Behind The Curtain

CHAPTER 3

I looked around the studio, my eyes darting frantically, trying to find the eyes I felt staring at me, but there was no one else here, except for me. I head over to the door, peering out into the empty hallway, my stomach dropping. My breathing came out ragged, my hammering heart causing my head to spin. Wanting to get the hell out of there, I grab my bag, ignoring the stares thrown my way as I run outside. I rush onto the sidewalk, the throng of pedestrians not helping with my already high anxiety. I wave frantically at an approaching cab, jumping in before it has even stopped properly. Breathe, Violet…just breathe.

The entire cab ride home, I kept looking over my shoulder, still feeling those watching eyes on me. I blocked the number and deleted the message, but the eerie feeling refused to leave my body. I groan, rubbing at my temples, wishing for the headache to go away. Calm down. When I arrived home, I instantly locked the doors, and shut the drapes, hoping to chase away the skin-crawling feeling of being watched. I felt like a deer caught in headlights, scared and shaky. Just relax, Vi. I let out a shaky breath, and head to my bathroom, running a steaming hot bath. Drowning my nerves in bath salts and bubble bath seems like a good idea. I had one of those old-timey claw-foot tubs, white with gold accents. My house wasn’t a mansion per se, but I had made sure to decorate my space with the utmost care. As we traveled the world with our shows, I realized that I want to have a slice of my own heaven to come home to, a sanctuary. I had bought my home, situated in the Upper East Side of New York, with my first paycheck, making it that much more special to me. There weren’t many other residents surrounding me either, which created a secluded tranquility, something that I enjoyed after a long trip or a hard day. I sink into the bath, holding back a groan as I feel the tension slipping out of my body.

Creeaaakk!

My eyes shot open, as I heard a noise coming from the kitchen. I slowly get out of the tub, wrapping my robe around me. Was someone trying to break in? I make my way over to the door, slowly turning the knob, not sure if I actually want to open the door and face whatever, or whoever is out there. Another noise has my heart racing again, and I hold my breath as I slightly peek out the door. The light from the kitchen shone through my open bedroom door, casting the person’s shadow on the floor.

“Oh s**t!” Someone is in my kitchen. I grab a high heel from my closet, not wanting to be entirely defenceless, and make a mental note to buy a bat or a tazer as soon as possible. When I turn the corner to the kitchen, I raise the heel above my head and scream, ready to attack the intruder.

“WOAH! VIOLET, IT’S ME!” I take a deep breath when I see Lilli in my kitchen, holding a bottle of open wine in one hand and a glass in the other. I dropped the heel, my legs turning to jelly.

“Jeez, Lilli, you scared the crap out of me!” I frown, plonking down on the barstool by the counter, my legs giving in. She looks at me with wide eyes, her hands frozen in the air from where she was pouring the wine.

“Sorry, I just thought I’d come and surprise you with some wine. Plus, I brought sushi.” I was still trying to calm my thundering heart, my breathing shallow. This was too much stress in one day.

“Are you alright?” She asks, and I only nod once.

“How did you get in anyway? I changed my passcode.” She smirks at me, and the mischievous look in her eyes lightens some of my worry.

“I have known you for years; I think I would know every passcode or password you choose.” She passes me the glass of wine, and I don’t wait for her to fill her own as I chug the fruity liquid, emptying the glass in one go.

“Slow down! We still have a long night ahead of us. You don’t want to get too drunk and miss the movie.” I huff out a laugh at her wiggling eyebrows, pouring myself another glass of wine.

“What ridiculous movie are we watching this time?” Lilli tended to choose the weirdest movies I have ever seen. She didn’t like a specific genre and watched anything so long as it kept her entertained.

“Only another classic, my dear Violet.” She grabs the tray of sushi and goes to sit on the couch, beckoning for me to join her by patting the seat next to her. I cuddle up next to her, stuffing my face with a California roll. When the movie started playing on the screen, she leaned a bit closer, her voice dropping to a whisper.

“I found this really cool thriller about a stalker who stalked this girl, until he finally kidnapped her, and forced her to marry him.” The sushi went sour in my mouth at her words. Lilli looked absolutely ecstatic to watch this movie, where as I would rather hug a cactus.

“Can’t we watch something else? I mean, there are so many choices.” Lilli glances at me from the corner of her eye, a teasing smile forming on her lips.

“Awww, don’t be scared, Vi. I’ll be right next to you if you want to hold my hand, ok?” I playfully shove her on the shoulder, her laughter bubbling out of her. I dropped the topic, not wanting to explain why the idea of this movie was freaking me out. She doesn’t know about the pictures or the message and I didn’t want to get into it right now.

During the entire movie, my palms were sweating, my stomach lurching at every creepy scene that came up. Some of the scenes were so similar to my own encounters, that I wanted to scream and cry, and never leave my house again. After the credits rolled, Lilli insisted on watching another movie, luckily a Rom-Com this time, but even though Ryan Reynolds was on the screen in his all-handsome glory, I couldn’t get the stalker movie out of my head. By eleven, we had watched five movies, drank two bottles of wine, and scarfed down all the sushi Lilli had brought. I had asked Lilli to spend the night, not wanting to be alone after the day that I’ve had. Lilli was splayed out on my bed next to me, having no trouble sleeping soundly. I on the other hand, could not stop freaking myself out, my thoughts running amok. Why was this person sending me pictures and messages? Why did it only start now? Who are they? Do they want something from me? Were they looking to hurt me? Question after question crashed into my mind like endless waves, but I couldn’t answer any of them. I leaned over to my nightstand, opening the drawer and grabbing two sleeping pills, not wanting to be kept awake by my disturbing thoughts anymore. I feel like I’m going insane. After tossing and turning for what felt like forever, I finally drifted off into a fitful sleep.