The Shadow

 

Lexa sighed and shook her head. “I’m pretty tired. It’s late, and you should get home too.”

 

“I suppose you’re right,” Clarke huffed. She gave a little half wave as she took a few steps away from Lexa. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, Woods.”

 

Lexa nodded and watched Clarke’s retreating figure grow smaller the farther away she walked. As if a heavy string was tied around her heart, pulling at her as Clarke walked away, Lexa took a bold step forwards shouting, “Clarke!”

 

Clarke froze and spun around, and even from this distance, her smile radiated a bright light on this dark night. Lexa’s heart leaped in her chest at the sight, and she raised her hand in the air, waving slightly. “Goodnight!” she called as loudly as possible. She didn’t care how trivial the word was; she just wanted to see Clarke’s beautiful face once more.

 

Clarke shook her head and turned around as she continued her trek, and Lexa could have sworn she heard the faintest of chuckles dance on the night breeze. Lexa stood in the middle of the dimly lit path as Clarke put more and more distance between them.

 

The smile was suddenly wiped from her face, replaced by furrowed brows and a lump in her throat. Lexa squinted into the darkness, and there it was again.

 

Lexa’s skin prickled, the shivers stretching from the base of her neck down to the tips of her toes. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her breaths started coming in shallow quick succession. There was no mistaking it. A shadowy figure was following Clarke.

 

“Clarke!!!” Lexa shouted again as she took off down the path with no regard to her own wellbeing. The only thing on her mind was reaching Clarke and perhaps scaring away whoever was following her. “Clarke! Wait!”

 

Lexa caught up to Clarke, grabbing her shoulder and spinning her around. Clarke jerked out of her grasp instinctively shouting a quick, “Hey!” All menace flew from her face as she studied Lexa’s panicked and gasping one. “Whoa, what’s wrong?”

 

Clarke reached out for Lexa’s hand, and Lexa caught her breath as fingers wrapped around her own. “Lexa, hey, what’s going on?”

 

“Shhh!” Lexa silenced her as she pulled Clarke slightly behind her, putting her own body between Clarke and where she last saw the shadow. Lexa squinted into the darkness, trying desperately to find the source of general discomfort that was currently radiating through the night.

 

“Lexa?”

 

“Quiet,” Lexa shot quickly over her shoulder. She jerked her head to the right. An unidentifiable figure lurked a couple of hundred yards away. A footstep crunched in the crushed-up pecan shell covered grove ahead, tensing all of Lexa’s muscles. Her grip on Clarke’s hand tightened as she felt Clarke shift to get a closer look.

 

“Who is that?”

 

At the sound of Clarke’s voice, the shadow began to move. Lexa spared a glance at her surroundings. A line of perfectly trimmed hedges grew decoratively behind them. It was easily the closest hiding place, and it could provide enough cover to hide the pair of them from whoever was approaching. The Wellness and Athletic Center was also not far. The WAC was big, rarely empty, and most importantly locked by a state of the art security system that Lexa had a key to. However, it was a fair distance away. They’d definitely have to make a run for it.

 

Lexa should...