Chapter 5

Chapter 5 

Beautiful Disaster

ELSA

My eyes searched the room hurriedly; someone came inside. I locked the door before leaving. I rushed to the door handle to inspect it for any signs of break-ins or forced entry; there were none. It can’t be the stalker; I’ll see signs of a break-in if it was him. Maybe it was the university; perhaps it’s just one of the ways they pass information or something. It’s not the stalker. Right?

I walked towards the neatly dressed bed slowly and picked up the envelope. I’ve loved red ribbons since I was a kid; that was partly why I dyed my hair red, so I could match the aesthetic of the ribbon. But whoever made this envelope didn’t know that, right? Because only my family did, and maybe a few friends.

I untied the ribbon on the envelope by pulling the other side of it; it opened, and I gulped when the content of it came into sight. I emptied it on my bed and just stared. An electronic drawing pen, a Mac drawing pad, and some… chocolates?

I didn’t know how to feel about what was on my bed; fear or surprise or worry. I stopped drawing when I was eighteen; the electronic pen always had this radioactive substance that affected my asthma and made it worse. Don’t ask me how; that was what the doctor said after I fainted two times while drawing. Everyone knew that; chocolate inspired me to draw too. It’s either that whoever sent this is trying to make a joke or is clueless.

I lay on the empty side of the bed tiredly; I couldn’t walk around town without feeling like I was being watched. I hated that feeling so much; I came here to start afresh, not… this.

“Hey, you’re going to forget about the stalker, buy another knife, and learn how to use it, then live your life every day like it’s your last.” I held my chest like I was saying a pledge.

Rushing in and out of classes in a rush to escape the stalker and stuff, that was not going to be happening anymore. I picked up the pen and Mac drawing tablet; it was the latest model, and wouldn’t cost anything less than five thousand dollars. It was the unreleased version that was advertised but not in stock yet. My eyes widened in shock; I immediately rushed through the pen; it had nothing to wrap around it. I held onto it and turned on the tablet. My eyes closed on their own, trying to invite the inevitable, the vibrations that the pen always gave that affected my heart. It didn’t come; it seemed… calming…

I felt my nerves calm down and my blood rate relax. I stared in shock and looked at the pen, studying it; there was nothing like this. If there was, I would have known. There was a tiny initial of A&S written by the corner of the pen.

“Are you going to answer the door or what? I know you’re in there; I can hear your breathing.” An annoyed female voice screamed from the other side of the door.

I jerked up immediately and went to the door; someone had been knocking, and I was too lost to hear it. I opened the door, and she was there, a girl with blue hair and black clothes, glaring at me with two traveling bags in her hands.

“Sorry, I was…” I cleared my throat. “My roommate, I presume?”

“The one and only.” She did a royal bow, and I laughed, holding the door wider for her as she passed through, she dragged her traveling bag behind her. “It’s not a problem; I get lost often too.”

She hurried to the side of the room that was empty and put her bags in place; I couldn’t help but keep looking at her. I wish I could be this free and jovial.

“I’m Rose, by the way.”

“Elsa.” I rushed back to my bed and packed everything that was scattered there back into the envelope. She looked at me with curiosity.

Her brows quirked up. “Elsa as in Frozen?”

“No, certainly not.” A laugh escaped my throat; now I understand why the stalker called me Frozen, fucker!

“You draw?” Her eyes went to the envelope and back to me; I threw it into the small drawer in my vanity immediately.

“Did. It’s a long time since I did.” I checked my phone; it was my alarm alerting me of my next class in five minutes. “I don’t even know who sent that.”

“It looks familiar; can I… see it?” She moved a step closer to me. “That is if you don’t mind.”

“Of course!” I smiled and brought the pen out of the envelope before giving it to her. She inspected it, and when she got to the A&S, she stopped.

“It belongs to A&S, the biggest electronic digital company in America. My mom works there.” She said casually returning the pen to me.

“Wow, do you think I can get information about who sent it if I visit the company?”

“I can just ask my mom about it if that’s okay with you.” She picked up some of her books and placed them in a small tote bag.

I nodded and did the same with my books; I guessed we both had classes in five minutes. “That’d be great. Nice to meet you, Rose.”

“You too, Elsa.” She smiled, unzipping her traveling bag as I walked out of the door.

***

The campus hallway was filled up; everyone had places to be, and classes to attend. I felt safe; I knew he wouldn’t try to attack me here. He was a stalker, not a fool.

I felt a cold metal touch my lower back, where my long-sleeved crop top stopped. It felt like… a gun!

I instantly halted and tried to turn, but a strong hand on my shoulder kept me in place. My chest tightened with fear. Someone was behind me, masculine arms on my shoulder. I was halted in one position, looking at every other person going about their business, not noticing what was going on with me.

“Hello, Kitten,” his mouth was close to my ear, so close that I could feel his hot breath there. “Run.”