Page 59 of Swan

I needed to go. To hide.

I focused in front of me, my gaze snagging on the bathroom sign. Quickly, I made my way to the corridor and rushed down it. I slammed into the door and pushed, hearing footsteps behind me.

They’d followed.

But no one entered as I went to a stall and shut the door. I put the lid down and sat staring at the wood in front of me, listening, shaking.

They were waiting for me outside.

Waiting to get me.

My hand shook as I pulled my phone out.

Did I call someone to help get me out?

Was I being ridiculous by hiding? I should have just left. I should have turned around and rushed to my car, not locked myself in a stall to wait while I trembled in fear.

Now I wasn’t sure if I could leave on my own.

I didn’t want to face them. I didn’t want their cameras in my face or for this moment to be spread over the internet.

My life had already been torn open when it happened.

The reporters were relentless, hounding me like a dog after a bone.

What had been worse, though, were Lockland’s fans.

My parents probably thought I didn’t know about the death threats or hate mail I received online. But before they took my phone to “fix” something on it, I’d already seen enough. So when I got the device back, knowing Dad would have had blocked everything he could, I decided to shut down all social media accounts.

I hadn’t been on since.

But the damage had been done.

The pure hate his fans had for me was vicious.

Yet understandable in a way since he wouldn’t have been there if it weren’t for me.

They hated his mother, his agent, and the woman who murdered him too. I just didn’t care what online attacks they got from Lockland’s fans.

At least those three were incarcerated for what they did.

The only punishment I got was to live a life without Lockland.

To me, that was enough.

To the fans, it wasn’t.

They enjoyed being online warriors.

Though maybe there weren’t as many as there had been a year ago. I wasn’t too sure.

But what I didn’t need or want was to be brought into the spotlight again, and if a video of me surfaced, things could worsen.

Bile rose, but I swallowed it down.

I wanted to leave without the audience.

Maya could make things less dramatic than if I called Dad. He would bring the brothers, and that would definitely draw more attention.

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