A Night Watcher

                                    

                                          
CHAPTER 5:

Pov Haerin
I walked quickly to school this morning; I wanted to talk to Minji and try to figure out who the hell that person across the street was, trying to scare me. The worst part is knowing that they succeeded. When I finally arrived, I passed through the gates and walked through the already crowded hallways full of students arriving, and continued on my way to the classroom. As soon as I entered, Minji was already there, just as we had arranged.
— Hi...
Minji looked up from her phone and smiled at me with the same usual expression.  
— Hello, Miss Trouble.
I sat down in the chair and sighed, upset.  
— Is that all you have to say? I’m practically a survivor.
Minji rolled her eyes and smiled, turning in her chair to face me, as I was sitting next to her.  
— I’m surprised that someone you’ve never seen managed to get into your house so easily and, moreover, found out where your room is. Couldn’t it have been your mom pranking you?
I didn’t punch Minji only because I was still frustrated, and losing a friend right now would be worse. So, I responded ironically, annoyed.  
— "Sure, sure, my mom gets home early from work just to play pranks on me!" Obviously not, Minji, and he was spying on me through the window before that.
Minji coughed a little and pointed to the side. I looked and saw Danielle watching us, not even trying to hide the fact that she was eavesdropping on our conversation.  
— What’s her problem? She usually doesn’t do that.  
I whispered to Minji, and she nodded, still looking at Danielle.  
— Yeah, ever since you sat down, she’s been staring at us.
Danielle sighed and stood up, walking toward us, her footsteps heavy.  
— Have you been followed, Haerin?
— Well... Yeah... It’s harder to explain than it seems...
Danielle seemed to think about what I said and then looked at me and Minji.  
— Well, you’re not the only ones who have seen strange things; I’ve seen something too...
Minji nodded and said, mocking.  
— Well, it’s just you two, because I haven’t seen anything yet.
Danielle sat in the chair in front of me, clenching her fists and banging on the table.  
— It might just be a matter of time, Minji!
— I agree with Danielle. But still, what did you see?
Danielle looked at me and sighed, trying to process what she was going to say.  
— The bathroom wasn’t a bathroom. I mean, it was in the same place but different from normal. No sinks, no stalls. It was an empty and weird room, like a strange dream.
— You mean the school bathroom?  
Minji asked, interested.
— Yes, exactly that!
I listened to Danielle and realized that she might have gone through the same thing I did. Maybe there’s another dimension in the bathroom. I asked:  
— Did you go in?
— No, the teacher showed up and I closed the door. When I went in again, everything was normal.
— I went through something similar once... It was the way home. It was really weird. Different from normal.
Minji seemed thoughtful as she talked to Danielle until she cleared her throat and asked:  
— Well, if you two saw something that wasn’t from our world, I wonder what would have happened if you had stayed there longer.
— Should we ignore it? Or go ahead and investigate?
— Ignoring it isn’t a good option. Especially in your case, Haerin. There’s a stranger watching you.
What Minji said caught my attention. She’s right. I don’t think ignoring it is the smartest thing to do. It could get worse.
— Is someone following you, Haerin?  
Danielle asked, and I just sighed and nodded.
— I have an idea. Let’s catch him tonight. Let’s sleep at your house, Haerin, and then watch the stranger.  
Minji suggested.
— And what if the stranger doesn’t show up just because you’re there?  
I said, looking at Minji, who responded with her usual enthusiasm.
— It will work, it doesn’t hurt to try. Let’s face him head-on.
— I’m in!  
Danielle smiled, making Minji laugh. Everyone is excited about the mysterious person. Am I the only one who has a bad feeling?


















Pov Hanni
I was in the classroom, distracted, playing on my phone. I saw Danielle, Minji, and Haerin talking. Since when do they have a little group now? Well, whatever, I don’t really care. I used to hang out with the loudest crowd in the class, the ones who didn’t care about anything, but my grades dropped, and my mom forbade me from hanging out with them. I started distancing myself, and now all I do is observe and occasionally mock some losers.
Haerin usually didn’t talk much; she was quiet, but now she’s surrounded by people. It even feels like we’ve switched places. Minji only hung out with the photography club, and Danielle always seemed busy with studies and class meetings. I wonder what they’re talking about... Cameras? Video games? Studies? Aliens?

Wait... Aliens?

I noticed a message from Hyein on my phone. Tonight she asked me to sleep at her house so we can investigate the stranger she saw on the street, which I’m sure won’t work out.
I’m not sure if it’s a good idea, but I don’t have anything else to do, and she was so happy that I couldn’t say no to her. Well, it’s not like anything is really going to happen tonight; we’re just going to investigate, as she says.
HL:
"All set for our mission?"
I read the message and smiled a little as I replied.
PH:
"All set!"
HL:  
"Try to get into the spirit, Hanni, it’ll be fun."
PH: 
"I don’t think this is a very good idea, we’ll just watch from afar, remember that!"

I replied to her message and went back to messing around on my phone, wondering if Hyein really saw this so-called "mysterious secret agent." Who could it be? And what the hell are they doing late at night on the street? Maybe someone in the neighborhood hired a night guard or something like that.
Anyway, I’m going to try to enjoy the night of this investigation. Hyein’s mom always makes delicious things for us to eat. I hope she makes a cake or, well, anything special for me; after all, it’s been a while since I’ve visited my aunt. Even if it’s for this unusual occasion.
I bet it’s going to be a quiet and problem-free night. In the end, it’s probably just some weirdo. Or it might not even be anything important. I’m going to try to make Hyein calm down and give up on these weird things. It’s not a good idea to get even closer at night to someone we don’t even know who they are.
I turned my gaze to Minji, Haerin, and Danielle and their little friendship group and watched them talking. They seem to be planning something.



















***
Hello! Thanks for reading. It seems like things are starting to align. Everyone is searching for the same thing, just in different ways.
Sorry if this chapter was too short; in the next one, I intend to write more and move the events forward.
Leave your vote and see you next time! 👽 :)