It's already 5, and a figure appeared in front of me—it's the stalker, none other than Chloe's art teacher Marcus. Yeah, it's a shocker. He is a tall man, average build, and definitely in his 30s.
"You are the stalker Mr. Marcus," I asked him. His laugh vibrated throughout the empty gardens.
"Don't act all innocent, my dear," he said, stepping closer to me. Instinctively, I stepped back, feeling scared maybe.
"You already know it's me." I got goosebumps when he said that.
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Yesterday At the Café
"Aaron," I called out when he was about to leave.
"Yes, need any help?" he asked, turning to me.
"No... it's just that... is that your book?" I asked him.
Lifting his hand, he said, "This?"
"Yes, is that yours?"
"Oh no, it's Mr. Marcus book. He asked me to pick it up. Is there any problem?"
Shaking my head, I said, "No, it's nothing."
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Present
"Why are you stalking me?" I asked, looking to see if the cops came or not. "Because you are my soulmate, Chloe," he said with a sickening smile.
Swallowing hard, I retorted, "Who said that? You are not my anything!" God, how much time will it take for the cops to arrive?
"Stop acting, Chloe. You have been in love with me, I know," he said, his voice laced with softness that made me feel disgusted.
"I am not loving you and never going to!" I said, snapping at him. "Oh, you will love me," he said, a smile forming on his lips.
He is really crazy. I don't know what happened, but one thing is sure—he is delusional, mentally not stable, and needs a diagnosis.
"In what way do I look like I will love you?" I asked, trying to find reasoning, but deep down, I knew it was useless.
"Do you remember the way you always smiled when you were around me?" he asked. I exhaled, shaking my head, lost for words.
Suddenly, he stepped closer to me, making me jump back in fear. I clenched my fist.
"Don't you dare come closer," I said, anger creeping into my tone. Shit, stop triggering him, Anika, I said to myself.
His expression turned into madness. "You bitch," he said, coming even closer. His hands grabbed my hair tightly, making me furious.
I usually look like a calm person, but I am quick to get angry, especially when someone tries to manhandle me. Anger surged through me as I frantically tried to get away from his grip. He gripped my hair even tighter.
"Let go of my hair!" I shouted. "You bitch, don't you know how to talk to your lover?" he said and slapped me.
That's all. My mind went numb. I felt like electricity coursing through me. I couldn't feel anything. My consciousness slowly decreased, and my surroundings went blurry...
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2 Hours Later
I slowly blinked my eyes open. Where am I? I looked around my surroundings—I am in a hospital.
"She woke up," someone said. The doctor came, did some checkups, and said, "It's just shock. She will be alright," and left.
"What happened?" I asked, feeling lost. "Hi, Chloe. I'm Ronan. If you are feeling okay, can you come to the police station and give your statement?" the man said. I nodded, feeling confused by all the things.
My phone—where is it? I checked my pockets, found nothing, and looked at my surroundings. I found it on the bedside table.
Looking at the phone, I realized I had lost almost two hours of time. I mean, I don't remember anything. Feeling uneasy and unsettled, I followed the officer.
At the Police Station
I sat in front of Mr. Ronan, who was looking at me. "Can you tell me what happened?" he asked.
Closing my eyes for a moment and opening them, I started explaining everything about the stalking, how I found out it was him, the letters, and about meeting him in the gardens.
"Can you tell me what happened at the garden?" he asked. Feeling uncertain, I clenched my fists.
"I went to the garden as planned and waited for him. He came. We started talking. I asked him why he was stalking me. After some time, he started coming closer. I warned him, and then he suddenly grabbed my hair. I..."
The officer gave me a glass of water. Taking a sip, my nerves calmed down a bit, so I continued, "I tried to get away from him. He... he slapped me."
I closed my eyes, trying to remember something—anything. "After that... I don't remember anything."
This is all nerve-wracking, and I feel tired. All I want is to get back home. "It's okay," he said with sympathetic eyes. "Do you have any proof that he is the one who is stalking you?" Ronan asked.
"Yes, I recorded our conversation." I opened the phone and showed him the recording. It's all recorded up to the slap, then the recording went off.
After listening, he nodded. "Okay, we will press charges against him and make sure he won't bother you again," he said.
"Can you make sure all this is kept secret? I don't want any disturbances in my life," I requested. "Yes, we will make sure of that," he assured me.
With that, I left the police station and headed home.
Even though no one was following me, I kept glancing sideways. It became almost a habit. I hope Chloe will be alright after this.
I went home and wrote a note for Chloe explaining what happened these five days and all the evidence I provided and every single detail she needed to know.
As I was about to go to bed, my surroundings went dark. I woke up in my home in the same position at my desk.
"Hey," Trishala smiled, waving her hand before me. I glanced back. "Yes," I said, feeling tired and exhausted. Then, remembering, I asked, "What happened in that 2 hours I lost?"
She went all silent, and after a moment, "How can I know?" she said, lifting her two hands in the air. She is not going to say anything.
I suddenly stood from the chair with tension. "Oh my god, what's the date now? What happened to my mom?" I said, worried. She tapped my phone screen and pointed at the screen.
"What the hell? I'm still on the same day and haven't passed a minute since I left!" I asked, my eyes going wide.
"Yes, the moment you completed the mission, you came back to the exact time after you pressed accept," she said. "Now I'm time-traveling," I muttered, shaking my head.
Relaxed for the first time in this entire week—I mean technically, I haven't done anything, but I've done a week's work—I can't think anymore.
I fell on my bed, looking at the ceiling. "I am going," Trishala said. "Bye," I waved her off, and she vanished.
Then, I felt heat on my chest. I sat up and opened two buttons of my pyjama shirt. Looking down, my heart dropped. A symbol was etched on the exact location of my heart.
What is this? What's happening to me?