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that, but mostly she just wanted him to go away.
    “Please leave me.”
    “No.  Not until you tell me where you live.”
    “No fucking way.”
    “Oooh, the little girl swore.”
    “Fuck you!”
    He laughed at her. “When I’m free to move around and you’re frozen in time, you won’t be able to stop me from doing whatever I want with your body.”
    “Leave me alone!”
    He laughed once again, and she couldn’t help but look at him.
    “It’s okay,” he said. “I was just screwing with you.  I wouldn’t do anything.  I just like to press your buttons.”
    “Doesn’t really seem like that’s all it is.”
    “Listen, I’m sorry.  I went too far.”  His voice softened, as if he really was sorry.  “I promise I won’t do that again.”
    She listened, not knowing what to believe.
    “At least not without your permission.”
    Finally the smile got to her.  She knew he was playing her now, that the smile meant nothing, and yet somehow it meant a lot. No other boy paid any attention to her, and part of her was excited by the groping.
    “So tell me where you live,” he asked again.
    “No.”
    He shrugged.  “There’s a fifty-fifty chance you’ll be called back before me.  I’ll just follow you.”
    Karen knew he would do exactly that.  And would he follow through on his earlier threat?  One day, would she be reading or watching TV and suddenly realize he’d been there?   How far would he go if he did?  Would he just play a practical joke on her or would he hurt her?
    She started to walk away from Bobby, not wanting anything to do with him.
    “Watch this,” he said.
    “What now?”
    “Just watch.”
    There was an old man walking across the street.  Bobby pulled something out of his pocket and showed it to Karen.  It was a box cutter.  She saw the razor-sharp blade and watched as he walked over to the old man.
    “Bobby, don’t hurt him.”
    The man was between steps, so he appeared to be balanced on one foot.  He was intent on where he was walking, and part of Karen briefly wondered what business he had this time of night.  Nothing was open.  Maybe he was just going for a walk in the fresh air.
    Bobby didn’t hesitate.  He took the box cutter and slashed the old man’s neck.
    Karen froze, not believing what she’d just seen.  The cut was deep, very deep, and although no blood flooded out, she knew that as soon as time started again, the man’s life was going to spurt away onto the sidewalk.
    “Oh, my God … . Why?”
    Bobby put the box cutter back in his pocket.  “Why not?  For fun, of course.  I just wish I could be here to see it.”
    “You’re a monster,” she whispered.
    Once more, Karen wanted to run away from him, but instead she found herself walking closer to the man, staring at the thin slice that crossed his neck.  She patted the man’s cheek and said, “I’m so sorry.”
    Bobby pulled her around to face him.  She saw triumph in his eyes, laughter in his soul, and power radiating through every part of him.
    She wanted to kiss him.
    “Leave me alone,” she said.  Her voice was shaking, and she didn’t know anymore what she really wanted.
    Then his face went blank.  “Shit.  I have to go.”
    He pushed her away and ran fast down the street.  She guessed that he had a long way to go, and not a lot of time to do it.
    The old man stared forward, nothing in his eyes but determination to meet his destination.
     

 
     
     
     
Chapter 6
     
     
    That night, Karen had trouble sleeping.  Everything seemed normal (well, as normal as any day could be for her), but when she went to bed and turned the lights off, her mind wouldn’t stop.
    Bobby had gone to a lot of trouble to track her down today.  In some ways it was flattering and fun, in other ways it was fascinating and suspenseful; but now that she lay alone in her bed and the night spooks of her mind woke up, all she felt was dread and fear.
    He’ll rape me one day. 
    I’ll be sleeping in my