Snippet #2296595

He waited impatiently, tapping his toe against the cafe's floor, as James finished serving the woman and her niece. The little girl's gaze lingered on the lighter-haired Paterson before her aunt instructed her to do otherwise. In Benji's agitated state of mind, he wondered if the girl was the watcher that had been sending chills up his spine. Yes, it all made sense. That little girl was some sort of evil spirit in human form and she was going to engulf the whole town in darkness and despair and everyone was going to die!!!

Instinctively, he shuffled forward after the woman and the child had left. James's outstretched hand greeted him at the register. Benji was so used to this occurrence that he immediately began rummaging around in his pockets and produced a few euro bills. He pressed the money into James's palm.

"Listen, James," he said, leaning in close. "I... I feel like I'm being watched. Not like someone's just looking at me, but like someone's digging two holes into my back. That kind of watched. And it's not that stalker girl from last year. I'm sure of it." His breathing quickened as he thought more and more about it. "No one knows about us, right? I mean, I was running a lot because of a trip to Greece, but I should have been too fast for anyone to see. And that little girl was all mysterious and stuff and... and what if--"

He suddenly stopped his crazed rambling to sniff the air. "Wait. I smell cake." He glared at James with accusing, blue-gray eyes. "What's going on? I thought cake wasn't served on Saturdays."