A few hours ter, the arm clock rang. It was already morning. I groggily lifted my phone, annoyed by my ck of sleep, and swiped it into silence.

  If I stumbled upon this girl today, I'd just ignore her. She'd get the message. I hoped this would give my anxious mind a break; as, opening my front door, my mind was assailed with questions.

  What if she was nearby right now? Spying on my house, waiting for me to leave?

  Stepping out in the open, I didn't see anyone. The streets were quiet, and she wasn't among the passersby. I sighed in relief, only to tense up when I passed a corner. Something felt ominous. I was sure no one was following me; I'd been monitoring my surroundings since I left home.

  ...even the rooftops.

  I eventually made it to the train station. No sight of Miya. It was Monday, and while the train and station weren't crowded, I wasn't alone either.

  I took a free seat by the window and tried to compose my thoughts. Things unfolded smoothly, and the train decelerated as the next station approached.

  I saw her face appear behind the plexigss window.

  Miya strutted in and sat down next to me. She must've found my css schedule.

  "You hung up on me yesterday, and when I sent you messages, you blocked me. What's going on, Anon?"

  "Miya... Do you usually take this train to get to college?" So much for my silence.

  "It doesn't matter. Expin this change in attitude to me." She was upset, but I could feel the worry in her voice.

  "You're scary. You hack into my PC, you think you're my girlfriend, you seem completely obsessed with me, and you apparently want to take away everything I care about. My social life, my freedom. You don't even understand the importance of consent. Your physical prowess and computer skills wouldn't bother me if you weren't so impulsive and reckless. You're terrifying, and it's not because of what you can do. You're mentally ill, Miya."

  She visibly winced and recoiled at those st words. It didn't matter. If I had to put myself in danger, so be it.

  "Besides, you're too familiar with me, even though we met yesterday morning. It makes me uncomfortable. I don't understand what's going on in your head."

  Her bottom lip quivered. Tears welled up in her eyes.

  "You're not comfortable with me? Anon, I..."

  "Worse. I feel in danger when you're around. I want you to stop following me. Just forget about me. Please."

  The silence hung in the air. Miya's deep red eyes went gssy as she stared at me in total disbelief.I wanted this dread to go away, for her to positively answer me.

  "...No."

  "What?!"

  "No, Anon. I will not do that," she calmly answered, eyes gzed over.

  "C-Come on, Miya, you know you can't keep doing that. We aren't in a retionship. We're not even friends!" I said louder, attracting some gres.

  She answered in a commanding, intimidating tone, her voice bereft of all its usual warmth.

  "Anon, I already decided to be your girlfriend, and so I am. It's that simple. You don't get to say otherwise. And you don't have to because your loving girlfriend knows best. Got it?"

  I couldn't believe what she just said. Her thought process felt completely alien.

  "I'll take your silence as a yes. Now, Anon, I've found many interesting things on your computer~" A smile crept up on her face.

  "Oh, so you're threatening to dox me? That's low."

  "No, Anon. This is about what kind of girls you like. And, my my, do you have a type." She teased, cupping her left cheek.

  "What of it?" I replied, unable to meet her eyes.

  She id back on her seat and looked out the window.

  "When we talked yesterday on the phone, I still needed to sift through your content. That included the girls you look up to—I only skidded on the bookmarks then. So I figured you were just a Marvel and DC comics fan."

  She gave me a smug grin before continuing.

  "Oh, how ecstatic I was to discover I'd been wrong! I found all the stories you wrote on your drives and knew our fate was sealed. And then I found your stories and art and, and-" She slows down and continues, "Anon, I am perfect for you. You don't need anyone else~"

  I was in shock. Nervously eyeing the train doors and gripping my phone tightly under my pocket, my mind was pacing through my escape routes.

  "You can't lie to me, Anon. I know you love me. I saw the way you kept looking at me the other day. It makes me melt whenever I remember how mesmerized you were when you first id your eyes on me. I will forever cherish that sight." She was fidgeting with her fingers.

  I didn't care to answer anymore. What's more, I could barely think through the adrenaline.I had to lose her somehow. I'd rush out into the crowd at the next stop. She continued as if it'd make any difference now.

  "In this shitty world, I've always wanted someone to love me. Someone to navigate this mess of a life with, to make me feel alive. I haven't felt like that in so long. Anon, you're becoming my whole world, so I can finally leave the old one behind.

  "We just met yesterday-" I interjected, but she hushed me with a finger.

  "That should tell you how starved of affection I've been all my life. Oh, I'm ravenous, alright. Do you perhaps think twenty years of isotion and rejection is no big fucking deal!?"

  She collects herself and continues with a newfound peace in her voice.

  "Now my thirst for love is out of control. I feel straight-up ecstatic when you're there," she said with overexcitement.

  Sweating, hands shaking, I spoke up.

  "Wh-What are you pnning to do?"

  She answered in her usual saccharine tone.

  "Isn't it obvious? We're going to live together from now on. You won't need to study anymore; you will not look at anyone but me anymore~ I'll get us a big house, and you'll only be allowed to leave when I'm by your side. And-"

  "With what money?" I shrieked, clutching the phone in my pocket.

