Julia

I went to the bathroom to wash my hands as soon as Sally had left the room. I turned on the faucet, allowing warm water to hit my skin and clean every germ or dirt on it. Sighing in exhaustion, I dried my hands using a large white towel. I changed into a green pajama, then hung my clothes back in the closet. I climbed onto my comfy bed and lay on my back. I wanted to have a nap as I felt a strong headache and my eyelids became heavy. Before I almost fell asleep, my phone rang. Damn! Who could it be? I just needed some sleep. I lifted my weight on one elbow as I grabbed my phone from the nightstand beside me. Mum's name appeared on the screen, and I answered her immediately. She called me at the right time. I really wanted to check on her, but I was too tired to do so.

"Hey, Julia. How are you, dear?" Mum asked in a warm tone as soon as I answered her call.

"I'm fine. Our first day at university was so exciting and I just got back to our dorms to have a nap."

"That's so good. How are your friends?"

"They're great. They have gone out today to have some fun, but I couldn't join them because I was really tired after my classes," I stated.

"Okay, honey. Have a nap and get some rest. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. It's still your first day."

"Yes, I know. How's dad?" I asked.

"He's good. He hasn't come back home yet."

"Is he still at work?"

"Yeah."

"Can you tell him to call me when he comes back?" I sighed.

"Of course. He will be back soon anyway," Mum said.

"All right, mum. I have to go now. Thanks for calling me."

"Okay, dear. Call you later," Mum said before I hung up.

I put my phone back on the nightstand and tried to go back to sleep. My brain didn't want to stop overthinking. I couldn't fall asleep. I just kept staring at the ceiling, and counting every tile up there, lying on my back and begging sleep to come and embrace me. Almost fifteen minutes passed and I was still awake. I just gave up and went to search for something to eat.

I opened the fridge and forgot that we didn't buy any food yet. It was empty. I sighed as I closed it and went back to the wardrobe to change my clothes again. I needed to buy some groceries. I grabbed a simple black hoodie, a pair of jeans, and sneakers. I quickly changed and wore my hair in a French pleat. I left the room after grabbing my keys and purse. The weather started to get hotter in the afternoon and the sun burnt my skin slightly, making it look reddish. I entered the grocery store which wasn't so far from campus. It had everything I needed. I bought a pack of milk, bread, cheese, eggs, sausage and blueberry jam. Three people were waiting in line to pay for their groceries. I joined them and stood in the back, waiting for my turn.

Two people entered the shop and I couldn't get my eyes away from them as they were the same people I saw the previous day. The same black outfits covered their bodies with the same strange black masks. I grabbed my phone out of my back pocket and pretended that I was texting someone, not to get caught staring at them. What confused me the most was that they literally didn't buy anything. They just kept walking randomly around the place, pretending to be searching for a specific product. I noticed that they were focused on every move I did. They kept watching me with the corner of their eyes. I didn't know why they stared at me for so long. They didn't look at me directly though, but I could feel their eyes scanning me every minute secretly.

"Come on, we don't have all day long. Move!" A male's voice shouting behind me caught me off guard.

I looked back in front of me to see that it was my turn to pay for my groceries. I didn't notice it because I was too distracted by those strange people. I felt afraid of being stared at for no reason by strangers. I moved forward and put my products on the conveyor belt. I paid before packing my groceries and hastily got out of the store. These freakish people scared me and I didn't want to be stared at by them any longer.

I got back to our room, then took off my shoes. I was starving so I didn't change my clothes and waited to eat first. I unpacked the groceries and cooked scrambled eggs with some cheese and a cup of French coffee.

I settled everything on a small table and started to eat. The meal was so delicious and the coffee suddenly freshened my mind. As I was eating, I thought about doing some writing tonight to finish my third romance novel. I had been working on it for four months and I wanted to finish it as soon as possible.

A weird sound came from our balcony, but I ignored it. I thought maybe it was just a raccoon or something. A couple of minutes passed when I heard another bizarre sound. It sounded like someone was throwing stones at our balcony. I wiped my hands in a napkin and went to see what that sound was. I slowly swung open the balcony's door and caught sight of a strange letter on the floor tied to a small brick. I hesitantly bent down to grab it and unfold the envelope. There were no names or addresses written on it. Literally nothing. I wondered who would throw a letter for me in this way. I looked through the balcony to see if anyone looked suspicious. All people seemed normal and no one looked doubtful. I went back inside and closed the balcony. I fearfully tore up the envelope and grabbed out the letter to read it.

"Ready?"

A/N: Kinda a short chapter, but it's starting to get interesting!! Can you guess who threw Julia that strange letter through her balcony? Do you think she will do something about it? Please don't forget to vote, share, and comment if you like this book. I wanna hear what you all think :)