Have you ever felt like someone is watching you? Has your mind ever played tricks on you? What if there was something or someone out there watching you, or what if you thought an illusion was real?.

  I don’t have a normal family, my parents are always traveling the country for their jobs and I am the youngest of two. My oldest sister is in college so when my parents are gone I am left to take care of myself since my dad’s parents died in a car accident and my mother’s father is in the CIA and her mother enjoys the island life. When I was 4 years old, I had gotten very sick and as a result I lost partial hearing.  I can hear very little but I have become very good at reading lips and signing.  To some they would consider this a tragedy, but I do not remember what life was like before I lost my hearing. 

  On a normal day I go to school, go to basketball practice, yes you are probably wondering how this is possible but I have a great team and coach is willing to work and give everybody a fair chance Then I usually come home and do whatever homework I need to do and have learned how to cook for myself.  This is something that I will never be able to make a lifelong career out of, but I can cook some mean Mac-n-Cheese.  I never have been afraid to be alone when my parents are gone, but lately I have felt like there is something or someone in the distance watching me.  This may come from me being very interested in all the crime shows there are on t.v. or the fact I have a very active imagination.
There has been a few nights while I have been sitting in our living room, which has ceiling to floor windows.  My mom said that there is no reason that a view of such beautiful country should not be seen, so she had these gigantic windows put in. Why this makes any sense to me since she is never here to enjoy the view. I have always felt that they give no privacy.
  I started watching this new series on t.v. that is very complicated and is based on true events in history.  It gives me this feeling that “what if someone tries to do something in our small town, would they be able to catch them”.  I always am trying to find the clues and see if I can ‘break’ the case before they do. Sometimes I do research on these events to see if there are clues that the investigators did not see.  This can get my mind in overload sometimes and can cause me to freak out. 
Lately when I go to the store or go to the movies with my friends I have this sense that there is someone or someones watching me. I told my parents of these feelings, but they always tell me it’s my active imagination again and that I need to stop watching all the crime shows.  One particular night my parents decided that it would be nice to have a BBQ with their coworkers and families. A few of us decided that the party was lame and decided to walk down to the lake, which is about 5 miles from our house. It was a great night to take the canoe out with a full moon shining on the water. There are only a few houses around the lake. One of the kids thought they had seen a light on in this house. Which I knew was impossible because this house had sat empty for about 7 months do to fire in the kitchen, and the family has since moved out.
I was incredibly tired from our big basketball tournament and huge exam week that one night while trying to sleep I could not shake the feeling that someone was there with me.  I began to get worried and double checked all locks and windows three times. Finally I told myself no one was there. When I woke up the next morning, I walked out the front door and noticed there were footsteps by the garage that were not there the day before because it had rained throughout the night these had to be fresh. I shook it off and went to school when I got home that evening our garage door was open. This was probably because I didn't shut the door when I saw the footsteps that morning so I continued with my evening. I decided to go for a swim at the lake to clear my head. When I was getting out of the lake the abandoned house had one light on and I saw a silhouette in the window. A chill ran down my spine. Had he been watching me? I ran back to the house locked all the doors and went to my room. I jumped I saw a shadow outside my window.  Had he followed me? I kept telling myself I was crazy breathe I said to myself. 
I decided to go to my neighbors house because my parents were not answering their texts. They called the police, but the police didn’t find any evidence of anyone being around the house. I told them about the light in the abandoned house they said they would look into it. I stayed with my neighbors for a few days until the cops told me that they found nothing at the house, I realized I was being silly so I went home. My parents offered to come home, but I told them not to worry and stay I will be okay. That evening while popping popcorn I felt the hairs on my neck rise. I turned around and there was a figure in the room. I panicked and ran out into the garage jumped in my car which would not start. He’s coming for me, what do I do now? I tried one more time and it started, I put it in reverse and there was a bump but I didn't stop I kept going. I drove directly to the police station. I felt there was someone following me. The police didn’t take me serious until I told them I may have hit him. When they went out to my house they had found a bag with duct tape and twine.
The abandoned house was now under surveillance because they didn’t feel I was safe at home. My parents came home and decided that they would try and work from home until they caught whoever this man was. It has been almost two months and the case has gone cold I was feeling safe so my friends and I decided to go to the movies. n my way home my car stalled I was only about two miles from home.  My phone was dead so I decided that there was nothing to do but walk. Out of nowhere something hit me in the head. When I opened my eyes I was in a strange but familiar room. I could smell something like smoke I couldn’t move my hands. My hands were  tied to the metal frame and  I thought to myself I’m going to die. Think what do I do? I tried to twist out but could only loosen enough to get one hand free. I heard footsteps. BREATHE! The door opens and I take a deep breath he is carrying a bowl and towels.  I flinched as he comes at me. He washes the side of my head with gentleness and care.  I can only get part of what he is saying because he keeps turning his head. He thinks I am the one who is responsible for killing his sister in a car accident. He leaves, and I notice there are articles and pictures hung on the wall of a girl about 12 years old. There is a pen on the table. I hear footsteps have to hide it. He is angry he is agitated he tries to get me to eat. As he turns his head I grab tight to the pen and stab his neck he falls. Now I get the other arm free. I RUN and  my throat burns.
I look back he’s not there I fall and get up I keep running I hit the road. I run to my house at the end of my drive he's there. I SCREAM praying my little voice someone hears me. I wish I could hear I pray I get up I kick. I feel my foot connect with his jaw. I see flashing lights behind me the door opens and there stands my dad he comes running. My dad tackles the man down my moms screaming STOP! The police get there just in time. They take him away and find out he had been watching me for a year. He will never be able to hurt anyone again because he died in the hospital from the scab wound loss of blood.
Even though I am scared of being alone I am still going to pursue a career of crime scene investigation.