*Third person pov*
A week has passed since the ugly scene with Raphael and Maya. The holiday is over. I'm back at school, slowly trying to arrange my side of the dorm room and get my mind right.
In one of the quiet dorm rooms, it was already past eleven at night. I finally finished unpacking my last box.
To reward myself for all the hard work, I decided I deserved a snack. I needed to step out and stop by the convenience store on campus.
The air outside was cold and windy. I was wearing my favorite light pink pajamas , my comfort color , covered by a bulky brown hoodie.
I got to the store, quickly grabbed some fast food, and a few essential groceries. I didn't buy too much since Zael hadn't arrived yet. I paid at the counter and started heading back to the dorm.
I chose the long way back, the route that goes through the school park. I didn't care that it took longer; I just needed the extra time to clear my head. The moon was high, making the pavement shine, and the wind blew through my thick black hair. I checked my phone , it was past midnight and it seemed like I lost track of time.
I decided to sit down on one of the empty benches for just a moment, scrolling through my phone and enjoying the night breeze.
Then, the air changed.
A sudden, sharp blast of cold air hit my skin. It wasn't the normal cool breeze I had been feeling, this was the kind of cold that sent deep, unsettling shivers straight down my spine.
I quickly tried to pull my hoodie zipper all the way up.
Just then, I felt a heavy hand grab my shoulder.
I froze. In the corner of my eye, I could see the hand. It was long, large, and the fingers were detailed and definitely belonged to a man. I spun around abruptly, ready to face whoever was behind me.
There was no one there.
I frowned deeply. It's probably just stress. I'm imagining things. I quickly gathered my grocery bag and started walking back to the dormitory.
I walked at a calm pace, my hand deep in my hoodie pocket. But I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was right behind me, following my every step. This feeling grew stronger and stronger over the next two minutes. My heart started to beat faster, and I sped up my walk until I was practically running toward my dorm building.
I ran up the stairs, filled with the fear of being followed or attacked. When I reached my door, I fumbled with the code lock. I paused before entering, driven by panic, and glanced out the window next to the door.
My breath hitched in my throat. I saw him.
It was a man, and he was incredibly tall. I couldn't clearly see his face from my height, but I could make out his hair , thick, gray hair that covered his whole head, neatly parted in the middle. He didn't look old, though he looked strangely young. He wore a formal black dress shirt, black dress pants, and a matching black suit jacket, with the top button of his shirt undone.
He was standing near the dormitory gate, staring right at the building. My eyes were glued to him, searching for anything suspicious. Then, slowly, he raised his head.
He looked up and straight into the window I was looking out of. We made eye contact.
I was not ready for that. I instantly crouched down, slapping a hand over my mouth to stop any sound. I waited, shaking, for a long minute. Slowly, I rose to look again. He was gone. Relief washed over me, but the fear was worse than before. I quickly punched in the code, rushed into my room, and locked the door three times.
**************************************
Two days later, I was buried in books at the library, actually trying to study. My phone buzzed. It was a message from Zael.
'I'm already in the room! I see you're not here. You're probably being a total nerd in the corner of the school library.'
I laughed softly. She was painfully right.
'Oh, I am not! And even if I was, not everyone passes their exams without studying like you,' I texted back playfully.
It was already 4 P.M. and I was done for the day. I packed up and headed back to the dorm.
"Hey, you!" I walked into the room, saw Zael, and rushed to hug her.
"Hey to you too! How are you now?" Zael asked, her voice instantly warm and full of concern.
"What kind of question is that? I'm better than ever!" I replied, pulling back.
"I just wanted to make sure you're all good after... everything," she said.
"Zael, I'm over it. I promise, I'm good."
"Okay, okay, I hear you. So, how was your first day back? Did anything crazy happen while I was gone?" Zael asked, her eyes full of curiosity.
"I've only been here for one day, Zael. Nothing happened. Even if something did, I wouldn't know you know I don't socialize well," I replied.
"Oh, I know. That's a bummer."
"Wait, actually, something weird did happen yesterday," I suddenly remembered.
"Really?" she said, sitting up with excitement.
"Yes, it was so strange. I went out late to buy some snacks, around midnight. On my way back, I felt like someone was following me. A guy! He was super tall and wearing a suit."
"A guy? Ooo, was he cute?" Zael teased.
"Zael, stop! This isn't funny. I was genuinely scared," I insisted, pouting slightly.
"But are you absolutely sure he was following you? Maybe he was just visiting someone," Zael suggested.
"Visiting someone at midnight? He was following me. Then, when I got upstairs which I practically ran up to by the way I looked outside and saw him staring up at the building. Then he looked right at me. He looked really scary."
"Oh, that is scary. So, when you made eye contact, what did he do?"
"I just ducked down out of fear. When I got back up, he was gone. ."
"Wow. You seriously need to be careful, especially at night. But how did he get past security? You said he wasn't a student," Zael questioned.
"What? I never said he wasn't a student. How do you know he wasn't?"
Zael looked away quickly. "You said he wore a suit, dummy, and was in his late twenties. That means he's obviously not a student."
"Sorry, I'm just really freaked out by everything that's been happening lately," I apologized, taking a deep breath.
"No problem. Hey, what is that round orb on your desk? I haven't seen that before." Zael pointed at the black crystal.
"Oh, that? Remember my Aunt Shysie?"
"Yeah, I definitely remember her. You complain about her all the time," Zael replied.
"I found it in a weird room at her house, so I took it because it caught my eye," I explained.
"What?" Zael's hand shot up, and she dropped the glass bottle of expensive perfume she was trying to arrange. It shattered on the floor.
"Zael!" I gasped. "What is wrong? Why did you drop your expensive perfume?" I rushed to help her clean the broken glass.
"I'm fine! Just leave it!" she shouted, jumping up and dashing out of the room to grab a broom, still not looking at me.
Why is she acting so strange over nothing? I thought to myself, watching her leave.
***************************************
It was around 1:00 A.M. I was sound asleep in my bed when I suddenly started hearing whispers right in my ear. The voice was deep and low.
"You brought me out from where I belonged. Now you have to take accountability for me."
I woke up with a sharp start. I looked around the room. It was dark, and I saw no one. Zael was sleeping soundly on her bed.
Sigh. "It must be my imagination," I told myself. I got up to use the restroom.
I finished using the toilet and was washing my hands when I heard the statement again, but this time it was clearer and louder: "You brought me out from where I belonged. Now you have to take accountability for me, Clara."
My name. I heard my name. I whipped around fast. "Who is there?" I whispered, even though I knew the room was empty.
"Ah, I must be going crazy. Why am I hearing voices? Let me just go back to sleep. Maybe I'm just stressed out because I'm about to start my internship." I tried to rationalize it. I went back to my bed and pulled the covers up, forcing myself to sleep.
But right before I drifted into a deep sleep, I swear I saw that black crystal orb on my desk glow a faint blue.
*End of Chapter*