TOYL

members.
    She handed back the book and pen, wanting desperately to wipe her hand clean. She watched as Stephen studied her message intently as if trying to decipher a World War Two code.
    ‘To my number one fan, love from Emma,’ he read out loud. He looked up at her and smiled. ‘Thank you,’ he said, again with more than a hint of desperation. ‘You’re not just beautiful – you’re really kind. I think we’re going to be really good friends. I knew we would, from the first moment I saw you.’
    ‘Thanks. Look, I’d better get going now.’ She had managed to turn him in a circular motion so now he was against the wall. ‘Nice to meet you.’
    ‘Just a second,’ he said, bringing the camera up to his face.
    Emma put a hand up to block the shot. ‘No, Stephen, please don’t.’
    ‘It’s okay, it’s done now.’
    She could have tried to protest, but all she really wanted was to get away from him.
    ‘I have to go,’ she said, turning and walking away.
    ‘See you again soon,’ he shouted, waving.

    ***

    ‘Emma, over here.’
    Emma shoved the change from the sandwich in her pocket and looked across the canteen to see who had just shouted at her. Claire Donovan, a fellow cast member who was sitting towards the centre of the room on her own, was gesturing for her to come over.
    ‘Hi,’ said Emma, sliding into the chair opposite. ‘What’s up?’
    She had never eaten with Claire before. The cast tended to break into cliques, mostly depending on how long someone had been in the show. And while Emma had been on cast for only six months, Claire had been around for nearly four years and was reportedly one of the most highly paid actors in the show.
    ‘I saw you talking with Stephen Myers yesterday,’ said Claire, putting down her knife and fork.
    ‘The guy at the gate? He asked for my autograph, that’s all.’
    ‘And he took a photograph?’
    ‘Well, yes, and I didn’t give him permission to do that. I won’t be speaking to him again, that’s for certain. He made me feel pretty uncomfortable but I think he’s harmless really. Why do you ask?’
    ‘He isn’t harmless,’ corrected Claire. ‘Stay away from him. He’s bad news.’
    ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘He’s been hanging around the studios for a couple of years, on and off, bothering the female cast. And it’s always the girls. The guys can walk past him and he won’t ever bat an eyelid. I know he seems harmless, Emma, but once you give him some encouragement it’s very difficult to get rid of him.’
    ‘He’s a stalker?’
    ‘Karen Rodham had a lot of trouble with him a year back. She was nice to him at first, signed his little autograph book, and thought nothing of it. But then he started wanting to talk to her every evening after work, going up to her at the gates. After a few weeks he began turning up outside her house, ringing the doorbell in the middle of the night, shouting up to her window, telling her that he loved her. Karen nearly left the show because of it. So yes, he is a stalker.’
    ‘My God, that’s terrible. Did she tell the police?’
    ‘Yes, but it took a while before they treated it as seriously as they should have done. Eventually, though, they put a restraining order on him and that seemed to work, because he stopped following her and even stopped coming to the studio. Then I saw him talking with you yesterday. I’m really sorry I didn’t come over and pull you away, but I just can’t bring myself to be anywhere near the guy. I’m scared that if I go near him, he’ll start latching onto me.’
    ‘So what should I do now?’
    ‘Just don’t speak to him again,’ advised Claire. ‘I know it sounds horrible, but if he tries to talk to you just blank him, pretend he’s not there. Hopefully he’ll get the message. Whatever you do, don’t give him any sense of encouragement; otherwise what happened to Karen will happen to you. I’m going to warn the rest of the guys too, now I know he’s back.’
    ‘Okay,’ Emma said, ‘thanks for telling me.’

    ***

    ‘Emma,’ he said that afternoon as she exited the gates.
    Her heart sank as she saw Stephen Myers approach, smiling as you would do when welcoming a close friend. Although totally against her nature, she took Claire’s advice and walked straight past.
    ‘Emma!’ he shouted as she passed him. ‘What’s the matter?’
    Despite knowing about his past, she still felt uncomfortable blanking him like that, but she took a deep breath