Twisted Obsessions

Zenniah Selene Aldridge's Point of View

"Fuck!" I muttered as I tried to pry my eyes open, the morning sun's rays piercing through the blinds, waking up my senses. Groaning, I shielded my face with my hands, trying to ward off the intrusive light. But as I reluctantly peeled my eyelids apart, the pounding in my head intensified, a relentless reminder of last night's monotonous moments.

Something felt off, though, a niggling sense of unease gnawing at the edges of my consciousness. Disoriented and disheveled, I struggled to piece together the events of the previous evening, my memories shrouded in a haze of alcohol-induced oblivion.

Dragging myself upright, I surveyed my surroundings with bleary eyes, confusion knotting my brow. The unfamiliar room, the strange bed, the absence of my belongings—all pointed to a night gone awry.

"Oh, my god," I whispered, panic coursing through my veins as I frantically searched for any clue as to my whereabouts. My heart pounded in my chest, a frantic rhythm echoing the turmoil in my mind.

Where am I? Who brought me here? And why can't I remember anything?

With a sense of mounting dread, I realized the gravity of my situation. Alone and disoriented, I was in an unknown forces, my fate hanging precariously in the balance.

Damn it, Zenniah! You just made a mistake not a month ago and now, you slept inside a stranger's bedroom! I mentally scolded myself while pressing my right temple. Still trying to figure out on what to do next.

I heave a deep sigh to calm my mind. Summoning every ounce of courage I possessed, I forced myself to focus, to think rationally.

With the few guts left inside me, I look to check the door first if someone is coming inside. When I am certain that there is no one, I stand on my toes, feeling the cold marbled floor. I then walk, tip-toeing towards the huge size window made up of fiberglass, and move the blinds up to scan where the hell in the world am I.

Trees. Tress. Tress. I murmured inside.

Trees are everywhere! Where the hell am I?

I ran back to the bed and tried searching for my things and I almost want to cry on my toes when there is no trace and signs of my stuffs around the place.

Think, Zenniah, think!

Oh god! I groaned. Now that I am thinking, I suddenly remembered that I still have some thesis papers to submit today and the ticking of the clock is not even helping!

“Perhaps a good Samaritan helped me last night,” I whispered, gas lighting myself with a nodding head. “Yeah, could be. The person might have kept my things. I could just compensate the person for the inconvenience I have caused last night, right?” I mumbled while I am trying to compose myself.

But what if the person is way from good? Damn it.

Despite my heavy thoughts and worries, my eyes went wide once again when I heard footsteps coming from the outside and I am certain it’s heading on this room so as if on cue, I scrambled to cover myself with the thin sheet, my mind racing with a thousand possibilities.

I closed my eyes. I just hope that the person who I was with is not one of the goons and mafias inside that fcking club.

Damn it, and who the hell told you to get wasted last night? Who desires to move on and forget again everything for a night? My inside shouted, making me want to groan out of frustration.

I heard the door swung open then follows with a fast walking pace of feet—walking to the opposite side of the bed, then another door is opened before it finally closes again. The person entering seems very much in a hurry because of its movements but I do not have enough time to think about his urgency. I have a bigger problem so I automatically sigh before pulling down the sheets slowly, making sure that whoever that person who barged inside is not around anymore.

A sigh of relief came out from my lips when the person is already inside the room behind that door, doing such things I do not want to know.

I stand on my feet and the coldness engulfs my toes again the moment I step down on the floor. I was about to take a step forward when a drop and flow of a liquid hit the floor dramatically.

Oh. So it’s a bathroom.

I bet that person is under the shower…naked.

I automatically shook my head, wanting to grab my hair. Damn Zenniah!

Taking away all my inhibitions inside, I tiptoed before taking steps far to prevent making any noise before peeking once again on that door, making sure that it won’t open sooner. The water is still consecutively falling from the inside so I am certain that the person is obviously still taking his/her time inside.

The soon I reach the door, I hold the knob and almost flinch at how cold the thing is but still turn it towards the right otherwise. I sighed when I successfully opened it without making such a noise and as if on cue, I immediately went out, just letting the door swung open, afraid that if I will close it again it’ll make a noise.

My lips parted when I get to take a glimpse at the frames hanging in the hallway—plus the fact that the lights are all dim. There are so many paintings from different Artists and even the famous starry night of Vincent Van Gogh is proudly hanging on the wall.

"Mona Lisa..." I whispered as I turn to the right side before touching the frame made up of fiber again. Gosh, I've been hoping all my life to see a living portrait of her and now, the artwork is proudly hanging on this wall for freaking free?! The last time I check, these artworks are expensive as damn!

The sheer opulence of the mansion left me gaping in disbelief, my mind struggling to comprehend the vast wealth on display. From the lavish interior decor to the lights illuminating every corner, it was clear that the owner was accustomed to a life of luxury. As I took in the grandeur surrounding me, I couldn't help but wonder about the origins of such affluence. Who were the parents of the person who called this place home?

Despite growing up with a certain level of privilege, I had never experienced anything quite like this. My parents had provided for me in their own way, I am not even fond of shopping and my parents just bought me things— like I had it all! My father, distant and aloof, had never truly earned the title of "Dad," leaving me with a lingering sense of emptiness despite our material comforts.

For one last glance, I look around the batch of paintings on the wall. Is the owner an Artist? I asked myself again when I saw another familiar masterpiece from afar.

Shoving all of my thoughts away, I ran to the other side of the hallway and saw another two hallways from left and right. I just pray that wherever I may be going, it is the right way towards the stairs. I walk silently while making sure that there is no person tailing me. Ignoring the absence of my footwear and handbag, I set off down the hallway, my steps echoing softly against the polished floors.

Psh.

It is not as if that has a lot of paper bills to worry about. To be concisely honest, I only had twenty pesos coins left inside my wallet but good thing that Reamly and Chelsea treated me last night.

But yeah, because of that, I do not know where I am right now.

As I pressed forward, a surge of frustration and resentment bubbled up inside me, fueled by memories of my recent heartbreak. My ex-boyfriend, the source of all these pain and betrayal, had used me to further his own ambitions, leaving me feeling used and discarded. The thought of him made my blood boil, a mixture of anger and regret coursing through my veins.

Remembering him at this time of my life, wants me to grab and lash him out. On top of this, why I am inside this place is because of him. If he could just like me sincerely like what I did, we are supposedly fine today inside his place, cuddling!

In the middle of my thoughts, I immediately hid behind the wall when I saw a shadow passed across this hallway. Son of a rich, why is this place so confusing?!

After finally making sure that the person is gone already, I took a deep breath before stepping forward once again to peek into the next hallway.

Sossy! If back in the first hallway earlier, the lights were all dim but this time, the place is almost blinding on how the lights are well lit on the ceiling of this house! We also have this kind of thing nonetheless but for the second time, ours is most likely far from these all sorts and kinds!

For the first time in my life, I never felt so poor until today.

I check the way again before biting my lower lip. Maybe the stairs are almost near? I chose to turn right and follow the person I found earlier. It took me few more steps before I saw winding stairs from the distance

What the hell? Is this place for real?

"Miss?"

"Oh, God!" I jumped from my place while holding my chest when someone called my attention. I slowly turn around to see who the person is but I saw an unfamiliar good-looking guy in his white plaid shirt and pants.

Before I could even utter a single word, he spoke. “It’s you.”