The evening had been so normal, so quiet, so... So safe.

But now I was on the couch, looking at someone stood in the garden...

Their face was covered by a mask and their body was cladded in black clothes, which almost helped them blend in, if it wasn't for the pool and garden spot lights around Zak's home.

Fight, flight or freeze.

That's the 3 main instincts we have in our body, and right now, I was at freeze. Unable to move off the couch as the person moved around a few feet away. Unaware that I had seen them, skulking around.

"I- I can't move.. They have a mask on." I whisper to Zak as he demands that I get to the wardrobe.

How has my safe haven become so compromised?

What did they want?

There's commotion on Zak's end, but I can't tear my eyes off the person, afraid that they will disappear. Right now, seeing them was frightening, but the idea of them disappearing was even worse.

What do I do?!

Who could it be?!

It's at this second that I miss Zak with my entirety, as he would be here. Protecting us and his home.. But he's not. He's miles away, currently watching this unfold on his phone.

Now it was down to me, to protect Gracie and myself. He said that he could replace his home. But not us which made me realise how much danger we could potentially be in.

Gracie shifts into my side, her heckles rising as she snarls deeper in warning.

"Gray.." I whisper laying my hand on her collar. She doesn't register me there, to fixated on who was on her property. In her garden, amongst her toys.

What if they get inside? What if they take her?

My fear turns into anger at the thought. My fingers close around her collar, as I make a mental promise that they would have to pull Gracie from my dead fingers before I let her go. Gracie was Zak's dog, and subsequently mine too. Over my dead body, would anyone be taking her...

"Elle. You need to move. Move now!" Zak yells angrily at me.

My heart is racing, my chest heaving, but instead of flying off the couch and running to the wardrobe. Like advised, I do the opposite.

Fight having taken over my instinct.

The intruder freezes seeing me vault off the chair, with Gracie jumping angrily towards the windows as I rush over. Her furious barking covers the sound of Zak's voice as I keep my phone in my hand.

"Get the fuck off the property! Now!" I scream.

But the person stands there, staring through a stupid mask. Watching me.

"I'll let the dog go! Now leave!"

It's an obvious lie. But whilst the person is looking at me and Gracie, they have failed to keep an eye on my hand. Which has risen to the wall switch and has now hit the shutter switch, locking it on down, usually only used for emergencies, like now. Right friggin' now!

"ELLE-" I hear Zak yelling but Gracie's vicious, and I'm struggling to hold her collar as she barks and lunges to get out the glass doors.

Moving to the door, I put my hand on the handle in warning. Only now hearing Zak's voice as he demands me not to open the door, for any reason.

"THE POLICE ARE COMING!" I forewarn them, hoping that will be enough.

The intruder moves, bending down to pick up a large rock from the garden, making my bravery waiver on the spot.

One rock and they will be in.

"Zak..." I speak trying to tell him.

"MOVE!"

For the first and only time I take my eyes off the intruder, to look at the shutters, which are moving rapidly down the large glass windows. Looking back at the person, I almost smile.

That is until they throw the rock, directly towards the window. I yell out and pull Gracie away from the window. Waiting for the shattering impact, instead I get a loud clatter as the shutters take the impact.

Moving back, I catch sight of the person running towards us and the shutters in an attempt to stop them, but they fail and soon they are cut off completely.

There's a roar in anger from outside and soon there's thunderous pounding, making me back up with Gracie.

"Elle!" Zak yells, reminding me that I was still on the phone.

"Wardrobe!" I tell him, pulling Gracie with me as we skid through his home on the marble flooring and run into the bedroom.

"Lock every door! Barricade it if you have to!" He shouts at me.

His room is pitch black but I remember seeing a chair across the other side of the room and waste no time in finding it and dragging it in front of the door.

"Speak to me! Tell me what's happening?!"

I look at my phone to see him stressed out and wild.  "They tried to get in, I hit the shutter button and made out I was gonna set Gracie on them. I wouldn't have, obviously. They realised the shutters would stop them and are now trying to break in."

"The police are almost there Elle." Bacon says appearing beside Zak. "Just head straight into the wardrobe and stay there."

