REWRITTEN AS A VILLAIN.

UNINVITED CURIOSITY

Gianne

I rush out of the store, trying to find out who this person is or whether they even know me. I scan everywhere, but there’s no sign of them.

Uneasiness settles in my chest. Could this be Thor? Who am I supposed to call?

I stand there for a while before finally getting into a taxi. My head is pounding, and the fever feels worse again.

We enter my street, and that’s when I see them, the same figure coming out of the grocery store, her physique, her clothes, everything familiar. Then the brightly dressed woman joins her, and they walk side by side.

“I’ll stop here,” I say.

The car halts, and I step out quickly, moving fast enough to catch up with them.

They slow down, clearly aware someone is following.

“Thanks for the bills,” I say, touching the lady in black, hoping to catch a glimpse of her face, but she dodges me, nods, and keeps walking leaving me with the other woman.

“My name is Britney,” she says, extending her hand.

“Nice to meet you,” I reply, shaking it, my eyes still fixed on the other lady.

Britney leaves me and drags the lady in black back.

“She’s Eva. Don’t mind her,” Britney says, removing Eva’s face cap and glasses.

Eva struggles to keep them on, but Britney is faster, exposing her pale, pretty face before nudging her to speak.

“I’m Eva,” she says quietly, hands deep in her pockets, head down, refusing to meet my gaze.

“She has social anxiety. She’s a sweet soul, and she’s got a mini girl crush on you,” Britney explains.

“Ohh… nice to meet you, Eva. I was just curious about who paid for my drinks,” I say, finally feeling a bit relieved.

“Do I know you guys, or do you know me?” I ask.

“I told you it was creepy,” Eva says, finally looking up at Britney before putting her cap and glasses back on.

“I just thought… well, sorry if we freaked you out. We’re neighbors. It’s not like we’re freaks, but we’re sorry,” Britney says quickly.

“It’s okay. Thanks. And I owe you one,” I say.

Eva doesn’t wait for me to finish. She walks off immediately, and Britney waves before running after her.

Those girls nearly took me out of my peace. At this point, I should just stay indoors for the rest of the day. I walk home, my feet aching from the distance. When I get inside, I collapse on my bed.

One simple outing turned into a thriller, and I’m completely burned out. My mind drifts back to everything that happened. Who would’ve thought I’d be someone’s girl crush? Eva and Britney…

“I need to take a shower,” I mutter, sitting up.

I head toward the bathroom, then remember the shower is faulty. I grab my phone from my purse and dial the landlord, still unreachable. Guess I’ll have to fix this myself.

I book a repair service, and they arrive quickly. Soon enough, everything is fixed. My rude boss didn’t even bother to check if I was fine after that dinner with him. I wonder if his finger is healing properly. He can afford healthcare anyway.

Instead of worrying about others, I need to start worrying about myself more. The doorbell rings.

I open it to find a man standing outside. “Are you Miss Gianne?”

“Yes, I am.”

He hands me a package and leaves without saying anything else. What is this again?

Only God knows if it contains an explosive, i crouch and open it outside. A notification pops up on my phone. My Boss. “Seems you were memorable. It’s a gift from grandmother to you.”

I bring the box inside. Inside are dragon tea and a gothic-looking frame, no note. Then I notice something written on the box.

“To the serpent girl.”

Serpent girl? A small chuckle escapes me, i have a nickname now? i must be on her good side then.

I place the frame in my room, watching how it blends perfectly with my decor, like it was always meant to be here. So dark, it makes me feel dangerous enough. And that is enough for me.