Page 11

I ’M HOME ALONE BECAUSE my parents have gone out to get some groceries. All the doors and windows are firmly closed and locked, and I rechecked twice just in case. No one’s getting through my window now.

After finishing my homework and writing half of the paper I’m not even supposed to hand in anytime soon, I head to the bathroom to take a shower. I lock the door like I always do. Maybe it’s not perfectly safe to do that, but I can’t help myself.

One time, when I was staying over at Sebastian’s house, I decided to take a shower because I came there from school, all sweaty from my PE class. Sebastian sneaked into the bathroom, and I didn’t hear him.

Until he grabbed me from behind.

I screamed and thrashed, and instead of trying to calm me down, he clamped his hand over my mouth and held me tighter.

We almost ended up falling and getting seriously hurt. I banged my arm on the faucet. Had a nasty bruise for a while. Sebastian blamed the whole thing on me and said I was too sensitive. Because, who else would’ve come into his bathroom if not him?

He even made me apologize for freaking out on him and scratching his arm.

I start singing a random melody to get those images out of my mind. Why is it always the worst memories that surge and assault you when you least want them to?

I let the water run and close my eyes as I step under the warm stream. Maybe I should try meditating or getting a massage. Something to make me forget everything for a bit so I can relax and let go of all the stress.

Starting college is already stressful enough on its own, and with Victor and everyone else, it’s a million times worse. I need to avoid social media like the plague. Why is it taking them all so long to forget about me? Don’t they have their own lives? I can’t be that interesting to them.

A loud sound makes my heart jump. I freeze, turning off the water, and listen. Another loud cracking sound follows, as if something’s breaking. It’s coming from the front door, I think.

My heart beats like crazy in my chest as I grab a towel and wrap it around myself. But as I stand there, I’m unsure what to do.

Someone’s breaking into my house.

Victor?

Does he know I’m in here? The door is luckily locked, but that’s not going to save me. The front door was locked too, and I can hear footsteps just outside in the hallway anyway.

I stop breathing as I hide behind the shower curtain.

No. No. No!

What do I do?

My mind is like jelly as I hear more thuds and more noise. Someone’s going through something. Maybe it’s not Victor.

I look around the bathroom, but I don’t have anything here that I could use as a weapon or to protect myself.

I curl up into a ball in the corner of the shower, trying to make myself as small as possible. My fingers curve around the shower gel. If someone comes in here, I can surprise them and spill the gel into their eyes. Maybe.

I’m shaking all over, terror gripping my insides. The noise dies down, and I can hear footsteps again. They pause in front of the door, and I can barely breathe. My heart is so loud it’s the only thing I hear.

The footsteps move again. Something thuds.

I wait.

Everything goes quiet, but I don’t move.

I don’t know how much time passes. As I hesitantly get to my feet, I listen carefully. I should’ve brought my phone to the bathroom too. What if the intruder is waiting outside to jump me the moment I come out?

I pad over to the door and press my ear to it.

Nothing.

Is the intruder really gone?

I put on my underwear and shrug on the bathrobe. Everything is still silent outside, but I need a weapon or something because I won’t dare to go out otherwise. Maybe I should just wait in here until my mom and dad come back, but I don’t want anything to happen to them. I need to know what’s going on.

The metal nail file! My mom has one in the cabinet. I quickly find it and grab it. Then I unlock the door. I slowly take a peek into the hallway.

No one’s in sight, and the house is as silent as it can be. I make my way toward the front door. It’s wide open and the handle is broken.

I take a look into the kitchen. No one’s there.

My parents’ bedroom. Empty and everything seems in its place.

Living room, okay.

My room... I hold my breath.

A gasp slips past my lips. My room has been ransacked. Someone has turned everything upside down. My clothes are on the floor. My closet wide open. My drawers pulled out and tossed around.

I search for my phone, but I can’t find it anywhere. My laptop is gone too, along with a few flash drives I kept in my desk drawer.

Oh shit.

Victor. He came for the videos that I said I would leak. I groan in frustration. Of course he’d get the idea to do something like this. I don’t know if he did it himself or he sent someone else, but it was him.

“Honey!” My mom’s panicked voice reaches me.

“I’m okay!” I yell and then rush to meet my parents at the door.

“What happened?” my mom asks, looking me up and down, while my dad inspects the broken front door.

“Someone broke in while I was showering. They took my phone and my laptop!”

“Oh, honey.” She pulls me into a tight hug. “You’re okay. That’s all that matters.”

“But my phone and my laptop... I had everything on there!”

It’s not just about everything for college and some private things, but replacing my phone and laptop is expensive. I could ask Victor to return them to me, but I’m sure he would deny everything.

“Don’t touch anything,” my dad says. “I’m calling the cops.”

“You should get dressed,” my mom says.

“Yeah.” I head back to my room.

Should I mention Victor and his threat? Or would it only get me in trouble? I don’t know how dumb he was about this, so if I accuse him, and there’s zero proof against him, there could be drama.

How do I explain a rich guy from my college stole my phone and my laptop? Everyone would think I was lying and was after Victor’s money, especially if they believed Victor’s made-up story about me. If there’s proof it was him, the cops will find it on their own and I won’t have to say anything.

It won’t be my fault if they find Victor’s prints all over the place. And if nothing happens and the cops never figure out who did this, I’ll just have to assume that Victor’s family is untouchable.

I should’ve made more copies of my drive and been smarter about the whole thing. My plan epically backfired.

I’m not dealing with a normal person. It’s Victor, and he’s capable of anything. So what can I do against him? If I can’t report him to Emberwell or to the cops because I’m more likely to get in trouble for “falsely” reporting him than anything else, then there has to be something else I can do.

I should’ve just posted the video I took all over social media. Then Victor couldn’t make it all go away. Maybe I should’ve threatened him after that. But who knows if the video would have had any effect?

Maybe everyone would be praising Victor for his excellent work ethic and constant desire to improve? That was why I wanted to convince him I had more videos in the first place.

As I look around at the mess in my room, I want to scream. He could’ve simply taken what he wanted without touching anything else. It’s not like I was hiding anything. But I guess he wanted to make sure. Or he sent some thief to do it for him.

No, I think it was him. A thief would’ve picked some other time, and they’d be afraid someone would see them. Victor wasn’t afraid of any witnesses because he could just come up with something, maybe related to me. No one would think he was in front of my door to steal.

He must’ve been watching my house. How else would he know I’d be in the bathroom? I don’t think he wanted to run into me right away because I could’ve grabbed a weapon. Since I was in the bathroom, he knew I wouldn’t find anything too dangerous in there.

Then he was loud enough to scare me into staying in the bathroom or he wanted to lure me out. If I’d walked out, he would’ve been ready. Since I didn’t come out, he had fun ransacking my room.

I hate him so damn much. Why can’t he disappear from my life? But I guess him stealing my things is better than him killing me, and I’m still not sure if he’d really do the latter. Once he realizes I only have one video, he’ll probably laugh. Maybe he’ll find the whole thing funny enough to leave me alone.

Ha ha, Victor leaving me alone. I’ll sooner see flying pigs.