All That's Left

Chapter 17 | Vania

Two years ago

The past few days had been surprisingly quiet, considering everything that had happened. After Lucas's warning in the cafeteria, I was preparing for the worst, but he had kept his distance since then, not calling or texting once, and for once, it seemed like life was starting to return to normal.

I was beginning to hope that maybe, just maybe, Lucas had finally moved on. I would be lying to myself if I said that I didn't worry about him, because I was. I knew it wasn't my responsibility to take care of him, but deep down, he was a good guy who just needed some help.

It was late, and I was on the phone with Dorian, our usual nighttime ritual of sharing the day's events and random thoughts if one of us wasn't sleeping over at the other's house. 

"...and Mr. Jackson gave us another pop quiz today. I swear, that man lives to see us suffer," Dorian was saying, talking about his history teacher, his tone light and teasing. 

I chuckled, shaking my head. "He's just trying to get everyone ready for the upcoming exams, Dorian. You know that."

"Yeah, yeah. Still, I think he gets a kick out of it or something. So, how has the rest of your night been so far?"

I moved around my room, picking up my notes and books which had found their place on the floor with me when I got bored of studying at my desk.

 "Pretty uneventful, actually. I've been studying for hours. We haven't even started with them, and those exams are killing me."

As I spoke, I wandered over to my bedroom window, pushing outside the curtain that fluttered in the refreshing, cool night breeze. The moonlight spilled into my room, casting silver patterns on the floor since I shut of my lights a few minutes ago when I had decided that I was done studying for the night. 

I gazed out into the night, relishing in how everything seemed so serene and quiet.

But then, a shiver ran down my spine. It was subtle at first, like the gentle touch of a feather, but it quickly intensified, sending a chill through my entire body. I froze, my heart pounding in my chest. 

There was something off, something that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

"Dorian," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "Do you ever get the feeling that someone's watching you?"

He was silent for a moment, the question clearly catching him off-guard. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know," I said, peering out into the darkness. "It's just...I feel like someone's out here, watching me."

I scanned the yard, my eyes darting from tree to tree, bush to bush. Everything seemed still, but the sensation wasn't going away. It was like an itch that I couldn't scratch, a presence I couldn't yet see, but I could definitely feel eyes on me.

"I'm probably just tired," I said, trying to reassure myself more than him. "The studying is starting to get to me. My mind is probably just playing tricks on me."

"Or maybe it's a ghost," Dorian teased, his voice light.

I laughed, though it came out shaky. "Yeah, right. Just what I need right now—my own personal ghost story."

My eyes caught a movement in the shadows, a flicker of something or someone moving. My breath hitched, and I squinted, trying to make out the figure. But just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone, swallowed by the darkness.

"I swear I just saw something," I said, my voice shaking slightly. "Something moved in the shadows."

"Do you want me to come over?" Dorian's voice was filled with concern. "If it would make you feel better, I can be there in ten minutes. Hell, I can be there in five if I sprint, Van."