Meera's POV
The feeling returned the next morning.
It wasn't fear at first.
Just awareness.
The kind that crawls slowly under your skin until you can't ignore it anymore.
I stood in front of the mirror in my dorm room, tying my hair into a loose braid. Outside the window, the campus was waking up—students walking to early lectures, bicycles moving across the paths, distant laughter drifting through the cold morning air.
Everything looked normal.
But something inside me felt… different.
Like someone somewhere was paying attention to every move I made.
I shook the thought away and grabbed my backpack.
"You're overthinking," I muttered to myself.
Still, as I stepped out of the dorm building and walked toward the engineering complex, I found my eyes scanning every corner of the campus.
Every tall figure.
Every dark silhouette.
Every movement in the distance.
The memory of the man in the courtyard the night before refused to leave my mind.
Tall.
Broad shoulders.
Still as a statue.
And those eyes.
I had only seen his face for a fraction of a second when the light flickered.
But somehow the image had stayed with me.
Sharp features.
Dark hair.
A gaze that felt… intense.
As if he wasn't just looking.
As if he was studying me.
Classes that morning felt longer than usual.
During my Algorithms lecture, I tried to focus on the professor explaining time complexity and optimization techniques.
But my concentration kept breaking.
Every few minutes, I felt the strange urge to look toward the back of the lecture hall.
Each time I turned, I saw nothing unusual.
Just rows of students typing on laptops or scribbling notes.
Maybe I was imagining everything.
Maybe the stress of being in a new country was finally catching up with me.
Still…
The feeling stayed.
After class ended, I packed my notebook slowly.
Malik caught up with me outside the lecture hall.
"Yo, genius," he said, walking beside me. "You looked like you were fighting an invisible enemy in there."
I blinked.
"Was it that obvious?"
"Yeah," he laughed. "You kept turning around like someone owed you money."
I hesitated.
"Malik… can I ask you something strange?"
"That depends," he said. "Is it like ghost strange or math strange?"
"Neither."
I lowered my voice slightly.
"Have you ever felt like someone was watching you?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"Like creepy watching?"
"I don't know."
Malik scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"You think someone's following you?"
"I'm not sure."
He looked around the hallway casually.
"You see anyone suspicious?"
"No."
"Then it's probably nothing."
He shrugged.
"This campus is full of people. Someone might just walk the same route as you."
Maybe he was right.
But the memory of that figure in the courtyard still lingered.
That evening, the sky turned dark earlier than usual.
Cold wind moved through the trees as I walked back toward the dorm building.
Students passed by in groups, talking about weekend plans and upcoming exams.
Everything felt normal again.
Almost peaceful.
Then I saw him.
At the far end of the pathway.
Standing near one of the campus lights.
The tall figure.
My heart skipped.
This time I didn't hesitate.
I started walking toward him.
Slowly at first.
Then faster.
The closer I got, the more clearly I could see his silhouette.
Tall.
Well-built.
Dark jacket.
He was standing with his back slightly turned, as if looking toward the parking lot.
"Hey!" I called.
No response.
I quickened my pace.
"Excuse me!"
Just as I reached the corner of the building, he moved.
Not quickly.
Not nervously.
Just… gone.
I turned the corner.
The pathway behind the building was empty.
No footsteps.
No movement.
Nothing.
My breathing grew uneven as I looked around.
"Hello?"
Silence answered me.
I checked behind the dumpsters.
Near the staircase.
Around the parking area.
There was no one.
How was that possible?
He had been right there seconds ago.
A strange chill spread through my chest.
For the first time, the situation felt real.
Someone had definitely been there.
And now he was gone.
The walk back to my dorm felt longer than usual.
Every shadow looked darker.
Every rustling leaf sounded louder.
By the time I reached the building entrance, I was slightly out of breath.
"Relax," I told myself quietly.
"Maybe it was just another student."
But deep down, I knew that explanation didn't make sense.
Students didn't disappear like that.
Inside my dorm room, Olivia was studying at her desk.
"Hey," she said without looking up. "You look like you just ran a marathon."
"Just a long walk," I replied.
I changed into comfortable clothes and sat at my desk.
For the next few hours, I focused on studying.
Programming assignments.
Lecture notes.
Practice problems.
Eventually the quiet rhythm of work calmed my mind.
Maybe Malik had been right.
Maybe I was overthinking everything.
By midnight, I was exhausted.
I turned off the desk lamp and climbed into bed.
Outside the window, the campus lights glowed softly against the dark sky.
Students' voices echoed faintly in the distance.
The familiar sounds made me feel safe.
I closed my eyes.
Sleep came quickly.
Sometime later, I drifted halfway into consciousness.
Not fully awake.
Not fully asleep.
Just floating in that strange place between dreams and reality.
And in that hazy moment, I felt something unusual.
A gentle sensation.
Like someone brushing fingers softly through my hair.
My mind tried to understand the feeling.
It was calm.
Almost comforting.
Not frightening.
Not rough.
Just… careful.
I stirred slightly in my sleep.
The sensation stopped immediately.
For a moment, everything was silent.
Then I woke up.
My eyes opened slowly.
The room was dark except for the faint light from the window.
Olivia's bed across the room was empty.
Probably another late study session.
I sat up slightly.
My heart beat faster as I looked around.
The room was completely empty.
No one near the door.
No one near the window.
No movement anywhere.
I rubbed my eyes.
"It was just a dream," I whispered.
Sleep sometimes created strange illusions.
Especially when you were exhausted.
Still…
For a brief second, I felt an odd warmth in my chest.
As if someone had been there.
Watching.
Protecting.
I shook my head.
"That's ridiculous."
Pulling the blanket closer, I lay back down.
Within minutes, sleep returned.
Outside the dorm building, the campus was silent.
Wind moved gently through the trees.
High above, a faint light glowed from one of the dorm windows.
A tall figure stood across the courtyard in the shadows.
Watching.
Still.
Patient.
And unseen.
What Meera believed was a dream…
was not entirely imagination.
But that truth would remain hidden for a long time.
Because some shadows preferred to remain invisible.
Especially when they were guarding something they had already decided belonged to them.