Sneaking around the bushes, I pause. I check my cellphone and grunt in frustration—and realize I just blew my cover. The girl looks around and calls out, “Hello? Is anyone there?” I stop myself from laughing to prevent a second mistake. She just said a classic movie line, and there is always someone there.

The girl slowly begins to walk again, faster this time. I crouch down and roll, good trick that I learned from the Queen. I land by a tree with a thick trunk to conceal me from her. My breath stops short—and slowly the girl turns around.

I quickly hide behind the tree to prevent her from seeing my face that was peeking out to watch her.
This girl is the girl, the one that my kingdom needs. Since I’m a very prestigious Watcher, I was sent to get her. I wasn’t supposed to be following her around this long, which is why I checked my phone and blew my cover. My Queen told me that I would only have to watch her as she walks home from school.

Now, five hours later I am still watching this girl and now she’s walking around a park. “I know you’re there. I know you’ve been there for a while. I’ve been trying to think of your objective to follow me, and I’m not too sure what it is. So,” She says with the most certainty that I almost gasp; how could she have known? “Would you please come out?”

Unmoving behind my tree, she walks closer, and closer still, until I know she can hear me breathe. “You’re right there. I know you are so stop trying to hide. Please come out before I have to discover you because it would be much more dramatic if you revealed yourself.” She pauses and quickly adds, “Also if you try to hurt me I will snap your head off, because I can.”

Coming out from my hiding spot, I look at her tentative face and laugh. “Why are you laughing?” She simply asks. She doesn’t take a step forward or back, but I can see the fear in her eyes.

“Do you find people following you around a lot?” I ask, because I know the answer. Yes, our Queen sends Watchers whenever she knows something is wrong, or at least once a month to check up on the girl.

She seems surprised but does not ask for further details, “No… maybe. Who are you?”

“What’s your name?” I ask. I’m asking this because I truly do not know. Although the Queen specifically tells all the Watchers to not ask for their names, I’m interested to find out what the Queen named her only daughter.

“You really do not know?” She asks with a speculating look and continues, “You’ve been following me around and you don’t even know what my name is?” She says incredulously. I take a step back, then forward… The Queen does not tell us the names of who we’re searching for, for who knows what reason, but it is a serious punishment if she finds out you asked. We find out their names later, when we bring them to the Cliffs.

“No, I’m sorry to say I don’t.” Maybe we will have to have her come to the Cliffs sooner than the Queen thought because of her suspicions. “Feel free to tell me, if you want.”

“Charlotte. What’s yours?” She asks expectantly.


“Chase.” I tell her back.

“Ha-Chase Charlotte. Good one, now what’s your real name?” She banters back, and I can’t help but smile. My real name is Chase, but her mind works exceptionally quickly for that to first come to her mind.

“My real name is Chase. Now enough of this,” the Queen would be furious if she found out I was not using my time efficiently, “I have to go. Thanks for your time.” I shake her hand firmly and walk away. There is no use talking to her….Charlotte, a name that fits her perfectly.

Once I get back to the Cliffs in Arizona, I quiver. What am I going to do? Will the Queen find out that I asked for her name?

One thing stops my worries –Charlotte. What a beautiful name.


CHARLOTTE

“What did you get on the English essay?” I ask my friend, Veronica, who I have helped tutor for the last six months in English.

“Well, I got a B!” She says excitedly and squeals. I smile, my work here is done.

“Bye, Veronica. You did a great job!” Still smiling I leisurely walk out of the school. The sun above me, I take in the great day. The only thing that would ruin this day is my handful of little stalkers.

For the past, I don’t know, forever I’ve noticed people follow me around. They follow me everywhere, to school, from school, dance class, you name it and they’ll be there. They don’t approach me. Sometimes they stare a little too long, or trip and fall, but most of the time they are pretty ‘discreet.’

As I walk down the sidewalk, I look around. Other kids walk home this way too but I recognize the people that walk with me every day. This little stalker gang could at least pretend to buy a house next to me and enroll in my school so it doesn’t look so weird.

Instead, I find people following me around, people that I don’t know. Sure enough, an unfamiliar boy with sandy blonde hair is walking on the sidewalk a safe distance behind me. When he sees me watching him he pretends to look very interested in a bird flying above us-as if.

When I walk up to my house I look back at the boy, curious as to where he’ll be going now that I’m home. I cannot find the boy now; he seems to have gone a different way. I lock the door once I get inside, a precaution I’ve done ever since I’ve noticed these people, and then sit down at the table.

I’ve seen this boy only once before. It was when I broke my arm last May in my junior year. He was sitting outside on a bench and the only reason I noticed him was because he wouldn’t take his eyes off of me. I didn’t give much thought to it then, simply thinking he felt sorry for a girl who broke her arm. Now, I know otherwise.

As I finish my homework I look back out of the window, searching for him. Darting my eyes to various places, my gaze stops. He’s nonchalantly sitting on a park swing that’s a few houses down. His gaze sweeps up to my house and lands on me. I quickly slam myself against the wall trying to avoid him seeing me.

After a couple of hours the boy leaves and I decide to go out to the park and see if he left a note or anything that would give me a clue to why he was following me. Checking all of the swing sets and slides I end up not finding anything. Just as I’m about to leave I hear a strange noise, sounding a bit like an animal. I walk faster, not wanting to be caught with a bear alone and realize it may be the boy.

Right when the thought hits me, I hear a thump on the ground. Cautiously turning around, I take a deep breathe with my heart pounding and tell him that I know he’s been there all along. Huh, how do you like that, sneaky stalker dude?

When the boy doesn’t reveal himself, I ask him to come out again, walking closer with each word. Suddenly realizing that he may be trained in karate or something else that could severely hurt me, I tell him I can break his head off, which of course is a lie. I wouldn’t be able to cause a scratch in a bloody fist fight.

Suddenly, the boy comes out; the same boy with the sandy hair that followed me home. Realizing I’m scared, I try to hold an even gaze and try to present myself as strong as the threat I implied.

He makes a sound. At first I thought it was a whimper, but then I realize it’s a laugh. He is laughing at me. Then he asks a question that I thought he would never ask, if I get followed around a lot. Something on his face tells me that he already knows the answer.

After I tell him my name he gives me his, which happens to be Chase. I banter a pathetic joke, but, in the meantime, I am astonished. His name, Chase, is like a lullaby to the heart. When he said it, it tousled with the wind and formed a beautiful sound.

Then he leaves, and I can’t but help whisper the beautiful name that’s coursing through the wind, Chase.