  "Money is irrelevant, Anon. I've got plenty in the bank, but I can also stop pying fair with society anytime. And I will, if you keep resisting. It's up to you. You will always be safe with me, but do you want millions of people to die, Anon?"

  I was shaking nervously. "You're bluffing. You're not THAT powerful, Miya."

  She ughed.

  "Try me, darling. Just keep resisting, and see what happens eventually. Or don't. Drop the attitude. Embrace my love for you. Save them all~"

  I was speechless, and she kept on.

  "To crify, it is your emotional resistance that I seek to overcome. Your physical resistance is adorable, but that's about it. Here's the idea: Resist, and I'll bring you to my pce and keep you there until you love me back. I've got so many ways to make this happen, but it takes time, and I could lose patience. You keep your stubborn attitude and I may just level entire cities every day until you crawl back to me and beg me to stop. You don't want that on your conscience, do you, Anon?"

  "You lie through your teeth," I answer, dejected. A part of me dreads to consider that she isn't.

  I left my seat and went to the doors. Once they opened, I'd rush to the nearest police station.

  She stood up and followed me.

  "Stay away," I yelled.

  Unsurprisingly, she didn't listen. Seconds ter, I was sandwiched between her and the doors. Grinning, she took out a pair of handcuffs from her thigh strap and presented them to me. I was clutching my backpack, fumbling with its contents, but I took notice. Miya tied her left wrist to one cuff in a move I didn't expect, leaving the other dangling.

  "Fuck, what's wrong with you?" I stammered.

  "Give me your right hand, darling. Once we're handcuffed, you'll stop getting any silly ideas. And after that, let's hold hands! Plus, it'd be no good if people saw the chain between us."

  I could no longer wait. If she did tie my wrist to hers, there would be no way out of this mess. I wouldn't see the light of day ever again. Frighteningly, it also appeared the cuffs were only a precaution measure to her; I couldn't possibly break free from her hand if she held mine.

  People outside would ugh at my face if I sought help. No one would believe me—that this innocent-looking girl, who was holding my hand, smiling brightly, and walking in such a carefree manner, was actually kidnapping me.

  I ran to the opposite side of the wagon while I still could. Pulling out my Glock, I aimed down the sights at her shoulder. Her ck of reaction shook me a little; she still had this smug face, eyes boring into mine.

  She stood up and casually took strides towards me.

  Some onlookers ducked under the seats.

  "GET ANY CLOSER AND YOU'LL EAT LEAD!"

  She didn't care for it in the least, still striking my eyes with hers as she came closer.

  I pulled the trigger. The deafening sound of the gunshot reverberated in the train car.

  The bullet hit her thigh.

  Somehow, her body didn't recoil on impact. She stopped, worry painting her face.

  Screams and swears erupted in the car as people rushed to take cover.

  Of course. She may be strong, but there's no way she's bulletproof.

  Tears streaked down Miya's cheeks, but she took a step forward. She'd end up pinning me to the wall at this rate.

  More pressingly, she didn't look like she was just shot seconds ago. The cloth on her shoulder was punctured, but I didn't see any blood. She brought her left hand to her thigh, extirpating the fttened lead from her dress and presenting it to my stupefied self.

  With quivering lips, she spoke.

  "You thought this would hurt me, yet you still fired. Anon, what has gotten into you? Surely, the Anon I know would never have done such a thing. Surely, my decration of love overwhelmed you so much that you did something stupid?"

  She seemed to get lost in her thoughts for a brief moment.

  "Oh, Anon, you cute little boy. I'm sorry. I would have taken things a bit slower if I had known. I'm not mad. Now, hand over that gun. It isn't safe for you."

  Little hearts sparked in her eyes as she extended a hand, making me blink twice. Perhaps, just perhaps, I was hallucinating all of this.

  ... as if I were.

  "NO!"

  I raised my gun and emptied the whole clip into her, shooting her head at near-point-bnk range several times. The wagon's interior lit up in a series of bright fshes.

  The bullets didn't even slow her down. They shattered on her skin on impact, the shrapnel deflecting to her sides, embedding itself in the seats and windows.Her exposed skin was still fwless, aside from the residual smears. I couldn't find a single bruise or graze on her.

  The st shot fired, and the slide locked back, waiting to be fed another clip.Looking up, I noticed how thrilled she looked. Her Cheshire grin alone was bone-chilling.

  "HAH! I get it! You had to make sure I'm bulletproof! And now that you did, you're shooting at me to your heart's content, reveling in how useless each shot proves to be! I bet you must love how each bullet fttens and cracks against my skin or bounces back against my breasts~," she said a little too fast, twirling a bit of her hair.

  "Oh, darling, I'm sorry I doubted you! I'll let you test me as much as you want~ How about that steel pole over here? I'll rip it off for you, just ask me! Or, or- you can fake an attempt to escape? I mean fake, because—"

  The doors opened right then, and I didn't stay to hear the rest of her manic nonsense. Dashing out of the train car, I ran as fast as possible. Turns out the train had stopped at the University Station, and my eyes were darting in search of people to be around. She wouldn't attempt anything rash in a crowded public setting with that many witnesses, or so I thought.