Page 1 of Shadowing Charlotte

Chapter one

Charlotte

" A re you sure you want to do this?" Daddy asked as I loaded the last box into the back of the Jeep, letting out a soft grunt as the heavy books made it rock. "You can commute."

"Daddy, I'm not driving an hour to work every single day." An hour wasn't that long to drive, but it wasn't just about the commute. I needed space. "I'll come home on the weekends," I assure him.

Liar… I knew I wouldn't be back every weekend. I couldn't wait to get away from him and his overprotective antics. Not that he wasn't a great father. He was. But ever since momma died, he'd circled around me like a hawk, waiting with sharp talons to rip apart even the smallest whiff of a threat.

Moving meant I wouldn't have to sneak out at night anymore, despite being a grown adult. Over the last few years, I'd grown skilled at it. Overprotective parents create sneaky children.

Moving also meant I wouldn't have to keep up pretenses. No more making excuses to avoid friends. No more forced smiles and pressure to fit in.

It wasn't just my father that I wanted to escape. I wanted to get away from the life I was trapped in. Fake friends, forced smiles, and all the other shit I did to fit in with the rich assholes I'd been surrounded by since I started private school at fourteen.

I'll be back when I'm ready…

"I'm going to hold you to that, sweet pea," he replied, chucking me under the chin. I smiled, standing on my toes to peck his cheek.

"I love you…" I whispered, letting out a happy sigh .

"Love you, too, peapod," Daddy replied as I pulled away.

His shoulders sagged when I turned to close the trunk.

I knew he would miss me, and I would miss him, too.

But I needed to do something with my life.

I needed to be allowed to live on my own terms. Pulling the sunglasses from the neck of my tank top, I slid them on, giving my father one last reassuring smile.

"Call me?" I asked brightly.

"Every single day," he replied tightly. He was trying not to cry. No one else would notice by the sudden stiffness of his posture, but I could see the dismal look in his brown eyes.

I climbed into the front seat, adjusting the mirror and letting out another relieved sigh.

As I started the ignition and put the Jeep into drive, I felt it, that familiar prickling along the back of my neck.

After almost two years, I'd almost begun to anticipate the feeling.

Every time the sensation hit me, it felt like touching live wire.

I glanced around the vehicle and looked in the mirrors, just in case, but he was nowhere to be seen.

He never was. But I knew he was watching me.

He was always watching me…