After Mia had finished her shower and changed into more comfortable clothing—a baggy shirt and knee-length shorts—she went out to meet her mother at the eatery. As usual, she had dinner there with Owen and her mother. When they finished eating, Mia realized her mother had run out of her blood pressure pills. She took some money from the safe and walked to the pharmacy to buy the prescribed medication for her mother.
Knowing her mother would have already gone home, Mia didn't bother going to the eatery and instead went straight home, humming to herself. However, as she was about to enter the building, a voice called out from behind her.
"Hey, Mia, wait up. I need a minute of your time," said the person. Upon hearing the voice, Mia rolled her eyes. Not now, she thought as she turned to see a blonde girl approaching with a wide smile. The girl was wearing a very short red dress that barely covered her thighs, and her not-so-beautiful face was masked with heavy makeup, making her look like a living ghost. Her cheap heels made it difficult for her to walk properly as she approached Mia.
Mia quickly forced a smile and greeted, "Hey, Julie, long time no see. What's up?" she asked. To be honest, Mia didn't like the young woman very much. They were neighbors in the apartment complex, but they rarely spoke to each other. Julie believed Mia was a showoff and a snob after Mia had turned down Julie's proposal for her to join her and her other friends in their secret escort business three years ago. Since then, Julie had held a grudge saying Mia was an ungrateful bitch.
Julie stood before Mia with a weird smile that only made her appear creepy due to her heavy makeup, and the deep red lipstick on her thin lips. "I heard you got escorted by a rich man, so tell me, have you finally decided to also step into the business?" She eyed Mia up and down taking in her simple home outfit. Julie had disliked Mia because she believed the girl was a bitch and a pretending snob, who acted all innocent and too good to be true.
Mia didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the fact that everyone in town thought the car she was dropped off in belonged to one of her so-called rich men. It seemed that if you were poor, you couldn't have a normal life without being accused of selling your body. However, she sighed and replied, "I have no idea what you're talking about. Excuse me, I need to take this medicine to my mom."
"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about, Mia. Don't be greedy, if you'd be nice enough to introduce me to some of your rich male friends, I would really appreciate. Besides, I am not judging you for going to school to screw men, I can understand what your family is going through and it is only natural for you to do that to earn money." Julie remarked smilingly. Even though she didn't like Mia, she would do anything just to get introduced to some handsome wealthy man that would drive her home in a limo. Besides, she had always known that this Mia wasn't as innocent as she appeared and today proved that: no girl in whispering way had ever been driven home in such car, and because Mia had, she was the top topic of the town now. Julie also wanted to get on top, and if it meant getting on the girl's good side, she was willing to.
Ignoring Julie's persistent remarks, Mia briskly walked into the building, leaving the blonde girl behind calling for her to wait for a second. She would be damned to wait and hear all Julie's nonsense talks. As Mia climbed the long steps to their apartment, she felt a sense of relief, distancing herself from the drama outside.
Entering their apartment, Mia handed the medication to her mom, exchanged a brief goodnight, and then headed to her own room. Checking the time, she noted it was already 11:00 P.M. The day had taken its toll, and Mia felt the weight of exhaustion settling in. However, she wasn't sleepy because of her afternoon nap that had lasted to this evening.
Spotting her cat perched on the window, Mia couldn't resist the comforting presence. "Hey, Robby." She sat on the fluffy sofa beside the window, absentmindedly petting the cat as her thoughts drifted. In the quiet of the evening, her mind wandered to the one thing that always brought her solace — her guitar, which she wouldn't be able to buy anytime soon with how she couldn't find any decent work.
A tinge of sadness crossed her face as she longed for the familiar strings beneath her fingers. Lacking the guitar, Mia began to sing softly. Her melodic voice filled the room, carrying a sweet and angelic tone that contrasted with the harsh realities of her surroundings. As she continued to sing, she was completely unaware that her voice was leading someone to her window.
In the soothing rhythm of her own song, Mia found a temporary escape from the heaviness in her heart. The cat nestled closer, seemingly appreciating the music. Lost in the melody, Mia's expression softened. She inhaled the gentle breeze that blew into the room from the window. She sat there for awhile looking up at the moon in the night sky.
Feeling a sense of calm wash over her after the song, Mia decided it was time to get some sleep. She left the window open, allowing the night breeze to gently rustle the purple thin curtains. She disliked sleeping in a complete darkness, she preferred the soft glow of the bedside lamp over complete darkness, so she turned off the room lights before settling into her bed.
As she closed her eyes and began to drift off, a sudden movement and sound jolted her awake. Her eyes snapped open.
What was that? She turned toward the window where she'd heard the sound. In the dim light, she noticed a dark shadow struggling to climb up. Her eyes widened and panic surged through her as she saw the silhouette against the curtains. What was that? Could it be some monster or a pervert, or even a theif trying to enter her room!
Fear gripped her, and she quickly leaped out of bed, grabbing the closest object — a thick book from her bedside table. Heart pounding, Mia raised the thick book above her head as she approached the window, ready to defend herself against whatever was trying to enter her room, despite the fact that her room was in the top floor. However, it seemed the intruder lost their grip and fell into the room with a loud thud.
Mia's scream echoed through the room as she flung the book away and jumped back, she fumbled to switch on the light. The sudden illumination revealed a man, sprawled on the fluffy sofa beside her window. However, before she could scream out bloody murderer, she immediately recognized the man when he turned his head to look at her with a pained expression. His gray eyes were darker than usual.
"Wh...what are you doing in my room, Mr...Oh my God, what happened to you!" her eyes widened as she noticed the blood seeping from the side of his stomach. Shock and fear paralyzed Mia for a moment before she registered Mr. Bennett was in her room bleeding heavily. Blood, Mia thought as she stared at the red liquid that was now soaking her sofa. Instead of approaching him, she went pale at the sight of blood and her body began to tremble violently.
"Help me..." Came Mr. Bennett's strained voice, "I need your help, Harrison."