This Gender Reversed World Ain't for Me (46) - Stalker (Patreon)

Calista and I looked at each other for a moment, before rushing out of the room. We ran into Iris, who was also coming out of her room, looking equally concerned.

"What's happening?!"

"Someone must've tripped the alarm."

A stray animal could’ve done that. I didn’t want to think of the worst. 

I gave Iris a nod and passed her by, Calista followed right behind me. I didn't even have a weapon with me, unless you count my fists. 

We went down the stairs in a hurry, to find Willow standing in front of the main door, messing with the system's panel to get it to stop blaring the alarm.

Willow turned back to face us, with a frown. "Whoever did this, they're gone now. And the police are on their way. Freya already called them." She moved away from the entrance and to the wide windows, where she peered through the blinds, as if she could see the perpetrator.

Iris and Calista also peeked through the blinds.

"It looks like no one is outside." Iris remarked.

"W-What's going on?!" Ivy came barrelling down the stairs, looking frazzled.

"Someone tried to break in." Willow replied tersely, looking back at us. "It was a failed attempt, but the person got away."

"A break-in?" Ivy squeaked out fearfully. "How is that even possible? Our security system is supposed to be top-notch!"

"Let's check the cameras first." Freya suggested as she joined the huddle, glancing at me. "See if we can identify the person."

"Good idea." Willow nodded.

We all headed to the living room, where Willow pulled up the security footage on the TV. I still couldn't quite believe that someone would have the audacity to try and break into our house. I didn't know what I should've expected, but I've never had something like that happen in my previous life. Maybe because I was piss poor so no one ever bothered.

The footage played, and we all watched intently. There were different cameras at play here.

At first, there was nothing.

Just the empty front yard.

Then in the bottom right camera, something was picked. 

A figure appeared. Obviously a woman, from the silhouette. She was dressed in black, with the stereotypical hooded sweatshirt that concealed her features. She crept along the side of the house, not really trying to break in at first, just... observing.

She seemed to be checking for cameras, and potential entry points, her head swiveling around like a paranoid owl. With her hands in her pocket, she tilted her head and stared at one of the windows where some dim light leaked out.

"That's my room window." Calista stated in a deadpan tone. Indeed, it was. The angle from where the camera was filming, you could see the window to her room, which had been slightly ajar. It was dark inside, but there was enough light for someone to see that there was movement inside.

She started walking back and forth, disappearing from Camera 5 and reappearing inside Camera 1, which had a broad view of the porch. The black and white video continued playing, with the figure moving from one camera to the other. 

Then she started creeping inside, looking around before finding one of our trash cans that had been left outside. 

“What’s she doing…?” Iris muttered in disbelief.

Without hesitation, she tried climbing on top of it.

At some point, the alarm system was triggered, and the sound of it startled the intruder, making her lose balance and fall off the trash can. She scrambled back to her feet and ran away, disappearing into the darkness as quickly as she had appeared.

"The police will be here in a few minutes." Willow announced, her face grim as she stared at the screen. "We'll show them this footage. Hopefully, they'll be able to identify her."

Even though her face was covered, there were a few defining features. She was of a medium height, maybe around 5'6". Not that tall, not that short. She had a slender build, and quite a big chest from the way her hoodie hugged her figure.

There was nothing else. And I had little hope the police could actually do something about it, unless they had some miraculous technology I didn’t know about. 

Everyone in the room looked at me.

"......"

...

The police arrived shortly after. Actually, it was better to say that they arrived instantly.

Two patrol cars, the moment they heard it was a male-registered residence, drove at the scene in record time. Valeria was among them, as I'd expect. Her presence didn't seem to be particularly welcome by my family though.

"Is everyone alright? Was anyone hurt? Are you okay, Damien?" She asked as she walked through the doorway with her partner, her eyes scanning the area, and then landing on me, with a worried expression.

"Yes, we're fine. No one got hurt." Freya answered for all of us. "The intruder ran away when the alarm went off."

"Good to hear." Valeria let out a sigh of relief. "We'll check the perimeter and see if we can find any clues."

Her two partners, after snapping out of their daze by an irate Valeria, scurried out to check the perimeter. As for the main woman herself, she was ushered inside to review the footage.

“This has never happened before… in all the years we’ve been living here, this is the first time—” Willow started rambling on and on.

Calista, Iris and Ivy were sitting on the couch, with me sandwiched somewhere between them.

Valeria stood in the middle of the living room, with Willow and Freya flanking her sides and playing the footage. 

"So, what do you think?"

Willow asked. She might've had some misgivings about the blonde cop, but she still deferred to her authority and expertise in this situation.

"We're definitely dealing with a stalker." Valeria stated without missing a beat, her gaze fixed on the screen. "It's a bit worrying, though. The fact that she knew where you lived, and had the guts to try and break in."

"Well, it's not hard to know where we live." Freya frowned, crossing her arms. "Damien is the only male in the entire block, it's common knowledge."

"That's true." Valeria conceded. "If she knew there was a male in the house, then that's even worse. The law is clear on this; any act of attempted trespassing with the intent to harm or kidnap a male is a serious offense."

"Do you think that's what she was going to do?" Calista asked. "To harm Damien?"

Once again, every pair of eyes in the room was on me. I felt a bit uncomfortable, to be honest. I didn't like being the center of attention, especially when it was about my safety.

