I brought investigators to search my house. Because wherever I went, I felt watched, and spied on.

Stalked, was the right word.

Someone sneaked into my room in the past and knew I was planning a secret surgery. When I brought those files to the Science Council, someone, -probably the same person- sneaked in again and stole them.

I was lucky to have made copies before handing them to the science council.

This person was very good with technology. He/she could delete entire periods of time so neatly you needed a software to know that they had been erased.

Which is why I wanted my house searched for trackers, trafficked cameras and robots, and anything. This person was talented and I didn't want to be fooled or caught in his/her bet again.

They probably had made some changes to my part of the house.

As I was watching the eleven men do their work, when I caught my hand shaking as I was holding my phone, two things truly dawned on me. One was that there was someone out there who was willing to do anything to see me fail. Two, was that I was scared.

To die. To fail. To see him win.

I didn't feel safe in the only place I should and usually felt safe in; my bedroom.

My bedroom.

This person was taking everything from me.

I was watching some men go inspect my private ballpit room where I used to play with Isic, my ex-childhood bestfriend, when father passed in front of me to go inside too.

I followed him.

"Men. Leave this room please." He said to the investigators I hired. "You won't find anything here." 

They looked at me for instructions. I smiled. I was scared they would listen to him. But i was the one who hired them, and was paying them later. I had control, and not him. "Please stay and inspect for me. Thank you."

He gave them orders again shamelessly in front of me. I could tell they knew something weird was going on between me and him. "I said 'all of you leave'. You will tire yourself for no reason. There's nothing to find here."

The sun coming from the windows beside him was blinding me. Therefore I took the steps needed to stand in front of him, back to the investigators.

"I made them come. So they follow my orders." I turned around and read their nametags. "Rouhan, Amin, Emile and Mamadou. Please do as I say."

I smiled, trying to make them believe that I resolved the conflict. But I hadn't.

Everytime he took a step to the side to be in their field of view, I took one too. I would have laughed at the absurdity of the moment if it wasn't serious.

My dad was putting his nose in my business Wh, when he always pretended I didn't exist?

Just as he was clearing his throat to speak again, his phone rang. From the speed that he left at the room, I knew he was on an important phone call.

I thought that he was going to leave my semi-detached house, and never come back again. But I was wrong. He took the stairs to the upper floors and I followed him.

I wasn't going to let him out of my sight as long as he was in my house.

In my bedroom, there were others inspectors. Out of all the rooms at my house, it was the most precious one. Not only because it was my room and contained bits and pieces of myself, but there were things that I swore to the Science council that no one would ever see them. Breaking that promise could and would probably ruin my career with them.

Father was good at looking at the things he wasn't supposed to, because him choosing to walk into I didn't want him to go to was a thought-of move.

Father had to think about almost everything before acting.

A few minute later I saw my stepmother's blond mane coming up the stairs. She followed me as I followed father into the office linked to my bedroom, my private office.

I suspected it was his way of telling me that he didn't want me to hear what he saying to the caller. But I didn't care. He was in my personal space, therefore I could move in if freely.

"What's up?" Nora said beside me, smiling.

"Nothing. Just checking up on everything." I lied.

What could I possibly say ? My father's being a jerk again?

It was none of her business.

"What is he doing here? Why here?" He upper lip was curled in disgust.

It shocked me that she was thinking the same.

"That's a good question." I said. "Wanna ask him for me?"

I was being sarcastic. I saw her from the corner of my eye, smiling. I didn't talk to her I quite often since she came, because I didn't particularly appreciate the fact that she was my stepmother. But I could tell from the little interactions we had that she could understand my sense of humour and sarcasm. It wasn't an easy task. Most people I knew struggle with them. I could be really dark if I wanted to.

"I'll see what I can do."

I didn't ask her to do that, but she did anyway.

Just as she ended her sentencd, he ended his phone call. Without as much as a glance at me, he left the office, then my room. And after, the whole floor.

