Chapter 4 - Someone's Watching

It took them four hours to tidy the entire house and move their properties, they cleaned till evening. Even though everyone was stressed out but the result was quite satisfying. The bungalow had five bedrooms, a living room, a basement, and a kitchen. It was obvious the house was built before her dad married her mom, or at least her dad had plans of increasing the family had he not died. Five bedrooms? Lia chose to believe he intended to increase the family, at least that's what he does best: plant a seed and then vanish. But the lack of family pictures downstairs proved the fact that he built this house before he started a family, or maybe he's that ashamed of his family that he never bothered putting up their pictures on the wall. Exhausted, Lia climbed up the stairs sluggishly. She chose the room upstairs cause it had the best view of the outside; moreover, there was a large tree outside, which thankfully was close enough to grab from her verandah. That would come in handy whenever her mom grounds her. Her room, painted a pale green, was already coming;ff she would need to redo the painting, but everything else wasAt least, her dad had the sense to furnish the house. The only thing she loved about this new home was the fact that everyone had their own bathrooms and toilets, unlike their old home, where they had to share one, and Rex had a weird fetish for playing games whenever he was in the toilet and could be stuck there for about an hour. So much misery. Walking onto her balcony, she inhaled the sweet smell of nature. Thankfully, the house nearby was a duplex, so she didn't have to worry about a peeping Tom while undressing. But it was quite strange that no one had come or moved out of the house since they had hey packed in. Was the owner absent? It would be nice to have a neighbor, a good-looking neighbor. Sud, Lia felt the hairs on her arm stand on end, and she frowned. She knew this feeling a lot, Someone was watching her. She searched around but couldn't find anyone, but she couldn't just ignore the feeling of being watched. It wasn't a day yet, but she had a stalker already on her tail. Great! Heart pounding, she cautiously returned to her room, closing the French doors to the balcony. Her stalker was still out there; she could feel it. it "L,i.a.." Her mom's voice rang from downstairs, startling him "Yes, Mom." "Go take out the waste, it's an eyesore." "Al,ight " She answered with her heart pounding furiously. Outside? Maybe this wasn't a bad idea, she could try finding out who was stalking her outside. Nervously, she rushed downstairs and grabbed the waste bag, leaving before her mom could suspect a thing. Thankfully, the Recycle bin was just a few meters away from the house; see more, over she had a 110ml pepper spray in the pocket of her jacket and a taser for additional protection casease the first option fails. Sensing her stalker nearby, she clutched her pepper spray canister tightly. Perhaps because she was hyper-vigilant, she had a heightened awareness of her surroundings. Feigning ignorance of his presence, she approached the Recycling bin and started sorting through her waste. She just needed the stalker to come closer, closer, closer... er and now. With a quick turn, she sprayed directly into the assailant's face a...e .. no scratch that... she screamed, falling immediately to her knees, rubbing her eyes. "I might not know Korte nor Taek,wondo, but I have a pepper spray and a taser, and I'm not afraid to use it. So back off! " Lia warned with a feral growl, positioning her body in an attacking stance. "What the f*ck was that for? " Her stalker cursed furiously, rubbing her eyes. "Because you were stalking me and I had to protect myself," She defended scrupulously. "I wasn't stalking you, I was following you because I wanted to be friends with you. " The stalker spat, leaving Lia dumbfounded. Lia blinked, dazzled. .dDidshe just jump to a conclusion without being certain of the whole thing? "Why would you want to be friends with me?" She asked cautiously. "You don't even know me." Lia refused to believe she was. She's certain that someone was watching her in hiding, but now... "You moron, this is little Town. In little Toeveryoneyone kone anotherherer, so it's a custom to welcome a newcomer, and I'm the one sent to do that, " She explained, staggering to her feet. It was obvious she was having a hard time with her sight. Lia, I've been feeling guilty; no wonder they haven't seen anyone since arriving at their house. Everyone was in some sort of secrecy, meeting to prepare to welcome them. This was a strange town. She wondered if her mom knew about it. "I'm sorry for spraying you, "Lia apologized at last. "Apology accepted, she replied, flashing a toothy grin even though her appearance was scary. She was kinda sporting a snotty nose, reddish and swollen eyes with partially dishevelled hair. "I'm Li. " "Cassie " "Come on, let me help you to my place, my mom should have something to relieve that." Lia told her, taking Cassie by the hand and bringing her to him, unaware of the curious eyes still staring at her from the shade.