The House in the Desert

DAY ONE: THE HOUSE
Sat, June 9, 2018
My friends and I finally arrived at the house we rented for the week. The house is white and stands out in the distance like a shiny pearl in the middle of a sandy beach. And just like that little pearl on the beach, the house sits alone in the middle of this scorching desert. There's only one dirt road that leads here from the nearest town, which is miles and miles away. It's a bit suspicious, but at least it will be peaceful, and we will also be able to have our music loud all night if we wanted to.
The backyard, however, looks nothing like the yard in the pictures the owner sent us. In the pictures, the backyard had spinach-green grass, with flowers and plants lining the fence, and a pool with crystal-clear water. But the only thing that was green in the backyard was the slimy water in the half empty swimming pool. It doesn't even look like grass ever grew here. Anyway, I don't care much about that right now. Not after the long week that I've had.
My week started with me getting fired from my job at Knott's. And I think it was because I refused to go out on a date with my boss a few days before. Anyway, after that, my money get stolen, which was the money I was going to use to buy my books for school. Then a lot of smaller things happened along the way, like me spilling coffee on myself in my car, losing my earings, and getting cut in line. But what hurt the most was when I caught my boyfriend sleeping with another girl.
So, if the yard doesn't look like the pictures, I don't care. I am just glad to finally be here with my friends, Diego, Fernando, and Marleny. We've all been friends since middle school, and now we are all going to the same university. Diego is a killer baseball player. The best on the team, and I'm not just saying that beacuse he's my friend. Fernando doesn't play much sports, but he has the body of an athlete. He's studying engineering, so he's also very smart. Then, there's my bestie, Marleny, who is very mother-like, she's always the one that is making sure we have everything and calming us down when Diego and I get a little too crazy.
We are all exhusted from the drive, which took us longer because we got lost a few times. Anyway, that's a story for another time. But just being here with my friends already feels so relaxing.


DAY TWO: THE NOISE OUTSIDE MY WINDOW
Sun, June 10, 2018
0:30
I woke up late today, around ten or eleven, but I woke from one of the best sleeps that i've had in a long, long time. The morning felt light and relaxing. From my bed I could here Fernando and Diego chatting as they were cleaning the pool. And Marleny in the kitchen cutting fruit. Watermelon to be exact, I knew because I was able to smell its sweetness from my room.
Today was the chill day I was hoping for. We spent most of it outside after the pool was cleaned up. Listening to music, making food and drinking. saying that I really enjoyed today is an understatement.
But something strange happened to me today. A few hours ago, at around 8, actually. After we all came into the house, I went to my room to change from my bikini into my pjs. And as I was undressing, I thought I heard footsteps just outside my window. They sounded like boots. The kind my father would always wear. Then, I heard a low and deep laugh, a man's laugh, that was brief but long and loud enough for me to hear. It sounded like his face was just an inch away from window. My heart dropped the moment I heard it. The window in my room doesn't have a curtain, so I felt then like someone was peeking in through the half-closed blinds, watching me undress. So, I ran to turn off my light and rushed into my pjs so I could go tell Diego and Fernando.
They both went to check. Diego went to the front just in case whoever was back there had already jumped the fence. And Fernando checked the backyard. But they didn't see anyone or anything. And we are in middle of a desert, so we can see if anyone was running in the near distance. But I know what I heard, It was a man's voice! And the boots, they sounded just like the kind my father always wore, a sound I'm familiar with.