For the whole day, I followed him, stopping him from forbidding my inspectors to search some areas because to him it was "a waste of time" and bickering when he would annoy me or say something out of place.

He could say a lot of those.

Deep down, all he cared about was his house. Everytime he would say, it's a waste of time, I suspected that why he really meant is 'I don't want you to destroy it'.

Ken Air only cared about two things: one himself and two, his business.

The inspectors were on duty the whole day. At around seven, Father brought me a surprise.

I was in my bedroom watching the inspectors move the shelves and furniture for things hidden behind when my phone buzzed because I had visitors.

Father had stopped disturbing the working men about one hour before, which led me to thinking that he wasn't going to be of any trouble anymore.

But Father was always trouble. He greeted them at the door, which meant that he invited them.

Sometimes we meet people that are toxic to our wellbeing and, and there's nothing much we can do about it. we cannot change people's feelings about some things, or their behaviours. Consequently, we must move on.

Only react to them and show that we disapprove. Sometimes it's enough and it's sometimes it isn't. But it's never personal. It's always a reflection of the person's own values, beliefs and perceptions of the world.

Nora was with me when I received the notification. I had to go confront him about why he brought my friends to my house right now.

But I also had to stay and watch the men looking through my things to make sure that nothing breaks or is stolen. It was be to be careful than sorry.

I scratched my jaw. conflicted.

I looked at my phone and saw him through one of cameras set the table and smiling big to Amber and Tasnime while I stood in the middle of my room, mouth open in shock.

What sick game was he playing?

I had to do something.

It's at that exact moment that Nora spoke. "Are you okay? You look frustrated."

"Um yeah." I scrached my arm. "Can you... stay here until the men are done inspecting."

I was afraid she was going to reuse.

But surprisingly she didn't. She even smiled. Why would she want to do me a favour? I hadn't even been the nicest to her.

"Sure Autumn. Anything to help."

I nodded, and didn't take twice before taking the stairs down.

Somehow I knew she was going to do a good job, even if I found her in my room a few weeks ago looking at my secret folders. Maybe she had been honest when telling me what happened, after all.

The stairs let out beside the kitchen and eating area. Father was about to sit with them when I interjected.

"Hey girls."

"Oh hi" Said Tasnime. She was about to stand up but I stopped her with my hand.

"Hold on. I stink." I lied. I didn't want to solve the problem before getting caught up in hellos and lots of taking.

"Darling, are you eating with us?" Said Amber.

"I don't think so. I have a lot of things to figure out before doing that. People are at my house now."

"Really?" Asked Tasnime, looking at my dad.

"Yes ma'am." I joked.

"What are the blue men about ?" Said Amber, looking at one carrying a big box with forgotten items in my pitball room.

I took a pause. "I'll explain later? It's complicated."

She nodded.

"Dad?" I called. "Can we talk for two seconds."

"Come enjoy the dinner."

"I need to talk to you before doing that." I gave him a look.

"It can wait. Dinner first." He turned back in his chair facing the pool in the middle area of our house, and begrudgingly, my friends turned around too because he started talking to them and they didn't want to be rude.

I passed a hand on my face, exhaustion, frustration and pain taking over my body an senses. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do to stop him.

I was tired of fighting with him. Just wanted peace.

Nora who came in the middle of our fight, sighed. "What a lack of respect." She said under her breath.

I felt her hand on my shoulder. "I'll talk to him later. This is unacceptable."

I only shook my shoulders and left. It was useless because he didn't care about his own blood, the mother of his kids, his son. Why would he listen to the voice of his wife?

I tried to sush the voice in the back of my head, but I started thinking about them anyway.

"Because unlike all of you, he loved her."
Or something along the lines of love, because he couldn't possibly know what real love due to his Uronians genes.

What else could I do? Beside having control on my body, I was powerless in the household.

Later when I talked with the chief inspector, there were two things needed my special attention.

One was that episodes of my surveillance cameras had been erased again.

Second, there was a tracker, that could hear and send my position to someone, inside my phone.

For how long had it been there,

I

don't

know.