The Last Page; part one - by Nimmatula Abdulsalami

My hands flipped through the pages of the book. The wind blew heavily as it was about to rain. Wrapped in my blue blanket, sitting up close to the window, the wind danced on my face. Each passing second, I kept smiling sheepishly as I read every single word Zade Meadows said. I flinched at the part where he used a gun on his girl. That was messed up, and I decided to take a nap.A bright light shone through my eyelids. As I opened my eyes, I found Zade staring into them. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I jumped down from my bed and hit my head on the ground. I wanted to see if I was still sleeping, so I pinched myself, but he was still there, standing and looking intently at me.Confused and scared, I whispered his name, and he didn’t answer me immediately, not until after two seconds. I got up from the floor and walked slowly toward him, still not believing my eyes."Zade???""How do you know my name?" he asked, making me flinch. His voice was deep, but it wasn’t rough. It wasn’t scary. It was calm and soothing, mixed with an icy tone. It felt good, but I just couldn’t help but flinch."How do I know that? This is in fact Zade?" That name just came out of my mouth looking at him.When he said, "Yes," I frowned."But... you're not real," I whispered, the words feeling foolish as they left my lips. He was standing right there, solid and real, smelling faintly of pine and cold night air. "You're from a book. Haunting Adeline. You're a character."A slow, dangerous smile touched the corners of his mouth, but it didn't reach his eyes. Those dark, intense eyes stayed locked on mine. "Am I?" he asked, the question hanging in the air, thick with unspoken meaning. He took a deliberate step closer, and I instinctively took one back, my bare feet cold against the wooden floor."How are you here?" I demanded, my voice gaining a sliver of strength. Fear was still a cold knot in my stomach, but curiosity was a burning flame spreading through my veins."You were reading about me," he stated simply, as if it were the most logical explanation in the world. He gestured with his head toward the book, which had fallen to the floor when I jumped. "My book." The way he said it sent a shiver down my spine. It wasn't just a story to him."People read books all the time," I argued, my back now pressed against the cool wall. "Characters don't just... climb out of the pages.""Perhaps not for everyone," Zade said, his gaze sweeping over me, making me feel utterly exposed. "But you weren't just reading, were you? You were feeling it. Smiling, flinching..." He took another step, closing the remaining distance between us. He was so close now I could see the faint stubble on his jaw, the intricate darkness of his irises. He raised a hand, and I flinched, my mind flashing back to the scene in the book with the gun.But he didn't touch me. His fingers hovered just an inch from my cheek, close enough for me to feel the warmth radiating from his skin. "You called me here," he murmured, his voice dropping to an intimate, conspiratorial whisper. "And now I have a question for you."I held my breath, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird."That part in the book," he began, his eyes searching mine, "the part that 'messed you up' enough to make you sleep... Why?"The question caught me completely off guard. I had expected a threat, a demand, an explanation of this impossible magic. Not this. Not a question about my feelings."Because..." I stammered, trying to find my voice. "It was cruel. She trusted you."His expression remained unreadable, but a flicker of something—was it understanding? or something darker?—passed through his eyes. "And you believe I am cruel?"I swallowed hard, trapped between the fictional monster I'd read about and the strangely calm, intensely real man standing before me. I didn't know what to believe anymore. All I knew was that my quiet, rainy afternoon had just been invaded by a shadow from a story, and my life would never be the same."I don't know what you are," I finally answered honestly, my voice barely audible.His lips curved into that same unsettling smile. "Good," he said, his hand finally dropping back to his side. "Then let's find out."……….

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