I nod and herd Gracie in there with me, locking the door. "How are the police going to get in? I've shut them out!" I tell Zak.

"You don't open any doors of any kind until I know it's safe. Bacon is on the line to security now, they will say when it's safe." Zak says making me nod.

The thundering continues around the house, making me sink into the corner of his walk in wardrobe, heaving for breath.

"Hey, hey, hey." Zak says realising what was happening.

"I- I can't breath."

"You can. Sweetheart you can. It's just shock kicking in. Look at Gracie. Look at her."

I do as he says.

"What colour is her eyes?"

"B-brown."

I can't breathe! I'm having a heart attack!

"Collar?"

"Pink."

"What bandana did she have on the last time the groomer had her?"

I clamp my eyes shut trying to remember, it felt so darn long ago. "I-I don't know! I don't know!"

"Think Elle! Think!"

"Uh-- Ghosts?! Ghosts! She had ghosts on it and you said it was a nice touch!"

Zak smiles for the first time "Well done. Now name 5 pieces of clothing you can see from where you are."

"Jacket. T-shirt, cargo pants. Hoody..... I- there isn't anything else!" I panic as pain hits through my chest.

"Look harder."

My eyes tear around the wardrobe until they land on something "Shoes!"

"Good! Now get up, get my hoody. Pull it on and zip it up. You're starting to shake."

I get up on my jelly legs and grab a hoody, pulling it on and zipping it over me.

"It smells like you." I tell him, moving back to the floor and laying my phone against my knees. He watches as I hold my chest breathing through the pain.

"I wish it was me... Jesus fucking Christ. Are you okay?"

I nod. "I think so. Chest pains.. What do you think they want?"

"I don't know. I'm going to find out. Believe me. How is Gracie?"

I look to my side to see her bolt upright and staring at the door. "Alert. She went crazy. I've never seen her like that." I tell him.

"She was protecting you and herself. Give her lots of love when this is over. She did amazing. You have done incredible, Elle.. Bacon tell security she's having chest pains."

"No—"

"Elle." Zak interrupts. "I need piece of mind."

"I'm not going to the hospital. I'm not leaving this house without Gracie." I growl at him, resting my head back and making a point of moving my hand off my chest.

The pain was still there, but if he thought I was okay, he won't keep pushing.

"I don't understand."

"What?" Zak asks, his face shining up from his phone.

"How did they get on a private community? Security would have had to buzz them in."

"Unless someone overrode the system?"

I know he means Mia instantly and look at him. "I'm so fucking sorry."

"Hey, no. This isn't your fault. I'm just throwing answers around, this person just might be a crazed fan of mine? It happens sometimes. Yes I live on a private community, but Red Rock isn't gated off. Anyone can enter in that way."

"I doubt it.." I tell him.

"I know.. I'm just trying to make you feel better."

"Thank—"

"Security are at the front door." Bacon tells Zak.

"The intruder? Trespasser, whatever?" He asks.

"Got them."

I let out a sigh of relief and pat Gracie. "Thank god."

"Security need you to go to the front door, Elle."

I nod.

Leaving the wardrobe and bedroom, I rush down the hall, keeping Zak on the line incase they needed to talk with him about the security breach. As soon as I turn the corner, I see the flash lights trying to see in.

"I can see them." I tell Zak who continues to tell me how great I'm doing. I'm not doing anything extraordinary, but his hype keeps me going.

Unlocking the front door, I step out cautiously and head towards the second set of gates.

"Name?" The security guard asks.

"Elle."

"Can you open this gate for me please?"

"I need to see ID." I tell him. Standing firm as he pulls his badge off as presses it against the gate for me.

"Higgins." I read.

"Yes ma'am. Now is everyone in the house okay?"

"It's just me and Gracie." I tell him, gesturing to Gracie who is at my side, glaring at the man.

"Are you okay?"

I nod. "The, the homeowner is on the line." I tell him, lifting Zak up too.

"Mr Bagans.." The security officer acknowledges.

"Higgins? You're doing a late shift?" Zak asks, seeming to know him.

