were following her. Not Lucy but the woman in blue. He stayed hidden behind some shrubbery but a figure definitely stood there.

A tingle of excitement prickled Lucy's being. She licked her lips in anticipation as she whispered, "O?"