He rubbed at the window where his breath fogged the glass so he could see her better. She was wearing the red dress she’d made again. He liked that dress. It was proof that she wanted him to come for her, she’d known his favorite color without even being told. It was almost too sexy, but he’d allow it, since she had made it to show herself off to him. Women who dressed like sluts made him sick but Candace never crossed that line. She was a good girl, demure, old-fashioned really.

The rest of the world didn’t care for women like her anymore. Women who knew their place. Women who would wait for a man the way she waited for him, and she had waited. It was almost time for her wait to be over. He would come for her soon and then they could be together. They would have the life he’d dreamed of for them. They would be happy together. He’d make sure of it. He’d known she was his the first time he saw her. She was so fragile, so haunted and broken. He would be her protector, her knight errant.

Candace started applying makeup. That was different. Why? He would have to teach her she was pretty enough without it. He liked her better without it, less chance of her standing out. He turned from the window to pace in the sunporch of the vacant house. Why was she getting all dressed up and so early in the morning? She shouldn’t be wearing his dress for someone else. She’d made it for him. He’d dreamed of her wearing it when they ran away together. He turned back to the window, and watched as she did her hair. He didn’t like her hair blonde, when she was his, she would go back to her original brown. She was making changes. Changes he didn’t like. Changes upset him and he knew they upset her too. That’s how he knew they were meant to be. She didn’t like change either. That’s how she ended up in that place with him.

He stepped back from the window and blew on his hands to warm them up. The urge to start a fire to warm up the house was strong, but the light or the smoke would draw too much attention. It wasn’t time yet for him to come for Candace and it would ruin his plans if she found out he was here for her too soon. It was convenient this house being vacant, between this and the others, he could move around and avoid being seen. No one cared if he broke a window and left the back doors unlocked. He liked watching her, liked seeing her wake up in the morning, watching her work in her sewing room, even the little bit of gardening she did outside. He should get some flowers for her, she’d like that.

Changing houses every few days meant he could keep an eye on the whole neighborhood. He knew everyone’s routines now. It was easy to sneak around and not have anyone see him. He pulled the blanket tighter around him in a futile effort to keep warm. He needed to get some food and to sleep but then he might miss something.

He scratched at the five days of stubble on his face and dug out the dirt under his finger nails. He’d have to find somewhere to clean up before he went for her. She wouldn’t even recognize him like this. The thought made him laugh, of course she would, she was the one. It could be a good test though. Would she pick him out of a crowd the way she had at that place? If she didn’t, well he would just have to punish her for it. He wouldn’t be too harsh. He was gentle by nature but if he had to protect her, he knew he could be violent, even if he was protecting her from herself.

His parents never understood that. They’d been afraid of him, of his power. He tried to make them understand but they couldn’t, so they had put him in that place. As if the unending boredom could break him. They wanted him to say he was crazy but he wasn’t and he’d showed them. Three months of acting normal, pretending to be ordinary and they couldn’t keep him there anymore.

His mother had cried when he told them he was leaving their house and his father had held her. What was that line? People feared what they didn’t understand. They were both so ordinary. How could he have come from them? He was destined for greatness. Anyone could see it if they looked. It wasn’t his fault they didn’t even try. And when he revealed his powers Candace would be by his side.