Dynasty Boys

Chapter 7

Elle

Shock gripped me, and I couldn't control my heavy breathing. How long had this person been watching me? How else would they know exactly what I was wearing in that moment? I looked around the dark room, my heart racing. Was that a man standing in the corner, or was it just my chair piled with clothes? I prayed it was the second option.

I wasn't going to just sit here and play cat and mouse. No way. That wasn't me. If I had to fight, I would. I had nothing left to lose. I forced myself to ignore the nauseous feeling rising in my stomach and walked calmly to the window. On the outside, I was collected, but inside, I was anything but. Never show your weakness. Never show how scared you are. I repeated the words like a mantra. Blood pounded in my veins, and sweat slicked my skin. I peered out the window, but saw nothing unusual. The street was dark, empty.

Nobody was there...

Grandma and I lived far from the city center, in a quiet, isolated area. No cars. No neighbors. Nothing. I tried to convince myself it was just some joke, a prank from one of the mean girls at school, probably. They would think it was funny, right?

But maybe the person who texted me had just guessed what I was wearing. After all, plenty of people wore simple clothes to bed. I was probably overreacting.

I giggled to myself nervously. I needed to stop buying into Grandma's crazy stories. She was messing with my head. I walked back to my bed, curling up under the covers, feeling a little more secure. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my mind, and closed my eyes. But just as I was starting to relax, another notification pinged on my phone. I hesitated for only a second before grabbing it.

"Wow... didn't think you'd give up that easily. Why don't you look again? Look harder this time. You look cute when you're scared, by the way. And oh, you have a lot to be scared of right now."

I tossed my phone across the bed, my heart pounding in my chest. Without thinking, I leaped out of bed and ran downstairs to the kitchen, before grabbing a sharp knife from the drawer. I didn't know where this person was. I had to stop pretending this wasn't real.

Someone was watching me. Someone was out there.

Should I call the cops? No. I couldn't. They wouldn't take it seriously. They'd probably think it was just a prank.

I froze, standing in the kitchen, trying to steady my breath. For five minutes, nothing happened. I decided to go back upstairs. As I climbed the stairs, I paused outside Grandma's room, checking on her.

Maybe she'd heard something too?

I walked back to the window. If anyone was out there, I was probably giving them exactly what they wanted, making myself feel powerless. They wanted me scared. But if there was anyone out there... they had to be gone by now. I knew for a fact there was no one outside now. I climbed back into bed for what felt like the third time that night, my thoughts swirling with everything that had happened. Eventually, exhaustion took over, and I drifted into sleep, hoping the worst was over.

The sound of my alarm jolted me awake. It was 7:10. I groaned, rolling out of bed, the remnants of sleep still heavy in my limbs. Mornings were the worst, especially school mornings.

I had planned on taking a quick shower before school, but my mind felt foggy. The day had barely begun, and I was already drained. After a quick shower, I ate an apple for breakfast and speed-walked to my bedroom to get dressed. As I entered, I noticed a piece of paper lying on my nightstand.

It must have been from Grandma. She had left early for the shops, but I was certain that paper hadn't been there when I woke up, at least, I didn't see it. I picked it up and read the note:

"Instead of going for the obvious way, why not think outside the box? Take a note from every horror movie ever made. Next time, don't forget to check the closet. Thanks for the show yesterday, by the way! I can't stop thinking about your tight ass. It looks so tasty..."

I couldn't breathe. The world seemed to tilt as my chest tightened. My vision blurred as tears welled up in my eyes. I was having a panic attack. He had been in my closet, he'd been there all along. And he'd been watching me. Watching me, terrified. He could have killed Grandma. He could have hurt me. My body shook as I sank to my knees on the floor. This couldn't be happening. It had to be the same person who killed my parents. I couldn't understand why he was doing this to me.

What did he want from me? And most importantly, who was he? Did I know him?

After what felt like an eternity, I glanced at my Apple Watch and knew I had to get dressed if I didn't want to be late for school. My thoughts kept circling back to the fact that someone had sneaked into my house at night. Who was he? And what was he planning to do?

For a moment, the idea of telling Grandma the truth crossed my mind. She'd want us to move away, for sure. But I wasn't ready for that. If he wanted a battle, then I'd give him a war... and I would win. Suddenly, a honk from outside snapped me out of my spiraling thoughts.

Lila.

I had completely forgotten she was picking me up. I blinked away the tears, took a few shaky breaths, and forced myself to calm down.

Everything's going to be fine, right?

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