Valeria paused for a moment, as if she didn't want to scare me, but then sighed and nodded. "I'm afraid so. Especially with recent... developments." She stared at me knowingly. "There's no telling what this person might do, or how far she's willing to go. I'd advise you all to be extra vigilant from now on. Keep the doors and windows locked at all times. Don't go out alone, Damien. And call us if you see anyone suspicious lurking around."

"How... I mean, if it's because of the song, how do they know? That it's me. I didn't disclose my identity." I pointed out. "Couldn't it have simply been a drunk woman who mistook our house for someone else's?"

I didn't sound convincing, nor did I try to. I was just throwing some ideas out there, because the shock of the situation hadn't really fully settled in yet. It was a bit hard to believe that someone would try to break into my house just because of a damn song.

"You're a registered male, Damien. Your information, while not public, can still be accessed by the right people." Valeria explained patiently. "We don't know whether she might've come here because of the song, or because she saw you on the street and followed you home, or maybe she just happened to know that there's a male living here and decided to take a chance. This is pure speculation.”

"......”

My information could be accessed?

Your information, while not public, can still be accessed by the right people. As if that was a minor inconvenience she was saying. No one around me reacted in any particular way, which meant it was quite normal and expected. 

Name, address, physical description, registered status, probably more. 

All of it sitting in some database somewhere, protected by whatever privacy laws this world had built around its endangered demographic, accessible to anyone with the right clearance or the right connection or apparently just enough determination to find the right person who had the right access or whatever the hell.

The system designed to protect me was the same system that told people exactly where to find me.

"I know it's a lot to take in." She gave me a sympathetic look. "But it's the reality of the situation. I'm sorry."

The reality of the situation, huh.

I nodded. "No… I understand. Thank you for coming, Val.”

Freya frowned beside me. “Don’t call her that, Damien. She’s a police officer. Be respectful.”

"No, it’s fine, Miss Winters." She gave me a small smile, before turning back to the others. "We'll be patrolling the area more frequently from now on, and we'll try to keep an eye on your house as much as we can. In the meantime, I suggest you upgrade your security system. Maybe install some cameras inside the house as well, and make sure you have a panic button somewhere in reach."

"Of course. We'll do that." Willow agreed stiffly. 

"We'll also try to find out who she is, but I can't make any promises. The footage isn't very clear, and we don't have much to work with." Valeria sighed. "Anyway, we'll let you know if we find anything. Call us if you need anything else. Oh, please, send us a copy of the footage. I’ll review it later at the station with the others.”

"Thank you." Freya nodded. "We appreciate your… help." 

Whether that was said in a mocking tone or not, I didn’t analyze it too much.

Perhaps it was all a bit anti-climatic, in the sense that having the police come wasn’t helpful in any way, but Freya was too strung up. 

"I didn’t do anything, ma'am."

Valeria nodded. She looked at me one last time before turning around and leaving. 

Her partners were already done with their check outside and were waiting for her. Naturally, nothing came out of that—no traces or sight of the presumed stalker, not that we expected them to find the suspect. 

Freya saw them off. The door closed. The sirens flashed one last time before driving away, though I knew that Valeria would be somewhere around; in a sense, that made me feel a bit more safe.

I melted on the couch, taking a quiet moment to myself. A stalker? Me? Beyond that fluttery feeling of being desired, there was also a very real, very dangerous element to this. This wasn't some fangirl sending a love letter; this was someone willing to break the law.

"Damien... how are you feeling?"

“Oh, Daimi~”

“You must be so scared!”

“Don’t worry, bro… we’ll fight them to death if they dare come again!”

Ah, that coddling again. Every one of my relatives huddled around me. Freya's hand on my shoulder. Willow's fingers combing through my hair. Ivy latching onto my left arm. Iris on my right, her hand discreetly on my knee.

"Fine. I’m fine…" I responded with a monotone voice. "Just tired."

"Let's get you to bed, then." Freya's tone was gentle as she massaged my shoulder. 

"I think we should all get some sleep." Willow added, her expression weary. "It's been a long night."

She then turned to Calista. "Make sure the windows are locked. And all the doors as well."

"Already did." Calista replied. She looked at me for a second, her expression unreadable. "Maybe... maybe Damien should not sleep alone tonight. Just in case..."

I frowned. There was a momentary pause of surprise at the suggestion—especially coming from Calista, of all people.

Then Ivy's eyes lit up at that, her grip on my arm tightening. "Yes! He can sleep with me!"

"No, me!" Iris protested, her voice trembling slightly. “I mean, my room is bigger…”

Willow was about to interject, along with Freya, but I immediately snapped. "I'll be sleeping in my room. Alone." I stated, in a tone that left no room for argument, though knowing these women, they’d love nothing more than to argue. "I'm not a child, and I'm not helpless. I can take care of myself."

How ridiculous did that sound for neither of them to take me seriously?

I knew that if I gave them an inch, they'd take a mile. And before I knew it, I'd have to endure a nightly ritual of a different sister taking shifts to watch over me as I slept. 

That would drive me insane faster than any potential stalker could.

But it seemed I had underestimated their determination.

"Please, Damien... just for tonight." Willow pleaded. "I won't be able to sleep if I know you're alone in your room."

"......"

A collective sigh of agreement followed her plea. They were all looking at me with expectant eyes, and I could feel my patience wearing thin.

A/N: To be proofread and edited