LIA'S STALKER

X Followed Me Home

Dear my innocent, darling Lia,

I can guarantee, this isn’t a joke, and I can also guarantee you aren’t paranoid. I’m watching you, Lia. I’m always watching you. And I will destroy you. I hope you enjoyed your book today- I was fond of The Good Marriage myself. It’s good, isn’t it? I’m just wondering why you didn’t borrow it? You’ll tell me one day. I know you will. You’ll tell me anything and everything. You’ll be MINE Lia. Always. I was thinking… maybe we could have a little fun- a little role-playing. You can be Bob and I’ll be Darcy, and I’ll push you down the stairs and shove a plastic bag and dish wiper down your throat. I’m looking forward to it.

Talk to you soon, Lia.

X 

Lia rushed home, blinking back tears. She lived a ten minute walk from the school, five minutes if she ran. And she was running. Her brown hair was basically whipping around behind her in the wind, and her breath was choked up.

She burst through the front door and her mum looked up from the Dining Room, startled, letting her book rest on her lap. “Lia, darling, what’s the matter?” she asked, leaning forwards. Lia looked almost identical to her mother- though a younger copy of course. Both had long brown hair and brown-grey eyes.

Lia paused, staring at her mum, wondering whether she should say anything. The letters, both stuffed in the inside pocket of her blazer, were proof. Her mum couldn’t say she was making anything up.

But she worried- would her mum just think she was being ridiculous? Maybe… maybe she was being ridiculous. The notes were threatening, and she couldn’t deny they scared her but maybe that’s just what the person wanted. To scare her.

“Nothing serious. Just… got a bad score on a maths test.” Lia said, her voice a little hoarse from the running and trying not to cry. But as she stood there, the adrenaline faded from her veins and she took a few deep breaths. In the safety of her house, she felt, well… safe.

“Okay baby.” Her mum said, lifting up her book and going back to reading it. Lia peered at the title then winced- Fifty Shades Of Grey.

“Gross.” She muttered to herself.

Courtney burst through the door, suddenly, with Millie slightly behind her. “What the hell Lia?” she burst out. Lia turned to her irate younger sister, and suddenly felt guilty. She was supposed to have gone to little Millie’s prep class that afternoon to help with reading.

Millie’s eyes were welled up with tears and she was sniffing. Millie was five years old, and Courtney was eleven. Lia was seventeen. There were big age differences between the girls, but they also had two brothers that went to another school. Billy and Lincoln, were eight and fourteen, in that order. Courtney was closest to Millie, and fiercely protective of the little girl.

“Oh Millie, I’m so sorry!” Lia exclaimed, dropping to her knees in front of Millie, to reduce herself to the little girl’s height. Millie had big blue eyes and rosy cheeks, with adorable strawberry blond curls. She looked like a little doll. A tear rolled down Millie’s cheek and Lia’s heart almost broke.

“How about I take you and Courts to the movies?” she suggested to Millie, “it’s Friday night… we can go to the pancake parlor afterwards!” Millie brightened up immediately.

“Can we mama?” she asked. Her mum looked up.

“Of course girls, but you’re paying Lia.” She told her daughter.

Lia grinned, “girl’s night, huh? Isn’t there some Disney movie out?”

“Brave! Brave! I want to see Brave!” squealed Millie, excitedly.

“Oh yes! Can we?” begged Courtney, her anger forgotten. Lia grinned at her sisters, the threatening letters far from her mind.

Lia smiled at the excited girls. “Okay, get changed and let’s go!” Both girls ran off to the room they shared at Lia’s mum glanced up and rolled her eyes.

“You know the way to those girls’ hearts.” She commented. Lia just shrugged,

“What can I say?” she laughed, lightly.

Lia walked upstairs slowly to her bedroom. She was the only one who had her own bedroom out of the kids- what could she say? She was the oldest! Lia walked into her room and froze, seeing the folded piece of paper on her pillow.

“Oh no! Oh no! Oh crap!” she swore, frantically, slamming the door closed behind her and rushing over to the note. Weird stalker-like notes at school were freaky enough- but someone had been in her bloody room! In her house! Who ever they were, they had access to the little ones and her parents…

Lia unfolded the note with shaky hands. It wasn’t as long as the others, but it was just as dark and even more terrifying.

Dear my sweet Lia,

I say that sarcastically, because you’re a fucking bitch. You ruined my life and you’re gonna pay. I thought I might just re-iterate that. I want you to know, if you dare tell anyone then I’ll make sure your little sweet sister Millie meets the same fate as the little boy from IT- in case you don't remember, his arm was pulled off and he was drowned. Ouch. I can reach you, Lia, no matter where you go. And I will kill you.

X

Tears slid down Lia’s cheeks and she took deep, shaky breaths. “God no!” she gasped. X. Could. Access. Her. House. “No, no, no, no, no!” she sobbed, softly.  She collapsed on her bed and cried her eyes out for nearly five minutes.

She was terrified, absolutely terrified. Whoever was writing the notes could get into her house. Whoever was writing the notes was threatening to hurt her. Hurt her… What if… what if they actually did try to kill her?

Lia let out another horrified sob, and curled up on her bed shaking and crying.