Nyctophilia

chapter two: the act of living alone

She went to sleep early that night. She cried so much that she became exhausted so let sleep engulf her. Nightmares haunted her dreams, making it impossible for her to sleep like a baby. She saw the man from the previous night snap a person's neck before he moved towards her. She couldn't move and she felt like screaming but before she could do that he had already reached her and sucked her dry.

She woke up screaming bloody murder three times and after the third time, she gave up on falling asleep. It was already five in the morning and she needed to get up. After brushing her teeth and putting on some tights and a hoodie, she wiggled her toes into some sneakers. She grabbed her phone and put on her earphones. Choosing one of her favorite songs, she left the apartment and started running.

It was still dark outside and she looked around every five seconds afraid that the man from the previous night would appear out of nowhere. Deep breaths came out of her mouth as she turned right towards the city center but that wasn't her destination. Humming the song under her breath to forget all about what haunts her dreams, she took another right turn three blocks later.

She passed by a few people who were going to their jobs or returning home from them -or a bar that was located somewhere near her. She jumped when the song changed again and another more upbeat song came up, startling her. She laughed under her breath and took a look around before she took another turn so she could go back home.

It was probably about a quarter to six and she needed to get ready for college. Her classes started at eight and it was an hour drive from her house. She opened the door to get in and screeched when she saw her sister and her boyfriend making out on the couch. The couple saw her and instantly flew apart. It wasn't that she was disgusted by them kissing, it was that Hayley had told her that she would stay the night at Caleb's -her boyfriend- and she didn't expect them to be there.

"Jesus, Ana! Why did you scream?" Hayley asked, sitting back on the couch taking Caleb's hand in hers. The man smiled at her and bit her good morning. His smile could light up the whole earth, it was that genuine; no wonder her sister fell for him.

"What are you doing here?" she cried, placing her phone on the counter after removing the earphones. She took a deep breath to control herself before she smiled at them. She went into the kitchen and took a bowl before she filled it with cereal and milk. She started eating, rather quickly because time was flying away too quickly.

"Um, I have something to tell you - me and Caleb both, actually."

"And you couldn't text or call?" she placed her bowl in the sink before she sat on the armchair opposite her sister. Hayley rolled her eyes, huffing loudly clearly annoyed by her little sister. Caleb nudged her shoulder, shaking his head.

"Ugh, just hear me out - " she said before she quickly added, " - and please, no comments". Anastasia motioned for her to talk as she took off her sneakers. She really needed a shower right now.

"Caleb and I are thinking about moving in together." The oldest Nava girl blurted and quickly added her next words when she saw her sister's eyes widen. "At his apartment, of course."

"And what, you need my blessing or something?" Caleb snorted, covering his face while Hayley glared at both of them before sighing. Anastasia truly loved messing with her older sister; making fun of her was like oxygen, she just couldn't live without it.

"No, you bi- dummie" she quickly corrected herself when she noticed her boyfriend's glare. "I meant - would you be fine with living on your own? We will definitely help you with paying for the apartment but after - "

Anastasia cut her sibling off but waving her hand. She smiled brightly and told them she would be just fine but she needed to hurry to get to the university. Caleb offered to drive her there while Hayley packed her stuff -she couldn't say no. After quickly showering and putting on some light skinny jeans and a green sweater that made her eye color stand out, she walked out of her apartment and into Caleb's car to head to the university - somewhere she dreaded to go.

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"Mr. Hestings, looked like he was ready to fall asleep like each and every one of us." Jade -her best friend- stated, chewing her gum loudly making her cringe and scold her. She really hated that, it was like the person was chewing like a goat. Jade waved her off making her roll her eyes.

"Well, he did say he stayed up all night to grade our tests" Anastasia replied, cowering away when she noticed everyone's eyes on her. Jade grabbed her hand and pulled her away from campus. Ever since that accident three years ago, everyone has been glaring at her or calling her names such as murder and killer. Jade finally let go of her arm and rolled her eyes - she was the only one that was still by her side, her and her family of course.

"Whatever. Wanna grab some coffee?" The brown haired girl asked, pointing at the coffee shop across the street. Ana shook her head.

"I have to go. My sister moved out and she probably left the apartment a mess." She took a few steps backwards and towards the bus stop while Jade laughed, feeling a little bit better.

"Didn't she do that when she still lived there?" Her friend was surprised when she was told Hayley moved out but when Anastasia explained it to her, she understood. She needed to be a regular woman her age, not her twenty-one-year-old sister's babysitter.

"True"

The bus ride home was uneventful. She sat on her seat while people argued back and forth as usual. Once she was outside the building she lived, she couldn't help but feel weird. It was like she was afraid to even go inside. She bit her lip as she rode the elevator and when the loud ding was heard she got out of the box and moved towards her door.

For some peculiar reason, she felt unsafe. Like someone was there with her right now. She looked around the hallway. It was empty but she could have sworn she felt a pair of eyes fixed on her. She shrugged it off and walked inside, locking the door behind her. It was her first day of staying alone and she felt scared. Maybe with time, she'll come around.

Just as she walked inside her bedroom a whooshing sound was heard and she turned around. Dread filled her body as she tried to convince herself that nothing was wrong and that she was just being a little paranoid. She bit her lip as she placed her bag on the ground and looked around the living room. Everything was in place, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Well, except the guy smirking next to the door.