Replacement (Yandere Story)

Threats

Spending days locked in my room wasn't as bad as some people would believe. I had a comfy bed, a laptop, cable television, and, even though I didn't have much of an apetite, I had no shortage of food just a short walk down the stairs. Philip and Natalie visited me often as we spent hours watching tv and playing video games in a desperate attempt to feel normal. Eventually however the visits stopped and both Philip and Natalie started avoiding my calls and texts.
"I'm just really busy." Philip said one evening when I called him over the landline. "I promise I'll come see you soon." But I didn't really believe that. At least Philip still talked to me while Natalie was avoiding me entirely. In the few instances where my mother forced me to leave the house I would sometimes run into her downtown and when I did she would pretend she didn't see me. I guess I had just become a painful reminder of the friend she had lost.
"Don't mind it." Philip told me one afternoon after my mother had forced me to get out of the house and having not wanting to wander aimlessly I headed to Philips house where he humored me with a hot cup of coffee and a rerun of a favorite show of mine.
"I'm sure she is just going through things. She'll shake it off eventually but for now she needs her space."
I nod solemnly but on the inside I don't believe a word of it and can't help but feel that Natalie's new attitude is a permanent thing.
"This is really bothering you, isn't it?" Philip asks as he studies my expression. I give him a weak smile as I curl up deeper into the couch. The mug in my hands warms my palms and fingertips as I grip it tightly. He gives me a sympathetic smile as he seats himself at the opposite end of the couch. Despite the circumstances Philip has really opened up compared to how he was when we first met, collected and shy. He seems more outgoing now as he has become comfortable being around me.
"Is this weird?" I ask him as I put down my mug on the coffee table and seat myself so I'm facing him.
"Is what weird?" He asks.
"Is us hanging out together weird? From an outsiders point of view it is kind of odd for me to be hanging out with my dead sisters boyfriend, especially since we weren't friends before her disappearance."
"Jessica isn't dead." Philip snaps at me in a stern tone. "She is just missing."
"If she was alive she would be here." I state calmly. "She was never the type to just run off."
Philip opens his mouth to argue but he is cut short by the ringing of my cellphone in my jeans pocket. I pull out the phone and stare blankly at the phone.
"It's Natalie." I state absently, amazed that she would call me after having been avoiding me for so long. I don't answer the call and the ringing stops. A few seconds later my phone sings with a text message.
"What does she say?" Philip asks, his tone somewhat sour, not that I take notice.
"She wants me to come over for a bit."
"You probably shouldn't."
"Why?" I ask.
"She's been avoiding you for so long, she probably wants to talk to tell you she doesn't want to be friends anymore." Philip states concerned. I nod at the idea since it was something I was considering as well but I decide to go anyway.
"I'll come hang with you some other time." I tell Philip as I grab my things and head for the door. Philip smiles and waves me off as I step out into the lawn and exit through the gate. I walk slowly to Natalie's house. It's just down the street and I could probably get there in a matter of minutes if I sped up but I decide to take my time as I prepare myself for what she might say.
Despite my slow pace I eventually reach the house. It was the house that held that one big party months back. It was the place I first met Danny. I sniffle a little and wipe my eyes as I step up to the door and ring the bell. Natalie answers in seconds wearing a pair of long blue sweatpants and a white shirt. Her long brown hair is held up in a bun and she has a somewhat pained and guilty expression on her face.
"Get in here quickly!" She says in a rushed tone as she pulls me into the house and shuts the door behind me. Inside the house is still and empty as I am guessing no one else is home.
"I want to start out by apologizing." She says with downcast eyes.
"For what?" I ask.
"For avoiding you." She states. "I got scared."
"Scared?"
Natalie silently ushers me deeper into the house as we walk up the stairs and step into what I can only assume is her bedroom.

Danny was murdered." She states seriously.

"Yes I know." I answer. "He was stabbed."

"I think I know who did it." She states catching me off guard. "I also think whoever killed Danny is also behind Jessica's disappearance."

"What? Do you have a theory? Is it a conspiracy?" I ask mockingly. "The two arent connected."

"Yes they are!"

"How do you know?"

"I've been getting threats." She states seriously as she rummages through a drawer before pulling out a stack of crumpled letters. I look through them and catch sight of the delicate cursive handwriting. I recognize it immediately and my stomach does flips.

"They are all warning me to stay away." Natalie mutters.

"Stay away? From what?"

"From you."

I look between her and the letters as I read through some of the hesitantly.

"Maybe we should go to the police." I mutter and Natalie waves her hands in the air frantically and shakes her head.

"We can't! They told me not to! They said if I went to the cops they would kill me and Jessica!"

"Jessica's alive?" I ask and Natalie digs through the pile of letter quickly before handing me the correct one. I read through it and its exactly as she says. The sender of the letter states that Jessica is alive and if she tells the police about any of this they will kill her.

"What do we do?" I ask as tears prick the corner of my eyes. "They have my sister!"

"Don't worry Y/n. We'll think of something." Natalie says comforting me but her kind words are interrupted by the sound of shattering glass downstairs.