The Ward of Castoria

  *****

  As promised, Bryn headed out for the theater with plenty of daylight left. She knew she would be getting there early, but she did not mind waiting. The Plaza Theater was already very crowded when she arrived. A new action movie had opened last night and a lot of people were in line to see it. Bryn was glad she and Nicole were seeing Romeo and Juliet because she did not want to sit in a packed theater. She wove her way through the crowd and found a bench to sit on in a less populated area. Nicole wasn’t supposed to meet her for another fifteen minutes, so she pulled a book out of her purse in order to help pass the time.

  The school-assigned book was not very interesting to her, so Bryn found herself periodically glancing above the pages and watching the people instead. There were a lot of middle school kids being dropped off by their parents and there were many couples out for a Saturday-night date. Bryn watched one couple, in particular, who were obviously in an intense state of pure infatuation with each other. They were always touching in some way. Whether it was holding hands or wrapping their arms around each other, they found some excuse to maintain body contact.

  Bryn wondered what that must be like to be so absorbed in someone else. She had never felt that way about another person. None of the boys at school were remotely interesting to her. She wasn’t against true love; in fact, it was quite the contrary. She would settle for nothing less than love in its purest form. That was what Bryn wanted, and she was willing to wait for it.

  While her thoughts were filled with happy musings, her eyes were suddenly drawn to the scowling expression of a person who was walking toward the theater. When she saw the jagged scar running down the side of his face, she knew this was the same man who followed her the day before. Bryn felt her heart pounding in her chest. She shifted her long brown hair so it would partially conceal her face and then she lifted her book in order to help cover the rest. Bryn did not know if it was a coincidence that he was at the same theater or if he was trying to find her. She did not know what to do. Should she call home and have her father pick her up? Should she run to Nicole’s house which was close by or should she stay hidden within the crowd of the theater? For now, despite her fear, she decided to stay put.

  Bryn cautiously monitored his movements. He was still far enough away for her not to panic yet. The man appeared to be searching for someone in the crowd, and she desperately hoped that it was not her. When he finally found the person he was looking for, Bryn drew her breath in surprise.

  Not because he had found her, but because he had found Dane.