The moth to your flame

Chapter 2

CEYLIN POV:

    I load the clean clothes on top of my bed and start folding them while watching reruns of friends mindlessly. I keep thinking about whether it was my imagination or there was someone in my room last night. My mom is a light sleeper, she would have woken up if an intruder came through the front door. Trust me nothing gets past that woman, I should know. When I used to sneak out during my early university days, she would always catch me.
   I've been so stressed lately with the upcoming campaign for my client, the late night phone calls, and the dove delivered to me was too much for me to handle and I'm being too paranoid. My mind is playing tricks on me.
  
    I was too worked up to go to sleep, so I decided going for a walk would help exhaust me. I'm listening to my running playlist with noise canceling on. Even with the volume all the way up, I can't manage the shut and ignore my intrusive thoughts. I pass a couple with their dog running in the opposite direction of me. I wish I had someone to love and have them love me back unconditionally.
    I'm on my way back when I get this feeling like someone is watching me. The hair on the back of my neck stands. My heart accelerates, and not because I'm jogging. It feels different. I take my headphones off and my eyes start scanning the area around me. I don't see anyone, my stomach does a flip and I feel like throwing up.
     "Calm down Ceylin, it's just your mind playing tricks on you" I whisper to myself over and over again. I take a look around one more time just to make sure no one is actually near, when my eyes are drawn to a narrow alley. There's a lightbulb towards the back and it's flickering while making noise. A black cat jumps out of one of the garbage cans and I scream.
   I put my hand over my heart and laugh. "Fickles, you scared the shit out of me" I say breathless. Fickles is my neighbors cat. He is an older man who lives alone. "Come here" I crouch down and pick him up. "You need to stop escaping from the house, I know you are well fed so there's no need for you to be looking for food in the street."
   
     I finish doing my skin care routine and turn my lights off after turning my night light on. I grab the book I'm reading and climb into my bed. I dozed off 20 mins after.

    The sound of my alarm wakes me up and I groan before shutting it off. I go inside my bathroom and take a shower and brush my teeth. I eat some fruit before going to the office.
   "Good morning, how was your date Denise?" I ask my friend and personal assistant.
  "Hey, it was amazing I have so much to catch you up on" she says cheerfully looking at me with her big brown eyes and hazelnut curly hair. Denise is one of the very few friends I have. I live vicariously through her because unlike me she actually has a life.
   "Lunch is on me" I say before walking into my office. She follows me inside and shows me the campaign strategy we've been working on since last week. Our campaign is for a ballet dance studio that's opening soon. The day goes by quickly.

    I take the elevator down to the parking lot, as I walk towards my car I see an envelope on the windshield. I know better than to pick it up and read it. I get in my car and drive off. On the way home I kept checking to see if someone was following but no one was. I park in the driveway and remove the envelope.
     After eating dinner and watching a movie with my mom and sister, I go in my room and finally open the envelope. Inside is a USB. I grab it and rush towards my desk. I plug it inside my computer, download the file. It's a video. I click play and my heart drops.
    "I told you to behave yourself my love, the last thing I want to do is hurt you" his hands brush my cheeks. I turn towards the wall "Parla, stop it, your hands are cold. Leave me alone go to your room". The screen goes black for a second. A clip of me during my walk last night starts to play. "Fickles, you scared the shit out of me". The screen goes black again. In bold red letters it says Go to the police again, You won't return home alive my little dove.

Authors note:
I wrote this during class so if there are typos or grammar issues it's because I haven't edited this chapter yet.