Olivia was almost done for the day and was preparing to leave. However, unlike other days, she was looking forward to her brother coming to pick her up. And while this was not a social getup, it still made her happy.
When she first sensed the presence of someone observing her, she thought it was only her imagination as she had been in the midst of other people on the streets. But the feeling didn't go away until she was close to the station.
'Maybe I'm just too tired.' She thought at the time, not wanting to think about it further. But she experienced the same feeling the next day and the next.
All of a sudden, she knew something was wrong. To be in the middle of a busy street and still feel as if someone was onto you wasn't normal. The thought about whom it could be and what they wanted kept her awake at night.
She had tried searching for the suspect but to no avail. Moreover, the person never seemed to want to approach. It was like they wanted her to know.
Her parents soon noticed the issue and confronted her about her uneasiness. She came clean and told them, but since whoever the person was only wanted to stay in the shadows, she told them not to worry too much. She also didn't try going to the authorities as it might not be anything serious.
After getting ready, she descended to the ground floor to wait for Alex and his friends. He had made sure to inform her who he would be bringing with him. The thought of seeing Julia again after a long time excited her.
'Hehehe… I'm definitely going to push. If brother isn't man enough to make a move, then I'll help him. In her thoughts about how to go about setting that up, she let out a creepy smile that the people around noticed, giving her weird looks.
She quickly noticed the attention she was drawing to herself.
'Oops, did it again.' She was very aware of her habit of losing herself in thought and showing a creepy smile. She quickly made herself scarce and went to sit on one of the seats close to the window.
Sometime later, she noticed her brother and Julia entering the floor, promptly her to get to her feet. She waved at them to get their attention as the duo looked around for her.
They noticed her and approached. "Would you look at that? You've grown so much. And I'm digging the vibes." She commented the moment Alex and Julia reached her.
"Hello, Olivia. It's been a while," she greeted with a warm and bashful expression. An expression that stole the hearts of the people who were subtly paying attention to the group. Her white silvery long hair drew a lot of attention, but she was used to that.
Alex on the other hand looked around in a natural way, trying to see if he could find anything or anyone suspicious, but nothing was out of place.
He turned his attention back to the two as they continued to make small talk, mostly Olivia asking the questions and Julia replying.
"Let's get going, shall we?"
Olivia was slightly annoyed that her problem had to end the conversation like that. 'It was for your own good, you know?' The look she gave her brother made him understand what she was thinking.
"You can talk on the way." He simply shrugged, guiding the two outside and under the gaze of everyone. Alex had not noticed any strange gaze on them as Olivia had described, and since she didn't say anything, she didn't feel anything yet.
On their way here, Ross had separated from them and kept a distance. He was to shadow the group and watch their back. In order to stay in touch, they each had a small earbud in one ear for easy communication. It also served to keep Ross in the loop with the conversation Alex, Olivia and Julia were making.
On their way to the station, which was about a 10-minute walk from Olivia's workplace, the trio, mostly Olivia and Julia continued their small conversation. Of course, it mostly covered the things Julia liked and disliked and her status in the relationship department.
Alex pretended to not hear what they were discussing and kept a step or two behind them. Occasionally, Alex would focus on Olivia, and she would turn to him and give a subtle head shake, informing him of not feeling anything yet.
Even then, enough attention was on them, mostly due to the brilliance of Julia. She was not the kind of person people normally see around.
"Anything?" Alex faintly muttered, reaching Ross from wherever he was.
"Nothing unusual besides the glances you're all receiving already."
"Mm…"
Alex wanted to say something else, but suddenly felt a heavy gaze on him, instantly alerting the trio. But they pretended to have not noticed. Alex moved in between Julia and Olivia and placed his hands on their shoulders, pretending to be making conversation and guiding them to move out of sight.
"We have company." He sent to Ross to get him ready and see if he could spot anything strange. He still came negative.
'Maybe because he is not the target of the gaze.' He figured that may be the reason. As they made the next turn. He instructed Julia to continue moving with Julia.
"Be careful, okay? If it gets too dangerous, don't hesitate to run." Olivia advised with concern on her face.
"Don't worry, we'll be careful," he assured and urged them to go.
"Stay on me, Ross. My location is still broadcasting to you, correct?"
"Affirmative. I'm on your tail when you move."
"Good. Let's begin…" He muttered as his face turned serious. He could still feel the gaze on him.
He turned around to observe his surroundings and determine where the gaze was originating from. As his gaze moved around from left to right, he didn't see anyone suspicious, but once his gaze returned, a person he saw earlier who looked ordinary made eye contact with him.
Alex narrowed his brows in suspicion. For reasons unknown, his heart beating was slowly increasing. The person, a male (dark sclera) in normal everyday clothes; a blue-black T-shirt and a brown jacket smiled conspicuously at him before turning around, attempting to leave.
"Found him!" He said before rushing towards the person.