Chapter 2

Two years later; Happiness 19, Mason 31

“It's a beautiful campus, isn't it?” I can't count the number of times I've asked that. My heart is filled with excitement as we drive through the campus.

Dad, who is sitting across from me, stares at me with a mixture of happiness and sadness. He is happy that I am happy, but he doesn't like me moving out of the house. “You remember the rules, right?”

I sigh, and nod. Mom sitting next to him shakes her head knowingly.

“Words munchkin." He looked at me disapprovingly.

“Yes Dad." Another sigh. “It's just for a session." I muttered.

Dad scrutinizes me. “A year, Happy. That's not a short period." He said, sounding offended.

“I'm sure during that time she will gain so much from joining one of the best classes of business technology she's been dying to have." Mom said, patting his arm reassuringly. That is the reason he agreed in the first place.

“The rules, Happy."

“No drinking. No clubbing. No walking alone at night."

“And don't talk to strangers on the street." He wags his fingers.

“I'm not a toddler, Dad." My voice is laced with frustration.

Mom watches us with amusement, shaking her head in disbelief.

“You are not. But there are criminals out there. You never know –”

“Fine Dad. I get it." I cut him off, not wanting to bear his speech about criminals lurking around.

“Good." He said. “And the last one?”

“No boys." I said, defeated.

“No boys. Absolutely no boys." He said with implacable authority.

“God, I'll never meet my soulmate." I muttered. “Maybe I'll just be a nun."

“Your soulmate is not in college." He corrected me.

“How would you know?”

“That's obvious. I'm not allowing you to date yet. So you'll meet him years from now." He said like it's so obvious.

“Years? Until I'm 30?”

He nods, and it's mom’s turn to sigh. She knows this conversation is endless. Thankfully, he drives into the apartment compound.

Rays of sun hit my face as I stepped out of the car when Dad packed. The apartment building is one of the most extravagant I have ever seen. It's so tall and grand, definitely high-class.

“I'm going to miss you mom." I hugged her tightly, missing her warmth when we parted.

“You’re going to have a great time here, honey." She cups my cheeks tenderly. “Have fun. Meet a lot of friends. Don't stress yourself." She whispers, even though some of her words contradict her husband's statement.

Dad is already spreading his arms wide when I turn to him. He engulfs me in a hug and I try my best not to cry when I realized I'll be left alone.

“Don’t worry about me, Dad." I said as we pulled away. My heart swelled as I saw the sadness in his eyes.

“Okay." He nodded. “Don't forget to always pick up when I call." He smiled, and we hugged each other again.

“Yes Dad." I said as we parted.

“Remember," He eyes me with a warning look. “Don't skip meals."

I fight the urge to roll my eyes, but at the same time I know I'm going to miss this part of him.

Now that I watch Mom and Dad leave, there's a battle in my heart. No matter how eager I am to live on my own, it's hard to be away from them. Dad rolled the car window down and they waved at me.

“Bye." I say cheerfully, despite the sadness in my chest.

“We'll see each other again very soon honey." Mom smiles, knowing they will come here soon to check up on me. “I love you."

“I love you, mom." Dad huffs. “I love you Dad."

Dad starts driving, and I watch them go until the car disappears behind the property gate. With determination, I stepped back into the apartment.

I walked into the lobby and found the security guarding the door. He nods briefly at me, greeting me with a smile. I return his smile politely even though uneasiness stirs inside me from his gaze. The looks he gave me made me shudder, and his eyes are roaming my figure longer than they should. I quickly pass by him even though I can still feel his stare as I walk into the elevator.

He had stolen glances at me when my parents were around and were not looking, but I thought it was normal because I'm new. However, now that they are gone, his gaze is uncomfortable. I press the button next to the elevator, and shake my head in denial. I should be worrying about my new semester in college, not about a normal security guard trying to keep an eye on a new occupant of the apartment.

I laid down trying to get some rest after the busy day I've had, but my rest was interrupted by the ringtone of my phone.

‘That might be Dad.' I shaked my head as the thought came.

Reaching for it, I noticed it was Nadia calling, and picked the call.

“Wassup babe." I initiated our conversation and we talked for a while before I started feeling sleepy, and I had to promise to call her tomorrow before she lets me off.

I glance at the wall clock. 10PM. How time flies. Before going to bed, I checked the door and the things around me, making sure they were in the right space. I turned off my bedside lamp, causing the room to be dark except the lights coming from the city lights sparkling outside my bedroom window. As I lay my head down on the pillow, my phone rings and I snap my eyes open. I groaned as I grabbed it from the nightstand.

“Munchkin, how are you? Did you like the space? Is it comfortable?” Dad's anxious voice rings loudly in my ear. “Can you sleep comfortably? Is there any neighbour –"

“Dad." There's a hint of frustration in my voice. “I was just trying to sleep. You've called me four times after leaving today."

I heard my Mom chuckling in the background.

“I was just wondering if everything is okay over there. I was starting to worry about you not being able to sleep." He said, his voice laced with worry.

Even though it's sometimes frustrating, I can't help the smile on my face from knowing how much Dad is concerned about me.

“Don't worry so much Dad. Everything is good here." I assured him. “I'm a big girl, remember?”

Dad sighs. The call lasts for a few more minutes during which I tell him about my plan for tomorrow. After we hung up, I threw my head on my pillow and went back to sleep.

A noise coming from the living room woke me up sometime later, and since I didn't close my door to the bedroom I sat up and faced that direction. I'm positive I was just hallucinating because no one can come inside my apartment unless they have the key.

Silence fills the air again. I can feel my heart thumping wildly in my chest. My mind is going crazy from thinking of all sorts of possibilities. I can't even decide which is worse. My heart almost stopped as I heard the door closing. It's impossible to miss the sound of the person's movement in this dead silence.

‘Oh God. It's a burglar.' With a shaking hand, I grabbed the telephone on my nightstand and dialed the operator. They have security guarding the apartment 24 hours.

“Good evening. How may I help you?" A voice greets me from the other side of the line. I almost drop the handle of the phone from fear as the shadow moves closer to my bedroom.

“Someone just–”, I almost choke due to the panic consuming me. My voice is shaking uncontrollably. “Someone just broke into my apartment."

My body goes numb because of how frightened I am. The footsteps are getting closer. The sound of the person's shoes stepping on the wooden floor becomes clearer.

“Are you calling from your bedroom, Ms McGregor?” The lady's voice becomes alert in an instant. “If you are, can you lock the door to your bedroom while the security is coming? I'm sending them right now."

I shoot up from my bed to do as she told me. Just when I'm about to close the door, a force pushes me back so hard I hit my head on the floor, and I screamed.