I AM WATCHING YOU

CHAPTER : 13

A hand from the shadow grabs me and pulls me into the alley. I fell due to the impact. I get up fast to fight whoever it was. Or try fighting.

They pull their hoodie down and I can make out that it's a girl. I still can't see her face in the dark.

"Sophia. It's me." Bella. Was she following me?

I roll my fist, ready to throw a punch if she comes near me. Then I remember, I needed to talk to her.

"What are you doing here?" I ask her.

"I need to talk to you. I saw you walking and thought it's now or never." She shrugged and sat on the ground leaning on the wall.

"I was coming to see you." I said and sat beside her.

"Coming where?" Her face scrunched in confusion.

"To your house." I said in a duh tone.

"I don't even live there." She said and we fell into a comfortable silence. If I really think about it, I don't know where she lives. How stupid of me.

She starts laughing all of a sudden. I join her too. After a few seconds I stopped laughing and look up at her and said, "I really thought you were my friend, Bella. What have I ever done to you?"

She sighs and stare at the sky. "Yeah about that. I need to tell you the truth. I didn't do anything."

"What do you mean?"

"It wasn't me, Sophia. I could never do this to you. When your mom was admitted at the hospital, I received a note. It asked me to pretend to be the one writing in the journal and killing your-" She stopped talking and I felt grateful for that. I didn't want to hear it.

"But why would you agree to it?"

"It threatened to kill my sister. She has spent her whole life in a hospital. And now that she's about to be discharged, I can't risk losing her."

I wanted to believe her but I couldn't. What if she was lying to me?

As if she had been reading my thoughts she said, "I know you don't trust me. But you'll have to. I swear on everything that I'm telling the truth. I don't want to live like this." She was crying by now. A tear falling on my arm made me realize I was crying too.

"Why are you telling me this now? What about your sister?" My voice broke.

"I can't keep protecting a life while risking your whole family's life. You deserve to know the truth and take care of yourself. I don't know but I have a feeling whoever it was is coming for your brother."

"I can't let them."

"We won't." She placed her hand on mine. "Please forgive me."

"It's not your fault." I wiped her tears and stood up holding my hand out for her. She grabbed it and stood up beside me.

"Where are you staying?"

"Emma's house." I replied and we started walking.

"Who's Emma?"

"Adrian's nanny"

She nodded in response. We reached the house and turned to face her.

"I snuck out actually. So we can't go through the main door."

"It's fine. Do you think you can come back to my place? We need to find who the killer is."

"Sure." She began walking in the opposite direction from where we came.

"Your house is this side?" She smiled and sprinted off. I also ran trying to catch up with her. The wind slapping us in our faces while we laughed until our stomach hurt and plopping down on the bed was the last thing I remembered before I fell asleep.

"Sophia. Come here." I turn around to the sound of my mother calling. I walk upto her. She's standing with a young couple, probably in their 20s.

"This is Mr. And Mrs. Block. And this is my daughter, Sophia." I shook hands with them while smiling.

"Can I talk to dear?" Mrs. Block asks. I nod my head. She took my hand and led me to a bench far away. We walked and walked until we reached that bench. I looked back and couldn't see my mom. I started feeling scared. I barely knew this woman.

"Why are we here?" She sat on the bench and patted the seat next to her. I sat down hesitantly.

Suddenly it started raining all over us until I realized it wasn't water anymore. The red liquid started pouring on us with great force.

"Mrs. Block! I'm scared!" I screamed while covering my face. Getting no response from her side, I removed my hands to look up at her, only to find her face turning into a book.

I screamed and ran as fast as I could. Finding a big bush, I sat behind it. I felt someone's presence. It started coming closer and closer to me until I was certain it was beside me.

"I'm watching you" I turned my head slowly to find the walking book grinning at me.