"I heard there was trouble at your residence, sir. I was still in the office and decided to attend for back up."

"Right." Zak says, just as a police officer joins Higgins at the gate. "Elle?"

I turn the phone back to face me. "Am I okay? The police are here too."

"Of course sweetheart. Higgins will take care of everything. He's one of the best security members in the community, you can let him in."

With Zak's approval, I let Higgins in, who goes straight into the house with the police as I stand with Gracie at my feet.

"Evening ma'am." Another police officer says, appearing at the front gate." Once we have the all clear, we can head inside."

I nod, holding onto the phone tightly. When Higgins comes back out, the police officers herds me back inside to ask some questions.

"Zak, the police need me to answer a few questions." I tell him.

"Okay baby, I'm with security on the other line. Stay safe okay? I love you."

He hangs up at that moment, leaving me open mouthed.

Did he? No..

No that's shock hitting him too. A slip of the tongue.

"Ma'am?" The officer speaks. "Are you ready?"

Oh. Yeah, questions.

******

Shock will do funny things to you, it will alter your body, change how you feel, how you think and cause confusion to no end. Which is how I end up sat on the couch with Gracie next to me, staring at the two officers and Higgins. I don't know how or why he is back...

Am I going to have a seizure? Am I having a seizure? Have I had a seizure?

Something is happening..

I tap the band several times, hoping Zak gets them, when I see a familiar face at the door.

"I'm here!" Zak's mom announces entering his home, dressed immaculately in a sweat suit with her hit pinned in place. Her phone against her ear. "Zak, I am looking right at her. She is safe and looks fine. Actually scratch that, she looks peaky.."

"Zak. Calm down!" Nancy demands, rounding the couch. Ignoring the officers and Higgins, she sits on the coffee table and grabs my wrist, looking at my watch. "Yes.. Yes."

Nancy then moves her phone away. "Hello Elle. Can you hear and understand me?"

I nod. "Yeah."

"Hear that?" She asks on the phone. Before switching back to me. "Sweetheart, you're having a seizure okay? Your watch is alerting Zak."

I look down at myself, before looking at her. "I don't..- I am?"

It all begins to make sense, the feelings, the time lapse, the confusion..

"Hmm.. I am."

"She's confused. Zak, I will ring you as soon as I can."

"Mia." I tell her. "Tell Zak."

That's the last thing I remember, was the officer telling me that they had someone in custody, claiming to know me and that her name is Mia and it's all a prank.

A prank.

"She said Mia. Who is—" Nancy pauses. "You do what you have to... For crying out loud."

She moves the phone aside to speak to me. "Zak is asking me what you want to do, about Mia?"

I want to say to let it go, to forget this even happened, but I can't and I won't because of the stress she's put not only me under, but Gracie and Zak. As well as his mom who has drove across Vegas at her son's request because of me. Her son who is on the end of the phone, asking me what I want to do, despite Mia having vandalised his house, or shutters..

Reaching out, Nancy passes me the phone.

"Zak?"

"Hey El, are you okay? The watch—"

"Charged."

"Sorry?"

"I want her charged."

"Are you sure? You don't have to decide now. I just—"

"I'm positive." I answer before looking at the officers. "She was not invited, she is not on the list and this is not a prank. She vandalised Zak's home and she broke onto the property. Mia is out of control. There's already a report of criminal damage, that I believe she did to my car. There's also information on there about her overriding systems.."

"Elle..." I hear Zak speak in my ear.

"She also assaulted my partner..." I tell them. "I've got photos."

"You took photos?!"

"I had to.." I tell him before handing Nancy her phone back.

"Ma'am. This is a new allegation—"

"I know." I interrupt. "But assault is assault. She hit him, I have pictures to prove it. Now I can only report it, Zak has to be the one to follow it up, I know. But I need you to be aware of everything she has been doing because at this moment in time. I'm afraid of what she will do next." I tell them honestly.

It's at that moment, the officers take my words more seriously. It's also at that moment Zak decides he's coming home and his mom decides that she is staying over for the night.

Mia wants to fight? Then the gloves are off.