Ch3: Someone in my room

I cannot tell how I went to my room. But I did not care about anything else. All I did was cry continuously, until I fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, my stomach began hurting. I had skipped both lunch and dinner. And being someone with acid reflux, it was bound to hurt.

However, I was still too sad to even open my eyes. I did not want to think about anything else, especially after both mom's and Carlos' betrayal.

However, I felt something, or rather, someone close to me. At first, I thought I was hallucinating. Then, the hair on my body stood straight. I felt like I was in real danger.

I opened my eyes, and the first thing that came to my mind was to scream! A person! There was someone in my room.

The man hurriedly covered my mouth with his hand, blocking the scream. I shivered more, thinking that he wanted to hurt me. I tried struggling against him.

But he shook his head at me. “Don't scream! I am not here to hurt you,” he said. I don't know what he did to me, but I stopped struggling.

I fearfully watched as he pulled out my drawer, where I usually keep my medicine, and took out the same medicine I took whenever my stomach hurt.

I thought it was coincidence until he took a glass of milk. “Drink this,” he said, his voice stern. “Your stomach will stop hurting.“

I was shocked. How the hell did he know that my stomach was hurting? And how did he know where I kept the medicine?

“You… who are you?“ I asked in confusion. How did he even get into the house? Mom's security around the house was always top notch.

“Stop asking questions and take the medicine, little one,” the man said, something like a smile at the corner of his lips.

I took a deep breath and took the medicine. But once again, I was shocked. The milk was warm, just like I loved it, always.

The man was looking at me silently. And I could not help but be a little curious. “How did you get in?“ I asked again. Even I, someone who had lived in the same house since birth, could not sneak out at night. Mom would catch me. How had he done it?

The man wore something like a sneer. “I have my own ways,” he said and handed me a box of food. “Don't skip meals next time. You know very well that you have problems with your stomach…”

Somehow, I felt relaxed being around him. He did not look like someone who wanted to harm me.

Still, I furrowed my brows when I looked at the sweet food in front of me. “ Is it poisoned?“ I asked.

The man seemed frozen for a second. Then, he sighed. “I am not your mother,” he said, and scooped some food, bringing it to my mouth. “Eat!“ He commanded.

Even though I did not understand why he said something about my mother, I opened my mouth and ate the food.

He scooped the next spoon, but put the spoon back in the box. He shoved the plate in my hands. “Feed yourself,” he commanded again.

I looked at him in confusion. But I was just too hungry to turn him down. I had always known that it was bad to accept food and things from strangers. But with the kind of hunger I had, I gave all caution to the wind.

The man sat at the side and watched me eat. We did not say a word to each other until I was done.

I handed him back the box and looked at his face. “Can you tell me who you are now? Did my mom send you in?“ I asked.

The man pursed his lips, looking back at me. “Nope, I am just assigned as your guard.“

My lips twitched. “Who needs a guard? I am not a princess or anything. What are your intentions?“ I asked. Of course, I only had the courage to shout at him after I had eaten his food.

The man looked at me quietly. “You don't need to know me. And if your mother hears you shouting like that, you will be in trouble for inviting a man over. Go to sleep, you still have classes tomorrow.“

I gave out an angry sigh. “Listen to me, young uncle. I did not invite you in,” I said. What the hell was he talking about?

The man sneered and forced me back to bed. “You are quite fierce. But don't you call me uncle,” he said as he tucked me in. “Sleep, I will be watching over you…”

When I looked into his eyes as he spoke, I felt like he was compelling me to do everything he said. He just seemed powerful for some reason.

I shut my eyes for a few seconds. But I opened them again. “What is your name?“ I asked.

The man sighed. “Why are you so stubborn? I asked you to sleep!“ He said, his face turning a little cold.

I shivered and shook my head at him. “Why did you sneak into my room? Are you here to harm me?“

The man pulled the covers to cover my face. “Go to sleep! I won't hurt you,” he said authoritatively.

I sighed. Whatever! Even if he wanted to harm me, he would still do it. Anyway, I only had two years to live. After that, I would die and be free from my mother!

…

Tick! Tick! Tick!

My alarm went off in the morning. I turned in irritation. I had not even slept enough. The ringing alarm was just too loud.

I stretched my hand to switch it off. I wanted to sleep a little longer. Who cared about being late for class?

However, my hand paused in the middle. I sat up with a start and opened my eyes. Carefully and fearfully, I scanned the whole room.

Aah! I rubbed my eyes. Was yesterday night a dream? I put my hands on my stomach. It did not hurt. That meant that I had taken the medicine, and I had eaten!

But the man…