... I wake up startled. I feel my heart beating out of my chest. The curtain in front of my window blows in the cool night breeze. I stand up from my bed and walk over to it. I push the curtain out of the way and stare out of the window. I climb out onto the cold tin roof and stand up. My hair blows behind my head in the cool breeze. I climb further down the roof and drop onto the balcony outside my parents room. I look through a gap in the window to my parents room, no one is awake. I climb down a little ladder and onto the ground. I jog down the street to the beach.
I arrive at the beach and look around me. No one but me is here. I check my phone, nothing, no messages, I through it and my shoes onto the sand. I run into the cold water as it wraps around my waist. The cool water runs through my legs and wraps itself around my waist. I duck under the water and I feel the soft waves pulling my long black hair around. My top and shorts become heavy I feel them trying to pull me down to the sand beneath me. I stretch out my arms and pull myself up to the surface of the water. Water comes rushing off my head and from my hair. I run further into the water until it is shoulder deep.
I hear a beeping noise in the distance. My eyes flutter open, it was just a dream. I sit up and look over to the window. I watch as the curtain gracefully blows in the early morning breeze, just like in my dream. I side my legs off my bed and let them dangle over the edge. My toes brush against the soft carpet. I stand up and walk out to the bathroom. I look at myself in the mirror. I see a silhouette through the window be hind me. I look closer at it, someone's there. I walk over the the window and push the curtains away from the window. I catch a glimpse of someone's foot. They're wearing custom Nike's. It can't be. It's James. I open the window.
"James! This isn't funny!" I yell as he runs away from the house.
I run out of the bathroom and fly out the front door. I chase after James, I can't catch up to him, he's too fast. I watch as he turns a corner and disappears, what does he want? I think to myself. I walk back to the house. Dad is standing at the front door with a confused look across his face.
"What are you doing?" He asks confused.
"James," I say breathlessly, "he broke into our house the other night, then just watched me as I was in the bathroom!"
"That wouldn't be James!" Dad says shocked.
"But dad! It was! Ask mum! She agrees with me!" I reply annoyed.
"Get inside Katherine, you're being ridiculous!" He yells.
He's annoyed, he knows more than I do. I turn and run down the street. I turn the corner James did. I turn my head to see if Dad is following me. But instead I run into James.
"Katherine! Um, what are you doing here!" He yells.
I look at him sternly. He knows more than I do, but I know that he was the one that broke into our house the other night, and I know that he was the one that stalked me this morning.
"What do you want!" I yell.
He steps up to me. Almost as if he's squaring me up. I step back, I don't want to get into a fight with him because I know who would win, him. He grabs the front of my shirt and pulls me towards him.
"James put me down!" I shriek, "help!"
"No one's going to help you Katherine," He says roughly.
I swallow and try kicking him to let me go but it doesn't work. I think back to yesterday when him and I were rolling around together having the time of our lives, but now, what's happened? I scream again as he puts his arm around me and throws me against a wall and runs away. Mum and Dad coming running around the corner. I start crying and bring my legs up to my chin.
"Katherine! Are you ok?" Dad says worried.
I shake my head. My whole body hurts. My head, my back, my arms, my legs. Dad lifts me up to my feet and scoops me up into his arms. He carries me back to the house, when we get there, he takes me up to me and puts me onto my bed. I feel faint, I open my eyes, everything is going blurry.
"Katherine, do you want us to take you to the hospital?" Mum asks.
I shake my head.
"Tell us what happened, exactly what happened," Dad says sternly.
"Th... this morning, when I was in the bathroom, James was watching me, and when I ran out from you this morning dad, I turned a corner and ran into him, I asked him what he wanted, and... and he grabbed my shirt and held me in the air... then he put his arm around my waist and threw me against a wall," I manage to mumble.
"Oh my," Mum says putting her hand to her mouth, "are you sure it was James? I'm sure he wouldn't do that!"
"Do you two only care about James!? I'm your daughter and I feel like you care more about James than me!" I yell.
A silence falls upon them, I've caught them, they don't know what to say.
"Darling..." Mum says.
I cut her off,
"don't even bother," I say as I turn away from them...
