Chapter 7 - Edited Once

Stella (Edited Once)

I entered the bathroom to relieve myself, and once I was done, I looked into the mirror to see my hair but gasped at what I saw. I felt suffocated and trapped in my own body. I rubbed my eyes, thinking I was just hallucinating, yet again, I saw him. The horror crept down my spine, and I shivered, feeling really sick. There was a tall buffy man looking at me from the bathroom window.

Aren’t we on the third floor?

My eyes widened when he tried opening the window, so I had to do the only thing I could ever do. I screamed at the top of my lungs, seeking help from Julian. After a second or two of staring at the stranger while weighing the possibility of dying, I heard banging on the door.

“Stella, what’s wrong?” Julian’s voice boomed into my ears. The banging was so loud and strong, he almost knocked on the door from its place. I gazed at the man and saw him smirking at me as I tried to open the door. I was terrified. I stared at him. I did not lose eye contact at all.

Who is he?

My hand missed the key due to a lack of concentration. “Open the damn door, please,” Julian yelled, knocking me out of my thoughts. As I finally opened the door with a shocked face, the man disappeared from my sight. When Julian was in, he looked for any source of danger. Yet he found none.

He turned and pulled me into a tight embrace that was filled with warmth and coziness. “Stella, what’s wrong? Why did you scream like that? Are you hurt?”

I never had a man to care for me like that, except for my dead father.

I looked into his hazel eyes which were filled with worry and anger. “I s-saw a m-an,” I stuttered, then I warped my arms around his waist, feeling the warmth and safety. This pull was even stronger than my thoughts about how ‘I just met the guy.’ It was so strong that I could not resist it at all. It was like a magnet pulling me towards him.

He arched his eyebrows with a hint of ire. “What man?”

I know he’s not mad at me... he’s mad at the man. Right?

“A tall man, he was standing right outside that window, and he tried to open it,” I pointed at the window, then I remembered his smirk. I shivered with fear and fright.

Julian stroked my hair with his large hand and I let him. “What did he look like? Could you tell?” He asked in a soft tone that made me relax.How is it possible to feel safe with a stranger?

I nodded, my head was on his broad chest. “He had short blonde hair, black eyes or dark brown, and a big, buffy body,” I replied. “And a long scar on his neck.” The moonlight reflected the man’s image, that was why I was able to describe him like that. Julian looked like he was thinking or arguing with someone, and the debate was heated.

That can’t be possible.

“Julian,” I said, grabbing back his full attention to me.

He put his hands on my shoulders.“Huh... Oh, sorry, but I think I might know him,” he said, and my eyes widened.

“Really? Who?”

“If I showed you a picture of him, would you be able to recognize him?” he asked, and I nodded, fast, if I must add.

I’ll help him.

Julian led me out of the bathroom.“Alright, you sit on my bed, and I’ll get the picture.”

“Stella, look at these pictures carefully. I couldn’t find just one picture of him, but I found these two, and he is in each one of them,” he explained then I grabbed the pictures from him. As my eyes landed on the first picture, I saw him standing next to Julian and some other guys I saw when I broke into his house. I looked at the second picture and saw the very same man standing next to a middle-aged woman, but he was younger.

“This is the guy,” I pointed out at him.Julian looked at him and then growled really loud.

Okay, that’s not human.

“That son of a...I should have known,” he commented.

“Do you know him?” I asked.

He looked at me and then nodded, his eyes were now dark brown, almost black.Weren’t they honey just a moment ago?

“Yes. He’s my cousin.”

“Your cousin? So you’re not on good terms with him?” I asked again.

“No, he’s bad.”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked, then sat back on the bed in front of him.

“Well... He’s sly and wants to take over the alph- Umm family business,” he replied, averting eye contact.

He is hiding something. But who am I to judge? I don’t know him, heck I’m not sure if he was my friend yet.

“Oh, okay,”

“Don’t worry about him, I’ll take care of it tomorrow morning, I’ll talk with my parents. So if you woke up and don’t find me, I’ll be with Dad.” He said, and I shook my head.

“I don’t want to stay here alone. I didn’t see any female figure here at all. All I saw was more than twenty men, and I don’t feel comfortable with them, um, you know why,” I refused, clinching the bed sheets.What if they decide to attack me?

He put his hand on my knee, squeezing it. “Oh, don’t worry, I wasn’t planning on leaving you here alone with them. It’s not that I don’t trust them, I do, but I’ll send my mom to stay with you. Don’t worry,” he replied softly, making me feel at ease.

I nodded my head, then I felt my eyes close on their own. “Sleep Stella, I’ll be here,” Julian reassured me then I put my head on the pillow, and sleep took over again.