The World Outside My Bedroom Window ✅ [EXERPT]

Chapter 2- Hazel Eyes

A/N
A quick thank you to theimpersonalyam for her help with this part! Remember to check out her story, "Hatter".
Shoutout to lovehypehouse!
Go check out her stories!
(You're welcome sista 😉)

SIX YEARS LATER
"Happy Birthday Wren!" Grandma Yolie and Dad burst into my room screaming on Saturday morning. I groaned and burrowed under my quilt.

"Rise and shine sleepyhead, it's almost 10 am." Dad pulled the covers off my head and poked me. I swung my legs out of bed and stood up before he could tickle me (I have a weakness, okay?). My birds' nest hair was, in all its glory, a mess. Loosely securing it with a purple hair tie, I grabbed my glasses and dragged myself to the washroom.

"That's the spirit," Grandma chuckled. "Hurry up and get dressed. I'm making breakfast waffles."

I stared at myself in the mirror. My knee length reddish brown hair was everywhere but hanging straight down like it was supposed to. I had slight dark circles around my eyes. My irises could be described as pretty or striking, but could also be described as the colour of a rain cloud. It didn't matter anyway; my eyes constantly had thick glasses over them because I'm partially blind. Above all, I was short in height (get the pun) which only served to make my hair look even more abnormally long. I had stopped growing past 5, 2" at the age of twelve. Glaring at my hair one last time, I sighed and decided to just wash it. At least it would be clean then. Reaching up to the cabinet on my tip toes for my detangling serum, I set to work. Birthday or not, I got no mercy from my hair.

***

Grandma set down a plate of chocolate waffles with fresh strawberries in front of me. I liberally doused them with maple syrup and soon made short work of them.

"What, no please or thank you?" Grandma called teasingly from the kitchen.

"Tankoo!" I replied obligingly, my mouth full. Swallowing my last mouthful, I unlocked my phone and checked the latest statistics for new disease cases. The total cases now in my home state of Tennessee was a five digit number. Feeling the sudden tightness in my throat at the flood of memories, I tried to push it to the back of my mind as I asked Grandma what she had planned for today.

"Welllll..." She began, a wicked twinkle in her eye. "You could clean your room and do some homework..." I gazed at her in mock horror. She burst out laughing and suggested rewatching all seasons of Supernatural all day. Now that's more like it!

***

Seven hours, and several seasons later, we were finally out of popcorn. Tired and happy, I stretched out across my bed in lazy contentment, waiting for Dad to get home so I could cut my cake and open my present (notice the fact that it's in singular; I was never spoilt). Dad is the head of the IT security team at some big hotshot company called Narcissus. Grandma's only job is to look after poor, housebound me. Dad and Grandma are the only ones who leave the house now; Dad for work, and Grandma for groceries.

That's right.

I haven't left the house (and here you should note that when I say "house", I mean apartment) since we moved here, to Dubai, which was when i was ten. I'm exactly sixteen years old now. Six years and I haven't been to a Starbucks.

Yep. That's what gets to me. Not that my social life is at a resound zero, not that I haven't been to highschool, but the fact that I haven't been to Starbucks.

I have one messed up brain.
My messed up brain still thinking, I drift into blissful sleep. Images of my old school and memories with Mom infiltrate my dreams.

***

I'm interrupted from my sleep by the sound of a muffled thud from somewhere nearby. I raise my head eagerly, hoping it's Dad, but the sound isn't coming from the door; it's from outside my window. I heave myself up and peer cautiously into the night.

Ok so quick explanation. Our apartment is on the top floor of the Creek Vistas Twin Apartment Complex, right up on the eleventh floor. So I have a stunning view of the entire complex and the other apartment building, especially into the eleventh floor apartment in that building. That one apartment is jinxed, according to gossip, as no tenant has lasted there more than a week. I've seen this myself in the past six years several times, so I know it's true. For the past six months it seemed like the jinx really existed, as no one even tried to move in. It's been practically empty for most of this year.

So what catches my eye isn't the old man out for a stroll, or the family schlepping back to their apartment after a night out. It is the pair of bright hazel eyes, sparkling with inquisitivity, staring from the apartment perpendicular to mine. Before I can call out a greeting, a loud yell echoes from his apartment, and the curtain is yanked shut.

***

"Dad, did you know we were gonna have new neighbours?" I questioned him after the ceremonial cake cutting and present opening. (a new ps5 game and rose gold controller :)

He choked on his drink and sputtered out a "Wait what! People have moved there?!" Since when?"

"Uhh yeah, why is it such a big deal? Why are you so upset? Dad, what are you not telling me?" I felt a little worried, but excited too. Maybe I was gonna get some answers, but this was still a little strange. Why would new neighbours have anything to do with Mom...

But before he could reply, Grandma spoke up. "Honey, why don't you take over some of the lemon tarts that we made yesterday to our new neighbours. You know, as a welcome?"

My jaw dropped. I was rarely allowed around the complex buildings, so this was a very big deal for me. (A/N: who else can relate to this excitement of going outside now?) I snatched up my phone from the coffee table and all but ran to the kitchens to get the tarts.

Through my excitement, I kept a sharp eye on Grandma and Dad, who were exchanging dark looks with each other, but not saying anything. Yet.

Tupperware in hand, I was at the door. "Bye! I'll be back soon!" I was intrigued when I got no reply, not even a warning saying to be careful or don't talk to strangers. I crept to the sliding glass door of the living room to see Dad talking to Grandma quietly and urgently. I snuck closer to hear what they were saying, but bumped into the glass door. Damn my clumsy self.

Of course they looked up and saw me. I laughed nervously. "I uhh... forgot the key card."

Before they could say anything, I had swiped the key card from the table and fled from the apartment.

***

Only once I was outside did I realize that I hadn't fixed my hair. Just great. Forget the jinx, I bet the jungle on my head will scare them off first.

During the short walk to the apartment, I tried not to think about Dad and Grandma's odd behaviour and instead focus on what I was going to say to these people. I gave myself a short pep talk to avoid my usual stammering and shyness.

Among the side effects of staying in my apartment was my lack of people skills. But I had never really had to worry about it, because, once again, my social interaction face to face was limited to only two people.

Before I knew it, I had crossed the swimming pool to the elevator and was outside the apartment a minute later. I smoothed down my hair; I wasn't really planning on giving someone a heart attack today. I nervously rang the doorbell and stepped back. I'd imagined many scenarios, but what I wasn't expecting was someone to come running from the side and barrel straight into me, knocking me flat onto the ground. Dazed, I looked up to see the same hazel eyes I'd seen earlier.

[END OF CHAPTER 1 :) ]