Echoes Of The Unseen

EOTU -QUINCE

flashback

Three years ago, in Japan, Reverie lived alone in a small but cozy house. The kind of home that should have felt safe -a sanctuary from the outside world. Her mother had passed away when she was young, and her father was always away, managing his business abroad. So, for as long as she could remember, she had taken care of herself.

At first, living alone had felt like freedom. But that freedom turned into something else, something darker, more suffocating when Kazu entered her life.

It started small. Just like any other classmate, Kazu had seemed normal at first, albeit a bit intense. But over time, Reverie noticed things. She started seeing him more often, in places she didn’t expect. He would show up at cafes she frequented or take the same route home as her, even though he lived in the opposite direction.

But what really terrified her was when she began to feel like she wasn’t alone in her own home.

Reverie sat in her bedroom, staring blankly at her laptop screen, unable to concentrate on the homework in front of her. The soft hum of the fridge from the kitchen down the hall was the only sound in the house. But even with the quiet, something felt off. It had felt off for weeks now. She hadn’t been sleeping well, her mind constantly buzzing with unease. Every creak of the floorboards, every gust of wind against the windows, made her jump.

A nagging feeling tugged at her, whispering in the back of her mind that something wasn’t right. She had brushed it off at first, thinking it was just her imagination running wild. Living alone could do that to someone, especially when they were already on edge. But lately, the feeling had gotten worse.

Her phone buzzed on the desk, snapping her out of her thoughts. It was a message from Kazu.

She hesitated before opening it, her stomach twisting in knots. Kazu had been messaging her more and more frequently. Sometimes he would ask where she was, other times he would simply send a single word: missed or watched. They were cryptic, unsettling, and made Reverie’s skin crawl.

This message was different. As she clicked it open, her blood turned to ice.

"You're home alone again, aren't you?"

Reverie’s heart pounded in her chest as she stared at the screen. She hadn’t told anyone she was home alone, especially not Kazu. How could he know? She had just gotten back from school, and as far as she was aware, no one had followed her. Her father was away for work, as usual, and the house had been locked all day.

Her fingers trembled as she typed a response.

"What do you mean?"

There was no reply for several minutes, and for a moment, she hoped that maybe he was just guessing, trying to mess with her. But then, her phone buzzed again, and the message that appeared made her blood run cold.

"Check under your desk."

Her breath caught in her throat. Reverie felt her entire body go rigid with fear. She didn’t want to look. She couldn’t. But the compulsion to know if this was real, if Kazu was actually somehow watching her, overpowered her instincts to run.

Slowly, she lowered herself to the floor, her hands shaking as she reached under the desk. Her fingers brushed against something cold and metallic. She froze, her heart racing as she carefully pulled the object out into the light.

It was a small, hidden camera.

Her eyes widened in horror as she stared at the device in her hands. How long had this been here? How many other cameras were there? Was this the reason she had felt so uneasy all this time?

Without thinking, she threw the camera across the room, her breathing now coming in shallow gasps. Panic clawed at her chest as she backed away from the desk, her mind spinning. He’s been watching me.

Just then, her phone buzzed again. She didn’t want to look, but her hands moved on their own, unlocking the screen.

"I’ve always been watching you, Reverie. You're never alone. Don’t you get it?"

Her legs felt weak, and she collapsed onto the floor, her back against the wall as tears pricked her eyes. How had this happened? How had Kazu gotten so close without her even knowing?

She had always tried to ignore the strange feeling that something was wrong in her house, chalking it up to paranoia. But now she knew, Kazu had invaded her life, her privacy, her home. And she had no idea how far he would go.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Reverie’s heart skipped a beat, and she shot to her feet, her mind racing. Could it be him? She didn’t move at first, her feet glued to the floor. The doorbell rang again, more insistent this time. Reverie’s hands shook as she slowly moved toward the door, her heart pounding in her ears.

Her fingers hovered over the doorknob, every instinct screaming at her not to open it. She peeked through the peephole, praying it wasn’t Kazu on the other side. But to her relief, it was just a delivery man holding a package.

With shaking hands, she opened the door, taking the package and thanking the man, though her voice was barely above a whisper. As soon as he left, she locked the door, triple-checking it this time.

But no matter how many locks she secured, she couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. She knew now that Kazu had found a way into her life, even when she was alone in her own home. There was no escaping him.

Reverie collapsed onto the couch, pulling her knees to her chest as her phone buzzed once more.

"I’ll be seeing you soon, honey."

She dropped the phone in horror, her breath ragged as the walls of her house seemed to close in around her. The safe space she once had was now a prison, haunted by the eyes of someone who was always watching.

paparazzi.

-22MAY2001