Trouble Times Two

Chapter Thirteen

Tuesday

The vibe in the house was odd. I was tired from sleep but as I breathed in some air and rubbed my face, I could tell that somebody was in here.

That was the kind of thing military school prepared you for. To know if there's a change in your environment, because then there was a chance something was about to happen.

I grab my phone and keys, putting some socks on and grabbing a pair of shoes as quietly as possible.

I leave through the balcony door and lock it back up behind me.

I'm lucky the person wasn't in my room because no amount of stealth could help me then.

I'd have to fight.

It was dark as it was barely 6 in the morning. I knew whoever it was, wasn't playing around. I had upgraded my house, the security was insane.

I step from my balcony onto Donovan's. There had been high winds recently and the metal wire that had been separating the two balconies flew away. I kept my door locked so it wasn't an issue.

Donovan didn't.

I go in and lock his door behind me, closing the curtains.

I leave his room, go to Paisley's room and shake her awake.

"Paisley, I need help. Someone's in my house." She gets up immediately and wakes everyone up.

We make sure every window and door is locked, and shut all the blinds and curtains.

I call the police, meaning Dacre and Carter, and tell them what's going on. They're on shift right now.

"Carter, Dacre, once you can, you're allowed to access my cameras." I'm pacing, I didn't get a chance to do any meditation or drink some tea. I have ADHD as well as dyslexia, but adderall is addictive and I was an addict, so I don't take it.

Donovan comes downstairs while everyone is standing around the table.

"Hey, Gigi, take this." Delia whispers as she hands me a tea, she knows it calms me down. Dina pulls a chair out for me.

"What's going on?" Donovan asks, rather loudly, and they all shush him.

"Okay, so I've got these like thermal imaging things that I made, we can see if there are any heat sources on this side of the house?" Dina's a very smart girl with a mind of an innovator. She IS an innovator.

"Absolutely, I reckon try from the stairwell. Our houses mirror one another so that's the stairwell at my house." She gets the tool and she uses it. We all get a fright because when she places it against the wall, there's a silhouette, pressed up right against the wall. That's a person there for sure.

"Move back." I whisper and grab Dina and usher everyone out.

I go back into the kitchen, where Damien had just entered.

"That person was against the wall Gigi, they're trying to hear us, to see what's happening, they know you're here." Damien says as he gets filled in. "I come back for one extended weekend and it's like I never left."

Damien was a police officer and Dacre followed in his footsteps. To be accurate, Damien was a whole fucking sheriff.

Dacre loved the city and so does Maisie, they lived just out of the suburbs from where we were right now but Damien is a country boy.

"Look, Gigi if you think this person isn't dangerous then we need to protect you." Damien's instincts are already on full drive and he woke up a mere minute ago.

I nod but I go closer to the wall.

I can hear a knocking pattern.

"Repeat it." I shout.

"You're telling you can hear me if I shout?! Giana it's me." She doesn't need to say it twice.

I run through the Shepherd's front door and into my house where Jess is. She hugs me tight, and I hug her back.

"I missed you so much. I must've freaked you out when I got into your house but I thought you got my message. I think you must've changed your number?" She asks and I nod. I changed it shortly before she'd left military school but after my last visit to her while she was there.

"I forgot to send it to you, you're lucky you remembered the addresses I gave to you." She nods.

"Yeah, you know me and my brain. Again, I'm really sorry for freaking you out, I just assumed you knew, I even used the key you gave me." She hands it out and there you go, that's the one.

I see her suitcases and when I look up I see her lips trembling.

"Yes." I say.

"Yes what." She responds.

"You can stay here." I say and she hugs me tight. "Leave your bags here and let's go." We leave my home and walk back over to the Shepherd's.

I walk into the kitchen and they all sigh a breath of relief when they see the girl next to me.

"Guys meet my best friend Jessica." Jess was my best friend in the whole world and my only non-relative friend. I can't believe she's really here. For some reason, I let my brain trick me into thinking she didn't want to see me anymore.

Turns out it was my fault. I'd forgotten to do something, as usual.

"Donovan stay away from her." Everyone laughs at that, even Jess. She does know about him.

She wasn't allowed to speak to me regularly during her time at military school because there were no phones, but I did visit a lot.

When she got out, I must've not sent her my new number, though I certainly knew it was something I was meant to do.

She and I both got sent away at the same time but her hand was caught in all kind of pies. She got sent to military school straight away for two years and she learnt. She had her diploma now.

With her lovable and intelligent personality, she actually, to an extent, enjoyed military school and now it was time to leave the confinements of Remoir to be here with me now in Alevana.

I walk with her, Donovan and Dina to show her the school. We talk about everything.

When she got home, her parents didn't want her there so she saved up, got her drivers, got a car, packed her suitcases and came here.

We say bye to Dina and I throw Donovan a look again and he throws his hand up.

"She's got a ring on, I assume that means in a relationship." He says and I look at the ring. I might be absent minded in terms of emotions but I'd noticed the ring and I could tell that mentions of it made her sad.

"We'll talk about it when you're ready, okay?" She nods and we walk back, arms linked.

I missed her.