Princess
© 2017, NextLevelReader
(Angana Chakravarty)
Published on Wattpad
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
This story contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorised reprint or use of this material without prior written permission from the author is prohibited. All the characters expressed and mentioned in the story are purely the writer's property and any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely co-incidental and unintentional. No part of the story may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior permission from the author.
Thank you :)
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Death.
The only certain thing in life is that it will one day end. That knowledge is perhaps the defining feature of the human condition. And, as far as we know, we alone are capable of contemplating the prospect of our demise. Human beings have tried to defeat death from time immemorial but with little success. The only satisfaction they receive is by prolonging their lifespan with the help of medical science. But death is inevitable.
For me, death has always been a close ally. Born to unknown parents and left under the naked sky to succumb, I was saved by some divine soul who left me in an orphanage on a chilly, winter night.
The early years of my life was spent cowering among rough, brawling kids and a rather stern matron. I had always been a timid kid, bullied by the older children who snatched away whatever degraded toys we would get.
At the age of seven, I was adopted by Angelina Mason and her husband Vernon Mason. Though Angelina was amiable towards me, Vernon instead detested me like I was some toxic disease. He never failed to remind me that I was an unwanted creature who was shunned by my own parents. He often told me that I was tolerated in the house only because of his wife's foolishness. I spent my teenage years bearing malicious looks and snide remarks from my foster father.
Before my 18th birthday, I lost my only support system, Angelina in a car crash. I escaped the crash with some minor scratches but I lost the motherly figure I had in my life.
This accident seemed to ignite the dormant hatred of Vernon and he blamed me for his wife's death. Ultimately one day in a fit of rage, he threw me out of his house and warned me never to return again. Bruised and angry, I was in an emotional whirlwind and did not know where to go. I was once again homeless and this time no blessed soul came to my rescue.
I left the city and reached a small town near the countryside. I took a job in a general store and rented an apartment. Everything had slowly started to fit in but after a month of my stay, the worse happened.
At first, it started off with just a random blank message from an unknown number about once in a week. But then, the frequency increased. I started getting creepy texts telling me that I was being watched, that someone would come for me. I didn't understand at first and thought it to be some mistake.
But those messages continued. Threatenings started flowing into my inbox warning me to run away, terrorizing me with dire consequences if ignored. It got creepier day by day. Some days I would feel a presence in my room and other days weird shadows haunted my dreams. My clothes or shoes would go missing and then I would receive a parcel on my doorstep the next day containing the same. It reached to a limit where I would receive pictures of me sleeping or doing random stuffs in my house.
I left my job and began staying inside my room as much as I could. Nothing felt safe anymore. I didn't have any friends with whom I could share my anxieties. I was terrified beyond measure.
Finally I informed the cops but even they couldn't track down much. The numbers were always different and there was no other clue. I was left with no other options than to flee the town.
But then, it abruptly stopped. No more messages, no parcels, nothing. It was as if nothing ever happened. It all felt like a dream. But I continued to remain cautious. The trauma of that event was hard to be forgotten. I would jump at any little sound and start trembling when my phone buzzed.
Six months passed without anymore disturbances. I slowly began rebounding back to my prior life. I rejoined the store again and attempted to forget my past as a bad dream.
And in that pursuit Dylan helped me. He joined the store one month after my return and we became friends in no time. He seemed to know me, my habits, my choices and it really impressed me. We had numerous common interests and those helped us to come closer. I was already in love with him when he proposed to me. It was a very blissful moment for both of us. He promised me an official date soon and I had been very eager for this day.
As I stand in front of my dresser staring back at my reflection, my entire life and the near death encounters come rushing back to my mind. I am nervous and excited at the same time. I have this weird feeling in my gut that this day will change my life forever. After Angelina, no one has ever shown such deep concern for me and I have been looking forward to this day.
I reach the town center and walk into the secluded alley where I am suppose to meet him. He explained that our first date should be unique and therefore he would pick me from a non conventional area. I agreed. What could be more exciting than a deserted road? He has not arrived yet because I am quite ahead of time due to my anticipation and eagerness to be with him. It alarms me a bit to be alone in the alley but I push pass the fear and imagine the good times lying ahead of me.
That is when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I spin around quickly and feel a jolt of fear wash past me as I see a hooded man standing in front of me. But the man immediately lowers his hood and I'm faced with a smirking Dylan.
"Dylan!" I breathe out. "Thank goodness. You scared me."
"Fear is good sometimes princess.." He says in a dark tone. But then smiles widely before adding, "..you don't need to be scared when I'm around."
"I know." I mutter before hugging him.
"Where are we going tonight?" I ask into his chest.
"Someplace where no guy has ever taken his girl." He says before holding my hand.
"Mmm..that's sounds interesting."
"But before we go, I have to show you something."
I look up at his face with a questioning expression but he reaches out into his backpack and takes out a parcel.
"This is for you, princess." He says while handing me the parcel. A gift! That is so sweet of him.
"I love surprises." I squeal before attempting to tear the wrapping.
"Oh yes. You will be surprised." He utters.
I feel the edge in his voice but ignore it as I continue removing the wrapping excitedly. I remove it completely and take out a large photo frame. The pictures are covered by a glossy red paper and I slowly remove it.
I stiffen at the sight in front of me. One half of the frame is filled with photographs of my sleeping face and the other half with that of my clothes. Each picture has a date below it, all of them dating seven months back. As I try to discern the situation around me, my phone buzzes with a message. I feel a chill run down my spine as I reach for my phone in my pocket. I open it with trembling hands and read the text, horrified.
"I warned you to leave the town. Now, I have come for you."
My eyes widen as I read the name of the sender. Dylan.
I gulp audibly and raise my head to face him. The sweet, caring eyes I'm used to are nowhere to be seen and in their place is a dark, vicious glare. He tightens his grasp on my arms and reveals a shining knife in his right hand. He stares at me with cold eyes and a wicked grin on his face and then he speaks-
"Missed me? Princess."
THE END.
