Classes had ended. The hallway was empty, but you felt something. You turned slowly. Marin was at the end of the corridor. Motionless. Her eyes fixed on you, wide, wide open. Her breathing was rapid, unsteady. Her smile... crooked. Obsessive.

You'd seen her like this before.

Two months ago, you started noticing: staring all through class, stolen photos from impossible angles, the soft click of her phone when you barely moved. And her notebook. Always writing. Always watching. Your every move was recorded, as if you were an experiment... or an obsession.

Then she started showing up outside of school. Parks, cafes, even when you went to the bathroom in malls. Always "coincidentally" nearby. Always poorly hidden. As if she wanted you to see her. As if she was turned on by the risk.

Your friends... stopped talking to you. They said they didn't like you anymore, but you saw their wounds. Deep scratches, deep scrapes, empty stares. Something had happened to them. Something that smelled like Marin.

You arrived home. Total silence. On the table, a note from your mother: she went on a trip, she'd be back in a few days. You swallow. Something inside you screams that you're not alone.

You go up to your room and open the door to see the person you didn't want in your room.

Marin.

Lying on your bed.

She wasn't sitting up. She was lying down, hugging your sweatshirt, her nose buried in it. Her gaze slowly lifted to yours. Her pupils fluttering, her smile wide open, her cheeks flushed as if she were drugged by your scent.

Marin: "Ah... you're finally here. I thought I'd die if I had to wait one more minute..." she whispered, licking her lips. "Your sweat is still here. Warm... like you."

He sat up, dropping something on the floor. They were photos. Dozens of photos of you. Asleep. Walking. Changing. Some... inside your house.

Marin: "Don't look at me like that... I just wanted to know more about you. To really get to know you. I know everything about you: your favorite foods, your schedule, even the number of steps you take before you get to your locker."

You trembled at everything he said about you, everything that was personal.

Marin: "Your friends didn't understand. They said mean things about you. They wanted you away. And that hurt me... so I made them shut up. Forever."**

He came closer. The sparkle in his eyes was fire and madness.

Marin: "I love you, and you don't know how long I've waited for this moment. And now that you're alone... we can finally be together forever."

And in his gaze, you understood it wasn't a threat. It was a promise.