Breaking Me Slowly

Eighteen

The following day, I spent most of the day in my room, curled up by the window seat, reading. I had made it halfway through the book in one sitting, when my eyes started to feel heavy and I had to take a break.

I stared out the window, catching the last few rays of light before the sun was about to completely set.

My mind wandered off to Grayson and our talk on the way back home. He had promised to include me in more of the meetings from now on. He also had promised to stop keeping things from me. It was a step closer and it was all that I was asking.

My thoughts quickly dissipated when I noticed a shadow moving by one of the oak trees in the yard. At first, I couldn’t tell what I was looking at, but the shadow moved once more, taking the shape of a person.

I screamed and ran out of the room, intending to head straight to Grayson. He materialized in the hall, a panicked look on his face.

“Are you okay, what’s wrong?” is the first thing he asks as he assesses me for damage.

“Someone is out there watching me,” I say, frantic.

His brows furrow. “Out where?”

Suddenly, Sterling and Rebecca are in the hall asking if everything is alright.

I ignore them and point in the direction of my room, “Outside. I saw him from my window.”

Grayson heads to my room to take a look. I follow behind him, staying as close to him as possible. I stop right at the door, not daring to take a step inside.  

“There’s nothings out there,” he says at last.

“What, no. I saw someone out there.”

Grayson looks out the window once again. He opens it this time in order to get a better look. I stay quiet as he shuts the window. He locks it.

He looks at me, shakes his head and says, “Nothing.”

I shake my head. “I swear, there was someone there earlier. They were standing by the tree just staring at me.”

“Did you see what they looked like?”

I shook my head. “It was too far.” I want to cry out in frustration. “I’m not lying…”

Grayson wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me closer. “I believe you.”

I hear Rebecca and Sterling come into the room.

“Is everything alright?” Rebecca asks.

“Juliette saw someone standing outside her window.”

I turn around and see the confusion on their face.

“How is that even possible? We have a gate surrounding the entire house.”

“I know,” is all Grayson says.

Sterling walks over to the window to take a look for himself. He sighs and turns to Rebecca.

“Do the security cameras work?” he asks.

Rebecca nods. “Let’s take a look.”

The four of us pile into Rebecca’s office. Her office isn’t as big or grand as Sterling’s, but it was big enough.

“I’m afraid, we don’t have very many cameras,” Rebecca says, taking a seat at her desk, “but hopefully, one of them caught something.”

Grayson stands behind his mom, while Sterling and I take a seat in the chairs.

“Let’s see,” Rebecca mumbles to herself.

It feels like an eternity as they look through the videos. My leg bounces in anxiety.

Both, Rebecca and Grayson’s brows furrow as they search through the footage.

“What did you find?” I ask, unable to take it any longer.

Rebecca and Grayson have an entire conversation with just one look. Grayson is the one to break the news to me.

“There’s nothing.”

My stomach drops. “What do you mean nothing?”

“I mean, there’s nothing. Nothing to show how they got in or out.”

“That can’t be,” I say, walking behind the desk to get a look at her screen. She flips through each camera, replaying the last ten minutes only to find nothing.

There was at least a dozen camera’s and one would think that at least one of them would pick up something, but they were absolutely right. There was nothing.

I feel everyone’s eyes on me, but I can’t take my eyes off the computer screen. It was like the person was never here. I was beginning to think I had imagined it all along.

I feel Grayson’s hand brush against mine.

Rebecca clears her throat. “Grayson, you and Jensen go out and take a look around. See if you can pick up a scent.”

Grayson squeezes my hand, reassuringly before leaving the room.

Rebecca gently places a hand on my shoulder. I pull my gaze away from the screen to look at her.

“Someone was there,” I can barely say.

She squeezes my shoulder. “I believe you.”

I nod.

“If it makes you feel any safer, we’ll take turns and patrol the house.”

You don’t have too, I try to say but I can’t seem to speak.

“Why don’t you go lay down and get some rest,” she says. “Grayson will let you know if he finds anything.”

I nod and head back to my room.

I make it several steps into the room, stopping in my tracks when I notice something on the window seat. Cautiously, I walk closer to find that it’s my teddy bear that had gone missing.