I Thought I Knew You

Pool Parties

"There you two are!" Diane seemed to sigh in relief when she spotted Elaine and I approaching. She was waiting outside our dorm, her hands placed on her hips. "I was about to send out a search party. What happened?"

"I was just showing Elizabeth the Fairy Gardens," Elaine replied coolly.

I silently thanked her for keeping her promise, giving her a smile. Elaine smiled back. She was truly a great friend, someone I could trust. Someone who I could rely on.

I have one day. One day to confront the stalker before the Sins know he is most probably a Commandment. That's all the time I have. All the time I've been graced with to keep it all secret and process it before others got involved.

That meant I had to make the most of it.

"Really?" Diane smiled in awe as she let us into the dorm. Her eyes glossed over. "That place is magical! Really. I remember when I accidentally ended up lost in there. It was more wonderful than anywhere else on the planet!"

I smiled as Diane continued to talk about the gardens and how it must've taken ages for Elaine and the other fairies to return it to its former glory. She spoke about the maze of plants, the spiralling blooms of flowers, and the sweet scent that always filled the air. The Fairy Gardens were somewhere that had grown to become a centerpiece of Liones over the years and was rumoured to represent how strong the fairies were becoming. 

It's said that the more the garden grew and prospered the stronger the race became, until they were able to be at their old levels of strength. The ones they had before the war.

"Anyway, I went way off topic there," Diane chuckled as she disappeared into her room. 

Apparently the conversation had stopped being about the Fairy Gardens. I blinked, trying to follow the conversation as Elaine and I trail behind Diane.

"What we should really be talking about is today!" The brunette couldn't contain her excitement from whatever she had planned. It was obvious from the tone of her voice.

"I can't deny I'm looking forward to it," Elaine responded, much more calmly, as she seated herself on Diane's bed.

Meanwhile I was taking in Diane's room. I had barely noticed how cozy yet messy her room was despite having plenty of chances to see it. 

It was like a maze of organised mess, with piles of clothes near her closet and dresser. All sorts of materials and colours met my eyes, zippers and high-heels catching my attention. A crazy array of posters and stickers were stuck to the four walls of her room, covering most of the basic white paint job. There was even a huddle of stuffed animals on Diane's bed, all of them organised and yet not at the same time. As if she'd positioned them randomly.

"Elizabeth?" Diane waved a hand in front of my face. Her brows pinched. "Earth to Elizabeth?"

"She's zoned out," Elaine peered at me, floating to meet my level. Her golden eyes bore into mine, her frown matching Diane's.

"Well, I have a solution for that," Diane promptly stepped away, smirking. She gasped, pointing towards her window. "Oh my god Elizabeth, I think someone's peeking through the window! I think it's a stalker!"

"What?!" I jolt forward, eyes wide as the others burst into laughter.

I didn't think the stalker would be audacious enough to peek into Diane's room - or anywhere in my dorm really. But maybe I was wrong. They did tend to escalate in confidence, after all. So maybe he has been peeking in for the past few days. Who knows what he's seen if he has....

Shivering, I turn to look at the window and notice the absence of said stalker. It was then I realised Diane had caught my attention by bringing up stalkers, despite not knowing I had one. How ironic.