Traveler by L.E. DeLano (book suggestions .txt) 📕

The school is right down the next street.” So don’t go thinking you can pull me into your murder van or anything.

“The walk will go faster if you have company,” he offers.

“I don’t need company.” I pick up my pace, nearly jogging because I’m walking so fast.

“Jessa…,” he says, holding his hands out. “I just want to talk.”

“I have to go!” I start running and don’t stop until I get to the doors of my school. When I look back, he’s gone.

I end up spending most of my class time for the rest of the day worrying about whether I’m going to run into Finn again—and alternately kind of wishing I would. Which makes no sense. He could be a serial killer, for all I know of him.

Except he doesn’t seem dangerous. Isn’t that what people always say about serial killers, though? He was the nicest guy … really polite … I have to stop letting him take over my brain.

When lunchtime comes, I pick at my food, glancing around because I half expect Finn to step out from behind the serving line, tearing off his hairnet and a lunchroom-lady mask to reveal that he’s still watching me.

“You okay, St. Clair?” Ben asks.

“Yeah. I didn’t sleep well.”

“Hey, at least tomorrow’s Friday and you can rest up. It’s not like either of us ever have anything to do on a Friday night.”

“You’re not hanging with your soccer buddies?” I look nervously over my shoulder.

“Jessa.” He gives me a look. “My father is a professor and my mother is a software developer. Who do you think I hang out with when I’m not working? Nerds like you.”

“Thanks.” I push my food away.

“Don’t be like that. I just mean that between the two of us, maybe we can find something to do this weekend. What do you think?”

My only thought at the moment is that I probably haven’t seen the last of Finn. And I really want to know how he knows where I live. It really should creep me out more, but it doesn’t. Finn feels sort of … comfortable. Like a friend. Like Ben. Okay, maybe not like Ben. I’m not obsessing over Ben’s eyes on a minute-by-minute basis. I’m sort of freaked out by how not-entirely-creepy this is, which really makes it kind of creepy. If that makes sense.

“I guess so,” I finally answer Ben. “We’ll figure it out tomorrow.”

I make it home without any sign of Finn, but that doesn’t keep my head from swiveling left and right as I walk. I reach the front door and laugh at myself for getting so worked up. Obviously, he got the hint.

I barely make it through the door when Danny asks if I’ll play soccer with him out back. Ever since Ben started coming over, Danny’s had a bro-crush on him. He’s trying to learn how to play, and I need something to do besides sitting around worrying about crazy guys stepping out of my dreams, so I agree.

And of course, right on cue, Finn shows up. Our back lawn is unfenced, and he must’ve seen us from the sidewalk. He’s standing there watching, and this time I’m not scared—I’m starting to get really annoyed instead.

I tuck the soccer ball under my arm and walk over to him.

“What are you doing here?” I ask. “This is private property.”

He seems annoyed, too. “Don’t act like you don’t know me, Jessa.”

“I don’t know you. I just met you!”

“I’m not trying to make you uneasy,” he says calmly. “I’m here for a very good reason, and if you’ll just hear me out—”

“I can’t talk right now,” I say, gesturing back at Danny. “I’m playing soccer with my brother.”

“Hi!” Finn says, raising his hand to wave at Danny.

“Hi!” Danny waves back.

“Stay away from him,” I warn.

“I’m only saying hello. I thought he might be worried, since you seem like you’re arguing with me.”

“I am arguing with you. I want you to leave, and you won’t go.”

“Jessa…” He lowers his voice, and there’s a sense of urgency in it. “I was sent here to warn you.”

I look at him like he’s nuts. Because he is. “Warn me?”

“You’re in danger,” he says. “And I want you to—”

I’m shaking my head as he’s talking because I don’t want to hear this. And I definitely don’t want Danny to hear this.

“You need to leave.” My voice is firm, but he keeps going.

“Please—Jessa. I’m not joking. You have to believe me.”

“The only one who’s causing me any problems here is you,” I say. “Now leave.”

“Jessa?”

Danny is walking over now. Great.

“Leave,” I repeat.

Finn shakes his head. “You have to listen to me.”

“Just go!” I’ve had it. I hit him with the soccer ball right in the chest, and hard. It ricochets off and rolls behind me.

“Bad manners, Jessa,” Danny says, scooping up the ball. He tosses it to me, and I’m so flustered, it drops. Finn and I go for it at the same time, and we straighten up together. He’s looking down at me and both our hands are on the ball, and for a moment, I feel such déjà vu my head swims with it.

“How do I know you, Finn? Really?”

“I can explain everything,” he says softly. “Just give me a chance.”

Danny trots up next to me. “You need to say sorry,” he chides.

I roll my eyes, mostly because Finn is looking at me in a very smug way that makes me itch to hit him with the soccer ball again.

“Yes, Danny. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“You hit him with the ball,” Danny reminds me.

“Yes, I did.”

“Yes, you did,” says Finn, clearly enjoying my brother pointing out my transgressions.

“You’re in trouble, Jessa,” Danny adds. “You’re in trouble, Jessa Emeline St. Clair.”

I groan audibly.

“Emeline?” Finn is smirking now.

“That’s her trouble name,” Danny supplies. “Jessa Emeline St. Clair.”

Finn raises his eyebrows, so I explain. “Whenever my mom used to get really mad at us when we were kids, she’d use all three of our names. The dreaded ‘triple name.’ You had to really be