Traitor // Short story // The Sturniolo Triplets x reader (✓)

3

'okay, chris, what do you think of... this?' i asked, putting up some leaves on the kitchen wall that we had gotten from target.

'good, i like it,' chris replied, helping me secure them.

i stepped down from the ladder and took a step back to look at it. he was right. i went over to the target bag and grabbed some more leaves for the other walls. since it was the end of september, i wanted everything to be ready for halloween as soon as possible.

once i was done, chris went home for dinner with nick and matt, leaving me alone in my house.

~time skip~

it was about 10 p.m., and i was just watching a movie—another scary one—when i thought i heard something outside. it sounded like a branch hitting against the window, but it was too rhythmic to be a branch.

i paused the movie and peered outside my window. to my surprise, a tall silhouette stood not too far in my backyard. i quickly shut the blinds, my heart racing. what the hell was that?

i slowly opened the blinds again, but it was gone—like it never existed. i figured it was just my imagination, but it was super weird and creepy.

i ended up going to bed earlier than planned. i quickly showered, but the water was super cold. i put my hair in braids so it would be wavy in the morning, then put on my pajamas, which had black cats on them. but then there was that tapping again, this time on my room window.

i didn't want to look outside, worried that i might see the figure again. but i did anyway.

and again, that figure was there, looking straight at me, but from across the road. a car passed by, blocking my view. when the car was gone, so was the person.

i told myself it was just my imagination, so it didn't worry me too much, but it was still freaky. i got into bed and pulled up my covers, falling asleep like nothing had just happened.

the next morning, i woke up and grabbed my phone. i was scrolling through the worldwide news—nothing super crazy had happened—but when i checked the summerville local news, i saw something that pulled at my heartstrings.

FAMILIES DIE FROM HOUSE FIRE CAUSED BY A CIGARETT BUTT.

Late last night, a family frantically called 911 to report a rapidly spreading house fire just down the block from their home. The fire, which started in a single residence from a cogarett butt, quickly intensified and, despite the fire department's urgent efforts to reach the scene in time, the blaze spread to two neighboring houses. The situation escalated into a devastating inferno, engulfing all three homes. Tragically, the families inside each house were trapped by the flames, unable to escape, and perished just moments before the fire department arrived. The incident has left the community in shock, mourning the loss of lives in what has become a catastrophic event. 

i couldn't believe what i had read. the houses that burned down were not too far from my own, and it was just last night. i wondered if that figure i saw had anything to do with it.

i got out of bed and got ready for the day, taking my hair out of the braids and putting on black leggings and an orange crop top. i quickly ate breakfast and went to work.

i worked at a nearby bookstore called little owl. i loved it there; it fit every aesthetic you'd want out of one. books, records, a café, video players, and cds—you'd get the full aura in here. chris would come over for a while each morning, and he was making his way over to me right now.

i was putting away some books, and chris helped me with a few of them.

'you looked at the news lately?' he asked.

i nodded, wanting to tell him about the person i saw last night, but i decided not to. 'yeah, pretty scary, huh? i wanted to go over and check it out later today if you're up for that.'

'yeah, i'm good with that.'

chris handed me some more books when one caught my eye. it was older, with a few cracks and dents, but the title read: summerville crimes.

i opened it up and flipped through the pages, each thing getting weirder and spookier by the minute. i came across a page that talked about a house fire here in summerville. same reason it burned down. the family died, but this time, they said a shadowy figure showed up after the fire, asking questions about it and being all invasive.

i shut the book, not wanting to read any more. thankfully, chris was too occupied with something else to notice. i put the book away and tried to forget about it. could what happened last night be a repeat of all those years ago?