A Suspicious Follower

I glanced around the amphitheater for maybe the twelfth time in the last half hour. Just like the last two classes before this one everyone continued to look forward at the teacher who droned on about physics, no one gave me a second thought. It still felt unreal. Yesterday I had been a normal college student, today I could enslave anyone I met. What was I supposed to do with this new power? Did I even need to go to this class? It felt like the world had turned upside down and no one around me knew a thing. 'Stop being paranoid and focus on school. No one is following you' I thought as I **** myself to focus on the lecture.

"Actually I believe you are being followed." Golt commented as he materialized in front of me. I jumped out of my chair in surprise and choked a scream. The eyes that now stared at me were very real so I mumbled an apology and took my seat. 'Wait. Can you read my thoughts?' "Indeed. I thought that was obvious but I guess I will try to be even more blunt with my capabilities." I glared at the monster. If he could truly read my mind I had a few phrases in mind that I wanted to say. Golt's face remained passive until finally I cooled off.

'Okay. From now on stop surprising me. Try to make your entrance and exit more natural. I can't keep jumping every time you want to talk.' He gave a curt nod and I continued. 'So with that out of the way, why do you think I am being followed?' He backed up, his form phasing through the desk in front of me, as he pointed at someone across the room. Someone in a black hoodie was sitting at the very back of the class. I had to admit the person looked suspicious but did that mean they were after me? "You should be more observant Mindslaver. This one has followed us for the past 2 classes."

Shit. That was enough to convince me that this person had followed me. Why though? Unless, didn't Golthuem say that some church organization would be after me? Fuck, what if this person worked for them? I could feel the nausea start to build in my stomach as the panic started to settle in. "Remain calm. Whoever this person is they have not sensed my presence, so they are not skilled. Remember you are Mindslaver, a normal person is not something we should fear." It felt odd to hear Golt praise me instead of his usual snide remarks but he was right. I nodded along as the fear subsided. 'So then let's use your power to enslave them. Can you do it from here?' "Yes, I could. However we will not be able to question them without drawing notice. Without your commands it's possible they could still resist or cause a scene. I suggest we go somewhere isolated first." The plan sounded good to me. I was about to leave but I realized that if I left now it might tip off my stalker. I would have to wait until classes end to keep up appearance. Golt nodded and then started to walk towards the exit. He turned to give me a thumbs up before he mimicked opening the door and phased out of the room.

As the teacher dismissed the class my anxiety started to rise again. I had barely listened throughout the lecture, instead I had imagined a hundred different scenarios for how the stalker would react. As the students started to filter out I immediately knew where to go. The lower levels were filled with classrooms but the upper levels of most buildings on campus were reserved for teachers. It was late afternoon on a Friday, which meant that the floor would be almost completely abandoned.

'Are they following us?' I internally asked Golt as I kept my focus on the ground in front of me. I didn't dare look back myself. I glanced up and saw the gray figure walk out of an office. He waited for me to reach him before he matched my pace. "Yes. They are trying to be subtle but they are still following us. Go into an office and I will tell you when I have taken control." I continued to walk until I saw an open doorway before I turned and ducked inside. I focused on keeping my breath steady as I waited.

"You can come out now Mindslaver. I felt some sort of resistance but it was no match for me. Command them and they will listen." That was it? I realized I hadn't heard or felt anything. Whatever power Golt had apparently didn't directly impact me. Maybe that was for the best, I was so nervous I probably would have messed things up. I poked my head out and saw the hooded figure. He seemed to recognize me at the same time I did him and started to run towards me. "Freeze." At my command they suddenly stopped.